Scouts in Sheffield mark St. Georges day

Yesterday, around 1800 scouts from all over Sheffield gathered outside the city hall to mark St. George’s day, the patron St of England.

This year St. George’s day will be officially celebrated on 2^nd May because of late Easter, but the Scouts took the traditional approach of celebrating on the 23^rd April.

Around 1800 scouts were gathered outside the city hall which used to happen annually, but scout leader Mark Ward said that they can no longer afford to rent out the city hall yearly because the price has increased too much.

“We expect that this event will only happen every three to four years from now on.” He said.

The sun was shining all day as spectators gathered to watch the Scouts parade. They took to the streets around the city centre waving St. Georges Flags, playing music, dancing and had a large Scout band playing too.

The crowds which gathered to watch looked to be having a good time.

Spectator Christine Lowds said, “The parade was fantastic. The Scouts made a very good effort and it has been a really enjoyable day.”

Mark Ward said “This year, the parade had been brilliant, but it has been a lot smaller than it has been in previous years.” He said that in 2008 around 3500 scouts joined the parade which was the biggest they have held.

After the parade, the scouts returned to the city hall where they continued to sing, dance and play music until 4.30pm.

By Ryan Williamson