Over the weekend of the 23 to 25 September our Silver Duke of Edinburgh students embarked upon their qualifying expeditions in the New Forest.
After an early start and packing their group equipment into their bags, they were all set to go. The scenery and wildlife on arrival was beautiful and the students were blessed with fair weather despite the forecast.
On the first night, our six teams set up their tents at Ocknel Campsite, they were eager to get cooking after a long day’s walking. Morale was high as the sun set and the camp was in good spirts. Tired but happy, the students settled down to sleep, recharging their batteries ready for day two!
After getting up at 7am, having breakfast and packing up their camp in the slight drizzle, the second day went very smoothly with teams establishing a good walking pace. The Silver Teams marched onto Harry’s Island campsite where they spent their second night. The teams triumphantly overcame the trials and challenges of the three-day expedition. All of the teams were organised, focused and determined to finish on day 3, completing work towards their aims along the way.
We are all so proud of the effort and commitment that the students put into the weekend. Mrs Haynes would like to thank all of Leweston staff and the assessors for their support and for giving up their time over the weekend to ensure our DofE groups completed their expeditions safely and successfully.
Well done to all the teams who successfully qualified, we all look forward to their presentation afternoon in November.
