The Chilton 1st Scouts, Beaver and cubs became some of the first young historians to explore the town’s newly uncovered past during a special visit to the “Our Heritage at the Pavilion” centre, writes Sue Reece.
The newly opened community hub, located at the historic Miners’ Welfare Recreation Ground Pavilion, underwent a spectacular restoration to save it from closure and transform it into a state-of-the-art museum and digital archive.
The purpose of the Scouts’ evening visit was to work towards the heritage requirements needed to achieve their Local Knowledge Activity Badge, to do this, the troop spent the evening exploring the centre’s inaugural exhibition, “Our People, Our Place, Our Heritage”, taking a deep dive into 150 years of rich local history.
For many of the young Scouts, the exhibition hit incredibly close to home. As they browsed the extensive collection of thousands of historic photographs, many in the troop excitedly spotted people they knew from the community. A major highlight of the night came when the Scouts pointed out a photograph featuring a much younger version of their very own Scout Leader, Shane, sparking plenty of laughs and chatter.
The sense of personal connection grew even stronger as the group explored the digital maps and old film archives. The Scouts were thrilled to find highly recognizable local landmarks, historic places they visit every day, and even the exact houses and streets they currently live in. Seeing their own modern-day doorsteps framed within 150 years of community history brought the project to life in a uniquely personal way.
Heritage at the Pavilion and café are open Tuesdays 10am-12noon, Thursday’s 3pm-7pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm throughout October.
Sue Reece
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
