Year 6 PGL 2025
Day 1 - Monday 19th May
A hushed excitement filled the air as bags the size of small children flooded the Year 6 classrooms. Children were giddy with the prospect of spending a whole week with their friends, with little more than a coach journey separating them from a prospective ‘freedom.’ As we all duly filed out towards the bus, it became clear that the bus was (mercifully) bigger than we had been told and thankfully everyone’s baggage was safely stowed on board. Then, the driver shut the doors and we were off – not without removing a gavel and returning it safely to a parent (perhaps hammering home the point about behaviour this week?). The tedious trudge towards Liddington began in earnest, with the prospect of a stop to eat lunch in the sunny vistas of Reading Services. This was quickly put to the sword by a 45-minute delay due to an accident on the other side of the M25. Cue the incessant calls of: “How long 'til we get there?” and, “I’m staaarving!” Funny how quickly children’s metabolisms get the better of them 30 minutes into a coach journey. The first cries of: “Can we have a snack?” came at precisely 10:18 and were quickly rebuffed. Naturally, then, most of the coach was a chorus of rustling packets by 10:18:30. Slowly, the monotony of the M4 transitioned into a hive of greenery. After the rumours of being in south Wales subsided, the greatest cheer was at the appearance of the rolling hills of England – a mixture of stunned silence and appreciative awe. The audible “Wow!” was scattered across the coach as the sun baked the vivid-green grass.
A mere 2 hours after leaving school, we arrived in Liddington (the newest province of South Wales), to great applause, only to be held up further by an inconsiderate gate. We were hoping to get off the coach and get straight into rooms, but in the spirit of the day, we were made to wait, as they weren’t ready – while the children were raging at the idea of not knowing their rooms when they wanted, we chalked this experience up as character building. Lunch was taken in the cavernous hall, tantalisingly close to our corridor, before we were finally taken away to begin our first activities of orienteering, trapeze and crate challenge, where children had to build the tallest tower they could, while standing on them. In groups of three, the children were harnessed in and hoisted off the ground (shakily, in some cases), before beginning their rickety ascent. The tallest tower today was a whopping 12 crates high.
The biggest excitement of the day came in the form of a power outage. No one really knew what was going on – rumours aplenty – but the one that got the pallets watering most was that of pizza being shipped in at short notice. Alas, the children had to make do with fish fingers, veggie chow mein or chicken pasta, though they were quick to find last year’s hot-pick: flavoured water. After much consternation and a few too many trips to the dispenser, a hasty dinner was finished and we were hurried into our final activity of the night. Activities included using a Frisbee to knock off a can from a pole, as well as learning how to sit quietly for a few minutes.
Following a different theme of the day, children were rushed from one place to another, this time to their rooms for a shower and bed. The plan started as being in bed at 21:30, though the late dinner meant this was pushed back, but we were able to stick to the original plan of lights out at 22:00. The hardiest children were still going at 23:30 but that’s to be expected with the first day excitement. We’re all safe and well and looking forward to the lovely weather and enticing activities planned for the rest of the week.
