It was a frosty morning in the Christmas holidays when a group of Key Stage 4 students gathered at school, excited for a day in Covent Garden, London, followed by an evening performance of A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic with John Simm playing the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge. 

Covent Garden didn’t fail to please with decorations, crowds and festive cheer in abundance - with a sprinkling of shopping thrown in for good measure.
  
The students then walked along The Strand, over Waterloo Bridge where the city was illuminated against the clear evening sky, to The Old Vic for what was a delightful performance.  

This adaptation of Dickens’s novella offers up a hard-hitting message about moral accountability — one that is driven home by the Old Vic’s fundraising commitment to the production, raising more than £1 million in the past seven years. But it also revels in a joyous Christmas spirit. 

On arrival, we were greeted by warm mince pies, satsumas, the sounds of a string band playing festive music, and a canopy of lanterns. The surprises were: snowballs, falling snow, parachuting Brussels sprouts, and even a smoking turkey soaring from one side of the auditorium to the other.

The students had a great day and were once again a complete credit to Carisbrooke College for their behaviour, commitment and resilience during a very long day. Thank you to the staff who gave up their time to organise and accompany the trip.