Seeking out all members of Network in the Region:
This applies to everyone between the ages of 18 and 25. This is what Network is, even if you don’t actively participate in Network meetings or events. You are still members of Network!
And Network members are particularly suited to helping out and supporting the work we do at Longcraig – this can be alongside your current Scouting roles; it could give you an opportunity to participate in something completely different; or it could provide you with a new belonging which you haven’t had before.
We have a number of roles and ways in which you can support our activities and experience. You can gain yourself a qualification (if you wish) or you can simply support and supplement the work we cover. You can just make tea, or you can apply your skills to boatbuilding, engine maintenance, or gardening / coastal protection work. Take a look at some of the roles we are seeking support for below:
Water skills instructors/leaders:
Anyone who holds a recognised paddlesport, sailing or powerboating qualification is welcome to get in touch. We operate up to five evenings a week during the summer season, and every weekend, so we need a lot of volunteers to cover all of these. If you have a passion for sharing your skills with young people and help them develop their own knowledge, then this would be an ideal role for you.
Some water skills:
As above, but we can help you develop your skills and experience first of all to gain a formal qualification, which you can then share with others once you have the confidence level needed. In the meantime, you would be able to gain some of that experience by simply helping out with some of our activities, as well as separate dedicated improvement time for yourself.
Land based activities:
As well as our extensive water based programme, we have a number of resources (but not enough people to deliver) to support additional activities off the water which we can utilise either if the weather conditions are not ideal, or to supplement water activities on some occasions when we have to cater for large numbers. These can include indoor and outdoor activities, covering all ages of the Scouting programme. Ideal candidates might also help take some responsibility for organising and maintaining, and expanding, this sector of our operation.
Support activities:
We can split these into two parts – we have a small group who assist our water based instructors with preparing and running safety checks for young people before they go out on the water; escorting groups to their boating activities as required; then assisting with folks when they come off the water to help ensure everything is cleaned, stored and that the participants get suitably warmed up and into dry clothes if necessary. This can also include kitchen support – we have a comprehensive kitchen facility which can provide hot drinks, and can expand to barbeques and on occasion to meals and snacks.
The second part of this is simply (but obviously quite extensively!) the support needed to just operate an activity centre – from running repairs, to fuelling up boats and the tractor, to mowing the grass, cutting roadside verges, and some straightforward painting, woodwork, electricals and any skills that people can bring to this support role.
We welcome visitors at any time to come and see for yourselves!
For all of these – getinvolved@longcraig.info
Training Courses
In the early part of the year, we have planned in a number of training courses for water related topics.
If you have a desire, a need, or just an idle curiosity for something different from these ones, please get in touch. We can support training for most aspects of dinghy sailing, power boating and paddlesports activities, or we can help put you in touch with someone else who can! We just need to know what you want to do!
Here’s what is in the calendar just now:
May 9th – Permit assessments: sailing, kayaking, rafting & Powerboat
May 10th – Permit assessments: sailing, kayaking, rafting & Powerboat
These assessments are aimed at candidates who have already had a relevant amount of training or experience, and are carried out within the one day.
June 13/14th – L1/2 Sailing, Kayak skills
Sep 5/6th – L1/2 Sailing, Kayak skills
These courses will benefit those who want to learn a sailing or paddling skill, and are aimed at a full weekend training opportunity.
Note that it is possible to arrange training courses over a series of evenings, or days, to cover most of the paddlesports, dinghy sailing and powerboating syllabii.
We are also able to offer training in Watersports First Aid, Radio Procedures, and a number of the ‘off-water’ aspects of each of the water activities, covering such elements as tides, weather, navigation, and such like. These can be tailored to suit your needs, and are well suited to a series of evening events in the earlier or later parts of the year.
For more details please check on the Longcraig website or e-mail to: getinvolved@longcraig.info
2020 – Scotland’s Year of Waters and Coasts
Events planned in the near future:
You can find further information on the VisitScotland website: https://www.visitscotland.com/info/events/
John Muir My Boyhood And Youth
Dunbar
Find out what life was like for John Muir (father of modern conservation and the national park movements) growing up in Dunbar in the mid 1800s.
How did exploring the surrounding area, including the seashore, influence his later life? Lots of hands on activities for all ages. Visit our den for under 5s.
1-29 Mar 2020 10am-5pm
Keepers of the Light: 25 Apr 2020 8pm
“This lighthouse is home to a mystery…One of Scotland’s darkest tales.”
December, 1900. Three keepers disappear from their post on the Flannan Isles lighthouse, 20 miles west of the Outer Hebrides. What happened to the men has never been answered
Festival Theatre Edinburgh, 13–29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9FT
Marine Fest: 1-30 Jun 2020 Times vary
An interactive festival running throughout June to celebrate Scottish marine wildlife with walks, talks, science shows and craft activities. Explore the wonders of Scotland’s marine environment at the Scottish Seabird Centres’ Marine Fest 2020. An interactive celebration of Scotland’s amazing coastal habitats and wildlife. The Scottish Seabird Centre (North Berwick)and partners will host a series of events throughout June 2020.
Edinburgh International Film Festival: Scotland’s Shores: 6-28 June 2020 Times vary; Film Fest on the Forth: 6 -7 June 2020
Edinburgh International Film Festival presents Scotland’s Shores, an exciting programme showcasing some of the greatest moments in Scottish film history.
Film Fest on the Forth will be a totally unique outdoor cinema experience, where audiences can swap the multiplex for the sandy shores of the Forth, and dip their toes into a programme of classic films celebrating the many beautiful landmarks and locations on Scotland’s coasts and waterways that have featured on the big screen.
RowAround Scotland 2020 is a relay in open rowing boats around the coast of Scotland. It is organised by Scottish Coastal Rowing Association whose 70 member clubs will all take part, joining up their communities and promoting Scotland’s wonderful coastline and waters along the way.
Over 60 community coastal rowing clubs will pass a commemorative baton around the coast of Scotland in a unique relay taking six months.
This non-competitive, collaborative event will involve a total number of at least 1,000 rowers of all ages, and take over six months to complete the 1,000 miles, allowing for the vagaries of weather and tides.
4-30 Apr 2020, 1-31 May 2020, 1-30 Jun 2020, 1-31 Jul 2020, 1-31 Aug 2020, 1-30 Sep 2020, 1-24 Oct 2020 Times vary
Scotland’s freshest festival: Fringe By The Sea is back in North Berwick from 7 – 16 August with over 160 music, comedy, family, film, drama, literary, conversation, wellbeing and exploration event.
7-16 Aug 2020 Times vary
Explorers indoor training evening – Pink Panthers
In February members of the Pink Panther Explorers met for a pool session to cover some aspects of the necessary safety equipment and issues and risks surrounding water activities. This included a review of different types of buoyancy aids / lifejackets, including a demonstration of an automatic inflate one; various exercises in the pool to encourage teamwork and steps to be taken in the event of accidental immersion; and experience of trying to swim efficiently while hampered by clothing (in this case lightweight only due to restrictions in what could be used in the pool)
Explorers will then continue on a training programme to learn water skills, understand safety and risk assessments, gain some skills in boat maintenance and repair, and support the general operations of Longcraig during the busy season. So, if you are visiting Longcraig and you see some Explorers there being helpful and getting engaged, please say ‘Hi!’
Ian Harrower