TREGOYD HOUSE

1. TREGOYD HOUSE Richmond Primary School Y5 and Y6 Residential Visit 2011

2. Tonight’s meeting: Information about PGL Adventure UK Organisation of the residential Safety aspects Important times and dates Questions Personal information

3. PGL began in 1957 when Peter Gordon Lawrence started taking groups on kayak camping expeditions. There are now many PGL centres in Britain and Europe. The company caters for over 150,000 children each year.

4. Over the years PGL has become a leading provider of outdoor activity courses for school and youth groups. Safety has always been the number one priority and this is reflected in an impressive record. All of the UK centres are subject to inspection by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority or the British Activity Holiday Association, as appropriate to the activities on offer.

5. In organising this residential visit, I have followed the Leicestershire Code Of Practice. Permission has been given by Miss Munton, the Richmond Governors and the Leicestershire Outdoor and Adventurous Activities Advisor. Health and Safety procedures will be followed with care. Every aspect of the visit has been risk assessed. The children will be accompanied by: Mrs Fincham, Miss Griffiths, Mrs Widdowson, Mr Fincham and Mr Coghlan

6. On the sea in kayaks: No safety equipment!!!!! This picture is from a holiday brochure for the Bahamas. High risk. PGL - enclosed water, buoyancy aid and helmet. Small groups of children. The instructors are always within easy reach.

7. Tregoyd House is situated at the foot of the Black Mountains in Wales. Once the home of Lord Hereford, it has been a hunting lodge and school in subsequent years. The house stands in seven acres of grounds containing formal gardens, orchards, a stream, shrubberies and magnificent 150 year old trees. It is a beautiful setting for a combination of water sports and land-based activities.

8. What can your children expect on this visit? • A full programme of exciting activities • Use of approved equipment • Friendly and encouraging instruction • Sympathetic care and supervision • Fun-filled evening entertainment

9. Fun and rewarding: The activities are challenging, rewarding and always exciting. Outdoor and indoor, land and water-based activities will be on offer. We hope that everyone will have fun while learning new skills and capabilities. There is no better way to foster positive attitudes! By participating in a Multi-Activity course children will: Develop life skills, such as problem solving and decision-making Raise self-esteem, develop self-respect and self-discipline Gain a sense of individual achievement Recognise team achievement, as well as promoting supportiveness and tolerance of others. Foster positive attitudes to learning Develop personal and social skills Boost health and fitness

10. Your darlings will be safe but may become a little grubby!

12. We will be following a programme of activities selected from: archery abseiling open canoeing kayaks climbing Jacob’s ladder initiative exercises eco trail trapeze fencing challenge course quad bikes zip wire rifles orienteering traversing wall raft building Weather conditions will dictate our exact programme.

13. Departure Day Monday 11th April ~ meet in the Key Stage 2 Hall between 7.15am and 7.30am. If you come up the school drive in a car to drop your child off, please pull into the car park and walk cases etc. around to the hall. We plan to load the coach just outside the hall, at the front of the building. Suitcases and sleeping bags can be left by the bus to be loaded straight away by the driver. Coat and packed lunch need to be kept by each child. It would be a good idea for packed lunch bags to be clearly labelled.

14. All children should ‘sign in’ and remain inside the hall. Medicines and instructions should be given to Mrs Fincham and Mrs Widdowson. Please make sure that names and doses are clearly marked. On the way to Tregoyd House, we will visit the Big Pit, one of Britain’s leading mining museums, which is located in Blaenafon. The highlight of this visit will be a guided tour underground. We plan to arrive at Tregoyd House around 4pm.

15. During the Journey Children must wear seat belts at all times on the journey. No food or drink will be allowed on the coach. The odd sweet is fine, but no chocolate or chewing gum please. Hand held electronic games can get lost or broken. My advice would be not to take them, but if they are packed, staff will not be responsible for their safe return. Anyone who does not travel well should be dosed with the appropriate medication and sit in the front half of the coach. Medication for the return journey must be given to Mrs Fincham or Mrs Widdowson. We do carry the appropriate kit in case anyone is travel sick – the sooner we know that a child is feeling a little green, the better!

16. Whilst at Tregoyd House: All meals are served cafeteria-style. Boys and girls sleep in separate dormitories of between 8 and 16 beds. Toilets and shower blocks are nearby within the same building. Past experience has shown that contact with home usually results in homesickness. Mobile phones will not be needed and must not be taken. If there is a problem, we will arrange contact. Daily updates will also be available from school. Cameras may be taken, but staff are not responsible for their safekeeping. Disposables have proved popular in the past. It is really important that your child listens carefully to instructions about what to wear for each activity session. It is also important that your child keeps clothing for wet activities in the right place - NOT under their bed! Drying rooms help to keep clothing and shoes fit to wear. A small amount of pocket money (£4 max.) may be taken and will be handed out, £1 each evening. Souvenir money may also be taken and will be given out on the last evening.

17. The children have already been told that the purpose of the week is for everyone to have a great time; try new things; face up to challenges and become a little bit more independent. Lack of sleep, mixed with tiredness from lots of physical activity, usually leads to bad-tempered children. It is really important that everyone gets as much sleep as possible. We aim to encourage a friendly, positive and supportive atmosphere. A child will face up to fear of an activity more successfully if his/her friends offer quiet support. The children will need to listen carefully to lots of instructions! This is very important. The best listeners tend to get the most done.

18. 2005’s visit was blighted by a sickness bug which hit just about everyone. It was the first, and hopefully the last, experienced in over 20 years of Richmond residential visits. • Whilst at Tregoyd House it is vitally important for the children to pay close attention to cleanliness. • Teeth cleaned morning and night. • Hands washed after every toilet call. • Hands washed before eating. • Shower after every water-based or muddy activity. • Change socks and pants at least once a day! (They generally need to, due to dampness – usually from an external source!)

19. What if my child is ill before the visit? If your child has a sickness & diarrhoea bug up to and including Saturday 9th, they must have at least 24 hours afterwards where they are free of symptoms. If they are ill on the Sunday, it might be too risky to take them on a long journey the next day. In the event of a more serious illness, you would need written confirmation from your doctor in order for me to start an insurance claim. If anyone becomes sick during the visit, sick bay cover is always available.

20. What if my child needs medication whilst at Tregoyd House? If your child is at the end of a course of antibiotics, or needs medication on a regular basis, you need to let Mrs Fincham or Mrs Widdowson know full details of medication, dose, times needed etc. On the morning of departure, we will collect in the medicine with your child’s name on. We will produce an individual medication sheet for your child and tick off each time we dose them. Children who need cream, for eczema etc. apply this themselves. We will provide privacy. Several consent forms mentioned inhalers. Please make sure that your child’s inhaler(s) are full, or nearly full and in date. If at all possible, provide two – one that they carry and a spare that we look after. This avoids the possibility of a wait at the doctor’s surgery for a prescription and another wait at the chemist’s! The same applies for anyone needing access to an epi-pen.

21. LET’S HOPE FOR SUNSHINE It would be a good idea to pack sun cream in your child’s case. We would prefer children to have their own, rather than share from others.

22. Children have been known to have accidents during the night where they wake up mysteriously damp. This can happen to some children on a fairly regular basis. It really helps if we know about any potential customers. I can understand the feelings of embarrassment involved, but if this happens to your child, they don’t need to feel bad or worry about it. They just need to let one of the Richmond staff know what has happened. Leave PJ’s in their sleeping bag. Make sure they have a shower. By teatime, sleeping bag and PJ’s will be back, washed and dried. No worries.

23. This sounds really easy, doesn’t it? Now for the tricky bit ……. When it comes to getting ready for returning home, your child will deny all knowledge of any items that you packed for them. Please mark any items that you would like to see again with ‘Richmond’ and your child’s name. We always check the dormitories for lost property before we leave and usually bring one or more bags of damp clothing back. Based on the experience of previous years, this clothing is only rarely claimed. A great tip is to include a list of contents inside your child’s bag. It is even better if you help them pack so that you can point out exciting details such as the colour of the towels, type of socks etc. etc.

24. Contact Arrangements In an emergency, you can contact the group via Miss Munton at Richmond. If there is a problem with your child, I will contact Miss Munton, who will then contact you. We have never had to ask for a child to be collected because of unacceptable behaviour, so let’s hope that our good record continues. I will contact Miss Munton each day and she will display a brief notice to let you know how the children are getting on.

25. Return Journey We will set off back from Tregoyd House around 1.30pm on Friday 15th April. On the journey home we will make a toilet stop and should arrive back at school by approximately 4.30pm. I will phone Miss Munton during the journey to let her know if we are going to be earlier/later. She will keep you informed.

26. Thank you for your time. I hope your child has a wonderful week. If you would like a private word about your child with any of the staff, we’ll be available for a while afterwards.