Blog

Callum Slater, 16, of John Ruskin School, Coniston, is taking part in the National Citizen Service.

Read about his adventures on the social action project here through his blog.

NCS Week One - Callum Slater ‘Say YES to NCS; an experience to change your life.’

Or at least that’s what they told us all when we signed up to the exciting three week summer programme that is the National Citizens Service.

While I sit here, tired and aching, on the Friday evening of my first week on NCS I can certainly confirm that it was ‘an experience to change your life’ …and the condition of your feet.

I have seen dozens of people around me challenge themselves to take on NCS in previous years and so now was the chance for me to tackle the challenge for myself. And boy, were we challenged!

As per all good trips; day one began with a long coach journey to Aberdovey in Wales.

It would have been lovely to have arrived at the Outward Bound Centre and unpacked, settled in, topped up on some deodorant. Instead we were faced quickly with our first NCS challenge as ‘Team Hoy Simpson’ (I don’t understand the team name either); the ‘jog and dip’.

The challenge was as it sounds, an unexpected jog to the shore and a cold and salty dunk in the Welsh sea - we went in as a team, we dunked as a team, and we left as a team.

Challenge one complete. The challenges had begun and soon after we found ourselves munching on seaweed from the rocks and nibbling on live wood ants… which actually taste of lemon!

Day two saw us begin the long and wet expedition to Nant Gwernol woods. In all honesty, the steep and daunting slopes of Tarrenhendre saw most of the team struggling to continue, wanting to go home and have a bath, we were feeling a little bit dead.

And yet with the support of our instructor, Richard, we all made it to the top and eventually (after a terrifyingly steep walk down a gorge) we arrived at our cabin in the woods.

This was no horror-movie cabin in the woods though: we had gas to cook up the rations, a woodburner to dry out our socks and of course a deck of cards.

After an hour or so of mind-boggling riddle games and a violent few rounds of spoons around the table, we cocooned into our sleeping bags and enjoyed a well deserved nights sleep.

Soggy boots and socks back on, we ventured back to the village of Abergynolwyn and grabbed a lift in the minibus back to the centre where we were tested on our ability with heights.

The challenge was to see four members of the team climb up a tall pole and balance together on a tiny platform at the top - let’s just say it got quite intimate up there… Showers and dry socks felt amazing that evening!

Thursday was our final day of adventures and that meant we were going to be pushed to our limits.

The morning started with some fun on the kayaks were we kayaked against the wind and tide and back to the wharf in Aberdovey.

But when we arrived back we were surprised with a challenge to finish the whole week - we were asked to jump off the pier and into the sea… and let me tell you that wasn’t a small jump.

But sure enough the entire team stepped up to the challenge and ended up drenched in sea water once again.

But we conquered the challenges, and we did at as a team. A team that I am now looking forward to seeing in the final two weeks of my NCS programme.

Week one finished and all I can truly say is: ‘Say YES to NCS; an experience to change your life.’