On the 1^st of October, Blacon High School’s Duke of Edinburgh group started their assessment weekend; the group was made up of a mixture of Y10 and Y11s.

Students met in Farndon at 10.00am to get ready for what would be a challenging expedition.  They were keen and confident as they had been thoroughly trained and prepared by Mr Lacey and Mrs Roberts.

The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition means that they had to be fully self-sufficient for the next two days. This meant that they had to plan and navigate a route through the Cheshire countryside. They also needed to carry with them everything that they would need. This included a tent, waterproofs (these would be needed!) a compass, a cooking stove and food.

As they made their final check of equipment in Farndon, the heavens opened. It rained heavily all day. This made navigation very demanding but all of the groups faced this challenge with smiles on their faces.

The groups made their way to Tattenhall where they arranged their campsite and prepared their evening meals; there was a lot of pasta eaten! Spirits were really lifted when a campfire was made and the marshmallows were brought out. All of the groups were happy to climb into their tents and get some well-earned rest by 10.00 pm.

It was an early start on the Sunday morning. All of the groups were up and cooking breakfast by approximately 6.30. Once fed, they packed and got ready for the second day’s expedition, this took the group from Tattenhall to a finish in Burwardsley.  The final day was a treat in regards to the weather; the sun was up early and the day stayed glorious.

All in all, it was a great (yet gruelling!) weekend where a lot was learnt - like how to cross a field with cows in it!  The Duke of Edinburgh group all showed resilience and grit in coping with the first day’s challenges, they impressed all of the staff with their positivity and perseverance.