This information is mainly for Scout Leaders for information for their Troops so that they know the times to meet and can plan the route from 6 figure map references, the location of the bases will along the route given. The 6 figure references are given to the nearest point on the map, 8 figure reference may be supplied on the night. (It's not a difficult route, I'm sure you'll get the gist)!

More detailed information for Explorers, Fellowship or anyone else helping to man bases, checkpoints etc will be issued later.

The map used is OS Sheffield & Barnsley 278

Hiking Scout Leaders are to meet at 82nd HQ before 6.45pm where they will be transported by Minibus to the start point of Grenoside Woods Top Car Park. Anyone needing a lift later needs to do so by contacting me please.

High Green Scouts & Leaders are to be picked up from Hesley at 7.30pm. Anyone else needing picking up from Hesley, please inform me in advance to see if it's possible.

Start Times

All Scouts MUST arrive at least 10 minutes before their Start Time. Scouts not there 10 minutes before may have points deducted from their final score. Any Team not ready to go at their Start Time will go last!

7.10pm     82ndA (Nick 32nd/Leon)    76thA (Gary 33rd)        76thB (Linw 33rd) NB Leaders are in Brackets

7,20pm    33rdA (76th Leader)        32ndA (76th Leader)        61st (Dave 82nd)

7.30pm    33rdB (231st Leader)        32ndB (231st Leader)        82ndB (32nd Leader)

7.40pm    33rdC (32nd Leader)        32ndC (231st Leader)    231stA (14th Leader)

7.50pm    82ndC (105th Leader)    14thA (105th Leader)        231stB (14th Leader)

8.00pm    105thA (25th Leader)        231st C (Jamie 82nd)        25th (Matt 33rd)

8.10pm    105thB (Joe 61st)         14thB (Meat 82nd)

If you think we've missed anyone off yell now please!

6 Fig Grid References

325 949
324 951
326 948
331 952
332 955
336 957
338 955
340 957
343 958
344 958
347 954
350 953
353 958
352 962

If you spot any deliberate mistakes please let Steve know.

Check back for any further clarifications and anything else during the week,

May 9th  Modules 1,3 & 4. 10-4pm at Hesley Wood - Basic Training required for all new Leaders before gaining their Warrants.
May 9th/10th Validation Day with Stewart Butler at Hesley Wood - For anyone requiring Module 2 or validation of Modules completed.
May 17th Modules 5-9. 9.30-4pm at Hesley Wood - Values in Scouting, Changes in Scouting, Valuing Diversity, Leadership Skills, Working with Adults
May 29th-31st Module 16 at Hesley Wood - For any Leader wanting to complete their Nights Away

July 4th Modules 1,3 & 4. 10-4pm at Hesley Wood - Basic Training required for all new Leaders before gaining their Warrants.
July 5th First Response 1st Aid at Hesley Wood (Course Full) - For Leaders without a 1st Aid Certificate or Leaders renewing their Certificate
July 11th Modules 5-9. 9.30-4pm at Hesley Wood - Values in Scouting, Changes in Scouting, Valuing Diversity, Leadership Skills, Working with Adults

Sept 11th-13th All Modules (except 1,3,4,10 & 16) at Hesley Wood - This will allow you to attend any Modules you need to complete
Sept 20th First Response 1st Aid at Hesley Wood - For Leaders without a 1st Aid Certificate or Leaders renewing their Certificate
Sept 18th-20th Module 16 at Hesley Wood - For any Leader wanting to complete their Nights Away

Oct 25th Modules 1,3 & 4. 10-4pm at Hesley Wood - Basic Training required for all new Leaders before gaining their Warrants.

Nov 1st First Response 1st Aid at Hesley Wood (4 places left) - For Leaders without a 1st Aid Certificate or Leaders renewing their Certificate

To download Training Application Document Click here:

To Book a Course ring Hesley Wood County Office on 2467912 or email; training@syscouts.org.uk

The aim of these courses;


For Anyone wishing to take their Scouts climbing regularly Single Pitch Awards;

The Don District 2009 St Georges Day Celebrations will be over 1-3 days dependent upon which section;

Beavers will meet at Hesley for an afternoons/evenings fun 13.30-20.00. Beavers will meat and be collected from the Main Car Park at these times. They will then join Cubs, Scouts & Explorers for an afternoon of fun and incidents. After eating a packed tea that they will need to bring with them they will renew their Promise and then enjoy an entertaining Camp Fire, before going off to bed tired little bunnies! The cost of this is £3 per Beaver and covers any costs/fees and a District coloured neckar to take home.

Cubs will also meet at Hesley for an afternoons/evenings fun 13.30-20.00. Cubs will meat and be collected from the Main Car Park at these times. They will then join Beavers, Scouts & Explorers for an afternoon of fun and incidents. After eating a packed tea that they will need to bring with them they will renew their Promise and then enjoy an entertaining Camp Fire, before going off to bed tired slightly bigger bunnies! The cost of this is £3 per Cub and covers any costs/fees and a District coloured neckar to take home.

Scouts will meet on Friday Evening for a Fun Incident Night Hike and then have a sleepover at the 82nd HQ, the cost of this being £4 per Scout. The Scouts will be fed a light breakfast before heading to Hesley Wood to take part in the Outdoor Cooking Competition where they will cook a Brunch and effectively feed themselves for Lunch. There will be no personal cost to the Scout but a charge per team entered paid for by their Troop (who may pass the cost back to the Scouts). For the afternoon the Scouts join Beavers, Cubs & Explorers for an afternoon of fun and incidents. The cost of this is £3 per Scout and covers any costs/fees and a District coloured neckar to take home. Any Scout who has joined in all the weekends activities will the be fed at the Fellowship Chalet (any other Scout will need to bring a packed tea) and then enjoy an entertaining Camp Fire, before going off to bed totally shattered large bunnies! The total cost of all that fun is £7 including everything!

Explorers will help with the Scouts Fun Night Hike on Friday Night and then will have the opportunity to sleepover at 82nd HQ (free but will be expected to act as a YL and help SL's) or Hesley Wood (£3). Saturday Morning will be Activities arranged by Explorer Unit at Hesley. For the afternoon the Explorers join Beavers, Cubs & Scouts for an afternoon of fun and incidents. The cost of this is £3 per Explorer and covers any costs/fees and a District coloured neckar to take home. Explorers can stay over Saturday Night (£10.50) & will then be fed by the Explorer Unit at the Fellowship Chalet and then enjoy an entertaining Camp Fire, before going off to bed (as if) tired Harvey sized bunnies! The total cost of all that fun is £13.50-£16.50 including everything (dependant where they stay Fri Eve)!

The Network & Fellowship will be helping on the Fun Night Hike (pretty please) and then throughout the weekend where needed and agreed. The cost of this fun and entertainment, free of course

GSL's will be sorting numbers and bases out for the Saturday afternoon and it is planned to let teams of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts & Explorers compete around Fun Bases manned by all Leaders from all sections. The aim is that the Teams will never be out of sight of a Leader at any point, this allowing for freeing up Leaders to man bases. If in doubt contact your GSL or ADC. Bases will need to be set up early and further information will published later.

GSL's will need to know numbers attending for Monday 30th March for their GSL's meeting.

For the Fun Night Hike and Cooking Competition, number/entries need to be finalised for Thursday 2nd April for the SL's District Meeting. This Included Explorers/Network/Fellowship helping man bases. Teams will be of approximately 6 Scouts and a Leader, troops need to supply one Leader per Patrol walking. Any Troop wanting to walk but can not meet this criteria please contact Steve Clayton to help find a solution.

If in doubt contact your GSL or ADC

Cubs ADC Andy Papka would like you to know his email is; apapka1@blueyonder.co.uk
and not as shown in the Don District Directory.

WOW! 13 teams contested this years Indoor Cooking Competition, the most in modern history proving Scouting in Don District is very much alive and kicking. 3 teams from the 33rd and 231st, 2 from 32nd, 82nd and 105th and 1 from 61st cooked an authentic curry with complimentary starter or dessert. It was mainly to India we traveled for our culinary delights, but 2 teams ventured further with Thai cuisine. First Judges discussed whether Balti was from India or Birmingham but then marking for hygiene, preparation, team work, cleanliness, authenticity and of course taste and presentation. Dishes varied from a vegetarian egg curry, Balti, green curries, tikka massala, chilli hot phal, using various ingredients and spices, chicken,  prawns etc. More points were awarded for use pestle & mortar than a Kenwood Master Chef blender. At one point the judges scratched their heads wondering what part of India strawberry cheesecake came from.  More authentic starters of Thai fishcakes, kebabs and bhaji's could be tasted and thai bananas seemed the most authentic sweet, more so than the block of Walls Ice Cream with sweets stuck in it, altho' the presentation of this dish was 1st class as was the taste of the cheesecake! One other surprise 'authentic' ingredient was tomato ketchup, thankfully not in the sweets!

All the dishes were edible, some could have been served in a restuaraunt and a couple of dishes would have even pleased Chef Ramsey, so it was no surprise when having smelt the delicious aromas all morning and tasted their perfect dishes and witnessed their authentic preparation that the 231st C regained the trophy (Jill can clean it again now) with their Thai Fishcake starter and Thai Prawn Green Curry main course prepared authentically with pestle and mortar.

The winners scored 63 and the 13th team scored 51.3 so a very close competition. Well done everyone for taking part in our largest and best Indoor Cooking Competition yet.

Check out the photos below & further photos can be found on the 82nd Website

Results;

1st - 231st C
2nd - 32nd A
3rd - 32nd B
4th - 33rd C
5th - 33rd A
6th - 231st A
7th - 82nd A
8th = 105th A
          231st B
10th - 82nd B
11th - 33rd B
12th - 105th B
13th - 61st

If you're wondering how much your camp will cost at Hesley this year, then click HERE for a price list. For some reason, you can't get the info from their website!!
Just remember that these are prices for South Yorkshire Scouts only - anyone else will be paying more...
The Fellowship Chalet is a favourite with some Don District Groups, as you can deduct 12 campers off the price if you have people camping there - ot works out at just £57.50 per night.

The Expedition Planning Training will now take place at Hesley starting on 23rd February, 9th & 23rd March,  27th April, 25th May & 1st June. To go on this training contact Mike Firth for confirmation of details & booking.

The District Meeting at Trippet Lane tonight has been canceled!

An early decision was taken to save people traveling or being unsure as to whether to set off or not.

No decision has been take as to a new date.

Enjoy your sledging instead

Stewart Butler has also postponed Saturdays Validation for Training - new dates to follow

County Training & Development Manager Richard Wade would like to tailor the Counties training to suit your needs and requests, to those ends click here to download Training Request Form.

Please note that the Expedition Training is over 6 sessions every other Monday starting Monday 9th Feb. See below for further details.


It is the County Teams wish that every Leader in the County has a copy of ROSYS the County Newsletter. Please click here to download the current copy of ROSYS and email rosys@sy-activities.org.uk to be included in future ROSYS emailing lists.


Click here to download Freezer Camp Booking Form
Click here to download hot water bottle!

 Crew Working Weekends click to download dates

Click to download early booking form for Crewboree 2009

Young Leader Training

We are planning to hold a new set of Young Leader training this spring; the training will consist of a half day; Sunday 29^th March 2009 (10:00 – 14:00) at Grenoside Scout HQ, and a full weekend; Friday 3^rd – Sunday 5^th April at the Fellowship Chalet at Hesley Wood.

We have had difficulty finding a suitable (affordable!) venue that’s available when the course instructors are, so have plumped for the Fellowship Chalet. But… as the Chalet only sleeps 12 this means the Young Leaders will be in tents, so need to bring along appropriate camping gear.

The cost of the weekend will be £10 per person.

The training is open to all Young Leaders / Explorer Scouts in the District, but we are restricted to 18 places. Places will be allocated first to YL’s who have not finished their training, then to any YL’s who have completed it but want to do a ‘refresher’ course.

 If you have any members in your group who are working as Young Leaders, and have not yet completed their training then they should make every effort to attend. Please inform them of the training dates and get them to send me a health form and a cheque for £10, made payable to ‘Don District Explorer Scouts’.

Although the weekend is hard work the Young Leaders have always enjoyed the training weekends we run.

Closing date for enrolment: 14^th March 2009.

Forms can be downloaded by clicking here:

New Age Range

Hello Don District Leaders
 
There has been a change in POR for the core age range of Scouts. As of last weekend, a young person may only remain in the Scout Troop until they are 141/2, not 15 as was previously allowed (under the DC’s discretion).
 
There are several reasons for this, and whether you agree with them or not is now beside the point!
(Although personally I had no problem with a Scout remaining with the Troop until their 15th Birthday!)
 
Points made by HQ:
a. The core age range for the Scout Section is from 101/2-14 and the Scout Section
programme is designed to be delivered to this age group, not to those over 14.
b. The core age range for the Explorer Scout Section is 14-18 years and young people
entering at 15 are missing out on a year of programme specifically designed for their age
range.
c. The Chief Scout’s Platinum Award and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award both have
a starting age of 14, and a young person joining at 15 potentially loses a year of possible
progress towards these awards.
d. A young person can choose to become a Young Leader at the age of 14. There is
therefore the potential for a Troop to have both Scouts and Explorer Scout Young
Leaders of the same age at the same time. This is bound to cause problems (and we
have a good deal of anecdotal evidence that it does).
e. The most commonly quoted reason why Scout Leaders choose to retain Scouts to 15 as
Patrol Leaders is to maintain the traditional Patrol structure (as per the pre 2002
programme). This appears to reflect a reluctance to embrace the current (no longer new)
101/2-14 programme wholeheartedly. We believe this is counterproductive for both
Sections.
 
So if you have members of your troop who are older than, or coming up to 14∏, can you let me know so they can become members of one of the District Units:

Chapeltown – Monday 19:30 – 21:30
Grenoside – Thursday 20:30 – 22:00
Or a member of the Young Leaders Unit, working with a section of your Group.

If you have any doubts or questions please feel free to contact me.
 
Regards
 
Kit

Firstly thank you to Trevor Polson and his team for putting on an informative and interesting weekend to help us provide 'Good Scouting' throughout Don District for our Scouts. The weekend sessions helped break down mythical difficulties and broke down perceived problems we face into understandable manageable chunks. The important theme of the two days was 'Going for Gold' and ways to make this possible for all of our Scouts to achieve their Gold Chief Scouts Award. An excellent break down on how achieve the Wood Badge from Richard who invented the new modular training system, plus sessions on all important Child Protection issues & Nights Away Permits/Passports. Other presentations covered the importance of Young Leaders, how to promote your Scouting & handle the media and a planning Activities session plus an introduction to the 2011 Swedish 'Back to Basics' Jamboree and why your Scouts should all apply to go.  For anyone unfortunate to miss this excellent 2 days there may be a follow up later on. Thanks again most enlightening.


I am writing to all those leaders who hold the appointment of 'Scout Leader'. You may have already heard of the Leaders' Information Weekend being held at Hesley Wood on Saturday 31st January and Sunday 1st February 2009. I can now give the following additional information and ask that you pass it to other adults working in your Troop

This weekend has been organised as part of the continuing development for all adults involved with the Scout section and is appropriate for both experienced and newer leaders, assistants and section assistants. Time spent at this weekend can count towards 'on-going learning'.

The format for the weekend will be informal with a mixture of workshops, information, practical activities and speakers to help you with your sectional activities. You will have the opportunity to question headquarters staff, members of the National Scout Team and other ACCs on matters relating to the Scout section.

I urge you and the other adults in your Troop to take advantage of this opportunity. A more detailed programme will be sent to you once you have booked. I enclose an application form and number of invitations which you can use for the other adults in your Troop. There are a limited number of rooms available in Howard Walker building for those who wish to stay overnight.

Trevor Polson
ACC Programme Scouts

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact trevor.polson@btconnect.com

Don District are prepared to pay for it's Leaders who book through Sylvia in advance To download booking form click here

New Explorer Unit at Chapeltown

From the 19^th of January Don District Explorers @ High Green will become –

Don District Explorers @ Chapeltown!

The team at the 82^nd Chapeltown have very kindly offered to run this part of the Unit from now on, enabling Andy Hindley to run an ‘Activities’ Unit on an irregular basis.

The Unit will meet on Monday evenings at the 82^nd HQ on Burncross Road, initially from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, with the option to move the time and meeting day in the future.  All the members of the Unit @ High Green will be moving to Chapeltown, as well as one or two from the Unit @ Grenoside. With the Young Leaders already meeting at Chapeltown, the Unit will have a healthy membership from the start. The Unit will be a natural progression for Scouts in the area, and of course is open to all teenagers between the age of 14 and 18 – as long as they are prepared to take the Scout Promise!

Andy Hindley will be running the new Activity Unit on an ‘as required’ basis. With his own knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience behind him he will be running hiking and climbing activities; and with his contacts will be able to offer all sorts of other outdoor events for Don District Explorers.

NB Course starts 9th Feb and are every other Monday for 6 sessions

Andy Moore - County Commissioner
To all Members of Don District, I would like to thank you for your support in 2008 and for your kind invitations to events in your district.  I hope you and your families have a good Christmas and New Year and I look forward to joining you all in 2009 to continue to work together in the Scouting family.
Merry Christmas
Andy

Jim Carroll - District Commissioner
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Jim

Sylvia West - ADC Beavers   
Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the leaders for all their help and support in running the Beaver Section, and for the support they have given on District events.
Hope you too had a good year and are now looking forward to Scouting 2009 and what it brings.
Thanks again
Sylvia

Andrew Papka - ADC Cubs
Very best wishes to everyone for Christmas and the New Year.                                           
If you have in any way been involved with the Cub Scouts in Don District, then my thanks to you.                                           
If you are Cub Scout in Don District, then my thanks to you and I hope you will enjoy your Cubbing in 2009.                                           
Andrew 

Kit Levesley - DESC (Explorers)
To all members of Don District – especially those pesky Explorer Scouts and Leaders!
Thank you for making 2008 one of the best years ever for Explorer Scouting in Don District - and we’re planning for 2009 to be even better.
This year we’ve had nearly 500 nights away between us, had the chance to go on 10 different camps, and taken part in activities as diverse as swimming, body boarding, hiking, kite flying, sea kayaking and coasteering. We’ve had experiences that we’ll remember forever, and touched the lives of more people than just our own members.
Wishing all of Don District a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Kit 

Peter Blakemore - ADC Fellowship
As we are reminded when we say Christmas has come quickly that its on the 25th of December this year and that it will be the same next year so put it in your diaries now, and if you have not booked the day off scouting this year you should do that next and you can take off half a day on the 26th as well. seriously folks I would like to thank you all for the work and the enjoyment shared in 2008 with both all the younger members and those who still think they are young in mind if not in body. I would like to thank all the fellowship for the hard work they have put in as this is mostly behind the scenes. We in the fellowship and I would like to wish you all and Merry Christmas  (that is merry not drunk) and a fabulous new year 2009. The fellowship try to help when able and many have other jobs in scouting they are also short of time but they can't help if you don't ask with as much notice as possible see you all in the New Year  Blessings of Christmas to you All  
Peter

And

A thank you to all the Districts Scout Leaders who in the absence of a District Team for Scouts mucked in together and kept the District extremely active with competitions, camps, badge achievement and most importantly loads of fun for the Scouts whilst doing this and learning so much at the same time. Merry Christmas to them all and they've already planned an equally busy and fun 2009, so Happy New Year.                                      

 

A Scout Christmas Disco was held at the 82nd HQ, not a flare in sight, but 50ish Scouts from the 32nd, 33rd, 61st, 76th & 82nd donned their glad rags and Leaders from 61st donned their Barn Dancing Kit (no District Explorer Leader pun intended), ah well they had fun, "so whatever, am we bovered". DJ's 'Slim Boy Fat' & 'Princess Disco Dom' worked through the favourite dance and sing along tracks of the decades and after the first half hour of compulsory no dancing seen at all discos around the World, the Scouts packed the dance floor, danced and bopped the night away and until the amp blew a fuse 10 seconds from the end of the last track the boo's indicated what a brilliant and fun dance night this had been.

A request has already been made by a Scout for another at Easter, we'll see!

The Centenary Celebrations carried on with the long awaited (venue booking problems) Don District Leaders Barn Dance held at the Niagra Police Sports & Social Club. Only in Scouting could a Barn Dance be musically catered for by a Celidh Band, so a mixture of checked shirts and cowboy hats yee ha'd their night away to good old Irish Country Music, so the sound of "grab your partner by the toe, swing them round and let them go, to be sure to be sure to be sure" could be heard throughout the night.

Then the aroma of pie and peas wafted across the dance floor and Kit abandoned his dancng partner and ran in a blur of red checker to be the 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the queue. Luckily there were plenty of pie and peas left for the rest of us too and more helpings for Kit later.

Back to more dancing with most people taking part whilst our DC Jim looked on, ending the night with people dancing to their cars humming and singing "I'm a Blarney Stone Cowboy"

Thanks to the District Team for another thoroughly enjoyable night.

Cub Scout Athletes badge testing...
Don District Athletics Badge Testing Day was held on 2nd November 2008 at the English Institute of Sport, Coleridge Road, Attercliffe.
The Cubs had to reach a standard in each of the following: 50m sprint; 50m skipping; long jump; high jump; sergeant jump; shuttle run; cricket ball throwing; 1000m run.
All the cubs were extremely well behaved and in definitely ‘did their best’.
25 cubs from 4 packs took part and all but 4 gained their Athletes badge on the day. The other 4 were later retested by their Cub Leaders and reached the standard required to get the badge.
Once again, thanks to the staff at English Institute of Sport for the use of their superb facility.
Thanks also to the band of leaders and some parents who looked after the bases.
Biggest thanks of all to Andy Scully of the 61st for organising the afternoon.
Unfortunately this was another activity not very well supported despite my earlier plea.

Monopoly is an easy game to understand, go around the board and buy up the spaces usually disguised as a Top Hat or dog. The Don District version was on a much bigger scale! Teams from groups in the district had to travel around the city centre getting photos of themselves taken outside famous buildings and landmarks. Easy ? Well not quite! They only had 2 hours in which to get to all the spaces on our special Scoutopoly Board. Added to this the scouts could be sent to jail by our 'jailors' cunningly disguised as explorer scouts. Scouters also wandered around handing out extra cash.

After a briefing in the Winter Gardens the teams set off and all too soon they were back. With the threat of money deducted for late return, all the teams managed to get back on time. Leaders then booked in the teams and totted up the money gained. The weather held although one or two leaders seemed to need loads of coffee to keep warm

The winners were the 25th Ecclesfield, second were the 82nd Chapeltown and third were the 32nd Stocksbridge.

It's nice to see new and different winners of the trophies and so it was Ecclesfield who went away with the inaugral Monopoly Run Trophy. No one appeared dressed as a dog but there were some funny looking hats on display! Next year we hope to expand this to cover a larger area.

There will be a Christmas Disco for all Don District Scouts at the 82nd HQ on 5th December. Free entry and a tuck shop will be available.