Armed with tents, torches and a whole load of tenacity, Outdoor Activities students from Coleg Gwent’s Usk Campus ventured into the wild to see how they fared as expedition leaders.
Spending three days and two nights in the Black Mountains, the group of nine put into practice their leadership and camp craft skills, and put their wilderness navigation abilities to the test. The adventure was part of the students’ assessment for their Basic Expedition Leader Award qualification, which they did alongside their full time course in Sport & Outdoor Activities.
To prove their capabilities as expedition leaders and organisers, each of the group had to undertake a series of tasks, from map reading and leading a group across low land countryside to cooking and pitching tents.
Thankfully the students were assessed in a simulated environment for their First Aid tasks, all making it back to Usk safe and sound – testament to their team work and expedition skills.
Lecturer David Windebank was pleased with how the students coped: “The students were very organised for the trip as they’d spent a lot of time planning, which certainly paid off. It was great to see everything they learned in the classroom coming together in practice in the outdoors – they were confident and prepared with excellent awareness of their surroundings which is exactly what the course aims to achieve.”
