Santa’s float raises over £1000 for good causes

Burley Scout & Guide Group arranged for Santa to visit Burley again this year! How fantastic to see so many villagers from Burley-in-Wharfedale who braved the wind & cold last week to wave & chat to Santa & his elves, when they toured Burley! It was so lovely to see so many very enthusiastic & happy smiling faces, young & old, who were very excited to meet him. The faces of the children lit up when they saw Santa & he handed out out chocolates, it made their day!

A huge thank you to all who gave a donation. Your amazing generosity raised over £1,000. Burley Scout & Guide Group thank you all for your support & send best wishes for 2024!

Interested in Watersports?

There’s a fantastic opportunity at Reva scout sailing centre for anyone interested in water sports. Reva is a 10 acre reservoir close to Hawksworth near Ilkley Moor.

Yorkshire water have generously leased this reservoir for scout watersports activities and there is a superb clubhouse, changing rooms, lecture rooms, kitchen and activity room. There is also a bo’sun store and storage for all sorts of watersports equipment. The centre is generously provisioned with all types of boats, sailing dinghies, kayaks, canoes and safety boats. It really is a dream facility for anyone keen on watersports and a brilliant asset for the scout Association and for all local scout groups.

Unfortunately, we are missing one crucial ingredient. We urgently need lots more volunteers to enable more scouts to be able to enjoy these adventurous sports. So this is a plea to anyone associated, or not currently associated, with scout groups in Bradford, Keighley, Wharfedale, and neighbouring districts who has any watersports skills to step forward and help out with providing sessions for Scouts in this area.

For anyone who may be interested, there is refresher, training and instructor training to get any volunteers up to standard, and used to the equipment. This training will take place on the following dates.

24th of March 2024.

28th of April 2024.

26th of May 2024.

For anyone, without any previous watersports experience, your assistance would also be appreciated, we hope to organise some training for you later in the year.

So if you or a friend or relative know how to sail, kayak, paddleboard, canoe, bellboat , raft or drive a power boat then we’d love to hear from you.

Please contact Antony Cam on antonycam@gmail.com or leave a message on (07484) 705167 to chat about your skills or book in for the refresher training.

Santa’s Sleigh 2023

Being part of the local community is an important aspect of Scouting and Guiding in Burley. It was enormously rewarding to see last year’s donations shared between the Scouts & Guides as well as two local charities in order to spread some Christmas cheers and help those less fortunate than ourselves.

We hope this year will be just as successful and we are pleased to reveal Santa’s schedule for this year’s tour of Burley

Santa’s elves will NOT be knocking on doors this year so please look/listen out for us

Sunday 10th December

From 4pm – Endor Cr, Holme Grove, Hill Cr, Sandholme Dr, St Michaels Way, Prospect Rd, St Philips, Norwood, Fenton, Lawn, Grangefield

Wednesday 13th December

From 6pm Sun Lane, Mansfield Rd, Wrexham Rd, Greenhow, Hall Dr, Southfield Rd, Copse, Langford Rd, West View, Aireville

 

Thursday 14th December

From 6pm Midgley Rd, Manse Rd, Station Rd, Long Meadows Estate, Main St, Wellfield

 

Friday 15th December

6pm – 7pm Scalebor

Any donations will be given to Scouts and Guides

Ways to Donate

We will have a bucket for cash donations, but you can also donate by text

  • Text BURLEYSANTA to 70450 to donate £2

Texts cost £2 plus one standard rate message

  • Please gift aid if you can

Ways to Donate

We will have a bucket for cash donations, but you can also donate by text

  • Text BURLEYSANTA to 70450 to donate £2

Texts cost £2 plus one standard rate message

  • Please gift aid if you can

A visit from The Lord Mayor of Bradford

To celebrate Parliament Week, Burley-in-Wharfedale Rainbows, Brownies & Guides were very lucky to enjoy a visit from the Lord Mayor of Bradford.  The Lord Mayor brought his mascot, a small teddy bear named Brad.  He came on three separate nights so he could see all our 200 guiding members.

The Lord Mayor talked to everyone about his role & what it entailed, then young members were able to ask him lots of their own questions.  There were many questions as the girls were fascinated by his robes, hat & chain!   The girls heard that he was Lord Mayor for a year & about his charity, which is the Bradford Cinderella Club.

https://www.bradford.gov.uk/your-council/the-lord-mayor/lord-mayors-appeal/

We are very grateful to the Lord Mayor giving up his time to meet us, we really enjoyed his visit.

Parliament UK is an annual series of events in the United Kingdom that aim to inspire interest in parliament, politics and democracy and encourage young people engage with the UK’s democratic system and institutions.   This year it runs from 6th to12th November

2023 Annual General Meeting

On the 17th July the group our Annual General Meeting

The chair opened the meeting by thanking all executive members and leaders for their support over the last year. There was also an overview of how the Scout Association are in the process of updating their requirements in respect to best practice governance and what this means for the constitution for a joint Scout and Guide group. Specifically, members be known as trustees and the current executive meetings will focus on governance, while operational Scout and Guide matters will be discussed in smaller sub committees.

The chair also thanked Lisa White for her support over the last 5 years on the Scout and Guide Exec. During her time with Burley Guiding Lisa re-started the 2nd Burley Brownies and began her leader training. She has also organised a volunteer stall for Guiding & Scouting and scarecrow competition during Festival Week. This is in addition to her helping at several other fundraising events such as Teas on the Green, Christmas market and Santa sleigh. Within Guiding Lisa has introduced and run Thinking Day on the Air, has instigated and run the Wharfedale Division Pride event and has been part of the County PR team. For all of this and more, Lisa was presented with a Guiding Thankyou badge.

Specific reports that were presented can be found here

2023 statement of accounts

AGM Group Guide Leaders report 2023

Chairs statement

Group Scout Leader – AGM Report 2023

Girlguiding in Burley & The Big Help Out

The Big Help Out is a campaign to showcase how volunteering benefits both communities and the people who take part.On bank holiday Monday as part of the Big Help Out, Burley-in-Wharfedale Rainbows, Brownies Guides, Rangers and Leaders had a great time and a lot of fun celebrating the Coronation.

They enjoyed a picnic and did several crafts – making crowns, bracelets and bookmarks, & they played games such as pin the tail on the corgi.  A Coronation photo frame was very popular!  The girls watched the Coronation concert on the big screen whilst enjoying their picnics. A Pimms mocktail was offered for those brave enough to try it.

The highlight of the event was decorating plant pots and potting up plants to give to on local residents by putting them on door steps as ‘a random act of kindness’.  The girls loved doing this!

Sue Vint, Wharfedale Division Commissioner, 1st Burley-in-Wharfedale Guides said: “We would love to know where the plants end up”.

Since Monday, several recipients have contacted us thanking so much for the pretty flowerpot that was left outside their door.  They said it was lovely thought and very kind. The very fact of an unexpected gift gave people so much pleasure and the way in which it was so sweetly given, added to the joy.

The Big Help Out is not for one day only. Burley Scouts and Guides offer everyone the opportunity lend a hand all year round. If you have an hour – fantastic. If you want to do something regular, there’s an opportunity for you!

Girlguiding Wharfedale holds Thinking Day celebration in Ilkley

Around 190 Brownies and Rainbows along with about 45 leaders and helpers from Girlguiding Wharfedale (Addingham, Ilkley, Burley and Menston) celebrated Thinking Day in the King’s Hall, Ilkley recently. World Thinking Day is an annual event held by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts across 150 countries. This event seeks to spread empowerment, friendship, and sisterhood among girls and to raise awareness on issues affecting girls and women from all walks of life. Each year, World Thinking Day has a different theme.

The theme for the day in Ilkley was taken from the 2023 World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) World Thinking Day activity pack with the theme “Our World, Our Peaceful Future”.Ann Peacock, PR advisor for Girlguiding Wharfedale said: “There were 15 activity stations for the girls to visit and create a craft or do a quiz. The theme was loosely based on nature to link with the environment and peace.

“All girls made pompoms in their meetings from crepe paper. Cheerleaders from Inspirations Dance based in Baildon and Otley choreographed amazing movements for the girls to take part in cheerleading prior to renewing the Promise which is always a big part of Thinking Day.

“Amongst other things, girls made ‘bug houses’ in old mugs, Lego trefoils and Herman worm and bead man. A lady from Ukraine demonstrated traditional flower painting and showed the girls how to make traditional wool dolls.

“Quote of the day came from Division Commissioner Sue Vint who said: ‘I think it was a brilliant afternoon. The girls and leaders alike were very enthusiastic and engrossed in all the activities. Lots of girls I asked said they were having a fun time. I felt there was a great guiding spirit’.”