On Saturday 3rd September 2011, 30 Beavers from Eden and Reivers (Carlisle) District Scouts, along with 13 adult volunteers, visited Killhope Lead Mine, County Durham to have fun and complete their Experiment Badge.
The Beavers that came along represented 6 different Scout Groups from the two districts, so as well as being a great day out and getting a new activity badge to add to their Beaver uniform, it was also a great opportunity for everybody (young and old) to make new friends and see how widely spread Scouting is in the area.
When the Beavers arrived at Killhope, they were split into groups and through a variety of activities were shown how lead was mined from the North Pennines over a hundred years ago. They went underground into the mine and they saw how water was drawn down from the reservoir to power giant water wheels and machinery. They carried out experiments on the washing floor, looking at the density of different minerals and how their weight was used to help separate materials from underground and they looked at what it was like to live at the mines when you weren’t working. Beavers finished their day with a walk through the woods, where some groups were lucky enough to spot red squirrels and a fox, and by writing a newspaper report about their day, to share with other beavers back at their Beaver Colony.
The day was organised by the local Scout Development Project and Eden District Events team as one part of a bigger Scouting Skills, ‘Awards for All’ Lottery funded project. Organiser Hannah Bester said, ‘the day was a great success, the weather was kind and everybody had lots of fun. We really wanted to put on a day that would provide inspiration to leaders, showing a different way to approaching an activity badge and its delivery, and a day that would encourage parents to come along and help out in an informal setting, showing them how much fun they can have when they volunteer for their local Scout Group, and finally of course, for the Beavers to have a great adventure too.’
Appleby Beaver James Fisher said that he ‘enjoyed walking in the woods and spotting the fox’ and his friend Jake Wharton said he had a ‘great time smashing rocks on the washing floor’.
All the beavers who attended the day were successful in achieving their Experiment badge but very importantly, feedback from adult volunteers has been positive, showing that they really enjoyed their experience too. Parent Emma Pont commented that ‘I was nervous this morning about what it would be like but it’s been brilliant’.
The Scouting Skills project will be continuing with a Scout camp at the end of the month, focusing on traditional skills such as firelighting and shelter building, an Entertainer Badge day for Cubs in November where a number of local professionals will be providing workshops in activities from street dance to magic to drumming, concluding with a weekend in March which will develop leadership and Scouting skills for some of the older Scouts and Explorers. All of the days will continue to encourage more adults to volunteer for Scouts, as well as offering support to current volunteers.
On Saturday 3rd September 2011, 30 Beavers from Eden and Reivers (Carlisle) District Scouts, along with 13 adult volunteers, visited Killhope Lead Mine, County Durham to have fun and complete their Experiment Badge.
