It was great fun going on the expedition, and I made many new friends in my year group that I'd never have spoken to before due to my anxiety. It rained the whole 2nd day, but our group included a girl who owned the local farm, so we hid in her barn until the really heavy rain stopped (about 10 minutes!), then continued through the public footpaths along her farm land, meaning we got back to the school and hour early and the teachers couldn't work out how we had done it !!

Also, during my volunteering, I helped at my old middle school's environmental classes and club, which was aimed for vulnerable and SEND students. This gave me an insight into SEND teaching, which I want to carry on after my degree, as well as a wider appreciation for the natural environment, which in turn lead me to my craft degree I'm now studying. The tutor kept me on past the 3 months, and I volunteered at the club for a year, before joining her to start up a forest school- the first in our area. Without the DofE, I'd never have asked to volunteer, and so perhaps my current life wouldn't be where it is now!!