Pupils and staff at West Craven High Technology College are celebrating a famous win after outworking and out-thinking a host of schools in a national outdoor challenge.
Twelve students from the Kelbrook Road school went up to Lake Windermere to take on the YMCA’s Lakeside School’s Challenge in February competing against other school’s from four different counties.
In torrential rain, cold and wind, the students had to complete 11 challenges including raft building, rock climbing, learning archery, orienteering and navigating obstacle courses as well as special night time fell walk activity against the clock.
West Craven entered two teams, with Team B finishing top of the tree with a record 3,632 points ahead of a team from Joseph Swan Academy in Gateshead with 3,616 and Heckmondwike Grammar School with 3,526.
The pupils are all doing triple science and were selected at random after applying.
They were presented with the trophy on Tuesday and plans are already in place to defend it next year.
David Guthrie, coordinator of the event from the YMCA, was impressed with West Craven pupils’ team skills, leadership, communication and decision-making.
He said: “I had designed the event so that it would be very hard for a team to break the 3,500 mark and I didn’t think that would be done.
“But they just blew it out of the water. Both the West Craven and Joseph Swan team managed to get the 10 markers in the dark which I really didn’t think would happen, especially in the time limit.
“The (West Craven) pupils were faster to ask questions and even quicker to make plans.
“Their communication was impressive and the way they delegated tasks was startling.”