Perse adventurers relish biggest-ever Ascent Group summer camp

The biggest-ever Perse school camp saw 273 pupils, accompanied by 32 staff and volunteers, travel to the Isle of Wight for two back-to-back five-day PES Ascent Group trips.

To support two camps of this scale, four vans, five trailers, four minibuses, one truck and three coaches were required to transport everyone and their equipment to and from the destination, this to field 14 marquees, 32 teepees, 16 dining shelters and 50-plus lightweight tents, alongside cooking and activity equipment.
The logistics of the adventure at Corf Scout Camp saw pupils take on significant responsibilities and created many challenges to be resolved.

Based within their four sections – Earth, Air, Fire and Water – pupils enjoyed taking part in climbing and high ropes, backwoods cooking, canoeing, archery and hiking, as well as having the chance to try surfing.

Pupils also had a great time taking part in a Shrek-themed wide game in which patrols had to rescue Princess Fiona from a castle by breaking a code and resolving many team-based challenges.

Throughout camp, pupils organised, purchased and cooked their own food. This included hosting staff and volunteer guests each night for dinner and two troop-wide hog roasts. The camp concluded with the traditional ‘cordon bleu’ dinner where pupils put all their effort into producing a wonderful three-course meal.

Perse Director of Outdoor Education Ben Parker said: “We had some challenging weather this year, with unseasonable amounts of rain. Our young leaders demonstrated excellent adaptability and resilience, working well together to overcome the complex logistics of camp.

“Congratulations are most especially due to the Year 10 ‘Stags’ who planned and delivered both camps, working tirelessly in support of younger pupils.”