Fairthorne Manor (Team Building Trip)

At around 9.15am the bus left for Fairthorne Manor and we arrived about 20 minutes after. when we got off the coach we were shown where to put our bags, then we were put into groups of 10. My group first got taken to Jacob's Ladder. Everyone had a go on Jacob's Ladder apart from me because i really didn't feel it was safe enough. The next activity was called The Crates, and again i did not take part in that because i don't feel safe on the harnesses. Each person attempting the activity was strapped to a harness and their rope was tied on to someone elses so they could be helped to stay up at the height they were at, and not worry about falling.

The group then went for a 20 minute break, before moving onto the next course of the trip. My group got Low Ropes. Low Ropes was a series of challenges, most involving ropes, and in teams of 5 we helped each other to get around the course, in which we used problem solving and co-operation which are useful interpersonal skills. The last one my team came across was an activity in which you had to cross over a length of ground, only using 2 planks of wood and they had to be placed onto little stumps of slippery wood - you couldn't touch the ground! For this activity we used hand gestures and positioned our arms to help get everyone across quickly.

The other activities on Low Ropes, which actually used rope, were; Barrel Run, Rope Swings, and others i cannot remember the name of. On one of the activities, in which you had to use a rope to walk across a wire, i stood behind everyone to stop them from falling backwards, and when it was my turn to walk across, i fell and nobody was behind me! (Not impressed with the teamwork!) ha ha. In this series of tasks there was use of leadership, in which someone took charge, went first and told the group how we would get through the activity successfully. The very last section was the Leap-of-Faith where you had to swing on a rope across a pool of muddy, cold water. Most people didn't make it without getting wet. Again i did not take part in this.

Then it was about an hours lunch break and for the final activity we went Raft Building. We were against a team and had to build a better raft than they could in 20 minutes. We did not succeed. Our raft fell apart before it even hit the water!
Before we went home, the teachers each had a go on the Leap-of-Faith, and not one of them made it through without getting wet!

The one activity we didn't get to go on was the Tightrope.