Year 6 Residential at Boreatton Park

It was time for a sense of adventure as Year 6 arrived with huge excitement at a brand new location for their residential trip this year. The 250 acres of woodland and countryside at PGL Boreatton Park combined with glorious sunshine was already a positive start to the trip and the boys were super excited to move into their new lodgings for the week. We were introduced to our Group Leader called Dave who instantly made a good impression on the boys and had some great songs which everyone joined in with!

On arrival in the afternoon, Year 6 had the chance to explore some of the beautiful surroundings and it didn’t take long for some boys to pick up a cricket bat or badminton racquet to play with in the sun! Dinner was enjoyed by all and definitely the highlight of the dinner hall was the ‘Hydration Station’ where you could have unlimited refills of various flavoured water – the ‘Mix it Up’ option was hugely popular with our boys!

In the evening, our first activity involved a variety of mini games which got everyone involved including frisbee throwing, a giant game of the classic board game Battleship and an exciting new way to play Rock Paper Scissors! The energy was high after Day 1 here at Boreatton Park and the boys went to bed knowing that there was so much more adventure waiting for them on Day 2!

Day 2 was a very early start with a combination of early risers and a warm welcome from the glorious sun and surrounding wildlife. Our first activity of the day was Canoeing and in their 3 groups, the boys travelled down the river getting closer to nature, competing in various challenges and developing skills such as steering, paddling and teamwork!

After lunch and a few more trips to the ‘Hydration Station’, the next activity involved a lot of bravery, courage and peer-support as each group tackled the Abseiling Tower which was over 10 metres tall! Many people find heights a very daunting prospect but the encouragement and support from all the boys towards each and every member of their group as individually they walked backwards down the tower was superb to see and certainly part of the West House Way!

Year 6 were royally entertained in the evening by group leader, Dave, who had prepared a Quiz for them testing their general knowledge and picture guessing skills. Their knowledge of chocolate bars was generally very good although there is some room for improvement when it comes to ‘quietly’ discussing answers. Can the boys still remember what PGL stands for? A fun-filled day had come to end and the boys were definitely looking forward to a good night’s sleep! Let’s continue the adventure tomorrow!

If the boys thought Day 2 was busy, Day 3 was in another gear with five brand new activities for the boys to experience! The morning session involved a combination of two activities. The first was a real test of nerve and the boys had the control of deciding how high they wanted to go on the Giant Swing! In small groups, the boys were raised into the air with the help of their peers who became the ‘pull team’ and on the pull of one cord, there was a fast and exciting drop as they swung back and forth high in the air – it definitely provided some fantastic action shots!

The second activity of the morning was a fan favourite – Laser Tag! It was Oranges v Yellows in an outdoor arena with the sun shining bright and the boys ready to battle! There were two different modes of the team laser tag battle including ‘Elimination’ and ‘Capture the Flag’ which needed strong teamwork, communication and tactics! It was a morning full of energy and lots of smiles!

As the group first arrived at Boreatton Park, everyone instantly spotted the amazing Zip Wires that surrounded the park and they couldn’t believe that there were five in total! Today, the boys flew through the sky as they went down the line with some amazing scenes to view –  what a rush of adrenaline and exhilarating experience this was! The other afternoon activity required precision and concentration as the boys were introduced to Air Rifle Shooting! In their groups, they had to take it in turns to aim at the small targets with the closest to the bullseye scoring the most points!

A day full of action was rounded off with a seat around the Campfire singing along with one another and dancing as the sun set in the distance! It was such an enjoyable activity as it brought the whole group together in one place and there was a real sense of comfort, fun and relaxation! Year 6 went to bed knowing that their adventure here at Boreatton Park was coming to an end, but there was still plenty of time tomorrow to make even more memories that they will cherish for a long time!

Day 4 already – how time flies!! However, the fun didn’t stop as two final activities were planned for the morning session! Jacob’s Ladder was a real test of friendship, teamwork and communication. In small groups, together the boys worked together as a team to reach the top of a suspended ladder of logs with the distance between each log increasing the higher they went. Whilst this proved rather challenging, it revealed how important teamwork can be in more ways than just on the sports field!

Could Year 6 survive deep in the wooded forest with only a handful of materials and build a shelter to stay safe? Survivor tested their decision making and navigational skills as they worked together in creating shelters using basic materials and how to stay safe, warm and dry in the forest. We are confident they have developed these survival skills which may come in handy when they move on to bigger adventures ahead!

Before the group departed Boreatton Park, there was the opportunity to come together as a year group to take photos with one another to keep memories of such a wonderful residential trip! For some, their journey at West House has spanned for nearly nine years and for all the boys no doubt they have made friends for life as their adventure after West House nears its start.