A number of school colleagues have been discussing organising a social event outside of school hours; something like the perfect antidote for the step up from GCSE to A Levels, which a number of students are finding challenging would fit the bill.

 

A number of ideas were put forward for example attending a soccer match at Craven Cottage, and Selhurst Park. However it proved to be somewhat difficult to obtain a consensus. One or two guys are not infrequent visitors to Thorpe Park, which is situated between Staines and Chertsey. After some debate all fifteen or so of us opted for a weekend visit to this theme park.

 

A day out from noon till 9.30 costs only £30. There are a number of rides including some, which are very exciting in particular ‘Stealth’ which goes from 0 to 80 miles per hours in just 1.9 seconds before being fired 200 feet high into the air. This is one of Europe’s fastest roller coasters.  Most people would find rides suitable for them, although there are few rides for very young children.

 

There are a wide range of eating options including Mexican, fish and chips, hot dogs and noodles to name but a few. There are also shops for example the Mega Store where visitors can purchase souvenirs to celebrate their visit to the resort.

 

We all had a very good day except that our trip was marred by some antisocial and thuggish behaviour, which one of two of our colleagues were unfortunate enough to experience through no fault of their own.

 

The incident happened at about 5.30 pm. The authorities were called and witness statements were taken. As a result of the incident we effectively lost four hours of our time and enjoyment at the park. We left early as a result of this unfortunate incident and we reflected on the lack of security at the entrance to the park. 

 

David Farrington Ewell Castle School