Posted on 23 May 2012
All the fun of the fair and lots more besides were on offer at Merrist Wood College’s 400 acres of countryside this weekend.
On Friday over 800 local school pupils enjoyed the College’s first ever Skills Festival, where they tried their hand at taster activities showcasing the huge range of courses available across the Guildford College Group’s three sites – Merrist Wood College, Guildford College and Farnham Sixth Form College. These included animal handling and grooming, tree climbing, investigating a mock crime scene, making sushi and cocktails, iPad artistry, sports activities, nail art, building walls, motor vehicle mechanics, and designing a garden.
The taster activities were designed to provide an insight into what it’s like to be a student at the Colleges, find out about possible careers and help school leavers make informed choices about their future. Other organisations also attended the event, including the the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), who set up a jamming session; Chelsea FC Foundation; the Peter Jones Academy; Soccer Coaching Ltd; the Royal Navy and Army.
After a quick pause for breath, Sunday saw Merrist Wood packed with people again, when over 10,000 visitors streamed through for the annual Summer Show. Attractions included motor cycle stunts, wall of death, helicopter rides, farm visits, practical skills demonstrations, countryside crafts, birds of prey, tree climbing, a craft fayre, a music festival from ACM, dog agility displays and more! Visitors also got to meet the new additions to the animal management unit, meerkats Vango and Suri, who were a huge hit!
