June 2008 to June 2009

The Scout Section continues to thrive with 35 Scouts at present. Five are due to move onto Explorers in September with several more during the coming year (if they choose to). Of the current 35 Scouts, 25 of them are male and 10 female.

Summer Camp in 2008 was for ten days having a traditional ‘green field’ camp in Staffordshire. Our 14 scouts who went were joined by some scouts from the 3rd West Bridgford (Friary) Troop. As well as traditional patrol cooking on wood fires and the obligatory trip to nearby Alton Towers we did rock climbing and hiking on ‘The Roaches’, a visit to Waterworld in Stoke on Trent, a night hike and built a coracle which we found actually floated (with a scout on board) on the nearby River Churnet.

Back to Wednesday evenings we had a visit in September from the ‘Owl Man’ who brought several different breeds of owl, which as well as explaining about how the owls live and hunt he actually flew them in the scout hut. The following week with the assistance of several parents we built owl nesting boxes. Having built bat boxes previously the owl boxes were considerably larger, almost as big as a dog kennel!

October saw us cycling around Rutland Water, again with the assistance of some parents. We also had two taster sessions of Sub Aqua at the swimming baths at Sutton in Ashfield which almost all the scouts went on. As this activity was split over two weeks due to numbers we also did some First Aid training and had a talk on Drugs awareness.

In December some of the Scouts helped out at the Senior Citizens afternoon entertainment and Christmas tea. We also participated again with Scouts from the 3rd West Bridgford (Friary) Troop in fund raising bag packing at Morrisons at Gamston on the run up to Christmas.

January saw us having an interpatrol challenge where they had to build the tallest free standing structure out of newspaper and other similar tasks. We ‘Invested’ some new members and again did some First Aid training whilst in February we had the traditional Pancake making session, and again in keeping with tradition the Scout Hut was filled with the aroma of burning pancakes!

We also had a Ten Pin Bowling session at Newark as a thank you for those who had worked hard on the bag packing before Christmas. On a dry day during February half-term we had a muddy day hike around the East Leake area.

In April another patrol challenge was held where they had to design and construct using canes a way to light a candle towards the other end of the Scout Hut.

The last St Georges Day Parade of the SE Notts Scout District was attended by a reasonable number of the Scouts who went to Southwell. We are now (from the 1st April) part of the Rushcliffe Scout District due to the amalgamation of SE Notts and West Bridgford Districts.

During the May Day bank holiday 23 of the scouts attended the Nottinghamshire Centenary Camp held at Walesby where they were able to take part in a variety of activities including canoeing, rafting, climbing, etc. This time (in contrast to two years ago) the weather was good!

Following on from the camp in May we held a photo challenge wide game around the village, mini pioneering in the scout hut using broom handles, and sessions of the older scouts teaching the younger scouts how to light our variety of lamps.

This month we have continued the theme of lighting things by another session where older scouts taught the younger scouts how to light a variety of stoves. We have also been to Hollygate Scout Campsite (Cotgrave) for fire lighting practice and cooking of camp donuts which were surprisingly successful and tasty.

Our last meeting was an orienteering and nature scavenge hunt around the millennium wood.

Several of the Scouts have obtained various Challenge Badges this year and we are working towards getting some of the older scouts the Chief Scouts Gold Award.

For Summer camp this year we are having a change and going to NYJAM, an organised Scout Camp being held at Harrogate and run by North Yorkshire Scouts during the last week of July.

Lastly it is great to be able to report for the first time in years we now have more leaders as we have been joined by Penny MacKay and Matt Biggs. In addition since Nick Jackson was made redundant he has also come along to help on most Wednesday evenings (as well as being involved in the other sections in the Group).

This has meant a great deal to Steve and Francis having the extra leaders although as usual, if you are interested in helping out and can spare a little bit of time on a Wednesday evening (you don’t have to wear a uniform or obtain a Leaders Warrant), please speak to one of the Leaders and help us to continue to offer quality Scouting to the young people in our community.

Francis Meylan
Assistant Scout Leader  

June 2007 to June 2008

The Scout Section continues to thrive with 27 Scouts at present despite 9 having moved on to Explorers in January. Of the current 27 Scouts, 18 of them are male and 9 female.

Summer Camp in 2007 was a fortnight in Belgium attending Beljamb 2007. This was a small international camp involving a Scout Group from Belgium (Menen) the hosts, a group from Denmark (Copenhagen) and a group from Norway (Oslo). Sixteen of our Scouts attended jointly with the 3rd West Bridgford (Friary) Troop. (Some of our Explorers attended with West Bridgford Explorers but they carried out a different programme to the Scouts). The Scouts travelled by Eurostar to Brussels and continued by train down to the Ardennes for a weeks camping. There were four ‘sub camps’, one for each nationality with each sub camp having a patrol from each country present, so our four ‘British’ patrols were spread between the four sub-camps. The weather was almost completely dry which meant the overnight hike, wide games, campfires, and other activities were enjoyed by all. After the weeks camp the weekend was spent with ‘home hospitality’ with a Belgium host family in Menen. Some visited the Menen Gate at Ypres and some of the First World War cemeteries. The next few days were spent in a school at Bruges with day trips by train to Brussels, Antwerp and the seaside at Ostende as well as exploring Bruges. The last weekend was home hospitality again before an end of camp party catching a very early train the next morning at the start of the return journey.

Back to Wednesday evenings an inter Patrol challenge was held in September, plus some Navigation theory and a Sailing taster evening at North Hykeham.

October saw cooking, First Aid and Mapping as activities in preparation for the County Flag competition held at the end of October which is a night hike and then cooking competition. Despite our mapping preparation they still got lost!

In December quite a few of the Scouts helped out at the Senior Citizens afternoon entertainment and Christmas tea.

January saw us going bowling, February making Pancakes (the Scout Hut was filled with the aroma of burning pancakes as usual). We also held a local Night Hike on a very clear but cold night ending up ‘sleeping’ in the scout hut.

We Invested some new members in March and held a navigating by photographs around the village patrol challenge in April. Eight of the older Scouts, thanks to David Fuller and one of his Mechanics, over two weeks undertook the Mechanics badge at David Fullers at Gunthorpe. They should now be all able to change a wheel and tell you what should be in the washer bottle of your car.

In May another Sailing session was held this time at Hoveringham which was run by the Scout County and over two weeks most of the Scouts went. The District Scout Camp held at Hollygate Scout Campsite, Cotgrave was attended by a number of the scouts over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend where they could prepare and cook pigeons, as well as a number of other traditional scouting activities.

This last weekend 9 of the Scouts with some of our Explorers had a Water Weekend camping at Market Rasen. On Saturday, Water Skiing, Kayaking, and Banana Boating were the activities and on Sunday they visited ‘Splash’ at Butlins, Skegness before coming home clean.

Summer camp this year will be 10 days having a ‘traditional’ camp in a farmers field in Staffordshire. We plan to go rock climbing on the Roaches, visit Waterworld at Stoke and of course Alton Towers, as well as some other ‘scouting’ type activities.

Finally, like many Scouting Sections our biggest problem is the lack of Adult help.

For a number of years we have not had an actual Scout Leader for the Scout Section. Steve who carries out this role is of course the Group Scout Leader. He also has to work the occasional Wednesday evening. Francis works shifts and therefore can not be at Scouts every week (in fact this July can only make one meeting out of seven). Matthew who was our other leader and is a Vet, has not been able to make Wednesday evenings over the last year due to his work commitments and this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

Steve and Francis really do need some more Adult Help. This does not require you to take out a Leaders Warrant and wear uniform. So, if you can spare a little bit of time on a Wednesday evening please speak to one of the Leaders and help us to continue to offer quality Scouting to the young people in our community.

Steve Cumberland Group Scout Leader
Francis Meylan Assistant Scout Leader