WHITEMOOR LAKES 2018 In May over a hundred Year 7 students and their teachers set off on an adventure to Whitemoor Lakes. Many of us, including me, were very nervous due to the daunting challenges and activities ahead and we arrived at Whitemoor Lakes very eager and excited. We arrived to the sight of the tall, towering structure that we would have to climb and the high ropes course that included the ‘Leap of Faith’. We knew that we were going to have an exhausting but thrilling three days ahead of us! When we entered, we were given a tour of the centre and given the opportunity to explore the table tennis and pool area as well as the nine activities the staff had in store for us. We were then shown to our dormitories and had half an hour to unpack and make our beds. Unfortunately for me, my first activity was high ropes, which I was least looking forward to. However, our instructor was very supportive, and I managed to reach the top on both courses and complete the ‘Leap of Faith’! We then tried abseiling and zip wire which were very enjoyable and enthralling to experience. After a lovely dinner, we set out for our last activity of the day – canoeing. I had a strong feeling that it would be immensely difficult but it also turned out to be competitive as we played a fun forfeit game which rounded off an exhausting day very well. Our full day at Whitemoor Lakes was highly anticipated and included four activities and a campfire. We started the day off with high ropes, an activity where we needed to build a raft which included us getting very wet, but the drying room gave us a solution to the problem. Our next two activities were fencing and archery – two activities that sounded highly promising and they didn’t disappoint! We were allowed to have multiple opportunities at everything – that was what made Whitemoor Lakes so brilliant for me. Our final activity of the day was problem solving when we had to try and complete lots of challenges as a team which helped to improve our collaboration skills. We then had the campfire where we sang silly songs and played games. It was exhausting but a great experience for us. We had mixed emotions on the final day: we were excited to see our families but disappointed to be leaving. Our first activity was climbing, and it was as exhilarating as I predicted! Our final activity was team games involving lots of different sports and team activities. They were competitive and rewarding at the same time. After our final lunch, prizes were given out for enthusiasm and teamwork. We then had to say goodbye for the last time. In my opinion, Whitemoor Lakes was a fantastic opportunity and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and activities provided. I would like to thank the staff at Whitemoor Lakes and Mr Bansal and the teachers who made the trip possible. I would definitely recommend going to Whitemoor Lakes and would definitely go again! Amar Aulakh 7G 12