Last weekend our lovely Irish twins came to stay - here's member Ryan's highlights...

JCI Sheffield are proudly Twinned with JCI Mayo Ireland and from the 11th July until the 13th July it was the Twinning Weekend! This is an annual event between the two chambers where the host chamber plans various events such as trainings, socials and more! This time it was JCI Sheffield's turn!

This was the first time I had attended a JCI Twinning Weekend and I could not wait for it! I was so excited to be able to see the JCI Mayo delegates again face to face to have a great weekend. The weekend kicked off with drinks at The Old House in Sheffield for a good mingle with out JCI twins followed by an Italian meal at BB's. With great food, laughs and a fun atmosphere the weekend truly began.

The second day of the Twinning Weekend started off with a walk around Weston Park Museum. We looked at the Sheffield and the First World War exhibition where all of the delegates from both chambers could learn about how the war impacted the city of Sheffield and learn from first-hand experiences from the people of Sheffield. Followed by a look further into the museum to the nature and art sections. The sun was shining and we made our way to have a sit in the park with coffee in preparation for the intense team building training that was to come!

Expert Leadership Training Ltd (new JCI Sheffield patrons) gave the JCI Spooks training as we were separated into two teams. The Hunters and the Seekers. Half of your chosen team was Op Control based in the Control Room. They would be key, deciphering clues, using maps and guiding a team on the ground who met agents, completed tasks and gathered the clues. Each team gathered points by finding the clues, meeting the agents completing tasks; capturing pictures of the other team and sending the evidence back to the control room. Then return to the Control Room all in the space of 3 hours! This was a very high energy training and one I absolutely loved! It was great to be able to live out my childhood dreams of being a secret agent in real life!

After that we all changed and met up again for a BBQ in the park. I was even surprised by the chambers which presented a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in the park for my birthday on Sunday! Ending the weekend with a leisurely walk to Shepherd's Wheel in Whiteley Woods followed by a Sunday roast. With food, drinks and games the fun never stopped all weekend! It's been a weekend full of laughs and it's been an opportunity to get closer to the JCI Mayo delegates and make some new friends too! Next time its JCI Mayo's turn to host!

See you there!

Ryan Pilkington