Rewind: #60 – our week, recapped, plus reminders/bonus materials

This is quite an extensive update and may be better read online rather than in your email.

Group Scout Leader update

I wanted to add a short note to the beginning of this update; the last two weekend’s “Rewind” posts didn’t go out. This is entirely down to me. I’ve had a lot more on in my personal/work life and, with so many Scouting events taking place within a short period of time, I just haven’t had enough time to get the content collated and posted. I’m sorry it’s been missed – totally appreciate how valuable it is for you all.

I’m pleased to be able to share a handful of great bits of news:

Firstly, two parents have kindly offered to take on Editorial roles and will be getting training up on our website in the near future. I’m anticipating a September launch for their Rewind / Fast Forward and other postings. Thank you to both of you – this will make a big difference.

Secondly, we’re having a few changes within the leadership team. Nothing daunting or for any kind of concern. Largely, changes to some section leaders based on personal volunteering desires, life changes and/or natural movement within the group. In the next few weeks, once they are finalised, I’ll share the details with you.

Thirdly, and this is one of my favourite things to share this week, we’ve some new volunteers really making great contributions towards our young people’s scouting journies. Thank you for joining us and for everything you’re doing!

We aren’t done on the recruitment drive. We still need more adults across the board – there are so many people I speak to who thought volunteering has to be every week or most weeks. We have lots of shift workers or people who contribute against their available timetable. The more of us involved, the lighter the load. I, therefore, ask if you could help on an irregular basis at a section meeting, or in the back office roles of admin, let me know!

Group (All sections)

Group Camp

Our group camp is booked in for the weekend of 12-14th July. Invitations to the event went out via Online Scout Manager (OSM) a couple of weeks ago; you can find a copy of the event letter and other information on our dedicated event page, here. Within the OSM invite, we’ve also asked you how many additional family members might be joining us for our family picnic and “sports afternoon” on Sunday – if you could let us please know, it’ll help with keeping food waste to a minimum. Thank you.

We will not be taking cash payments or cheques for this event due to a shortened lead time up to the event. Please note: payments are not due to your young person’s normal section account – it is a specific group account used for events such as this one; please, therefore, be careful not to recycle previous payees within your online banking.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the lovely parents/guardians and other volunteers who have recently offered their support for this weekend and either have or are in the process of getting DBS cleared so they can help out. Your support will make a wonderfully positive impact on our young people.

We still have a few spaces available in each section, please book now to avoid disappointment. Full event details will land in your inbox next week for all those booked and paid. We will also host a briefing call for adults volunteering over the weekend.

Bookings close 1^st July 2019; to ensure we can focus on the latter stages of event preparation, places not paid for by this point will, unfortunately, have to be reallocated or cancelled.

Armed Forces Day

The 29th of June is Armed Forces Day. The Penistone event is being supported by our group. We have a number of adults running the car park for the day; additionally, some Explorers acting as on-demand support for the organisers across some of the event zones.

Whilst we do have several adults lined up for the day-time car parking, similar to our Gala provision, the more we can spread the load, the more we can enable our wonderful volunteers to be able to get to also experience the event. If you can assist, please let us know.

Thurgoland Village Fun day

We will be supporting Thurgoland Village fun day on the 7th July.

Our involvement is two-fold:

Firstly, we will be running a fundraising stall (net monies to be used by our group) for which we’re asking for donations from our group’s members. It’s a “Wine or Water” stall and therefore we’re asking for a donation of one bottle of something per family to stock the “chance” stall with. Please hand any donations to your section leader.

Secondly, we’ll be assisting the organisers with setting up and clearing down the event. We’ve asked some of the Explorers for help with this, but we’d also benefit from some adult support too, please. If you can support us setting up on Saturday, or clearing down on Sunday, or running our stall for a couple of hours, please let us know. (Stall will be open 13:00 to 17:00 on the Sunday, or less if we run out of supplies!)

Back in the here and now, let’s take a look at the coming week:

The week ahead (24th June 2019 onwards)

Beavers

Section meetings

Castors and Boomers – will have another attempt at working in the grounds of St Johns church to complete the community part of their world badge; let us hope for dry evenings. They need only have their necker from their uniform, old clothes and close-toed footwear, please. Also if they can bring a small trowel or similar and gloves that would be helpful. Normal times but deliver and collect from the churchyard.

Millstones – are meeting Wednesday rather than Friday. 6:30 pm at the scout hut where we will walk to Oxspring park. Beavers will need to be collected from the park at 7:45. Ideally, we need a couple of parents to stay and walk with us, please.

Future Beaver events

None to highlight at this time.

Cubs

Section meetings

Bella Vista and Raptors –This week we will again be joining forces at the Scout Hut (Raptor parents, please note the change of venue). Half of the Bella Vista cubs will be doing their Digital Maker badge whilst the rest of us will be cooking on fires also please come suitably dressed for this with no open-toed shoes or flammable clothing.

Alegre Cubs – will not be meeting on Tuesday. Instead, we have the sailing session on Monday at Winscar. Please see the dedicated event entry for this; you will have been sent a provider consent form that must be completed before the session start time of 18:00. Copies of this form can be found the event entry in our calendar.

Future Cub events

Bella Vista – Look out for an invitation to our end of term raft building and go-karting session this week and also for our turn at the Amazon Distribution Centre.

Scouts

Section meetings

Enigma – we will be doing a chip shop hike as we are long overdue a good walk out with the rain recently. Please wear suitable footwear for a long hike and bring money for the chip shop. We will need parents to stay and accompany Shauna and Mike on this hike. If you are free to help then please email and let us know.

Wibbles – please look out for an email if there are any specifics you’ll need to know ahead of this week’s meeting.

Viernes – please look out for an email if there are any specifics you’ll need to know ahead of this week’s meeting.

Future Scout events

Alton Towers second instalment should have been paid by now. If not can you do so immediately and please note the third and final instalments being due by the end of the term.

Viernes and Enigma joint end of term session. Due to leader availability for the last week of term both Friday and Monday Scouts are teaming up and spending the final evening at Rother Valley Country Park. Please check the event calendar for full details. Payments need to to be made by the 1st of July.

Explorers

Section meetings

Please look out for an email if there are any specifics you’ll need to know ahead of this week’s meeting.

Future Explorer events

An Armed Forces Day briefing will arrive in the next day or so. Thanks to all those signed up already, please email Shauna if you can offer your services still.

Thurgoland Gala: On Saturday the 6th July we need a handful of explorers to help us to put the tents and marquees up again this year. In return we get a free stall on Sunday, this will help us raise much-needed funds for the group. Please drop us a note if you can support this.

Alton Towers second instalment should have been paid by now. If not can you do so immediately and please note the third and final instalments being due by the end of the term.

With the reminders out-of-the-way, let’s recap what we’ve been up to.

This week:

Brunts Barn

Last weekend, nine Scouts from across our three troops spent the weekend in the Peak District, working alongside the Peak Park Rangers as part of their Expedition Challenge badge. It was a full weekend including: Clearing much of the surrounding areas of the car park at Digley Reservoir of Himalayan Balsam, a hike around the reservoir, preparing/cooking/clearing all their own meals, clearing overgrown areas of the nature reserve at Brunts Barn, learning about the local history of the Peak around Brunts Barn and a fun hike out to paddle at Padsley Gorge.

Automotive future

Millstones designed future vehicles and then built them out of Lego.

Diabetes

Alegre Cubs learnt the difference between type one and type two diabetes and completed some cooking activities and made cookies and rainbow kebabs. Big thanks to Jen Holley who came down to help Alegre Cubs on Tuesday.

Digital makers (Scouts)

Last week Enigma Scouts enjoyed a visit from Brian and completed their digital maker level 2 staged badges. Some of the Troop that we’re missing a few weeks ago completed their model maker badges by painting the figures they built at the Games Workshop, Sheffield.

Digital makers (Beavers)

Castors and Boomers started their Digital Maker 1 badge. Castors also invested the fifth new member who was unable to be with us the week before.

Sailing (Enigma)

Scouts from our Monday troop went sailing with the Pennine Sailing Club at Winscar Reservoir.

Sailing (Bella Vista & Raptors)

Bella Vista Cubs joined forces with the Raptors Cup pack last week and enjoyed an evening sailing with the Pennine Sailing Club at Winscar Reservoir.

Taskmaster

Engima Scouts enjoyed Rob bringing his version of the TV show Taskmaster to their section meeting, whilst Shauna worked with those preparing for Brunts Barn. Never ceases to amaze us how much enthusiasm is put into, “Be the sweatiest team in five minutes”!

Langsett hike

Viernes Scouts had a change of scenery last Friday night. With Richard having other commitments, leaders from other sections, plus the lovely Mr and Mrs Oliver, took the Scouts for a hike around Langsett. Was the perfect weather for it, even if we did get eaten alive once we’d got back to the car park!

Paint printing

Castors and Boomers had a go at paint printing this week using pizza bases and drawing on their designs before painting and printing.

Penistone Gala and Mayor’s Parade

The Gala weekend was, once again a busy one. The weather wasn’t on our side, but we ploughed through! We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of you who baked and supplied cakes/buns for us to sell over the weekend. For all of the lovely volunteers who manned the gates, flipped burgers, served drink and cakes and all of the other stuff that goes with such a long weekend – we’re proud of what you achieved. Thank you!

Crocky Trail

Cubs from Raptors, Bella Vista and Alegre cubs have had a fantastic time at the Crocky trail on Sunday! Cubs got to adventure outside all day, going on epic slides, finding their way around mazes, swinging on rope swings across the river and avoiding the crocs on the Crocky trail! Thanks to all the Cubs for being so well behaved and making it a great day for all the cubs and leaders that attended and thanks to the leader team that went along! An extra big thank you to Mary Daniels for coming along and making it possible for us to take the number of young people we did. Without the great team of volunteers, none of these events or sessions would be possible.