Best Foot Forward – Saltburn school becomes the first in Redcar and Cleveland to be out on expedition following COVID lockdowns
Huntcliff School has offered its students the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme as part of its extra-curricular activities for a number of years, and during this last challenging year it has been no different. Thirty-three students waited patiently to go out on their expeditions prior to the first lockdown in March 2020, having already completed some preliminary checks. Hoping it would last only a matter of weeks, nobody realised over a year later they would be dusting off the equipment from the store cupboard ready to go out on expedition!
Finally, on Saturday 1st May 2021, six teams met their Duke of Edinburgh instructors near Boulby Mine to begin their last remaining section of their award – the expedition. Students were nervous but excited to finally be getting out. The route took them initially through woodland and across farmland towards the village of Lythe, followed by Moorland to reach Scaling Dam on day 2; and further extensive stretches of Moorland for those completing their Silver award on Bank Holiday Monday.
Miss Tompkins, Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator for Huntcliff School said “It was fantastic to be back out in the countryside and to be supporting our students through this prestigious award. Hearing them chatter away as they reached their checkpoints along their planned route and seeing them work together as a team and supporting one another was incredibly fulfilling for staff and students alike. It was also a delight to hear upon our return to school that we are the first school in Redcar and Cleveland to be back out on expeditions. I can only thank my students, their parents/carers and the school leadership team for their ongoing support to get Duke of Edinburgh back into the school calendar after such a long wait.”