Children's worship and activities

On the third Sunday of the month at 10.00 am there is All Age Worship, which is a family-friendly service. On other Sundays, Junior Church takes place in the meeting-room during the sermon and the prayers. This is a service for under 11's (and their parents if they wish). We start in the main Church for the beginning of the service, then adjourn to the meeting room. The theme of the session is the same as the service for the adults, but pitched at an age level to suit the group. We have recently started using 'Roots' Christian Resource book which is very useful. The session includes a news/circle time, Bible story, games, cooking, crafts, singing. There is a selection of toys for the babies to play with. We end with a drink and biscuit and say a prayer. Then we rejoin the congregation for communion /blessing and an opportunity to share our craft work. We recently welcomed Molly as a new member of the children's work team. Molly is a music teacher and puts her gifts to great use with a singing and playing instruments session which the children enjoy tremendously. Junior church has approximately 8 children attending regularly. Sometimes we have up to 16 with visitors and on special occasions.

Grounded for over 9's meets during the sermon on Communion Sundays. Currently the average attendance is 4 youths aged 9 – 15. The group meets fortnightly for a wide-ranging discussion with a Christian theme. In addition, we have games and music to liven the meetings. We would like more music and two university students have shown an interest in being involved.

Heslington hosts the thrice-yearly York churches Sunday afternoon five-a-side football tournament for under 13's, who compete for the Heslington Trophy. The summer fixture took place on Sunday 15th June on Lord Deramore's School field, by kind permission of the Headteacher. The trophy was won by a team from St. Stephen and St. Aidan, Acomb. Heslington Dynamos came fourth - not quite as good as our previous third place, but still a very creditable performance. Heslington Mini-Dynamos made their debut and came 10th. Well played everyone! We are soon to lose some key players and replacements will always be welcome. Let's look forward to further success in the next tournament.

Church-sponsored Brownies and Rainbows meet on Monday evenings on the Church premises.

The 1st Heslington Rainbows have 20 members with 5 adult helpers. We have lots of fun doing craft activities, baking and playing games! We have just achieved our Roundabout badges and we really enjoyed our recent trip to Creepy Crawlies. The Rainbow Guider is Sue Laurence.

The 1st Heslington Brownies have 15 members with 6 adult helpers. We enjoy a pack holiday each year as well as doing lots of work on badges, crafts, baking and have lots of fun. In July 2007 we celebrated 40 years of 1st Heslington Brownies with lots of past Brownies and Guiding friends, a cake, banners, balloons and food. The Brownie Guider is Janet Owston.

Church-sponsored Scouts, Cubs and Beavers meet across the road in the Scout hut. The boys' activities assist their development as they learn to socialise, work together in groups, make friends and undertake challenges appropriate to their age. The Heslington Scout Group has had a particularly interesting and fruitful year in 2007.

Our Beaver colony for ages 6 – 8 comprises 21 Beavers with 3 waiting to be old enough to join. In the last year we have had sleepovers at Tamasha Centenary Camp, the Railway Museum, the Minster and in our own Scout Hut. Beavers helped out with the Garden Make Over at Heslington Reading Rooms and buried a time-capsule there to mark the Centenary of Scouting. This year we have been on a visit to the University Observatory and are going to a sleepover at Snowball Scout Camp and on a water activity day in Richmondshire.

About 10 Beavers will swim up to Cubs over the next few months which may give us some places available in this age range later in the summer.

Heslington Cub Pack (age range 8 – 10½) currently has 21 members with a further 2 about to be invested. The year saw us kayaking in June, sleeping over in the Minster in August and climbing Roseberry Topping in September. 2008 looks to be just as busy, with a mixture of camps and other adventurous activities.

Similarly our Scout troop for ages 10½ – 15 remains full with some 20 members and activities have included a mixture of hikes and camps, canoeing, pioneering, campfires and rock climbing. We have held a summer Camp, a weekend at a mountain hut in the Pennines and a bivouac night sleeping out under the stars on the North York Moors.

We also have a very healthy membership in the 15 to 25 years age range comprising several young leaders and a number of Warranted Leaders and Section Assistants over 18. These groups have also actively pursued programmes of personal development, often with a mountaineering flavour including expeditions for Young Leaders linked to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and Mountain Leadership skills for the over-18s.

Scouting dates its foundation back to 1907 and so we have been part of the Centenary Celebrations which have taken place nationally. The Group organised a Sunrise Ceremony (at 5.00am) in summer in the Howardian Hills. Locally in Heslington, we have carried out a project to clear, tidy, replant and repair an area at the Meeting Room off Main Street.

Owing to the invaluable work of a few supporters on our small Committee, the Group has been able this year to replace its elderly vehicle with a much more youthful minibus and currently has in mind a new bespoke camping trailer.

The Group Leader is Andrew Eccles.

Our website is http://www.heslingtonscoutgroup.org.uk