26th-30th April, Peak District National Park.
On the last day of the Lent Term, 9 Year 13 girls (Maddie, Iona, Harriet, Brigid, Molly, Emily, Alys, Kathryn and Emily) travelled to the Peak District for the final challenge of our Gold D of E award. For a year we have undertaken voluntary service jobs for the community, committed to a form of physical recreation and learned new skills. It is an award renowned for the challenges and experiences it provides and we are all very proud of ourselves for completing it together at HMSG.
We spent three nights camping in ‘wild country’ terrain and four days walking a minimum of eight hours a day. The rucksacks weighed over a third of our body weight as we had to carry all of our food, clothes and (soggy) camping equipment. Over the four days we also had to take notes on the reservoirs and flora and fauna in order to prepare an ‘exploration report’ to show the examiners.
It was, unsurprisingly, a test of endurance, mental grit and team morale. But the HMSG girls once again rose to the challenge and however weary, hungry and cold we felt, we encouraged each other and managed to complete each day, almost spot-on with our timings. The examiners were impressed!
Overall, our experience of D of E at HMSG, led by Mr Hunt, has been one we will treasure. Indeed, our map-reading and compass skills, first aid practice, cooking and physical stamina have all been developed immeasurably: character building indeed!
Brigid
Head Girl
