A number of students at Post-16 have been working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this year. They have had to complete six months of volunteering, learn a new skill and take part in a physical activity, both for a three month period.
The final section is the expedition which took place last weekend. The students had to do lots of preparation prior to the expedition. They had to plan the route, organise equipment, decide what they were going to cook and complete training sessions.
The group chose to canoe down the Avon and Kennett canal. They met early on Saturday morning and loaded the boats with all of the equipment needed for the weekend. They got in two boats and set off on their expedition. Throughout the day they had to make their way through 18 lock gates, navigate around other boats and make sure they were following the planned route.
The teamwork on display was amazing. As they approached a lock, two students would jump out to open the gate leaving the others to steer the canoe in to the lock. Day one of paddling for six hours ended in Newbury but the work was not complete. The group had to navigate to the camp site, set up the tents and then cook dinner. The evening was spent reflecting on the days great achievements whilst sat around a fire.
Day two started early at 7am wake up. Breakfast was made, bags were packed and tents were taken down and put away. The end goal for the day was to get to Woolhampton which would involve another six hours of paddling. The students had to overcome the tiredness from the previous days exertions and morale was a little low. It soon rose as a member of staff lost balance whilst trying to get a bag from a canoe and fell into the canal!
For the final half of the day the decision was made to combine forces and to get everyone on a boat together for a final push. The students worked well together to reach the end goal and complete the expedition.
Needless to say we are exceptionally proud of the group and are looking forward to the Duke of Edinburgh presentation evening. Below are pictures of their amazing weekend:
