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	School Trips Year 6 at Kettlewell
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		In October 2000 we boarded a coach and headed for Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales for 3 days of exciting activities We travelled through some amazing countryside and as we drew nearer, everyone became more and more excited. Dropping down into the village of Kettlewell, we noticed that the river was very high and flowing quickly. This was worrying as one of the activities was Raft Building.
	Kettlewell is a small village, about twelve miles from Skipton. We were told that the Youth Hostel where we were staying has had lots of uses over the years, but the best thing for us was that we had complete use of it for our trip.
		The warden, Graham, greeted us and showed us to our rooms, which had pine beds and our own basins. After unpacking, we had a safety and fire drill talk. We had also hired the Village Hall for three days, so we headed there for our packed lunch. By this time we were desperate to start our activities.
	During the afternoon we had to complete four separate challenges. Each one was designed to help us work as a team, build our trust in each other and work alongside everyone in the group. Mrs Gallagher, our trip leader, reminded us that we would need to use these skills during the following day.
		Challenge 1. Laid out on the grass were a series of milkcrates. These represented stepping stones across a crocodile infested river. Using only two planks of wood we had to get the whole of our team from one 'bank' to the other. If the planks or any team member touched the 'water' we had to start all over again. We had five minutes to plan our strategy and fifteen to complete the task.
	Challenge 2. In the hall there was a darkened room. We were all roped together in a line and blindfolded. Wriggling on our stomachs we had to negotiate an obstacle course, telling the person behind what we could to help them. Challenge 3. In another part of the hall we had to get everyone over the 'electric fence'. This was very tricky, as the rope tied between two chairs was high, we only had one plank of wood to help and everyone in the team was a different height!
	Watch out for more photos from the Kettlewell trip coming soon.	Challenge 4. This took place in a large field. Each team member was blindfolded. We were told to hold onto a piece of rope about fifty metres long. As a group we had to talk to each other and see if we could form a perfect circle. This was really hard and we must have made every shape except a circle!! All this happened on just the first afternoon!! In the evening we did a village quiz and an art activity (making wooden frames)
	Finally, day two arrived. Suitably clothed we headed for our Gorge Scrambling and Abseiling activities. Sadly, the river was too dangerous for Raft Building, so we went to a neighbouring Youth Hostel which had a brillaint outdoor orienteeing and team building course.The day was fantastic! The Abseiling cliff was a short walk from the hostel and appeared incredibly high from the top. Everyone in the group encouraged everyone else to go over the edge.
		Gorge Scrambling was amazing. Although the guides told you exactly what to do we were glad we wearing safety helmets and ropes because the rocks were a little bit slippery. Some of the rocks had been eroded leaving holes in them and the tightest one to squeeze through is known as "the Smartie Tube".
	In the evening we swapped stories about our adventures and surprised ourselves with our bravery and team spirit. We played games and continued with our wooden frame making....a lengthy and difficult project in itself.
		Overall everyone agreed this was a brilliant trip. We tried new things and became better friends with everyone in the year group. We understood the importance of teamwork and trust. We'd like to thank these people for their help in making it a huge success - Mrs Gallagher, Mrs Chetwood, Mr Parry, Mr Pilkington and Mrs Brook.