Spirited youngsters from an Ipswich Beaver pack showed quiet determination to complete a sponsored silence for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
Twelve children took part in the challenge, putting their voices on pause for 30 minutes.
It was part of their ‘world’ and ‘teamwork’ challenge badges, and, in the process, they raised a magnificent £689.
“The children were allowed to bring something to occupy them, be it a game, book, colouring or an activity,” said Julia Oldaker, Team Lead at the 11th Ipswich pack.
“There were a couple of whispers, but, overall, the children were amazing.
“They enjoyed the challenge and were proud of themselves when they realised what they’d achieved.
“Their parents were stunned, too. They all said ‘good luck with that’ when they dropped their children and were shocked when they found out the challenge had been successful!”
The children, aged between six and eight, were given time to run around and let off steam both before and after the challenge.
“They’re a great bunch, and it’s an amazing group to be part of,” added Julia.
“As Beavers, they’re only with us for a short period of time, and it’s lovely to see them change and their confidence grow.
“It’s usually a noisy room, but this was a great opportunity for them to have some quiet time to concentrate on something for themselves.
“They also knew why we were doing the challenge, and we spoke to them about EACH.
“Most of them were already aware of it because it’s such a well-known and popular charity in this area.”
The 11th Ipswich Beavers are part of the Wolsey District, and the sponsored silence took place at their headquarters in Chesterfield Drive.
“Being a leader in scouting is an amazing privilege and seeing our young people turn up every week and take part in the activities we plan, watching them grow in confidence and make new friends is immeasurable,” said Julia.
“Scouting offers life skills and amazing opportunities to young people from the age of four, and there’s so much more to it than just camping and tying knots.”
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