Stanbridge Earls School - Adventure Training

Adventure Training

In the 1960s Geography teacher and 'C' Housemaster, David Charlton, instigated his personal brand of adventure training called LINCS. This acronym stood for Leadership, INitiative, Co-operation & Sagacity. It included challenging physical and mental tasks with an emphasis on individual success, self sufficiency, perseverance and team building. Many activities were involved in LINCS. While participation in LINCS was not compulsory it was strongly encouraged. Unlike many team sports links was LINCS was totally inclusive and did not depend on individual talent. Those pupils who took part often exceeded their own expectations.

LINCS activities were promoted by Charlton who was later joined by Dr Chris Reynolds, a chemistry teacher and housemaster. A typical LINCS event was the 'night operation' or 'night op' in which blindfolded and disorientated participants were taken from school and abandoned, in small groups, in the New Forest with the challenge of finding their way 'back to base'. Negotiating complex night time obstacle courses; zip-line descents across the Top Lake and the annual Speech Day display for parents and visitors, in which a quasi-military scenario was played out, were all examples of what LINCS meant in practice.

A memorable event, in 1970, was a sponsored walk of 80 miles (130 km) to raise funds for the purchase of an extended wheelbase Land Rover for LINCS activities. One pupil, David Tennant (the House Captain of 'D' House) completed the entire course.

LINCS was extended, in the late 1960s, through the rental of farmhouse called Celmi ('concealed place'), near Tywyn, in north west Wales. This was used for residential weekend and holiday activities. The remoteness of the location in the Snowdonia National Park with its stunning scenery including the nearby mountain, Cader Idris were central to the LINCS experience. Rock climbing, abseiling, navigating disused slate mines, walking, camping and swimming were included in the repertoire of outdoor activities.

This ran in parallel with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Gold Level standard. Pupils taking part in LINCS had to agree not to collect their Duke of Edinburgh medals as the ethos of LINCS was to appreciate personal achievement, not public glorification.