Thursday Thrills

Approaching the end of a long and exciting week, there have been plenty of new challenges waiting for children at Marchants Hill.

The Power Fan starts with everyone putting on the now familiar safety equipment of a harness and safety helmet, after which children climb a 17 metre high pole one at a time to a platform at the top. Each climber is attached to a safety line that also acts as their mechanism for descent back to the forest floor. Once they reach the platform at the top, it's down to personal choice of which jumping style to show off as they make a controlled free-fall to the ground.

With a slower pace and very demanding a very different skill set, the Rifle Range gives individuals to take aim at paper targets and try to beat their friends high score. Safety comes first, and everyone gets a clear demonstration of how to handle an air rifle and load pellets before having a few practice shots. Once everyone has scored some individual hits, the group forms two teams that compete for the title of sharp shooting champions.

There are a number of high platforms around the Marchants Hill site, hosting multiple high level activities. Two sides of one tower offer both abseiling and climbing. For abseiling, children scale the tower from the inside before emerging at the top to attach their harness to the safety ropes. With their back to the edge, a few gentle steps begin the long descent to the bottom of the tower. At the climbing wall, children are required to support each other with one child climbing whilst another acts as a 'belay', taking up tension in the safety rope as their partner ascends.

This is the last night the children will enjoy at Marchants Hill and they are enjoying a disco before bed and their final activity sessions on Friday morning.