News
Park School students take part in D of E exercise
11th May 200711 students from years 10 and 11 have recently undertaken their silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award practice expedition and training. They joined students from Bruton School for Girls and Sexey's School, Bruton.
After a full day in school the students gathered on the Friday night at Bruton School for Girls where they received instruction in the use of stoves and how to plan a balanced menu before cooking their own supper outside. Then it was back into the classroom for route planning. No one was allowed to go to bed until route cards had been produced for the next 3 days. Effectively this meant no one got to bed until midnight!
Breakfast was at 7.30 and almost immediately the students were being trained in safety in camp with graphic pictures of what fire can do to a tent in seconds. The rest of the morning was spent fitting and packing rucksacks. Those heavy makeup bags just had to go!
At last the students were bussed to the Dorset hills to begin walking. The weather was warm and sunny and scenery was spectacular with bright yellow rape, bluebells and white wild garlic. This was mostly lost on the students who were still getting used to their heavy rucksacks and the very steep hills. One group came across a ford which was worth a stop and later on a deer was spotted. However the real lesson of the afternoon was navigation and they all proved to be good at this. Everyone arrived at the first campsite early.
Sadly the camping skills were not so good. Where were those tent pegs and whose bag was that blowing away in the wind? The evening was cold but luckily not so windy and misty as the second night.
And so the pattern repeated itself over the next two days and night. Walk, camp, walk but now in the rain. Many had blisters to contend with in addition to sore shoulders.
It was with great relief (at least for the leaders) that soon after midday on the Monday the groups finally completed their challenges and arrived at their final destination. But who was this group with mud all over their faces and straw and flowers in their hair? It was the Pink Wimps and they claimed they had slipped down the hill by the Cerne Abbas Giant. However, the thumbs up signs and broad smiles said it all and now they all want to go on an assessment expedition.
