We look forward to sharing snippets of the Year 6 adventure in Pendarren with you here over the coming days…
Friday 9th February
Much to our delight, this morning we awoke to Narnia.
Thursday 8th February
After a hugely successful quiz on Wednesday night which led to us retiring to bed slightly later than usual, and having the best night’s sleep yet, a breakfast of bacon and beans set us up nicely for another busy day. We hunted for our wellies and jackets (which has become increasingly more difficult throughout the week) and each set off for our activities.
Today Group 3 went caving and the children all returned insistent that they’d had the ‘best day ever’, which we’ve heard several times already this week. Groups 2 and 4 also had the best day ever canoeing, which for many children was their first time, and visiting the Big Pit Museum.
Meanwhile, Groups 1 and 5 have been having their ‘best days ever’ invading Raglan Castle and testing their nerves on the high ropes.
After hot showers, to warm us up (which was particularly necessary for those crazy enough to jump into the ice cold water) a delicious fish and chips supper awaited, before we were able to show off our sixties-style dance moves at the disco!
Tomorrow we have the mammoth task of packing up our belongings before we all learn some vital survival skills in our bushcraft session and set off on our return journey. We will be sad to leave our temporary home but are looking forward to seeing our loved ones and catching up on some rest!
Wednesday 7th February
After another good night’s sleep and a hot breakfast of potato waffles and poached eggs, the children were ready for their activities. For Groups 2 and 4, this was their chance to have a go at caving. Rob and Faye were particularly impressed with the way that the children supported each other and pushed themselves to their limits.
Groups 1 and 5 had a fantastic day testing their communication and teamwork skills by canoeing through icy water and visiting the Big Pit Museum. This is the National Coal Mining Museum of Wales and has a superb mining simulation, as well as the chance to go down in an old lift to a real mine.
Group 3 had a wonderful time testing their abilities in co-operation on the high ropes and zip line before going to explore Raglan Castle.
Today we also said goodbye to Peter Burge and hello to Ruth Vince, who has already shown her enthusiasm by jumping into the canal! The evening’s entertainment was a superb general knowledge quiz led by the legendary quiz master, Nick Lynch, after we enjoyed a tasty curry and rice.
We hope your day has been as fun-filled as ours!
Tuesday 6th February
After a good night’s sleep, with some children having to be woken up by the bell for breakfast, we sat down to delicious pancakes with tea, toast and cereal. Then, after room inspections and pulling on plenty of extra layers, we began our first full day of activities. For Groups 1 and 5, with Peter, Kate and Emma, a full day’s caving was on the timetable.
This involved experiencing complete and total darkness for the first time for most of us, as well as exploring the caves and taking part in various challenges including crawling along narrow ledges, squeezing through tiny gaps and jumping into ice-cold water.
Group 2 took a fascinating trip to Raglan castle and had an exhilarating go on the zip wire and high ropes.
Whilst Groups 3 and 4 went down a real (disused) mine at the big pit museum and also had lots of fun canoeing. All the children are now heading back to warm up with hot showers before a spag bol dinner and listening to a story teller, kindly funded by the PSA.
We are already referring to Pendarren house as ‘home’ and are having a wonderful time here. We hope you’re not missing us too much!
Monday 5th February
The excited troops arrived at lunchtime and enjoyed a tour of the buildings before sitting down to a light lunch with their activity groups. After getting kitted out with waterproofs and wellies, they went for their first activity: croeso – meaning welcome! This involved a tour of the local area, running up a hill, climbing over stiles, paddling in the stream (with wellies on) and trekking through woodland.
They also planted seeds and explored a sensory garden. The fresh Welsh air gave everyone a huge appetite and after hot showers and bed making, it was time for the evening meal: homemade pizza, jacket potatoes, salad and coleslaw followed by yogurt, homemade cookies and fresh fruit. Everyone was certainly ready to settle down for a good night’s sleep.
