Practice Expeditions for Bronze and Silver DofE

Over the weekend of 17th and 18th April 88 Explorers from across GLSW finally got to meet each other face to face (not over Zoom) and headed out into the Surrey Hills to complete their practice expeditions for Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards. It was an honour to commemorate the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and to take part in the national minute's silence at 3pm while actually on an expedition. The weather was very kind to the participants who enjoyed as much of the expedition experience as is possible under Covid-19 restrictions. There was no camping but they still carried tents and had the opportunity at High Ashurst in the middle of the first day to set up camp and cook a hot meal in their teams. The leaders were impressed with how quickly the teams got to know each other and worked together. It was an important opportunity for the Explorers to put the theory from Zoom training sessions into practice. There's no virtual substitute for heading out into the countryside with a map, compass, route card and rucksack. We're now looking forward to the qualifying expeditions in July.