Rotary International organises annually an outward bound course focused on leadership skills for young people 17 years of age. This is known as the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) and the five-day courses for Wales are held at the Storey Arms in the Brecon Beacons.

The Rotary Club of Saundersfoot sponsored one student from Greenhill School to attend in July. On Monday, September 4, the chosen student, Joe Cole, from Kilgetty, attended the Rotary meeting to address the members and relate his experiences of the week.

Joe expressed himself with confidence describing how he and the other students arrived nervous and not knowing what to expect through to the end of the week when they were confidently leading their own groups. Among the activities were orienteering, trekking to the top of Pen y Fan, canoeing, climbing, leaping off cliffs and caving, plus one or two events they invented themselves.

Every day was filled with activities from early morning until late evening and was sometimes completely exhausting, but in Joe’s words, ‘awesome fun’.

Besides the activities on offer was the chance to meet other like-minded young people from all over Wales and some from Austria, Hungary and Florida!

The members of the Rotary Club of Saundersfoot were delighted to hear that Joe applied himself so well and gained so much from the week whilst having a whole lot of fun. They were also very impressed by his presentation and he was warmly received.

For further information on RYLA or if you are interested in joining Rotary, contact www.rotaryclubofsaundersfoot.org.uk