Two local Rotary Groups fundraised £1,800 to send three lucky students from Midsomer Norton Sixth Form on the week of a lifetime. The Rotary Club of Midsomer Norton and Radstock and the Somer Valley Rotary Club gave Charlie, Grace and Lydia a valuable opportunity to learn dynamic leadership skills on Dartmoor, in the rain and even snow, to enhance their future career opportunities.

Grace explained: “TheRotary Youth Leadership Scheme was such an

adventure, we did all kinds of outdoor activities and had some really inspirational and motivational talks from Jack Russell, the leader, who talked us through how to get into a positive mind-set and stretch comfort zones in a way that wasn’t terrifying.

“This was wonderful for me, as it helped to change my opinion of myself and give me the confidence to speak out and try new things, something I’d never have done. One of my highlights was definitely abseiling! As someone who’d never done it before, it was the event I was most afraid of, but through my new mind-set and my team supporting me, it was an incredible experience which I’ll never forget.”

“My favourite part of the week was seeing the change in all of us. Going from 23 teenagers who couldn’t even look each other in the eye when we arrived, to tearing up mid-presentation on the day we left.

“By the end of the week, it was clear how much we’d all changed in those six days.”

“Doing RYLA was probably the best decision I ever made, I would recommend it to

anyone who has the chance to do it! Thank you to Rotary for making it all possible.”