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WHAT I AM FUNDRAISING FOR?

So that 150 inner city state school students can take part in a life-changing Outward Bound Trust course in rural Wales. The Trust has huge experience in running team building and personal challenge courses in locations of natural wilderness.  Highbury Grove's Outdoor Education leader will plan a bespoke course with the trainers at OB to challenge each student and to help them change any negative attitudes and raise their aspirations. Physical challenges, team building exercises, mental and leadership games; all this will take place in the beautiful Welsh hills. The School, the Foundation, an Outward Bound Trust bursary and parents contribute to the cost of this trip. £8,000 will cover the transport for 150 students.

THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT

Our community school has over 31% students with Free School Meals and many of HGS's students have never been out of London so the countryside, whilst inspiring, is an unfamiliar setting. HG takes all its year 9 (age 13/14) students on an Outward Bound trip each year. Year 9 is when the tensions of early teens can result in children getting 'stuck' in repetitive and sometimes restrictive behaviours, caught up in themselves and their peer groups. In the Easter term, as students need to consider what GCSE options to take, we want to help them to be courageous in thinking about their future.

THE OUTCOMES

The Outward Bound project will challenge students to change their attitudes about themselves, about what they can and cannot do. This programme gives them a chance to reassess - they will achieve things that they may at first think they will fail at. This is important in the light of making choices of GCSEs and giving them the confidence to face their own personal challenges at school and in life. The programme will give them opportunities to take the initiative and to understand the value of team working.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

They said it couldn't be done - one of the Wonders of London, the New River (actually a canal) is the original source of London’s drinking water, bringing it from leafy Hertfordshire to urban Islington. Along with a group of students, staff, parents and supporters I'm walking the length of the canal’s 63km course, which will take two full days (21st and 22nd November 2015). The walk begins where the water joins the New River from the River Lea, takes in the natural spring flowing into the New River at Amwell village, passes through Theobald’s Park and Capel Manor, takes in the only pub actually built over a canal and crosses the M25 on the amazing Dowcra aqueduct. The New River Society's knowlegeable experts will guide the walk.

WHY THE NEW RIVER?

Outward Bound take inner city students from the city to the countryside. The New River brings water from the countryside to the city. The beautiful New River Walk park, through which the canal flows between Canonbury and Essex Road runs right past the school and is known loved by many locals, especially children. Indeed local volunteers help to preserve and maintain the oldest section. Its a fascinating slice of history - not everyone knows that when Isaac Newton was busy discovering gravity and William Shakespeare was writing plays, civil engineer Sir Hugh Myddleton was constructing the New River. Within a year of its completion in 1613, deaths from waterborne diseases in London had halved. The New River travelled at a gradient of just five inches per mile, which people said was impossible and used systems of culverts and aqueducts which hadn't been seen in Britain since Roman times. Today the New River is still supplying 8% of London’s water.

 

CELBRATE WITH US
We are going to celebrate the end of the walk with a champagne reception at Highbury Grove School on Sunday 22^nd November. All walkers and supporters welcome.

 

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