year 12 silver d of E expedition

Over the last 3 days, 42 of our Year 12 students have been in the Lake District on expedition to complete and be awarded their Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards.

UGS has long been proud to support the participation of our students in the D of E award, that requires participation in a range of activities from volunteering experience to consistently employing a personal skill; and to involvement in a physical activity. These activities have to be performed within a time frame of 6-12 months on average, and successful completion requires a high level of dedication and commitment.

Both Year 10 and Year 12 have already undertaken Bronze and a series of practice expeditions so far in 2024, and for the final time this academic year it was time for Year 12 to go for Silver. 

The cohort of students can be seen in our lead picture and above at camp in the picturesque Langdale Valley, and joyfully arriving for their second evening below:

They have undertaken three full days of assessed hiking and two nights of camping. While weather conditions were mixed, this did nothing to dampen their spirits, dedication, or enthusiasm; or the beauty of the surroundings that they were able to take in, as you will see from these fantastic shots of Langdale and Grasmere (below) taken by staff members Mrs Walker and Mrs Chadwick, and from Jasmine's and Rima's pictures that follow.

Here Jasmine and Rima share their experiences and photos from the trip:

Jasmine

The Duke of Edinburgh silver expedition is a real challenge for me. I am not a sporty person generally, but because of the encouragement from my friends and school, I decided to challenge myself. 

Our group was the slowest group during the practice expedition: we got to the campsite last and got lost a several times. This was quite disheartening for us at first, but I am glad that all of us stayed with each other and thought of different solutions together.

I have gained problem-solving skills and resilience during this challenge. In the actual expedition, we learnt from our mistakes, and tried to keep up our pace.

We also made sure that everyone agreed with the route that we chose to avoid getting lost. We ended up being the second group who arrived at the campsite, which was a fantastic improvement!

After the whole D of E challenge, I feel most glad about the friendships within our group. We faced difficulties and we went through them together. When everyone was tired, we tried to motivate each other to keep going by holding hands and sharing snacks. The relationships and bond within our group become even stronger after this challenge. We have all created unforgettable memories for ourselves to look back on.

I found D of E to be really rewarding, and I am so proud of all of us for completing this challenge. 

Rima

On Thursday 11th July, we set off on our expedition by coach to the Lake District, arriving at about 11am and setting off promptly on our day 1 hike.

Luckily, the weather was really good, with no rain, and we saw some highland cows which were really cute, and a farm with peacocks and emus!

After hiking for nearly 16km, 6 hours later we arrived at Grizedale campsite in Satterwaite. We woke up early the next morning to prepare for the tough hike ahead of us.

Across the 29km we hiked, we saw the most beautiful landscapes. It was very hard, and my legs felt very sore, but the beautiful mountains and lakes we walked through made the pain worth it!

10 hours later, we arrived at our final campsite, which was surrounded by lots of huge mountains.

Saturday was our final day: we did about 17km in 5 hours and when we finally reached the town of Ambleside, I literally collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion!

Overall though, it was an experience that I will never forget, because not only did I get to spend a lot of time with my friends, but it was also my first time ever doing something like this, and even though it was tough at times, I think it made me stronger physically, but also mentally.

I’m definitely going to go back to the Lake District and explore it even more, but definitely without a 13kg bag on my back!

The students and staff are now safely back after their successful 3 day quest, and we wish them a restful remainder of the weekend!

As Mrs Chadwick observes: "The expedition has been a real test of the students' resilience, but they have all truly impressed staff with their determination".

Huge congratulations all, we could not be more proud, with thanks to all the accompanying staff, to Mrs Chadwick, Jasmine and Rima for sharing the news, and to Mrs Walker for contributing her epic captures of the valley camp!