Blind school pipped at post in national contest

A TEAM of eight teenagers from the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh just missed out on first prize at the grand final of a national outdoor adventure competition.

The Royal Blind team were up against five other UK schools in the 2008 Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Cup, with the two-day grand final held in Kielder Water and Forest Park, Northumberland over the weekend. They were narrowly beaten by Bishop of Hereford Bluecoat School from Hereford who took home the Cup.

The efforts of the Royal Blind School team were rewarded, however, with the group awarded the Fieldfare Unity Shield for teamwork.

The team, made up of Jamie Fitchie, James Clegg, Lyndsey Hands, Gavin Blaikie, Ewan Blaikie, Kurt Rossin, Saad Attieh and Stephen Clegg took part in problem-solving games including transferring objects across a river divide using only non-verbal communication.

Andy Johnson, project officer for Fieldfare Trust, said: "I am amazed by the standard of the teams at the final."