Mr Ellis (Duke of Edinburgh Manager)

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition season is off to a flying start with a selection of the girls having already attended a first aid course during half term delivered by Mr Castro (Head of Swimming).

Following on from the first aid, is the Bronze Level expedition training day, which is held at BGS on Sunday 17^th March. The day takes the format of a carousel event, where the girls visit stands run by the school DofE staff covering topics such as map and compass work, cooking on a trangia stove, camp craft, rucksack packing and looking at what equipment is suitable for the hills.

The Bronze candidates then have a break before their first expedition in May and it is the Silver candidates, who make it on to the hills first with their trip to the Chilterns from the 22^nd to 24^th March.

Finally, the Gold candidates get their turn and on Thursday 11^th April they travel to the Peak District to undertake a four day, three-night practice expedition.

At Bronze, the participants are on the hills for six hours a day for two days, Silver is seven hours a day for three days and for the Golds, they are out on the hills for eight hours a day for four days. At all three levels, the expedition section is a truly impressive undertaking.