It has been a busy few days for ORA students at St Hugh’s, who experienced everything from building lollypop stick bridges to visiting a safari park.

Woburn Abbey Safari Park

A visit to Woburn Abbey Safari Park was exactly what the students staying at St Hugh’s needed after a long morning of studying. Embarking through the park on foot, pupils had the opportunity to view exotic animals and take lots of pictures as they went.

Though there were amazing and huge elephants to view, some of our students got distracted by a small dog who ran over and demanded attention! Our pupils weren’t bothered though, as they cuddled and petted him until he finally had to leave.

Back to the main attractions of the Park: the exotic animals. With an incredible selection from meerkats and deer to sea lions and owls, the Park definitely has something for every different kind of animal lover.

Aside from animals, the Park also had a maze which students quickly ran into, desperate to find the mysterious centre. They were all successful, reaching the central pagoda and posing proudly for photos of their achievement.

Lolly Pop Stick Bridge Building

For engineering students, the chance to construct a bridge from lollypop sticks was a challenge they were keen to take on. Using a colourful array of sticks, the bridge came to life quickly and in an organised fashion.

The end result was structurally sound and beautifully neat and we commend our engineering students for their successful construction.

Punting

With week 2 already here, ORA pupils at St Hugh’s wasted no time getting stuck in with a world-famous Oxford tradition: punting. With record-breaking weather in England, the chance to spend the day gliding down the river by Cherwell Boathouse was a cooling experience and one that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Joining the various species of geese and duck on the river, pupils had a go at punting themselves. With some wobbly steps and shaky boats, students bravely stood up and propelled the punts forward using a pole, much to the amusement of everyone aboard the vessel. Though some preferred to recline in the punt in a leisurely fashion and enjoy the world floating by, others loved the power of steering and controlling the boats down the river, narrowly avoiding other punters and animals alike! The sound of laughter drifted down the calm river and told passersby that our students were having a whale of a time on the river.

Students staying at St Hugh’s have lots in store this week, with a visit to Hampton Court Palace, Graduation and exciting Masterclasses to look forward to, so check back soon to see their progress.