Outdoor Adventures
Our Year 7 pupils embarked on an outdoor, phone-free adventure, tackling new challenges and getting to know their new classmates.
Our new cohort of Senior School pupils ventured to the Shropshire hills together for an action-packed, three-day residential. Our school values of courage, kindness, commitment, creativity and aspiration were all on display at various points throughout their stay, whether venturing deep into the underground maze, supporting friends abseiling down an 8-metre tower in the dark, or hurling specialist axes and firing arrows at a target. The girls enjoyed spending time with their peers, without any mobile phones, making memories to last for years to come.
Imogen reports back on the highlights of the trip:
‘We boarded the coaches in a fashion as jumbled as the emotions in our heads. Nervous to be away from home, and excited to be away from school, we all buckled in for the experience of a lifetime.
After driving through the maze of houses and high streets in the city we called home, we reached a place where greenery and crops stretched all the way to the foggy horizon. Much to the accompanying teachers’ dismay, we erupted in a spontaneous cacophony of Taylor Swift. Arriving at Culmington Manor, we began the array of activities: archery, rock climbing and the famous zipline! We were all encouraged to try something new, perhaps even something that unnerved us. A particular highlight for me was the fencing – as a complete novice, I learnt so much and was very proud of the matches that I played.
As the mud squelched underfoot, it was most definitely an experience that taught us all something about courage, resilience and having fun. Despite being nervous about being grouped with girls I didn’t really know, I soon came to realise that we were all in the same boat (or canoe) and really appreciate that I had so much time to bond with an incredibly kind group of girls. I have made so many new friends, all in the short yet magical three-day stay.
Feeling like no time at all had passed, we were back on the coach, this time to return home. Despite the long line of traffic stretching to the skyline, I had a wonderful time catching up with friends who weren’t in my group, sharing sweets and reflecting on the thrilling experience that we had just had. Overall, it was an extraordinary trip in which we all stepped out of our comfort zones and into the mud – but armed with one another (and waterproof trousers) we all had a trip to remember!’
Head of Year, Ms Humphreys, was impressed by the girls’ cheerful determination and sense of camaraderie. “The girls didn’t let the great British weather – nor the traffic on our return journey – dampen their spirits during their time away. They embraced challenges, pushed themselves out of their comfort zones, and got just a little muddy along the way!”