We excitedly left Yew Tree this morning, hoping that the weather would stay dry for our adventure. Along the way, Miss Allen was asked, “Are we nearly there yet?” approximately 428 times! The children were also mesmerised by the sight of sheep and cows as we travelled through the beautiful countryside.

Before long, we finally arrived at Culmington Manor and were warmly welcomed by the Manor Adventure staff. After settling into our rooms and unpacking our belongings, it was time to embark on our first activities.

Group 17 and Miss Allen were first up the climbing wall. One by one, the children challenged themselves to climb higher and higher, showing determination and resilience as they tackled the wall. Offering plenty of encouragement from below were our trusty “bellringers” and “Tesco shopping ladies”, who did a fantastic job supporting with the ropes and cheering on their teammates.

Meanwhile, Mrs Parsons and Group 15 ventured into the underground maze, where things quickly became delightfully muddy! As they navigated their way through the tunnels, Mrs Parsons could hear plenty of screams and laughter from above ground. Olivia and Brody fully embraced the experience, getting as muddy as possible and overcoming any reservations they may have had before the activity. Their enthusiasm was wonderful to see.

Mrs Calvert and Group 16 took part in a fencing session. Samhita and Twaritha discovered a hidden talent and took to the activity like ducks to water! The whole group thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills and testing their reactions in a friendly and supportive environment.

After our first activities, we enjoyed a well-earned evening meal. It was difficult to choose from the tempting menu options, but the chocolate cake with chocolate sauce proved to be a firm favourite and certainly went down a treat!

Soon it was time for our evening activities. Group 15 enjoyed a rather energetic game of Aeroball. Ava-Lily and Evan showed a natural talent, bouncing their way to victory and impressing everyone with their competitive spirit.

Group 16 tackled the obstacle course. Steven particularly impressed Mrs Calvert with his determination and perseverance as he worked hard to overcome every obstacle in his path. Well done, Steven!

Meanwhile, Miss Allen and Group 17 headed off to explore the underground maze. Armed with helmets, wellies and nice clean socks, we set off on our adventure.

Finley and Amaris emerged with one brown sock and one white sock each – evidence of just how much fun had been had underground! Matthew K showed fantastic determination as he overcame a fear of the dark. By the end of the session, he was thoroughly enjoying himself and didn’t want the adventure to end. Well done, Matthew!

We are now getting ready to wind down and settle in for the evening after a busy and exciting first day. We will report back tomorrow and let you know all about our next adventures. Hopefully, we will all have had a good night’s sleep by then… fingers crossed!