Day 4

Our last day at Robinwood commenced with an early start.  Everything packed, we had breakfast and then Lake and Rapids got together for their last meeting with Luke and Guy.  It was our closure meeting and we all said our thank-yous for the lovely experience we had at Robinwood.  Guy and Luke presented a certificate to each and every one of us, together with a photo of the group we were in.  This was a lovely surprise as each of us got an individualized certificate with positive feedback on what was observed in us by our respective Group Leader.  Thank you Robinwood!  Guy and Luke, on behalf of Pete too, spoke on how well-behaved and well-committed our group was and they were very happy to have us at Robinwood…and they hope to see more of our St. Catherine’s students in the future. 

It was time to leave Dobroyd Castle.  While our luggage was transited in a jeep, Guy and Luke accompanied us for a 40-minutes walk from the Castle to the place where the coach had to pick us up.  It was a nice downhill walk along a beautiful path that then took us along a stream.  When the coach arrived it was time to say our goodbyes to Luke and Guy…and to Robinwood!  As messy as it was at times, and as scary as it was in other times, we all had great fun and we are sure we will all miss the Robinwood experience.  A big thank you goes to Pete, Luke and Guy, and all the Robinwood staff for this great and wonderful experience.  We will remember it for years and decades; it was well organized and from the very start we felt we were in secure and very capable hands.  And the certificate and photos were a really nice surprise which we will all appreciate and treasure.

At Manchester airport we had some time for the long-awaited shopping.  Our children were very excited at this, all busy boggling their heads on what to get and for whom.  We only had a short time at our disposal and so the children were looking forward to continuing this at Gatwick airport where we had a longer wait.  The flight to Gatwick was smooth and very short.  As soon as we landed at Gatwick we claimed our luggage, and then we changed to South Terminal.  The first thing we did was to find a place where to eat as we were hungry by then.  Then we did some more shopping till it was time to board our plane to Malta.  We were dog tired and some of us spent most of the trip in dreamland.  Blessed them!!!

Once in Malta we were very happy to see our family members waiting for us at the arrivals hall.  Thank you for the warm welcome!

And this was our Robinwood experience!  We Teachers want to thank all of our eighteen students who ventured in our first Robinwood experience.  We thank you for the box of chocolates which was a sweet thought – the chocolates are being safely kept by Ms. Lorraine until after Easter when we can then all indulge in it!!!  I tell you, that will be the end of it as we can’t wait till we get our hands on those lovely chocs!  But what was a more beautiful gift is having had all of you in this adventure trip.   It was a great pleasure to have each and every one of you, and we were really impressed by the beauty there is in each and every one of you!  So a heartfelt thank you goes to Kristina, Kirstin, Sarah and Claire (Junior 5s), to Giulia, Tiffany, Maxine, Matthew, Andrea, Nicole C., Jessica and Mariah (Junior 6s), and last but not least, to Joelle, Dunstan, Nicole B., Emma, Larissa and André (Senior 1s).

However, this experience would not have materialized were it not for the parents and family members of our eighteen students.  Thank you parents and other members of the family for giving such a one-time and beautiful opportunity to these students!

And finally, a thank you goes also to Ms. Sue, Ms. Lorraine and Mr. Brian for having been part of this experience!  Despite their fears in doing some of the challenges – and the Trapeze and the Giant Swing will surely be mostly remembered – they showed great spirit and enthusiasm throughout!

Day 3

On our second full day at Robinwood we woke up to a rather grey and rainy day…typical of the English weather.  But rain or sunshine, wet or dry, life at Dobroyd Castle still carries on.  And so, breakfast done, and dressed in full gear to face the weather – helmets, overalls, fleeces, mittens and wellingtons – the Lake and Rapids groups went on their separate programmes.  We only stopped for lunch, souvenir shopping and supper; otherwise, we were always on the go…and what a day!

The Rapids had the Giant Swing, Obstacle Course, Trapeze, Canoeing, Zip Wire, Caving, and the Crate Challenge on their schedule whereas the Lake had the Obstacle Course, Giant Swing, Zip Wire, Canoeing, Trapeze, Piranha Pool, and Archery.  At around 4:00pm Lake’s Group Leader, Pete, had to leave because of other commitments and instead he was replaced by Guy.  Welcome Guy!

By now the two groups had got well into the spirit of Robinwood, and we were all impressed by the ability of the children!  Some of us stretched a bit their comfort zone and braved themselves to face and overcome some of their fears.  And some of our children even managed to break some of the records at Dobroyd Castle!  Thumbs up boys and girls!!

As much as we did not want it to finish, sadly enough the day came to an end and it was recap time again before we went off to sleep.  This was our last night at Robinwood, but before we headed for our separate dormitories we had one final thing to do…celebrate André’s birthday with chocolate cake over a cup of hot chocolate. 

Happy Birthday dear André.  What a special day to celebrate your birthday!

See more photos!

Day 2…

Our second day at Robinwood started very, very early as the children woke up early in spite of the fact that we could have a lie in bed. So we decided to go for a walk up the hill behind the Old School, were we stayed for the first night. The sun was shining and thus we could enjoy the lovely scenery that surrounded us.

After our breakfast we headed for Dobroyd Castle where our adventure and teamwork activities had to take place. The Castle is impressive and it is buzzing with life…staff on duty, children doing their last activities before they leave and other groups of children arriving to start their adventure as in our case. The enthusiasm could be felt and we were soon approached by our Group Leader Pete, who was to guide us throughout our stay. Pete and another member of staff, Luke, were to lead our two separate groups, namely the Rapid and the Lake.

So off we went for our first activity, the Team Challenge, which got us into the spirit of teamwork, challenge, and enthusiasm, which are the things that make Robinwood a wonderful experience. We had four other activities to follow, as well as lunch, supper, showers, and recap while sipping a cup of nice hot chocolate and biscuits. The Team Challenge was done as a whole group, with the Rapids, Lake and the Teachers challenging each other in the same room. For the other activities, each group had its own separate timetable. The Rapid had Climbing, Archery, Knight Quest, Night Line and the Piranha Pool whereas the Lake had Caving, Knight Quest, Night Line, Crate Building and Climbing. We were all happy as we faced our fears and braved through the different challenges…and with a lot of success I must say! We were very much impressed by the agility of some, the problem-solving skills of others, the teamwork spirit and communication skills of our children.

So our second day was full of life and activity, and as the weather turned grey and it just started showering rain, we were ready for our last meeting of the day with Pete to finish off with a recap of the day. Off we went to bed, some with a sleepy head while others still with bright eyes! One thing is sure…. we are all looking forward to the following day for more fun and adventure at Robinwood.

Have a look at the photos!!!

Day 1…

We finally made it to Robinwood.  Yeh!!!  After a 3-hour flight from Malta to Manchester and a further 1-hour coach trip from Manchester airport to Todmorden, we finally arrived at our destination!  People could tell our excitement from the children’s faces, their bright eyes, rosy cheeks and loud voices!

After a warm welcome by Robinwood staff Anna and Duncan, the children were given a tour of the place and briefed about the ground rules and the evacuation procedures in case of fire.  Then, before supper, Duncan led the group through some ice-breakers.  Soon enough it was time for bed, and in spite of their grumpy faces, the girls and boys all went into their separate dormitories.  tomorrow it’s going to be long day and we need to regain our energies.

Light’s out!  Some more grumpy voices could be heard coming from the children’s rooms but soon enough they went to dreamland.  It’s late, and that is why our children could not phone their parents tonight. 

It’s quiet now….shhhh!  Good night!

Our Preparatory Meeting for Robinwood

Three more days to go!!!!  The excitement is on the increase here at St. Catherine’s High School, as our group of 8 to 12-year-old boys and girls are preparing for the Robinwood Adventure & Teamwork Trip in the UK.  Indeed, they cannot wait for the 18th March to come!  This will be the day when the group of 18 students, together with the 3 assisting Teachers, will fly to their destination!

Have a look at the photos taken during the preparatory meeting for our students.

Hello everyone!

We welcome you to this blog which will accompany us throughout the preparations for and the actual trip to Robinwood.  We hope that this will serve as a good forum where our 18 students can share their own experience prior to and during the adventure and teamwork trip they are engaging in.  We hope you enjoy this journey with us!