It was indeed an early night last night- the children were asleep by eleven, an unheard of time so far! And even more evidence that the full-on nature of the residential has definitely had its effect of their energy levels, we had to call round their tents to get them up for the eight o’clock breakfast! 

Tired faces perked up after some food and finding out we were doing bush craft, kit-karts and team challenges! 

The kit-karts saw the children making their own cars and then having to learnt to steer the contraptions down increasingly steep hills…with no brakes (we only had a few injuries - don’t worry parents!). 

Bushcraft gave the group who hadn’t handled the saws a chance to do some crazy crafting, and they made some of their own bread before making smores and toasting marshmallows. Mrs Norman was not impressed to find that her group had worked so quickly that there were none left for her! She has vowed her revenge at some point.

After lunch, we were back on the open seas, or onto the open lake at least, with our kayaks and paddle boards. It was great to see the improved confidence of the people who were a bit reticent at the beginning of the week! 

To end the day we played some games near our tent village and talked about our favourite things about the residential (obviously, staying in tents was 100%, totally the best part of it all, and they didn’t complain constantly about it…). There were lots of different thoughts and everyone will be taking some core memories back to Saffron Walden with them. 

I would like to say that they’ve been amazing; the children have coped so well being away from home and having to navigate the issues that come with living in tents in close proximity to a bunch of other people. The kids have also been great fun in their activities and the staff have enjoyed chatting with them  over the week. They’ve all done so well and, parents, you should be proud! 

Now we’re going to see if tonight sees a repeat of the previous one or if the last night gives them a last injection of energy before bedtime! 

Night night,