York CDT student Matthew Dunn reports on the first year student’s recent teambuilding trip to the Peak District:

“At the beginning of December, the first year fusion CDT cohort spent two nights in the YHA Hathersage in the Peak District. On the first afternoon, we had a mock Dragons’ Den style game where, in small groups, we had to pitch ideas for commercially viable fusion energy. These were taken from actual start-ups that are trying it. Congratulations to James , Ollie and Beth for their winning pitch. That night we enjoyed an Italian pasta meal, then caught up with each other over a board games night, including an epic game of Giant Jenga. Even we as physicists couldn’t understand how the tower stood up as long as it did; it was eventually toppled by Fabio.

In the morning, we set off on our hike to the nearby Robin Hood’s Cave, at the top of a hill about an hours walk away. Although some members of the group were more experienced hikers than others, we all agreed that we were more of a team after the experience. That night, we cooked a full Christmas roast, with turkey, stuffing, roast vegetables, and too many other things to remember. We all ate our fill, then sang some Christmas songs together, which all helped us to bond and feel like a CDT, not just a bunch of students from different Universities. After dinner, we had a glass or two of mulled wine, and settled down for a movie night. We had just enough time to grab a breakfast from Hathersage bakery the next morning before setting off home. The trip was enjoyed by all, and we look forward to seeing each other again at conferences and collaborating on research”.