Pupils earn a treetop adventure after a chance meeting at the School Travel Awards

Both Lyndhurst Primary School and Go Ape were finalists at the 2018 Awards, organised by School Travel Organiser Magazine, Lyndhurst Primary in the ‘My Best School Trip’ Award and Go Ape in the Best Adventure Experience Award.

The ‘My Best School Trip’ Award comes with a £1,500 prize to spend on a future school trip and recognises some exceptional visits and the impact they have on the students involved. 

Miss Savvides, a teacher from the school found herself on the same table as Sharron Scott, director of sales and commercial partnerships at Go Ape, and narrowly missed out on the prize for her school’s trip to York.

Sharron Scott, said: “I was so impressed with the achievements of Lyndhurst Primary School – they had raised the funds themselves to take pupils from Year 4 up to York for the day, a huge feat for them.

“When the winner was announced, and it wasn’t Lyndhurst Primary, I felt the school’s huge disappointment keenly and decided to do something about it.”

The whole of Year 6 were invited as a treat to Go Ape Battersea, free of charge, following the completion of their SATs test. 

Miss Savvides, continued: “I couldn’t believe it when Sharron invited the whole of Year 6 to visit Go Ape. It was such a kind gesture. It turned our disappointment into elation and our school trip to Go Ape was just a dream come true.

“I didn’t tell the class about the trip until they’d finished their SATs papers – their reaction was priceless. It was amazing to see the children challenging themselves on the day and having an adventure in the great outdoors.”

Go Ape went on to win the Best Adventure Experience Award at last year’s event.