Summer Newsletter 2018 - scvys

S Y V SC

r e t t e l s New Summer Edition What’s inside… 2

Phil’s blog

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Queens Award for Volunteering

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Crowdburst Westminster

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Young Voice & Youth Council

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What’s Coming up…

DISTRICT NEWS 7

Stafford - Earliest Help Networking Event

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Stafford

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Stone

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Staffordshire Moorlands

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Newcastle-under-Lyme Earliest Help Event

10-11 Uttoxeter Three of Staffordshire's UK Youth Parliament representatives were shortlisted in the inaugural National Democracy Awards in Manchester, as part of National Democracy Week. They were nominated in the Youth Advocate of the Year Category for the work they have done to increase participation in the national Make Your Mark ballot, which led to the young voter turnout more than doubling from 2016 to 2017. They also supported

the delivery of the annual youth debate, where they planned and decided the motions that were debated in the council chamber in front of key local decision makers and have been influential in the setting up of a new countywide youth council allowing other young people to voice their opinions. Unfortunately they did not win, but everyone at SCVYS is extremely proud of the hard work they have put in over the last 12 months to get them to these awards.

SCVYS welcomes its newest members

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Tamworth - Earliest Help Workshop

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Burntwood

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Cannock

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Hednesford

13-16 Countywide including Young Farmers Scouts Lord Lieutenant Cadets Girlguiding @staffscvys

Brewood Tennis Club Burton Hope Fish2013 House of Bread Lichfield Advanced Motorists and Motorcyclists

Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services Tel: 01785 240378! Email: [email protected]

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Phil’s blog Over the last 2 years SCVYS has worked hard to support the transformation of local children’s services across the public sector, which follows hot on the heels of the youth transformation of 2014. Our involvement has included leading on Early Help, and in particular highlighting the valuable contribution of the voluntary sector in providing effective help at the earliest possible opportunity which prevents issues from getting both ingrained and more complex. This has become known as earliest help. The aim here is to develop a sense of personal responsibility, enable families to be stronger and more resilient and to encourage communities to be resourceful in helping each other through enhanced community spirit and active involvement. SCVYS is also involved in the Council’s Place based approach which in simple terms seeks to join up the local support system for children and young people. The hope is that all agencies will know their role and purpose, as well as an awareness of what other organisations who operate in the same geographical area can offer as additional or complimentary services. You can read about a couple of events that have taken place in different districts in this newsletter.

Another area of work SCVYS has been leading on is Children, Young People and Families Voice. A partnership strategy and delivery plan has been developed in an attempt to better align local consultations, encourage more multi-agency collaboration and improve the overall quality of engagement, ensuring it is timely, meaningful and accessible. SCVYS is also delighted to announce that our UK Youth Parliament programme has been shortlisted for a National Democracy Award. In its first year this programme more than doubled the reach of the Make Youth Mark vote, ran a successful countywide Youth Debate and have begun to develop a countywide youth council. Again, you can read about the latest news and updates inside. SCVYS completed 99 DIAL assessments, our equivalent of an organisational health check, with members last year. Their aim is to help groups assess where they are, predict current or potential areas of weakness and be proactive in finding solutions with our support to ensure they are as strong and sustainable as possible. It also reduces the likelihood of the need for crisis support.

If SCVYS, as an independent representative of the local voluntary sector, and just one cog in this massive partnership transformation were removed, the adverse impact would be significant. A simple example is the recent Families Strategic Partnership newsletter where no fewer than 10 SCVYS member organisations are mentioned or highlighted for the work in their district. An encouraging sign that the sector is playing a full part in supporting children, young people and families. Long may this continue. Whatever you are doing over the summer, whether you are taking a well-earned break or running summer activities, camps and trips, may you be inspired by the children and young people you work with, and the difference you make through your valuable investment into their lives.

A huge thank you to our Chair, Keith Walker, who stepped down in April 2018 after more than 10 years of service with SCVYS. His common-sense leadership, practical support and encouragement of staff has been greatly valued and we all wish him well in his retirement from SCVYS. Keith wrote in his farewell letter “I have rarely worked with a group of people who are so capable, committed and enthusiastic in their endeavours to provide positive activities and personal development opportunities for young people. You are all a real credit to SCVYS and the reason the organisation is so successful. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be part of SCVYS.” We thank Jeremy Cotton for stepping up to become SCVYS Chairman and look forward to working with him in his new role. 2

Queen’s Award for Volunteering Staffordshire’s voluntary and community sector has earned itself a national reputation when it comes to achieving this prestigious award, the equivalent of an MBE, but for an organisation. Other than London, West Midlands and Manchester, who are all much larger in terms of population, Staffordshire again came top of the league in terms of shire counties. From 23 nominations that went to assessment from Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, 16 local organisations were successful. They are:

nomination of local organisations. The work doesn’t stop now either as they will now be helping successful organisations to celebrate their success in the most appropriate way throughout the summer and autumn months.

• Access Tai Chi – Chesterton, Stoke on Trent • Blurton Farm Residents Association, Blurton Stoke on Trent • Burslem Jubilee Project, Stoke on Trent • Burntwood & District Community First Responders, Norton Canes, Cannock • Eccleshall Show Society • Fish 2013 - Fishing in Safe Hands, Burton on Trent • Ford Green Hall Museum, Stoke on Trent • Homestart Staffordshire Moorlands • Kendall & Wall CIC • M Y Inter Theatre, Burton on Trent • Newcastle Weekly Blind Social Club • Rugeley & District Community First Responders • Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society, Stafford • Staffordshire Buddies, Hanley, Stoke on Trent • Staffordshire Police Cadets • Werrington Community Volunteers Congratulations to each and every group, and the many individual volunteers who are involved in their success. There were only 250 awards made nationally this year, which indicates exactly how prestigious an award it is to get. This might only be a small indication of the strength and quality of the local voluntary sector, but it is a very visible one. The vast majority of volunteers don’t do what they do for recognition or reward, but when it comes it can be a powerful encouragement in sustaining social action and involvement. It is also important to note the work of the Office of the Lieutenancy, including the Lord Lieutenant Ian Dudson CBE KStJ, and his many Deputy Lieutenants who all work incredibly hard to support the

Staffordshire Police Cadets adult leaders have been given the royal seal of approval – after being awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The 62strong group of adult volunteers – which includes parents, members of the public, Police Officers, PCSOs and Specials – have been honoured for their work with the youngsters. The scheme is for 13 to 18 year olds and delivered by Staffordshire Police. There are now nearly 300 cadets across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, supported by 62 leaders across 10 county-wide units. Funding for the scheme comes from the PCC’s Corporate Responsibility Fund, which is a registered charity and receives money from businesses and grant funding. Further revenue is brought in by fundraising events, business patrons and community groups. The Staffordshire Police Cadets regularly take part in activities which benefit the community – giving them an insight into Staffordshire Police’s work, as well as being a good citizen. This includes assisting at local events, offering safety advice or helping with local concerns working alongside the Local Policing Teams.

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Crowdburst Westminster On Monday 2nd July, we had the privilege of attending the National Youth Agency’s Crowdburst event in Westminster. After a long journey, we arrived at Portcullis House and were soon in a meeting with Tim Loughton MP, Ben Bradley MP, Tracy Brabin MP and Andrew Bowie MP to discuss the subject of 'what it's like to be a young person today'. The conversation was interesting and engaging with the MPs seemingly agreeing with everything said by the young people. We also met Andrea Leadsom; the 4th female leader of the House of Commons. We had the opportunity to ask her some questions, especially regarding how people can engage with democratic systems We then attended a meeting with three members of the Liberal Democrats at their headquarters. We met the Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Whip and a Membership Officer. They were open and interested and answered all our questions with great detail and enthusiasm. Our next stop was the Cabinet Office where we had a question and answer session with the Minister for the Constitution, Chloe Smith MP. She had been to Manchester in the morning where she presented a National Democracy Award, is part of National Democracy Week, which she talked to us about. She encouraged us to sign up to be a Democracy Ambassador to spread the word about democracy as a whole. We had an opportunity to have a photo with her before heading back to the House of Commons for some refreshments and a chat with some of the young people and the MPs. We then had the privilege to visit and go inside 10 Downing Street! Not only did we have an exclusive tour of the house but some of us had an exciting glimpse of the Prime Minister herself. After the tour we had a Q&A with Tracey Crouch, the Minister of Sport and Civil Society. Sadly this concluded our visit to London.

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Young Voice

During the Easter holidays four young people from Staffordshire attended the British Youth Council’s Youth Voice Leadership Development training weekend. This year, held at PGL in Swindon, the representatives had the opportunity to meet others from around the country and learn how they can help make a change locally. Activities included practicing writing letters to MPs and Councillors, taking part in a rally and meeting with company owners. The weekend also involved team building activities and social time with the new friends the young people had made. Attending the weekend has also help the youth council develop its campaigns by using the information learnt and putting it into practice in Staffordshire.

Youth Council Since the last newsletter, we have had two more youth council meetings. After some discussion, the young people decided that they should be known as Staffordshire Youth Union (SYU), showing that this is a youth led project. The young people have been planning further campaigns on Mental Health and A Curriculum for Life, by doing research on these topics and writing letters to their local MPs. In the next few meetings SYU will be planning for this year’s youth debate by deciding the topics to be debate and will start preparations for Make Your Mark 2018 – whilst still campaigning on Mental Health and A Curriculum for Life. At the end of March, SCVYS was also successful in receiving funding from The Community Foundation of Staffordshire to help support the youth council. The money received was part of the #iWill fund to support youth social action and encourage more young people to take part in volunteering. You can follow the youth council on social media: Facebook: Staffordshire Youth Union Twitter: @StaffsYU Instagram: StaffsYU or email the members on [email protected]

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What’s Coming up…

Make Your Mark 2018 is fast approaching and we are looking for members to visit to collect as many votes as possible. In July, Staffordshire’s Members of Youth Parliament will be debating topics submitted from across the country to find the ten most important issues to young people. The ballot will arrive in early-September and we want as many young people as possible to have their say in this consultation. If you would like to take part, contact Josh Armitage on [email protected] to arrange a date to visit.

Other events… Course / Event

Location

Date

First Aid Training

Stafford

14th July

Level 2 Award in Youth Work

Stafford

Autumn

SCVYS AGM

Stafford

15th November

Look out for… Our new training calendar in September For all training and events information visit our website calendar http://www.staffscvys.org.uk/scvyscalendar.html 6

Stafford - Earliest Help Networking Event The place based approach work in Stafford has been gathering pace these past weeks, following the excellent event at Rising Brook Baptist Church in March where voluntary groups, head teachers, representatives from the police, emergency services and health care came together with the sole aim of working together better to ensure that families were helped at the earliest possible time and in the best way. Lots of feedback was received at that event and lots of work done on the day, thinking about how everyone could work together in a way that was better for the people of Stafford and the surrounding villages. Fast forward three months and we saw the first of our ‘Earliest Help’ networking events at the Gatehouse Theatre. Once again, there was a wide range of groups and individuals involved and a range of speakers, culminating in a challenging and captivating talk from Jude at Thrive Women’s Network, talking about how helping children and families is not always something that we can measure and how we might never know if or how much we helped, but we just do it anyway! The feedback again was brilliant and the next step is to look at ways that we can hold this regularly and grow the participation even further. The group that steers all the work with the Place Based Approach isn’t just organising networking events by the way; SCVYS are working alongside a number of voluntary groups around particular targeted areas with the intention of further joining up the work that they do and trying to help them remove the barriers that they see each day. It is an exciting time in Stafford and surrounds, it has been interesting to consider the concept of a Place Based Approach but as one delegate said at the event ‘I can actually see it working now, I really believe that this is a good thing and will make a difference’ Watch this space for more developments and if you want to be a part of what’s happening, do get in touch with us.

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Stafford Inclusive music-making – Improving opportunities for Looked after Children `Positive Sounds’, an inclusive music programme delivered by Stafford based music charity Make Some Noise celebrates five successful years of working with Looked after Children across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The project is featured in a recent report to Youth Music and Children in Need, with Make Some Noise and partners looking forward to 2020 in expanding their work with Looked after Children. With numbers of Looked after Children increasing, there is an ever greater need for organisations to seek new innovative and creative ways of engaging with and supporting these young people to help them fulfil their potential. This engaging programme which was funded through BBC Children in Need and Youth Music delivered participatory; childcentred music-making activities personalised specifically to the needs of these looked after children and young people, responding to their creative aspirations (regardless of ability). As a result this has helped improve their musical skills, confidence and self-esteem. Other areas which have shown improvement include their communication, self-expression, team-working skills and their attitude towards trying new challenges. Positive Sounds ran weekly music clubs in community centres, either in, or close to areas of deprivation and low arts engagement across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. All participants were tasked with creating original pieces of music and prepare for live performances in the community and at celebration gatherings in the summer and at Christmas, specifically aimed at bringing together all those in the looked after children community. This celebration of their achievements further reinforced their personal, musical, and social development. Participants also had the opportunity to achieve accreditation via London Trinity College Arts Award Discover, an introductory award open to children and young people aged up to 25. Jason (not real name), who took part in the project said “I thought the project was a good experience. I now like to write songs and I play the keyboard more than before. I now take part in a different Make Some Noise project where I write my own music and have recorded a cover. I like to learn keyboard online but I liked the project because you get more than your own opinion on songs and expert help is there if you need it.”

To read more case studies please visit www.make-some-noise.com If you’d like to find out more about Make Some Noise and their work subscribe here for news on projects and events.

Stone What a Rally Good Day for Stone YFC May saw the Staffordshire Federation Of Young Farmers Clubs hold its annual rally. It was a glorious day and visitor numbers were exceptionally high. The hosts for the day J.A. Bloor provided excellent rally facilities, accompanied along with a very warm welcome. It was again a very good rally for Stone YFC, who entered many of the 42 competitions the day had on offer to test their skills. During the disco in the evening, it was announced Stone, for the second year running, took the Most Improved Club trophy, Senior Cup and joint first with Eccleshall, the Rose Bowl Cup. If next year you would like to put your skills to the test then why not join Stone YFC, go to www.staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk 8

Staffordshire Moorlands Werrington Community Volunteers Group has been granted the Queens Award Congratulations to everyone The Werrington Community Volunteers Group has been given the very special recognition of the best award in the land for our voluntary service. We will soon have a date for the presentation which will take place in our wonderful Werrington Community Library & Wellbeing Centre, to which everyone will be invited. David Shaw commented “We always knew we were the best - now everyone will know!”

Gaming Potion Gaming Potion is a Staffordshire group that ‘gets young people off their screens and into real gaming’. We travelled to the UK Games Expo 2018 held at the Birmingham NEC on Sunday 3rd of June. We joined hundreds of young people enjoying the Cosplay (fantasy role-play with costumes), seeing huge numbers of new games being debuted for the first time, talking with real game designers and getting ideas for new activities to take back to Gaming Potion.

Meeting Times & Venues: Saturday 14th July 10.00am-1.00pm at Blythe Bridge Methodist Church Hall Wednesday 25th July 10.00am-4.00pm at Great Wood Hall, Tean. The latter is an exciting new venue for us and we are trying it out for our first full 'games day' of the school summer holidays. For more information contact Steve at [email protected]

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle Earliest Help Event On a hot 4th of July, Newcastle College kindly hosted the Newcastle Earliest Help event, organised by the Newcastle Partnership, led by SCVYS Development Worker Claire John. With 90+ people milling around the auditorium, there was a real ‘buzz’ in the room. Local professional and various organisations spent time chatting to a range of 28 local providers who offer services to Children, Young People and families. During the event we also heard some great case studies giving examples of Earliest and Early Help that take place on a daily basis. Tesco Kidsgrove’s Community Champion Rich-Stevenson Evans, spoke about the work they do in their local area, and particularly with the Salvation Army with families, and older residents. These include holiday hunger projects and luncheon clubs. Jane Smith from Our Space staffs talked about the work they do with families of children with disabilities, and how they support the parents with issues such as benefit entitlement. Vicki Hulme, Pastoral Support from St John Fisher Catholic College gave some examples of the ‘Earliest Help’ work with students to prevent issues escalating. Homestart’s Hayley Wilkes, Family Support worker, talked about their offer of ‘Early Help’ through family support, and a mum they had worked with previously, talked about how life changing Home Start have been. Their involvement has allowed her to move forward with her life and she is now becoming a volunteer herself, and will be supporting families herself. Gail Edwards the Strategic Delivery manger for Newcastle from Staffordshire County Council said “I thought it was a really good event this morning. Thank you all and especially to Claire as it was a lot of work to organise but very much worth it and what a fantastic turn out, with well over 90 people and most importantly there was a really good buzz about it” 9

Uttoxeter Having the use of a kitchen, we young people at the Uttoxeter InsideOuter Youth Group, have often made things to take home or eat in the group. Sometimes we have made things to sell or to fund-raise for a special event, such as Red Nose day. “Many of the recipes are picked to reflect the theme of the day, so when we had Irish music we also made Irish food.” said Mary Dodson, the Uttoxeter InsideOuters Youth Group Youth Leader. Also when there is a special event we help to prepare the drinks for our friends and by doing this we have many new friends and useful cookery skills too. So when the staff from Uttoxeter Cares and Tesco, came and said they would like us to help with an event we said a big YES! It seemed that they wanted us to host the ‘Food for Thought’ event, on our normal Youth Group night. At the next session we agreed jobs, but that didn’t work as someone was late. So we did different jobs. First thing, we all washed our hands and put on our aprons. “This is very important, as the people are older and might get very ill, if we didn’t” said Mary. Then we put out the tables and drinks things ready, and then we discovered there was a raffle. The person Mary wanted to run the raffle was late, so someone else had to sell the raffle tickets. All the food was provided free and cooked by staff from Tesco. Tesco even brought flowers and a couple of raffle prizes. Most of the people who came were older people and they talked a lot. We took them drinks of tea or coffee whilst they talked. Michelle from Uttoxeter Cares spoke, saying she was happy they had come and to please buy a raffle ticket as that will pay for the next meal in a couple of months time. We then took out the trays with plates of cottage pie and peas to the people. We were lucky as our meal was pizza and juice, so it was quick to eat. Then we collected the empty plates and handed out the apple pie with custard or ice cream. We just had ice cream. We cleared everything away so that we could help drawer the raffle and take the prizes to the winners. Mary had said that we were to wash up but luckily by the time we had done the raffle the ladies from Tesco had done that. Before the people left, Mary thanked us for helping and everyone clapped. All the people seemed happy when they left the Community Centre and we have been asked if we want to wait-on tables again. We discussed this at our Youth Council and everyone said yes, as long as there is a pizza and ice cream again. It was quite good fun being a waiter. Pictures show the tables set ready to use and the kitchen beforehand.

Uttoxeter JNFU Young Farmers Sketch Pad This year Uttoxeter JNFU brought back the Sketch Pad for one year only! Every year the young farmers clubs of Staffordshire like to raise money for their chosen charities, and this year Uttoxeter JNFU’s chosen charities are FCN and Africa’s Gift which is a fantastic charity that one of our members worked with last year on her YFA trip to Lesotho. FCN stands for the Farming Community Network which helps provide farmers and their families with care and support through difficult times with a variety of issues including financial difficulties, animal disease and mental health issues, it is a great charity which we are very pleased to be supporting this year. The sketch pad is a bit of a tradition in Uttoxeter JNFU Young Farmers, although it hasn’t been done for a while, the last one being in 1983. So this year they thought ‘let’s bring it back!’ The sketch pad is a comedy night filled with lots of different sketches ranging from the Two Ronnie’s to an interesting version of Tchaikovsky’s dance of the 4 signets and a very different version of Blind Date where 2 wellies are searching for their perfect soul mate! The Club had over thirty members from the club keen to be involved, including an assortment of Staffordshire Young Farmers old and new, all of whom contributed fantastically to the night and came up with some wonderful and hilarious sketches proving just how diverse young farmers can be! Members all had a great time rehearsing and putting the sketch pad on and the audience loved it to! Emily Phillips, Club Chairman said “On the night, the event raised over £1,400 which is absolutely fantastic and we can’t thank everyone who came and supported us enough, including all the cast who put in so much effort! We are very proud to be part of Staffordshire young farmers, and a club where people are keen to join in, look daft, and have fun!” 10

Uttoxeter Uttoxeter Together Day - Saturday 16th June SCVYS had a stand at Uttoxeter Together Day on the 16th June along with lots of other voluntary organisations and charities. The fun family event was open to the residents of Uttoxeter who came along and enjoyed demos of Bhangra dancing, gentle chair exercises and were able to listen to a local jazz singer. Refreshments were provided by Tesco and everyone had a great time with groups making lots of contacts and promoting what they do to the local community.

Tamworth Tamworth Earliest Help Workshop - 25th June Tamworth held its fourth ‘Place Based Approach Event’ focusing on Earliest Help in the community. Over 80 people attended the workshop from local voluntary groups and organisations to statutory partners. The workshop was split into three parts, firstly welcome and introductions and a few short speeches, table discussions focusing on the four priorities identified for Tamworth, then after a cuppa and biscuit break, the Market Place was opened. Over 30 groups/organisations promoted their services in the Market Place and lots of great networking opportunities took place.

Burntwood On Saturday June 9th Spark in Burntwood celebrated volunteers week with an appreciation event to thank their many volunteers. Held at the Spark centre, volunteers enjoyed a buffet and drinks with light hearted games including guess the volunteer. It was also a time to reflect on the benefits of volunteering to each person. Certificates of recognition were presented by Councillors Susan Woodward and Di Evans who have supported Spark and its volunteers since it began three years ago. Volunteers really enjoyed the chance to come together, relax and socialise and the evening was a great success. One volunteer said "I am proud to be a Sparkler" and another "I am lucky to be part of the Spark team." Anyone interested in volunteering with under 5s families or behind the scenes can contact Volunteer Co-ordinator Esther on [email protected] 11

Cannock Backstreet Theatre Company have been honoured with the award for “Best Musical” by Noda in district 11 for their production of “Made in Dagenham”. The musical is based on the real life events of the Dagenham Ford factory in the 1960’s, where the women of the factory took on the establishment to achieve equal pay for women. The actions of these pioneering women help change the world and are still just as relevant today. Backstreet performed to sell out audiences and standing ovations each night. This award is the icing on the cake and makes all the hard work worthwhile. Backstreet will be back with their next production “City of Angels” in November 2018. For further information on Backstreet Theatre visit their website https:// backstreettheatrecompany.wordpress.com/ or email: [email protected]

Hednesford On Friday 11th May Scallywags Playgroup completed their Sponsored Toddle around Hednesford Park. Parents have been very supportive and as a result so far we have raised, from our sponsored toddle, a wonderful £717. This will help us create a new book corner and quiet area for children to relax and enjoy their favourite stories. This was followed by their Annual Sports Day which took place on the bowling green. Great fun was had by all children, parents and teachers! This event could not have taken place without the support of ‘The Friends of Hednesford Park’, with a special thanks going to Lynn Evans for helping us to organise the day.

Scallywags Playgroup Florence Street Church Hall, Florence Street, Hednesford WS12 4BA – Tel: 01543 877712 http://www.scallywags-playgroup.co.uk/ 12

Countywide Staffordshire Young Farmers take the main ring at the County Show by storm On Thursday 31st May Staffordshire Young Farmers held their annual Young Farmers’ Float Competition with the theme this year being ‘British Sitcoms’, which meant for plenty of construction, colour and fun on each float as they created some of the most well know sitcoms on TV! The sponsor of the competition, BD Fuels of Hixon kindly judged the floats before and during their journey into the main ring of the County Showground. This prestigious competition, the highlight of the YFC calendar and one of the most popular ran by Staffordshire Young Farmers, draws the largest crowd to the main ring when the floats, which have been worked on for many months, take to the parade. The Overall Float Competition was won by Uttoxeter Young Farmers who were depicting ‘Blackadder’ on their float. It had plenty of characters dressed in full wartime costume and superb detailed scenery to match. Second place was awarded to Stone Young Farmers who recreated the classic sitcom, Porridge. Their float was two storey with the prison cells on both levels and plenty of ‘Fletcher’ and ‘Godber’ actors filling the float! In third place was Ashley Young Farmers whose float was ‘Dad’s Army’ gave great scenery and young farmers dressed in boiler suit uniform! Fourth place was awarded to Chase YFC who had ‘Allo, Allo’ as their theme. Some great costumes and their young members interpreted French/ German based sitcom really well.

have worked so hard towards this day and this has definitely paid off.” The week ended with a final fling at The Show Dance, which is this year being held by kind permission of The Hooley Family, Bishton Lane Farm, Wolesley Bridges with Bulge Disco. For more up to date information, please go to the Staffordshire YFC’s website www.staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk. To become more involved in Staffordshire YFC, please contact Julia Taylor, County Organiser on 01785 248645.

Stone Young Farmers were awarded the Best Name Board Shield for their well designed and colourful sign and they were closely followed by Uttoxeter Young Farmers as the runners up. This part of the competition was judged by Mr and Mrs R Bourne, Vice Chairman and Mr and Mrs R Nield, Vice President of the Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society. Members on the Show Floats from all eleven clubs entertained the crowds and judges as they circled the Main Ring in glorious sunshine. The members thoroughly enjoy providing this entertainment to the general public and raising their profile. They also enjoyed cooling off with a great water fight at the end which is the most favourite part for the members. Staffordshire YFC has had an amazing two days at this year’s County Show. Their ‘Magic & Mystery’ themed marquee has been full with people over the two days as members have put on a full programme of activities and competitions for everyone to enjoy. County Chairman, Richard Mottershead commented that “We have had a great two days at the County Show promoting what YFC is all about. The Show Floats attracted a brilliant crowd of supporters of all ages and we appreciate the continued support of BD Fuels and The Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society to hold this competition. All the clubs

Pictured above, left to right - top to bottom: Uttoxeter JNFU very happy with 1st place, Stone 2nd place, Ashley 3rd place, Chase 4th place. Cheadle float, Leek enjoying the water fight, Lichfield member Nick Hollins floats with the #oatcakeontour Phillippa Bourne with her winning Best Name Board from Stone Uttoxeter JNFU Emily Phillips with runner up Best Name Board

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Countywide

Over the last weekend in June, more than 600 Cubs took part in Staffordshire Scouts Space Camp. They took part in space training activities, a barefoot walk around an alien planet, learnt to build spaceships and robots out of Lego and made rockets to fire into space. We were visited by Deputy Lord Lieutenants, MPs and other VIPs to show off what Scouting can offer. Saturday night saw the traditional campfire with lots of Cubs dressing up as Aliens or Star Wars characters, ready for a big sing song.

Staffordshire Scouts receive Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards Nine members of Staffordshire Scouts completed their Gold DofE award and were invited to Buckingham Palace to be presented with their certificate. The event was attended by members of the Royal Family and HRH Princess Eugenie met the group and the certificates were presented by Game of Thrones actor John Bradley West.

St George’s Day Parade in Windsor Six members of Staffordshire Scouts attended the annual St George's Day Parade in Windsor in recognition of achieving their Queen's Scout Award. This is the highest award a young person can achieve in Scouting and is celebrated at the parade in the quadrangle in Windsor Castle followed by a service in St George's Chapel. The parade was attended by HRH Princess Beatrice who spoke with the new Queen's Scouts. 14

Countywide

Staffordshire Lord Lieutenant Cadet Investiture Each year, the Lord-Lieutenant appoints cadets to serve as HM Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet. They are drawn from the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets, the Air Training Corps, Combined Cadet Force or from youth organisations like Scouts, Girl Guiding, St John Ambulance or Police Cadets. On Wednesday 11 April 2018, three incoming Cadets received their Lord-Lieutenant badges: Able Cadet Eleanor Deeley, Cadet Staff Sergeant Nyron Parton and Cadet Flight Sergeant Lewis Callear. The Lord-Lieutenant also has a Police Cadet which this year is Katie Williams and a St John Ambulance Cadet which at the moment is Isabelle Williams. The post of Lord-Lieutenant's Cadet is held for 12 months during which the Cadets will support the Lord-Lieutenant at various events across Staffordshire including Royal Visits, Remembrance Days, Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service Presentations, Queen's Awards for Enterprise Presentations and British Empire Medal Ceremonies to name but a few.

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Countywide Girlguiding Staffordshire has celebrated the achievements of some of its most successful young women. The awards evening took place at Staffordshire's County Buildings in Stafford, where almost one hundred of Girlguiding Staffordshire’s 14 to 25 year olds were publicly recognised for the awards they had achieved over the past year. Speaking about the evening, Girlguiding Staffordshire’s County Commissioner, Maureen Recine said: “This is a wonderful event that celebrates the achievements of our most successful young women. It congratulates them on their success, promotes the many other opportunities that Girlguiding can offer them and of course shows them how proud we are of their achievements.” The Baden Powell Challenge Award is the highest award a girl can gain in the Guide section. Over 60 of these awards were presented to Girl Guides from across Staffordshire. A further 18 girls received their Young Leader Qualification. The Young Leader Qualification is open to members aged 14 to 16 years of age who have moved on from Guides and are developing their leadership skills by helping to run a unit and becoming Girlguiding Staffordshire’s leaders of the future. The awards ceremony also saw the presentation of six Chief Guide’s Challenge award, one Senior Section Camp Permit, two Commonwealth Awards, three Bronze and three Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards were presented.

SCVYS AGM Save the Date - 15th November 2018

SCVYS wishes everyone a wonderful summer and looks forward to hearing all your good news stories 16