One of the major determining factors of any outdoor adventure trip is the weather and this year’s trip to Cornwall was blessed with some of the best in living memory. Wall to wall sunshine and pounding surf added up to a quite stunning week away following the rigours of exams.
The majority of Form 6 met on a sunny Sunday morning to travel down to the Outdoor Adventure Centre, which is perched on a cliff overlooking Widemouth Bay. Despite some early apprehension from the group about how they might survive a whole week without their electronics and phones, they soon settled into the busy programme of activities. Idle thumbs and idle minds found pleasure in playing outside and talking to each other without a screen interface. For the elderly amongst us, it was a refreshing return to the ‘good old days.’
The activities came thick and fast, with the programme running from breakfast at 7.15am until the end of evening activities at 9.00pm. The children, not surprisingly, coped somewhat better than some of the staff!
Over the week, everyone got the chance to have a go at a range of activities, including surfing, windsurfing, canoeing, coastal traversing, climbing, abseiling and hiking. The diversity of things on offer was amazing and it is always interesting to see what everyone’s favourite activity was.
Our week in Cornwall was a wonderful opportunity for this year’s leavers to unwind after the stress of exams. Many have told me how they enjoyed having quality time together, as their days at the Prep School come to an end.
Special mention must go to Sam Scott and Alex Troube, both of whom managed to break arms whilst playing football and touch rugby in their free time. These were our first breaks in 17 years and many thanks are owed to Matron Beever who had to endure late nights at A&E in Barnstable.
My thanks need to go to the Outdoor Adventure team who are always so welcoming and enthusiastic. Huge thanks also to all the accompanying staff, who give so freely of their time; they often put their own lives on hold and make huge personal sacrifices to make sure that these trips operate. This year’s heroes were Rev Green, Mrs Schutte, Mrs Sanders, Mr Till, Matron Beever, Miss Jade and Miss Cara.
MH
