In January, Jon Egging Trust (JET) were awarded community grant funding from Conwy Valley & North West Wales Coast Community Railway Partnership in collaboration with Transport for Wales to deliver activity-based learning days as part of our Blue Skies programmes in Wales.
Thanks to the funding, year 9 students from Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi recently completed a fantastic mountaineering and abseiling challenge at Holyhead Mountain, supported by the team from Eagle House.
The mountaineering challenge put students’ leadership skills to the test, giving them chance to lead the group on the ascent and explore the different roles and responsibilities of a mountain leader including safety, motivation, and navigation – using a map and compass.
Outdoor abseiling gave students chance to face fears and step out of their comfort zones, with quite a few of the students being scared of heights. Everyone participated in the challenge in some way, and the group supported each other with encouragment and congratulations.
JET Regional Manager for North Wales, Anne Paddington, said of the day: “We were really proud of our achievements that day, and every student showed an increase in their confidence and trust in one another, improving their leadership skills.”
One student reported: “It was my favourite session so far; I’m going to try and come back with my friends to do some more walking around the mountain!”
Thanks to the funding the students had an incredible opportunity to grow their leadership skills in an exhilarating setting!