68 Bronze D of E was one of the most challenging, but rewarding things Year 9 pupils were able to take part in this year. From volunteering and physical activities to skill learning, there hasn’t been a dull moment, and we have been able to branch out and learn new skills we never thought would be possible. From September to June, we completed the Volunteering, Physical and Skill sections of our D of E, as well as planning our route and everything needed for our expedition; it consisted of a total of around 30 km, walking from Hatfield Peverel to Purleigh, camping overnight at Danbury Outdoors. In this time we planned for two full days of walking (six hours per day), and a night at the campsite, packing our bags accordingly (and making sure we had enough snacks to keep us going!). Even though we were unable to do many of our various chosen activities due to COVID, there was still a wide range of activities available for us. From volunteering at food banks, to playing netball and learning how to bake or play a card game, there were many options to choose from. After-school training sessions on Friday consisted of: first aid, mapping skills, learning to put up tents and how to use a trangia - which all came in extremely handy during the expedition. Our group’s favourite memory from the expedition was making s’mores around the trangia once we reached the campsite; we sat down together, talking about the second day and had time to relax with the other groups while perfecting our camp craftsmanship. It felt such a relief to know we had successfully completed the first day, and knew we were already half way through our expedition! Bronze Duke of EdinburgH
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