Sheaf District Day 2023 Sheaf District held their first full district activity day on 23rd August 2023, which was attended by over 320 members and 60 adult volunteers. The day ran from 09:00 – 17:00 with an hour break for lunch in the middle so it was a very action-packed day where the members were able to undertake activities ranging from zip lining to climbing, assault courses to go carts, thanks largely to the generous contribution from the Brian Sellars fund.  We had some fantastic feedback from families:"THANK YOU SO MUCH AS ALWAYS, STANLEY'S FULL OF VERY EXCITED STORIES. HE LOVED THE CUBE (DARK MAZE)"."THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ORGANIZE & ATTENDED TODAY. JOSEPH SAID HE HAD A GREAT TIME & ESPECIALLY LIKED THE CAVING". The day started with the members using all modes of transport to get to site. We had some groups opting to turn the one-day activity into a full weekend event by camping at Hesley for the weekend, some also arrived by train, with a fleet of minibuses from multiple groups pulling together and ferrying them the short distance from Chapeltown train station to Hesley.  Some were lucky enough to be taken the full way from home to Hesley in minibuses and there was a huge queue of parents, carers and family friends dropping members off in their cars too, which quickly cleared thnks to the excellent traffic management by the Hesley site staff. As soon as 09:00 struck Hesley wood had a real feel of excitement and anticipation as sheaf district was descending on the site.  With all the members on site, there was a rush to distribute the activity wristbands to all the groups and get them attached to every member’s wrists to enable us to identify the members of sheaf district. This was only made possible by the dedicated work of the supporters, handling the mountain of paperwork required by the site, as well as the rifle shooting forms to ensure that all members can undertake their activities legally and safely. As soon as the members had their wristbands, the adventure began, the site was alive with members of Sheaf District running to complete their mornings activities, catching up with old friends and making new ones. Go karting was an instant hit, alongside archery and the inflatables. I spent most of the morning speaking to the members and the leaders who were attending the event, everyone…

Sheaf District Archers hit a Bulls Eye! Last Friday saw the culmination of six weeks of dedication from over thirty Cubs and Scouts from across Sheaf District when they participated in a Archery competition in Helmton Hall. All the members have been working hard towards their master at arms badge in training sessions every Friday – and a Saturday when the event got snowed off – to improve their ability with a bow and also teach them safety and maintenance. The district organised event saw every member who participated show significant improvement, with many participants never having picked up a bow before! Every member who participated in the competition scored well and the organising team are immensely proud of the members achievements. The competition saw St Pauls’ take home first and second place in the Scout competition and the Cub competition saw Beauchief take home second place and St Chads win the first place trophy! The District team would like to extend their thanks to the Leaders from Beauchief, Greenhill and Woodseats for their assistance in running the course – It would not have been possible without their dedicated efforts.

Winter Adventure Camp Written by Bob TeasdaleOver the weekend of the 4th and 5th March, South Yorkshire Scouts ran a two day winter adventure camp for a group of 10 to 15 year old Ukrainian refugees. Following last August’s event, we again utilised the county site at Hesley Wood, this time based in the Howard Walker Building.  The weekend was modelled on a typical scout weekend with outdoor activities, fun challenges, loads of great food and finishing around the camp fire. The kids had a great time taking part in crate climbing, pioneering, bread making, cannon racing, indoor challenges, orienteering (with yet more challenges), tower building and a camp Olympics (with Ukraine bound to win). We also had some of the best food I have ever tasted on a camp.  Our two Ukrainian chefs prepared meal after meal of amazing traditional Ukrainian cooking including their national dish of Borsch.  One kid told his mum he’d had five bowlfuls! What we learned:Ukrainian kids are all brilliant at orienteeringThe kids like a LOT of jam on their breadFlavour can be added to soup by plunging fiery sticks into itUkrainian kids like the Tuck shop as least as much as any English kidsThis was a fantastic opportunity for these children to come together with countryman, to play, speak their mother tongue and enjoy a shared experience.  This was such a great example of local Scouting continuing to make our Ukrainian guest feel welcome and to share our ‘skills for life’ beyond our own groups.The children’s parents are always super appreciative, as you can see from the below …“Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to visit Winter Scouts Camp”“I want to express my gratitude for this opportunity”“My daughter spent a wonderful time there”The event wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of leaders from across Sheaf plus our special guests from Ukraine.  As is the Scouting way everyone came together, worked together and made the magic happen.  Thanks also to Adventure Funding Sheffield, who provided the funding for the event.So, a big thank you to everyone below who put their time, effort and most importantly enthusiasm into it.James Bargh, Phil Bennet, John Cuckson, Jake Parfitt, Rich Garret, Simon Harrison, Barrie Hocking, Rich Hollingworth, Megan Hughes, Sasha Malieiev, Nina Malieiev, Mark Mitchell, Andrew Phipps, Dawn Spier, Arina Stepanenko, Svitlana Stepanenko, Nick Taylor, Bob Teasdale, Richard Teasdale, Jon Widdup.  We were also greatly supported by the team…

Sheaf District Beavers take over Gulliver's Valley Theme Park By Leslie RochesterOn Friday 24th February 2023, 50 Beavers and 13 Leaders/adult helpers arrived at Gulliver’s, ready for an amazing adventure. We had a mass Beaver sleepover at Gulliver’s. Madness, I hear you say, No, it was fabulous having an event dedicated specifically to the Beavers of Sheaf only.On arrival, we took our belongings to a storeroom, our sleeping destination was a different place. Sheaf District took over Gully Town. Once the house keeping had been covered, we set off to explore. We had exclusive use of the climbing wall, Gully Town and laser tag. Next it was time for tea, it was so loud having 50 Beavers in one place, buzzing about the activities they had completed. It was heart-warming, watching Beavers from different groups mixing together and realising that other children were Beavers too! After another session of exploring the indoor areas of Gulliver's it was time to make our beds in Gully Town. Once ready for bed, pyjamas on and teeth cleaned, everyone settled down to watch Toy Story.Then it was lights out (except for the emergency lighting). All children had settled down by midnight dreaming of which ride to go on first in the morning.All was quiet in Gully Town... until the silence was shattered (around 5 am) by the elephant footsteps of the first Beaver running to the toilet gauntlet. The challenge was not to wake up the dragons, alas the Beaver failed the first challenge of the day and gradually the noise level grew until every Beaver and Leader was awake.The first task for the Beavers was to get dressed, pack their bags and find lost items. Once all belongings were neatly packed away, it was time for hot chocolate and biscuits while watching cartoons. This was our starter breakfast, then it was down to the dining area for sausage sandwiches before more exclusive use time.The rides opened at 10:30am and we split into our groups to explore all the rides. Groups came together for packed lunch and a chance to warm up. After a quick refuel, we headed back out to the rides and got as many thrills as possible. Then came the inevitable - home time. Parents started arriving from 15:45 to collect their tired Beavers.We had an amazing time at Gullivers and hope that this will become either an annual event or a bi-annual event.The…

Carol Service at Woodseats It's that time of year when we bring out our singing voices and are entertained by life-size puppets. Woodseats Methodist Church hosted the Carol Service this year on 6th December. Over the night, many festive songs were sung, the puppets gave their version of Christmas bests, and leaders across the District received service awards including, David Macpherson. David put a lot of effort into organising the concert alongside members of the SAS and other District leaders. The night was a massive success with plenty of young people joining in the fun. Many thanks go to all those who contributed to the evening.On the night, leaders were collecting donations to go towards two fantastic organisations. Grace Food Bank and Ukrainian refugee families. Grace Foodbank works mainly in S8 & S17 postcode areas – much of Sheaf District.The newly formed (2022) Sheffield Branch of the Association of Ukrainians in the UK.An amazing £224 was raised, so thank you to everyones generosity, £112.00 will go to each organisation. The Carol Service attracts the younger age-ranges of our Scouting members, so it was really pleasing to see so many parents joining us for the festivities.We wish you a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends. 

Firework Night Success Norton Scout Group & The Oakes Holiday Centre host a very popular annual fireworks display on 5th November open to Scouts in our District and the community.John Batley at 280th Norton and his team of Scouts, volunteers and stewards provided an extraordinary event for Scouters and Non-Scouters alike. This community spirit upholds the key values of Scouting, but most importantly, is a great way for family and friends to spend some quality time together with a warm cup of chocolate and entertainment lighting up the sky. Image of the Crowd from the fireworks launch site Shots from the firework display, bonfire and the GuyWhile fireworks can be great fun, they can be dangerous if not used properly. During the bonfire season, most firework injuries treated at emergency departments happen at informal private displays. Over half of those requiring treatment are children.Rockets are responsible for the majority of serious eye and hand injuries, however sparklers, fountains and firecrackers are also frequent sources of injury.John and his team take safety incredibly seriously, and this adds to the success of the evening.