Retreat to Whalley Abbey 2026

On Thursday 2nd July, the Year 6 children of St Peter’s Church of England Primary School went on the annual end of year retreat to Whalley Abbey, set in the stunning grounds and ruins of a 14th Century Cistercian Abbey, in the beautiful countryside of the Ribble Valley, Clitheroe.

This was a wonderful day where the children were able to look back and reflect on their time at St Peter’s and think about their journey as they left to go to their new high schools. The senior leaders really wanted the children to have a fun-filled day with activities to get them to really think about their journey through primary school and the years ahead in their futures; as well as thinking about their time as friends, working and playing together.

The children participated in activities all around the abbey and found themselves actively engaging.  Some of their favourite activities included the ‘Treasure Hunt Prayer Walk’, in which the children read prayers and passages from the Bible that were around the grounds of the abbey and found clues to reveal a special message; the ‘Team Building Games’ where the children were put in ‘unexpected’ teams and had to solve problems.

At the end of the day, the children were lead in a lovely service by Rev. Anne and Rev. Pam where they reflected on the events throughout their time in school and looking towards their future journeys and the paths they may follow in the years ahead.