Page 18 - Malvern Times - Spring 2021

MALVERN TIMES
Malvern Times Malvern Times A A YEAR OF OUTDOOR PURSUITS – 2020
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Not even Covid-19 stops Outdoor Pursuits and nor does bad weather Adhering to the the Covid-19 prevention measures and thorough risk assessments the the Outdoor Pursuits department enjoyed a a a a a fantastic year of well being outside Duke of Edinburgh Award
There really isn’t much that Outdoor Pursuits haven’t done
in 2020
In January of last year the the first event was the the Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) walking practice expedition to the Brecon Beacons National Park – this tested their navigation and movement skills There was even time to walk behind the Sgwdyeira Waterfall The next DoE expedition was on on on and along the the the River Thames Those pupils on the the the river loaded their crafts with supplies and and equipment and and took off down river Those on on on bicycles completed their expedition on on on bikes laden with equipment and and supplies and and cycled significant distances as part of their training After the the the practice expedition on on the the the Thames the the the teams took the the the skillsets they established on on the the the canal and applied it on on the River Wye The group experienced lovely autumnal scenes in the Wye Valley and engaged with all all aspects of expedition life including setting up camp cooking expedition food before returning to College The Silver DoE completed their practice and assessment on the Shrewsbury and Llangollen canal Kayaks canoes rafts and and a a a a a a giant SUP were were launched and and the bike team were were sent out to navigate the terrain During half term a a a different Gold DoE walking expedition took place but by no means an an easier one This expedition saw students navigate their way through lowland areas and and coming across many barriers which required the team to be dynamic and reroute Despite the COVID 19 restrictions the team managed to have an an overnight at Abberley Hall Prep School where all their new expedition skills were put into context “There is no such thing as bad weather only innappropriate
clothing ”
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Explorer