Week 1, Day 1 - Fairthorne Manor arrival!
- cloudlessmindslgbt
- Jul 20, 2015
- 2 min read
Our journey began at the start of the National Citizen Service Programme (NCS), bright and early at 9am on Monday 20th August 2015. 45 individuals aged 16 and 17 piled onto a coach and set off to YMCA Fairthorne Manor for a week of camping and activities. The majority of us started off as strangers and as you'd expect, the beginning was awkward and filled with uncomfortable silences. However, some of us signed up to the programme in groups consisting of people we already knew, so for this first week we stayed mainly with these familiar faces. This created a very obvious divide in the camp. But as the days and weeks progressed, these groups merged and… i’m getting ahead of myself. Back to day 1!
Upon arrival, the 45 of us were then split into 3 groups, with 2 NCS team leaders each. We were then directed to our designated tents, which held up to 5 people each. After we had settled and eaten lunch, our group’s first and only activity for Day 1 on camp was called 'Jacob’s Ladder'.
This was a giant ladder, consisting of 7 horizontal logs which were held ion place by 2 thick wire ropes running up either side. The distance between the logs slightly increased each time, starting off at 4 and a half feet and increasing to 5 and a half. In groups of 3, our task was to climb to the top of the ladder using only our harnesses and each other to help us. As the size between the logs increased, it became more and more difficult to just climb the ladder, so in order to reach the next log, one person in the team could perform the move known as ‘The Proposal’. Here they would get down on one knee and allow another team member to stand on their thigh for a less painful ‘leg
up’. Only one group was able to complete the task at a time but others weren’t just standing around doing nothing! Their job was to hold and pull the ropes of those completing the task, acting as their safety nets in case of a slip up- don’t worry, nobody fell! Amazingly every group reached the very top of the ladder, where they performed small victory dances and earned cheers from those on the ground.
Comentários