On top of Sugar Loaf Mountain

On Top of Sugar Loaf Mountain is where courage meets elevation. It’s not just about summiting peaks but feeling the pure joy of accomplishment.

To get all the children from a primary school year up a mountain is a pretty cool thing. However it’s not that easy. Often the numbers able to go are restricted by excessive costs for some families, so reducing the costs associated with school trips can make a massive difference in opening up opportunities for children. One thing that keeps the costs of the trips high is having to help provide suitable equipment for those that can not be met by some families.

The Somerset Bridge Primary School run an annual trip to take children from primary year 4 and give them the experience of their first expedition. To give them an experience of camping and of accomplishing something special, ascending their first mountain. Keeping the costs per pupil is crucial and they try to absorb as much of this as possible so they can ensure that it’s opened up to as many as possible.

Shane helps run this courses each year and he fed back the effect that this grant had on the trip.

“During the two day trip they learn how to erect a tent, cook healthy camp food themselves and ascend a mountain in Wales. Some of these children have never experienced the outdoors and the confidence this experience gives them enriches their lives and teaches them they can do it and anything is possible.”

“The award allowed more children to experience the expedition, get their first taste of the outdoors and that feeling of accomplishment when their little legs got them to the top of the mountain. This year we managed to get the full cohort of year 4 on the trip – normally we get 40 – 45 children but with the aid of the grant we managed to get 61 children on the trip – for a lot of them their first experience of camping and walking the outdoors and we are proud to say that all 61 children made it to the summit – great team feeling for them and what a sense of accomplishment for them as they move into year 5”

The Alpkit Foundation grant allowed them to not only subsidise the expedition, so enabling all the year to go! but also buy some equipment that were additional costs to struggling parents and that now can borrow from the school year on year. The aim of the school is to increase the amount of equipment they have, so eventually be able to run the experience for just simple costs that the PTA could finance.

Well done kids for getting to the top!