We have had a very busy day today, arriving at Plas early afternoon.  

On the way to Plas, we stopped at Langollen for a quick break and got to enjoy the Welsh scenery for the second part of our journey. 

Once we arrived at Plas, we unpacked the coach and were introduced to our residential staff for the week, who have been very excited to have Grove Vale return to them for another visit! After meeting the instructors, we had our lunch at our new home for the week. After that, the children  spent their time organising their rooms, including doing some unpacking their things and making their beds ready for this evening. 

We then had a tour of the centre and had a talk with Lucy, who was leading our first day. 

This afternoon, we stayed on site and organised our kit for the next few days. Everyone has been provided with everything that they need, including wellies, waterproofs, helmets, etc. We then took part in some activities, which allowed us to see different parts of the grounds, including the stream and of course the football pitch! The children really enjoyed looking at all the amazing scenery, including the mountains that tower above Plas and the fantastic views from the centre. 

After our afternoon activities, we had some time to carry on unpacking and have some free time. Linda, who is head of our cooking staff, made us some lovely treats for a snack after our activities. This evening, we had our first meal in the dining room, which was fish and chips or pizza. 

Also, we did our first ORT report, where we weighed up all of the left over food from our meals. One of our aims this week is to think about the environment and what we can do to impact this. At school, we have recently been learning about the impact that the food industry can have on the environment and the world. We looked at the impacts of eating fruit/veg and meats, the problems that can be created by food packaging, issues with seasonal foods and other discussion points such as Fair Trade. One of our challenges this week with the ORT report is to reduce the amount of food waste that we have. Each day, our reporters will weigh the waste to see if we have managed to reduce the food waste. We will then compost the left overs and see how this can improve the environment and how it can be used in the future. 

This evening, we have been  for a night walk down part of Watkin Path. This is along one of the near by trails, which is located along the stream that runs through the Plas grounds. We did lots of star gazing and couldn't believe how clear the sky was.

The children really enjoyed seeing more of the local area and are very excited for our first full day of activities tomorrow!