Beavers @ St. Mark’s

We have two Beaver Colonies are St. Mark’s, each named after a local reservoir – Swinsty and Fewston. The Colonies meet every week during term time and take part in a wide range of exciting and fun activities.

• Fewston Colony meet on Tuesdays between 6:15-7:15pm
• Swinsty Colony meet on Fridays between 6pm – 7pm

We have a waiting list for places in our Beaver colonies. Please sign up to the waiting list by clicking the button below (adding any siblings if appropriate) and we will be in touch as soon as your son or daughter is old enough to join, and they have reached the top of the list.

What do Beavers do?

Young people at St Mark’s start their Scouting adventure in Beavers. At St Mark’s our Beavers will:

• Explore the world around them
• Learn by doing
• Develop the courage to try new things
• Make new friends and have fun together
• Help others

Beaver Uniform

Beavers wear a blue sweatshirt and a coloured scarf or ‘necker’. The 7th Harrogate St. Mark’s necker is red with a blue trim and identifies our group. Beavers will be given their necker when they are invested (see the promise section below for more information on investitures). Typically, the sweatshirt is worn with navy blue trousers or shorts. An optional blue polo shirt can also be worn and are useful in warmer weather. Badges are always sewn onto the sweatshirt and our Uniform and Badges page provides information on where badges should be sewn and which badges need to be transferred between uniforms when moving up to Cubs. 

Wearing a uniform is an important part of Scouting. As well as being practical, it helps everyone feel part of the Colony and no-one feels uncomfortable or left out. It’s also a great way to show off your achievements to others and a reminder of how far you have come in your Scouting journey. 

Information on where to buy uniform can be found on our Uniform and Badges page.

Beaver Colonies

Each Beaver Colony is made up of young people, led by an adult Beaver Leader. Other adult volunteers are on hand to supervise activities, share their skills and keep everyone safe.

Within the Colony, Beavers are also part of a Lodge. A Lodge is a smaller group of Beavers, usually headed up by a young person who takes on a peer leadership role (sometimes known as a Lodge Leader or Junior Leader).

Being a peer leader is about being a superhero for a little while – doing things like welcoming new people to the Colony, being extra helpful during a camp, or taking charge of a game or activity. Everyone takes it in turns to take on the challenge.

Beavers usually stand together in their Lodges at the beginning and end of meetings. They tend to stick together on trips away, or during certain activities.

Joining Scouts and an adult and becoming a leader is rewarding experience and allows you to make a difference to young peoples’ lives equipping them with “Skills for Life” See our Get Involved page for more information on Joining us.

The Beaver Promise

After a few weeks of attending meetings new Beavers they will be invested. An investiture is a short ceremony, which celebrates new Beavers starting their journey in Scouting. At their investiture Beavers make their promise in front of their fellow Beavers, the leaders and their family. The Beaver Scout promise is a set of words that help Beavers celebrate their shared Scout values, which they will try to follow everyday. See the box below for more information on the Beaver Scout Promise.

Recognising Achievements

During their time in Beavers the young people work towards their Chief Scout Bronze Award. Along the way, Beavers will gain other challenge badges centred around skills, adventure, teamwork, and time outdoors. Activity and staged badges recognise the Beavers achievements across a range of practical skills and activities including first aid, navigation, camp craft and global issues. See the box below for more information and awards and badges

Moving on to Cubs

When they’re ready to move on from Beavers to Cubs, the young people typically complete their Moving On Award (Beavers to Cubs). This involves going to both Beavers and Cubs for a couple of weeks, taking part in Cubs. This helps the Beavers get used to their new Pack and adjust, and get a taste of the kind of activities that Cubs get up to. To help Beavers settle in to Cubs we try to move them in twos or small groups.

A moving on or “Swimming Up” ceremony usually happens after those moving up have been to both Beavers and Cubs for a few weeks. The “Swimming Up” ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the Beaver’s time in the Colony, welcome them to their new Cub Pack, and remember that Scouts is a journey. Beavers swim under a blanket, symbolising a river, changing from their Beaver sweatshirt to their Cub sweatshirt.