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Iron Scout

St Georges Day Night Hike

2010 marked the third time that Don District had run the 'Fun Night Hike'. This year we were once again blessed with a gorgeous evening which turned into a warmish night. Once again the entries for the event were staggering with 21 teams from the District setting off from Ecclesfield Scout Hut in a staggered start. The aim to visit all 7 checkpoints and make it to the end without getting lost and have a bit of fun along the way.

The previous two years had seen the patrols having to carry and safeguard eggs and balloons on the way, this year the leaders were extremely devious and gave them a small chair to carry around. The first base, run by Andy and Sylvia, had scouts guessing the names of chairs! Obviously they had picked up the theme. The explorers ably manned the next two bases with scouts having to cook eggs and the phonetic alphabet.. Then it was on to Wood End and a checkpoint that involved giant chopstick run by Mike. Up the steep Elliott Lane to the next point where Shaun asked the teams to fill a bucket with balls using ....giant chopsticks. (more communication needed!).

The 6th checkpoint had Matt making them fill a bucket with water from Charlton Brook. Matt being as devious as ever had provided buckets with small additions.......holes. The water then had to be carried very carefully on the chair, for these were buckets without handles, to the last checkpoint where our DC Steve was waiting for them to use the water carried for their next task. No water, no points!

The finish was at the 82nd headquarters where where Vera, Chris and Sylvia, from our very own SAS, administered hot dogs, soup and drinks to the hoards. The 61st and 105th went on to Hesley to sleep, the 14th back to their own HQ whilst the majority stayed at the 82nd for a nights sleep. They eventually bedded down apart from those kept awake by excited kids or snoring leaders (don't know who they meant  )

It was a very close contest as usual with the 32nd B  winning, followed by 1 point by the 82nd C. Third place went to the 82nd B. Full results are available here.

It was a fantastic night for both the scouts and the leaders. Well done to everyone who took part.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 April 2010 10:32

Scouts Athletic Badge

It had been years since Don District Scouts had run the Athletes Badge and because of the increase in numbers of Scouts wanting to take part in District Activities it was decided that we should go ahead and run this badge in 2010.

Sunday 21st March was set as the date for this and the venue was decided on as the English Institute of Sport. However a mix up at the EIS saw the date change to the 28th March; just how they managed to double book Matt Hardman Dons District Scouts with the BBC is beyond me!!!

Around 70 Scouts from all 11 Scout Troops in Don District took part in challenging themselves against times and distances set by the Scouting Association. Another fantastic turn out for the district! Events that were running on the day included the 100m, 200m, 300m (girls), 400m (boys), 800m, 1500m, Long Jump, High Jump and Cricket Ball Throw! All brought lots of sweat, effort and energy plus plenty of smiles and laughter!

During the afternoon it became apparent that the requirements set by the Scouting Association were far out of reach of the majority of Scouts taking part, and Scouts were given lots of opportunities to do their best to gain enough points to gain the badge. We even decided on our own smaller 50m sprint to try and get Scouts enough points! The difficulty we saw has been fed back to the Scouting Association.

The day was seen as a great success and saw our Scouts taking part in something completely different to what we usually see them doing. The enjoyment and enthusiasm that was seen by all the leaders proves that every Scout enjoyed themselves whether they gained the badge or not!

A big thank you goes to all the leaders especially Dan Levick who arranged the event and ensured that it ran smoothly, explorers and parents that helped man and run events around the EIS, without them it wouldn’t have been possible to put on this event.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 06:53

24 hours of Fun & Adventure

Once again the Scout Section are holding their 24 hours of adventure over the St Georges Day weekend.

This year the event starts on Friday April 23rd at the Ecclesfield Scout Hut. Troops are invited to send patrols of between 4 and 7 scouts on the Annual Fun Night Hike. Starting between 7.30pm and 8.30pm the event follows the pattern of the successful events held over the last two years.

The finishing point will once again be the 82nd Chapeltown Scout Hut. After supper scouts will bed down for the night. In the morning after breakfast patrols will be challenged to complete an activity before going to the Taybarns for dinner..

The afternoon sees us all going up to Hesley Wood for the Annual District Celebrations before the camp fire.

Cost for each person are £7 (plus the £3 for District). This includes all food during the 24 hours. Numbers need to be handed in for the Night Hike at the leaders meeting on the 1st April. Consent forms can be found here (please log onto the site to access).

Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 March 2010 09:25