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The annual event was hosted by IPA Section Spain. Section UK was represented by Fay Wills, London South
Branch; Lucy Stenhouse, North Wales Branch and Grace Whittam, Thames Valley Branch.
Fay accounts for the first five days of the
programme, following the arrival in Barcelona.
Like other participants, I was quite nervous, but
also excited at the prospect of meeting so many
different people from around the world and
making new friends; this started the first evening
at the opening ceremony.
The first proper day involved a cycle tour of the
city, and a tour of Barcelona Football Club. The
second day included a trip to the theme park
Port Aventura with its many roller coasters and
attractions. On the third day, we visited the
beautiful mountain of Montserrat, which was
formed by an ancient river, hence why it looks
so unique and interesting. We walked down the
mountain after (thankfully) getting the cable car
up, and admired the stunning view, plus visited
the church built into the mountainside at the
base. The next day was paintballing; it was a hot
day and a little uncomfortable in the heavy suits,
but people seemed to enjoy it. Later in the day we
visited the Vizcaya Bridge, which is really high up
and we got a much better view of one of the cities
in the Basque country.
I thoroughly appreciated the experience and feel
lucky that I had the opportunity to do something
which few people ever get. I now have friends in
different continents who I talk to every day, and
we all plan on sending each other Christmas
presents this year. I’m really grateful and I wish
everyone else who went the best for the future! I
hope many of us continue to stay in touch.
Lucy continues with the programme.
What a trip of a life time! I thank the organisers
and participants who made it happen. It was a
trip full of firsts for me. First time to travel on my
own, first time abroad without my parents and
first IPA event. The days were very long, usually
getting up at 07:00 and I was going to bed for
03:00. There was a lot of socialising to be done!
Days 6 to 10 were packed full of activities. On day
6 we visited the coastal area of Donosti City in
San Sebastian with its beautiful Concha beach.
For a panoramic view of the city we climbed the
Igueldo mount. Each day for five days children
from each country had to do a talk about their
country. It was great to learn about the other
International
Youth Gathering
2015
POLICE WORLD
Vol 60 No. 4, 2015
26
Article