On the week of the 20th of September, boys in form three travelled for two and a half days of adventure training at Hilston Park, a manor house on the outskirts of Monmouth. The idea of the trip was to help the new boys settle in and build friendships; helping to create lasting team bonds.
The activities were both mentally and physically challenging and included high ropes, caving, canoeing, mountain biking and night navigation. The boys were kept busy at all times of the day and had to work together to help each other out of difficult situations, such as negotiating the tight “key hole” on the caving trip.
The activity that proved most popular was the canoeing, as they had to work together in groups of three to tackle the epic rapids of the river wye. Even the staff were hard at work together attempting to beat the boys at a head to head race down the narrow river channels.
By the end of the trip both boys and staff left the centre with a greater understanding of each other, and how important teamwork can be. They left with a greater appreciation of the great outdoors and the world that surrounds them, and a better appreciation of a good night’s sleep!