Just got back from the training weekend. Brilliant time today: Last night we were given details of a fictitious group of youths doing their silver DofE expedition. Today we went out to a checkpoint and given a scenario - they are 30 minutes late arriving at this check point, they were spotted previously and left a drop card at another location. It's dark in an hour and a half - what you going to do?!

There were plenty of clues in the pack about the group, their background, make up (girls/boys etc), medical conditions, route plan etc... which we had to find out what was relevant and what wasn't.

Our fictitious group was represented by one of the instructors.

We waited a bit then did some working out where they could have gone wrong, then by process of elimination (charging about in the car, leaping out and running up footpaths, to check parts of their route) we had to find the group/(instructor).

We eventually found him wandering around on the top of a very wet and windy Stanage edge.

It was great fun, but I could see when it's a group of 15 year olds that your are responsible for, things could be far more serious!!