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Feedback from Hipperholme Grammar School – taken from their December 2019 newsletter

This year saw a change for the Year 7 induction residential trip from Buckden House to Marrick Priory, which is located in Swaledale near Richmond.

The priory is a wonderful 12^th century building which was converted to an outdoor education facility in the 1970’s.  Upon arrival the Year 7’s were divided into 3 teams and set upon their first tasks, one team was dispatched to the zip wire crossing the fast flowing River Swale, one group went on the 20-foot high trapeze and the last group tried the high ropes and outdoor climbing walls.  The challenges were all met with a perfect mix of excitement and nerves by our new Year 7, but every single person pushed themselves further than they thought they could dare and excelled.

The sense of teamwork, pride and accomplishment was palpable when we all came together again for the delicious evening meal.  This was followed by a night walk in the hills, via farmyards and along a steep path through the woods – most of which was walked purely by the light of the moon!  It was an exhilarating experience and taught the children to really take notice of some of their other senses.  They listened to the sounds of nature to help navigate, feeling the ground beneath their feet to make sure they had secure footing.  As it was such a clear night they were able to view and identify the many constellations in the starry sky.

Day two brought the same sense of excitement, as we embarked on challenges such as canoeing on a nearby lake.  The groups had so much fun, standing up and dancing to ‘heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ in the triple seat vessels!  However, once confidence had grown every single one of us, teachers, instructors and pupils alike wholeheartedly joined in a mass water fight, and I’m sure most of the water in the lake ended up in my canoe for some reason!  A final jump in the lake ensured we were all sufficiently soaked before we returned for warm showers and clean clothes.

Marrick Priory delivered for our pupils exactly what we aim to achieve during our induction residential: a few days of fun, excitement, challenge, learning and bonding for the youngest members of the Senior School.

In the words of one of the Year 7, they were memories they hope never to forget.

The Friends of Marrick Priory held numerous fundraising events throughout December.  First there was ‘Christmas at Marrick’ where everyone was entertained by Marske Choir before a delicious supper in the Refectory.  The event raised £2,663, which included very generous donations from Barclays (£1,000) and the Company of Mercers, Grocers and Haberdashers of Richmond (£750).

On the 14th December the Friends held a Coffee Morning with Father Christmas in Richmond Town Hall along with a tombola and cakes.  This was a joint event with Richmond Round Table.  We raised £511 (£138 of which was kindly donated by Richmond Round Table)

We also held several Soup and Dessert Lunches at Marrick Priory throughout December. Nearly 200 people visited us over five days and enjoyed our tasty offerings of fantastic soups and fabulous puddings! Along with the purchase of our homemade Christmas cakes, we raised £3170 from our lunches. This will go towards our bursary fund helping young people to visit us from families experiencing financial difficulty. Thanks to everyone for your support.

Meanwhile, Simon and our instructors have been hard at work with the annual winter maintenance. They’ve been doing some dry stone walling, renovating the equipment/storage areas and various other tasks around the Priory so that it’s looking at its best for next year’s guests.

We have a couple of two night residentials available next February:

Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th February

Monday 24th to Wednesday 26th February

If interested please contact Sandy at office@marrickpriory.co.uk or ring 01748 884434