Thursday 21st October – 10:30pm
Today was a very important day – Ted’s birthday. We all rose bright and early to kick-start the celebrations; we gathered together in the lounge to watch Ted open his cards and gifts. Then, we headed for breakfast. On the menu today – bacon, hash browns and beans along with the usual cereals and toast.
This morning, all three groups tackled the abseiling tower. Whilst just a handful of children settled their nerves enough to make the terrifying descent, several children braved the steps inside – a huge task in itself – and managed to reach the top of the tower. Ethan was incredibly brave and practically threw himself off it, descending the wall with no hesitation! On his third attempt, Ted plucked up the courage to take on the abseiling wall whilst his group serenaded him with Happy Birthday! He was, rightly, very proud of himself.
Zip Wire was a particular favourite for many of the children. Kyra took this challenge in her stride and enjoyed several turns – the smile on her face at the end said it all! Nathanael was unsure at first and needed a moment to settle his nerves. He then headed up the tower again but this time with a fire in his belly to face his fears. He was overjoyed with what he had achieved and keen to go again… and again!
Two more groups enjoyed the adventures through the woods which were Orienteering and Problem Solving today. Vaaris stood out during these activities for his engagement and enthusiasm – it’s lovely to take children away who make the most of the activities which require a great deal of critical thinking. Jasmine, Ava and Niamh were particularly keen navigating over the logs and through the thickets to find all of the markers. Whilst Francesca, Pixie, Bertie and Keely demonstrated fantastic communication working together to attempt to solve a tricky problem involving buckets, ropes and a hook. Hayden showed great leadership to solve the problems in a logical way.
We ended our final full day in the only right way – with a sing song around the campfire. Of course, no camp fire would be complete without smoors! These were a hit with every child; every single bite was savoured!
It has been a pleasure to take this group of children away. The children have stood out for their impeccable manners and supportive natures. This will be our final post as tomorrow morning will be very busy helping the children to pack up before we enjoy our final two activities – Trapeze and Archery Tag – followed by lunch and the journey home. The children have had a brilliant week and are excited to share tales of their many adventures with you.
Thursday 21st October – 6:10am
We are anticipating that it is going to be a challenge to wake the children this morning; they went to bed so tired (but so very happy) last night. Despite having noise from a newly arrived school group in our block, they all settled quickly and not a sound has been heard since! Currently, it is raining outside and this is forecast to continue most of the day. I suspect that the children will hardly notice though! They have shown such incredible strength, determination and positivity all week that they will probably just see the rain as part of the fun. Today, is our last full day so we will begin packing up this evening. It is an extra exciting day as Ted is celebrating his 10th birthday … we will make sure it is a special day for him.
We hope that you are enjoying our comments and photos – these are just a small selection of many, many more that have been taken. We are trying our very best to ensure that some of every child’s highlights make it to our posts – but we are saving some of the best to share with you during our PGL assembly.
Wednesday 22nd October – 10:30 pm
Today has been another absolutely fantastic day. So many children have pushed themselves way beyond what they thought was possible. It has truly been an honour to witness the pride on their faces; we are so proud of them all. Activities today have included: Giant Swing, Sensory Trail, Challenge Course, Rifle Shooting and Problem Solving.
Giant Swing was certainly a crowd pleaser! It’s an activity that requires team work, physical strength and buckets full of bravery. Once the riders are harnessed onto the bar, the rest of the team have to hoist them up towards the tree tops by pulling all together on a rope. Aariv was a key part of his team’s success – he organised and encouraged everyone to work together. There were so many smiles and squeals of delight once the swing was released; many children were keen to go even higher on their second go. Theo and Maryam were fearless even on their first go; they wanted to head straight to the top!
Two more groups enjoyed Rifle Shooting today. Lucas proved to have incredible aim by hitting the centre of the target on his very first shot, another star performer was Austin.
Challenge Course was lots of fun. With moo-offs, cups of water and boundless enthusiasm, everyone got stuck in. Niamh made us very proud by embracing the challenges whilst also offering endless support to other members of the team – her smile never left her face. James’ enthusiasm was infectious and he showed great skill and agility from start to finish.
One of the groups enjoyed Problem Solving today. They worked as a team to complete several tricky tasks which required everyone to clearly communicate their ideas as well as listen to the ideas of others. Jadon really got stuck in and was keen to offer his advice to others demonstrating excellent leadership skills.
Our evening plans were changed at the last minute due to a heavy downpour. Instead of taking the children out to get soaking wet before bed, we organised Aston’s version of Passport to the World in the comfort of our accommodation. They scored points for their team over several rounds, the highlight was each groups’ efforts to write and perform a new national anthem for their chosen country. Their performances of these were simply hilarious – George proved to be an incredible frontman with bucket loads of charisma to entertain his audience. Despite missing the five minute rehearsal, Austin provided valuable beat-boxing which enhanced his group’s performance. Please enjoy one of the videos of these performances below.
Pixie and Darcie have stood out throughout our week so far for getting stuck in to everything and always with a smile on their faces. Their positivity is infectious and we are very lucky to be spending the week with them.
The children settled very quickly to sleep tonight; they were very tired and very happy. We’re looking forward to our final full day of adventures tomorrow.
Wednesday 22nd October – 8:00am
We have just returned from another early breakfast and are preparing for another day of exciting of activities. The children are amazing at getting up and being ready before daylight! Today, we will face the mighty giant swing, the tunnel trail, rifle shooting, problem solving and challenge course. It really is wonderful to see how the children are supporting each other in all sorts of ways and they are simply the best company!
Tuesday 21st October – 10:25pm
Oh what fun we’ve had today! Activities have included: Sensory Trail, Tunnel Trail, Climbing, Rifle Shooting, Archery and Raft Building.
The climbing wall was everyone’s first taste of heights at PGL; a great way to ease us in. As the session went on, we became braver and braver – some of us even managed to climb to the top! Tilly launched herself up the wall with zero hesitation. Jack set a good example for pushing past one’s limits – on his third attempt at the climbing wall, he managed to achieve his target of getting to the top.
Tunnel Trail was such a lot of fun! Some of the tunnels were so small that we had pull ourselves through on our tummies. We played a game called ‘Infected’ where some of us were zombies trying to infect the rest of us. Eli proved to be a very convincing zombie – his impression was scarily realistic!
It was fun practising our aim at archery. We had several rounds of arrows to fire and our skills improved as the session went on. One instructor commented that she had worked with two of our groups on different activities and thought we were lovely children with impeccable manners. Ava, Amelie and Ollie showed particular skill when it came to using a bow and arrow.
Some of us got to open fire at Rifle Shooting this afternoon. Lily led many a song to entertain her group whilst they waited for their turns. Thank you, Lily!
Raft Building has been most people’s favourite activity. Each group worked together to build a secure raft that could support the weight of 12 people. Flynn and Toby loved every minute and chose to relax in the freezing cold water for longer than they were required to! They also showed a particular aptitude for Rifle Shooting. Isabel went from dipping her toe in the water to completely submerging herself and loving every minute!
We ended our day in the pitch-black woods, with torches in hand and a game of Ambush to be won! Bertie, Azariah and Jasmine were particularly supportive friends to those who found being in the dark, damp woods a challenge. Year Five were delighted to claim victory.
The children are now all in bed, fast asleep and are looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Tuesday 21st October – 5:42am
The corridor is still quiet with everyone still asleep – not for long though as we will be waking the children at 6:15am so that they can be up and ready for breakfast at 7am. This morning, the children will be facing the climbing wall, enjoying sensory trail and one group the tunnel trail. After lunch, we have raft building, archery and rifle shooting. It was wonderful to see the children enjoying their dinner yesterday evening – and, of course, snacks before bed (thank you for all the donations).
Monday 20th October – 8:30pm
What a memorable first day! Despite the pouring rain, our wonderful children have done us so very proud. Our journey was longer than expected and included a impromptu stop for lunch on the coach. We arrived at PGL just as the heavens opened – not one child complained! After depositing our luggage, it was time for today’s activities. For our first activity, Survivor, we were out in the woods building shelters and starting fires – Hayden and Stanley were particularly talented at these important survival skills! Then, it was time for Eco Explorer where we learnt about the fauna and flora of the PGL site whilst playing lots of fun games. With it being such a full-on start, the children were given the option of an additional late-night activity, or some wind-down time in their lovely rooms. Three enthusiastic children – Louie, Keely and Azariah – opted to brave the drizzle again. They played several agility games and were rewarded for their commitment with a hot chocolate. They are now all in bed. Of course, we had an essential biscuit or two to ensure a good night’s sleep ready for our early start tomorrow at 7am – wish us luck!
Here is our activity timetable for the week – we have so many exciting challenges ahead!
We are all so excited about our forthcoming trip to PGL! Thank you for attending our meeting last week during which we shared information about our week away and all the amazing activities that we will be experiencing. This post will be updated with any additional information before the trip and, most importantly, during the trip to share photos and updates about our time away.
