Twenty-two students from Plymstock School participated in their Silver Qualifying Expedition for their Duke of Edinburgh’s award on Friday 15th – 17th July. This was their final expedition that followed on from their Bronze Award and Silver practice walk last year.

The aim of the expedition programme is for students to develop team participation, map, and cooking skills, alongside their appreciation for the outdoors. As part of the weekend the students had to be completely self-sufficient: so, they had to carry everything they needed on their backs, including camping and cooking equipment, first aid kits, enough food for 3 days and contend with the very warm weather.

Friday saw the teams walking a route of around 10 miles, starting from Yealmpton to Harford Bridge Campsite . The energy was maintained when getting into camp with a camping style evening of setting up their tents, cooking and getting an early night! On Saturday, the day started with packing away camp, cooking breakfast and a hike through the countryside to finish at a wild camping site near Foggintor Quarry, surrounded by open moor and wild ponies, and zero facilities! Sunday with the weather warnings saw a very early start for all and a final walk back to Burrator via a disused railway. All groups were then debriefed by staff and headed back to school and on to home for a much-needed shower and rest!

Mrs de Mora, DofE Manager, commented ‘It was another fantastic weekend. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves, showed real resiliance and were a real credit to the school. Every student’s DofE journey is as unique as them, but a theme common to all our participants is that DofE gives them the chance to prove to themselves what they are capable of. I’m proud of all you, congratulations on achieving your Silver award! I also want to celebrate and thank the staff for their time and energy invested in helping our students develop and achieve their goals over the year. Without you, none of this would be possible’.