I’ve been approached by the Prince’s Trust several times in the past but, due to various circumstances, this was the first time that I’ve actually put on a session for them. The group are spending this week in the south of Shropshire, doing various things during the course of their stay.

Due to the numbers involved, they actually came to me in two groups for canoe sessions. While one group was with me, the others were doing ground based activities with the Great Escape Company. The biggest challenge for the day was the wind, which made it very difficult for novice paddlers to control the boats. We found ourselves fighting our way upwind in order to grab a small area of shelter, only to find one canoe hadn’t made it. It sounds very frustrating, and at points it was, but the group also gained a great sense of achievement from their success every time they managed it.

The conditions made it a bit harder than usual to play games, but we managed to have fun with races, challenges and a few games. It certainly wasn’t the idea day, but everyone was surprisingly positive afterwards. Thanks for working so hard guys!