Year 10 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition

06 May Year 10 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition

Many congratulations to the twelve students from Year 10 and two students from Year 12 who took part in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award practice expedition last weekend.

This was the first time that the students had to work independently and carry all of their kit to a campsite and learn how to undertake a truly self-sufficient expedition.

The two students from Year 12 Fatimah and Skyla, were there to get extra experience in navigation as they are straight entrants to the gold award this year. The group set off from Lea Valley Country Park and found their way to Theobalds Park campsite, however it was the last group to set off that were the first to arrive – I think the others took a more ‘scenic’ route!

Once at camp the group quickly got to grips with putting up tents and preparing a meal. Then came the biggest challenge of the weekend – staying warm on Friday night. The temperature dropped like a stone after dark and we awoke to a sheet of ice on our tents, however Saturday dawned bright and sunny which everyone was certainly very grateful for.

Both groups were up and away by 9:30am enroute to Cockfosters. As the day went on, lessons about navigation technique began to sink in and the students began to bring together information from their maps, timing, compass and route cards before making a decision about route choices, leading to a perfect last leg for everyone.

I would like to thank all the students involved for their commitment and brilliant attitude to the training, as well as the fact that they kept a very neat and tidy camp. The Year 10 students involved were: Zubin, Theo, Daniels, Aimee, Katelyn, Summer, Aline, Chloe, Sam, Precious, Nikhil, and Murtaza.

I would also like to thank the JRCS staff who made this weekend possible and generously passed on their wisdom and support to these students: Mr Kilminster, Ms Hall, Ms Tang and Ms Omirinde. It only remains for me to wish the Year 10s the very best of luck with their qualifying expedition later this month.

Ms Montague

DofE Manager