Our first day has been a real success. The sun was shining for us as we left Great Binfields and made our way down to Devon. The coach was full of catching up chats after the Easter break as well as conversations about what was to be in store for us over the coming days. Even those of us who felt a little bit nervous were soon caught up in the buzz of excitement and enjoyed the journey down to the farm. We feel very proud of our Y4s as we know this residential trip is a very big step!

We arrived at Buckfast Abbey and enjoyed walking around the beautiful grounds in the sunshine and learning more about the Monks during the exhibition. We met brother Daniel who gave us a thorough and detailed discussion about what it is like to be a monk. The children blew us away with their insightful and thought provoking questions such as 'What inspired you to be a monk?' and 'What is the best thing about being a monk?'. This was a fantastic opportunity for us all! We had a lovely group photo that lots of the children recognised from seeing pictures of previous cohorts attending the farm. 

After a great afternoon at the Abbey, we boarded the coach again and made our way down to the farm. Here we met the wonderful Stone Farm family team who gave us a tour of all buildings, the different areas and animals that live on the farm. This was a very exciting time as it was the moment we have all been looking forward to for many weeks now. The children were amazed by the huge amount of land and space - it was a joy to see. The children’s faces when they first set eyes on the chickens, rabbits and other farm animals were just brilliant! Despite all the excitement, the children have made fantastic first impressions on the Stone Farm team and everyone has shown the value of respect and cooperation throughout our first day.

Tomorrow we look forward to our first day out in Devon - keep your eyes peeled for our next update.