The geography department organised a residential trip for Year 9 and Year 10 pupils to the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) located in Machynlleth, Snowdonia National Park in North Wales between Friday 30^th June 2023 to Sunday 2^nd July 2023. 

The trip started with a visit to Aberystwyth where some pupils bought chips for lunch and sat on the promenade overlooking the shingle beach.  Upon arrival at the CAT the pupils unpacked their belongings in the eco-cabins.  Typical Welsh weather gave heavy downpours on the Friday afternoon and earlier evening, which allowed the pupils to light the log burners and cook s’mores with chocolate and biscuits. 

On Saturday the CAT provided interactive workshops, the first workshop focused on ‘the story of water’, which included a guided tour of the reservoir and water purification process.  The second workshop focused on a woodland walk activity.  Some pupils completed a Zero Carbon Britain (ZCB) self-guided trail, which included a challenge around the site by locating different sustainability symbols and recorded the amount of carbon that each symbol can reduce.  Later the pupils explored the site of the CAT further and took a ride on the water-balanced cliff railway.  The trip provided the pupils with an insight into the application of sustainability, which is covered widely in geography at KS3 (Years 7-9) and KS4 (Year 10-11).  The trip made a direct link to the topic of: Tomorrow’s citizens, which is covered in the Year 9 summer term and Core Theme 5: Weather, climate, and ecosystems, which is covered in Year 11 in the autumn term.  By Sunday all pupils and teachers to include Mr. S. Draper, Miss. M. Dykes-Swindell and Mr. C. Williams were exhausted. 

On Sunday, the pupils packed their belongings, cleaned their cabins, and were awarded prizes for the cleanest room, best behaved pupil and most helpful.