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Cornwall
Removes – October
As in previous years, much
of the time was spent in the
wild in TrenowthWood, where
the boys were given a series
of tasks that resulted in the
building of a team camp.
They not only learned new skills but employed
those acquired the previous term, when the
same company came to do an introductory
course at Summer Fields.
With the theme of ‘The Preparers’, the boys
were asked to imagine a situation in which they
had to rebuild a community following an EMP
(‘electro-magnetic pulse’) strike on Oxford.With
this in mind they were divided into four groups,
each one led by a member of the Footsteps of
Discovery staff. The boys built up their camp
from scratch, mainly using material found in
the forest: first shelters, water and firewood,
then fire-pits and other useful pieces of camp
‘furniture’.They learned how to skin a rabbit and
some may even have tasted the cooked version.
The Geography curriculum was served by
our visit to Boscastle, to learn out about the
flood of 2004. Following this we undertook a
challenging hike along part of the SouthWest
Coastal Path between Boscastle andTintagel.All
boys managed to complete the course, about
seven miles of quite difficult terrain, and they
were proud of having finished – some of them
in record time.
The trip was a success, helped along by
excellent weather conditions. In the few days
we spent there the boys came a very long way,
improving significantly as a group and gaining
in confidence as individuals.They learned,
crucially, that it is much easier to complete
tasks effectively when they work as a team
towards a common goal.The camp is supposed
to be a little tough.The elemental nature of
life in the woods is crucial to the success of the
expedition: it makes boys appreciate better all
those basic things which they take for granted
at school and at home, and encourages them to
work together and look after each other.This is
what we hope they bring back to their life and
work at Summer Fields in preparation for their
final year.
Instructors’ prizes went to
Kit Henderson
and
Oliver Crawford
.
TMLE
“The boys built
up their camp
from scratch,
mainly using
material found
in the forest”
S u m m e r F i e l d s
2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6
54