Rolling suitcases and chatty children down Longfield Walk indicated that it was finally the day of the Year 4 PGL trip! The bright sunshine and buoyant mood was palpable, with all boys brimming with excitement to wave goodbye to parents and head to Marchants Hill PGL. 

‘Challenge by choice,’ is the motto at PGL, where instructors support, encourage and gently coax any anxious children to try ‘riskier’ activities (but never force anyone who is unwilling) and I am happy to report that all boys, to varying degrees, took part in all activities.  

Over the three-days, boys took part in: Abseiling, Survival Skills, Giant Swing (the undisputable favourite), Trapeze, Challenge Courses, Rifle Shooting and Fencing. All boys were incredibly enthusiastic about all activities and this rubbed off onto staff, who gladly took up the opportunity to take part in the fun. 

The Cafeteria experience was quite something to behold, as boys were not as well-versed with the independence of serving food and ensuring you had what you needed on a tray! Happily, this improved as the days went on and boys ate… and ate and ate, the well-prepared and nutritious meals. Some boys even claimed that they didn’t want to leave PGL because the food was so good! 

In addition to our exciting, activity filled days, the boys took part in nightly activities: Campfire and Ambush. At the campfire, we roasted marshmallows, told stories and sang songs, all whilst the sun was setting for the evening and on our time at PGL.  

The coach home was a slightly different atmosphere than the journey to PGL, with many boys weary from the energy exuded over the days previous, many boys comfortably falling asleep, passing the time stuck in traffic easily.  

Gigantic hugs and grateful smiles met us at the Junior School gate, with boys and parents alike happy to be back together after two nights away.  

A huge thank you to all staff who went on this trip, it is you who made the experience so special for each boy! 

Miss Orr, Head of Junior School