Last week Lower 1 pupils enjoyed the annual residential trip to Lea Green Development Centre near Matlock in Derbyshire. Pupils were accompanied by Lower 1 teachers Matthew Sutterby and Alison Petit.
Lower 1 spent the first day trusting each other on the low ropes and encouraging everyone to push themselves out of their comfort zone on the high ropes. In the afternoon they went on a stream ‘walk’, which resulted in a large number of happy pupils drenched from head to foot. After dinner they headed off-site, and participated in an orienteering activity around the local fields and enjoyed a night walk in the woodlands.
The next day, the sunshine and tranquil river conditions were perfect for paddle boarding and bell boating. The pupils had to work as a team to take the bell boat down the river and, whilst paddle boarding, as expected, the staff ended up in the river too! While both activities were a challenge, everyone kept their cool and cooperated brilliantly. Campfires and marshmallows were a calm end to the action-packed days. Due to sunset being well past bedtime, no eerie ghost stories were told.
Matthew Sutterby said, “It was a wonderful experience and it was time spent together to end the year on a high, particularly with the unsettling situation that everyone has experienced in the last 18 months; memories made to last.”
Alison Petit said, “It was a real success. We all really enjoyed the activities, especially paddling. I’m sure that Lower 1 will remember these experiences for a long time to come.”
Report by Form 7 pupil Benedict Holland
