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The monthly newsletter of the 4th Worcester Park Scout Group March 2003Sections
Keith DalyGROUP SCOUT LEADERCensusEvery year in January the Scout Association has a census of members and each Group has to submit details of its members. Over the last few years the Group in line with the national trend has been reporting a small drop in boy numbers however I am pleased to say that this year we have reported a small increase. What is even more satisfying is that the increase is in the Scout section despite the fact that the age range for the section has been reduced. The one slight disappointment is that the number of leaders and helpers has fallen. The boy numbers will fall if there are insufficient leaders to adequately run all sections. The reason the Scout numbers have picked up is because we now have a regular and committed group of leaders. 70th AnniversaryThe fun day for the boys will be on Sunday 13th July 2003. Please add this to your diary. The day will begin with our Scouts' Own (moved from 6th July) and will go on until about 6pm. There will be a number of activities for the boys to experience and lunch and other refreshments will be provided. It is not intended that there will be any charge for the boys. ASPEN COLONYAnne Mays (MAYO) Carol Salter (HOLLY)It's hard to believe that we are already at the end of January; time seems to pass by so quickly. We have been really busy this month putting together all our activities and outings and turning them into badges. On our first week back we talked about Christmas and all the lovely presents the boys received and we all wished each other a happy and peaceful New Year. We have made marzipan sweets and fruits. Worked hard towards our friendship badge; learning about the population in other countries; the food they eat and the currency they use. We have also been going over some basic first aid skills again as some of the boys didn't do it the first time round. Several of the boys attended Scouts' Own on Sunday, 2nd February. It was Birch Colony who took their place on the stage and it was well received by all. Well done Birch Colony! As part of the Scout Group it is essential that the boys attend, as many of the Scouts' Own meetings that they can. It is good for the boys to be reminded of the size of the Group they belong to - to see the Cubs, Scouts and Venture Scouts and at least begin to recognise some of the more senior Leaders. A lot of effort goes into these productions and we would hate it if parents and friends did not come to see us. NEXT SCOUTS' OWN IS ON SUNDAY 30TH MARCH AT 10.50AM AND IT USUALLY FINISHES BY 12.OOPM. ALL ARE WELCOME. If anyone can volunteer their services at any of our events, either at Jumble Sales or in particular the Summer Fete on Saturday 5th July, please let me know as it looks like we are going to be very short of help this year and we desperately need the money raised by the Fete to help with the huge bills and expenses we have to pay out. Could we just remind you again of the importance of the rota for parents at our Beaver meetings? If you are unable to attend could you please find someone to stand in for you; it is very important that we have the correct ratio of adults to children. If you have not been given your list PLEASE ask for one. Thank you for your continued support. BIRCH COLONYAnne Richardson (MAPLE)A lot of our time was taken up rehearsing for Scouts' Own. We're very pleased with how hard the boys worked for it and how well behaved they were on the day. I hope the parents enjoyed watching them on Sunday. We've also made cake ice cream cones and 'bird cake,' which was certainly appreciated by the birds in my garden in the freezing weather we've been having. We've been joined by one new boy, Bryn Chittock, who seems to be enjoying himself and should be making his promise soon. CEDAR COLONYValerie Clarkson (CHIPMUNK)At the recent Scouts' Own Sean Keenan, William Eyre and Toby Merritt were presented with their Chief Scout Bronze Awards - well done! The following comments on Beavers were provided by some of the boys: - My favourite things I do at Beavers are sleepovers because you get to stay up most of the night. We go to Pantomimes if we are lucky. We also come for a weekly meeting. We sometimes go to parks. We have already gone to Box Hill and Nonsuch Park. Join the Beavers, Chipmunk and Otter. By Sean Keenan The things I do at Beavers are sleepovers, which will be in the summer hopefully. We do really cool stuff like having a Big Mac meal and we go to Pantomimes like Peter Pan. Rules: - behave; be sensible; do your best; don't bully By Joshua Peel I liked the sleepover because we got to go to Box Hill and climb it and go to McDonalds and we went to Nonsuch Park. Join Beavers, the people who run it are Chipmunk and Otter. Rules: - Don't be horrible; be good; don't bully. By Elliot Williams The things I enjoy doing at Beavers are sleepovers because we go to the theatre and we sometimes go to the park. We also have a weekly meeting. At some weekly meetings we play dodge ball, ladders and It. I also enjoy going to the Hogsmill with the Beavers. Rules: - No bullying; have fun; listen to the person who is speaking. By Jack Francis ANGLIA PACKBrenda Hunt (AKELA)No news item this month. BROWNSEA PACKLes Prescott (KERICK)We spent an evening at the Pantomime - Jack & the Beanstalk at the Secombe Theatre. Three Scouts from Purple Troop joined us for the event which we all thoroughly enjoyed - oh yes we did! Ben Alembic, one of our young leaders, ran an evening for us based on knotting. We all learnt to tie a reef knot, clove hitch, round-turn-and-two-half-hitches and a bowline. This was followed by some games using the knots. We also delivered our jumble notices in the snow and followed this with some warming up games. Congratulations to the following Cubs who took part in the District Fun Splash and gained their Swimmer Stage 1 badge: Jack Stevenson, Sean Ryan, Chris Cuthbert, Adam Meaney, Kyle Merson, Sam Brown and Asher Curran. Thanks to District staff and leaders from the other Packs for looking after our Cubs at this event. Congratulations also to Jack Stevenson on gaining his Sixer stripes. He is now Sixer of Black Six. Reminders: Sunday 30th March at 11.00am Scouts' Own at HQ Saturday 10th May / Sunday 11th May Weekend training camp Sunday 27th July to Friday 1st August Summer Camp CHARTERHOUSE PACKMargaret Pennington (AKELA)We started the New Year with an excellent Pantomime at Epsom Playhouse. That was just before the first fall of snow and we spoilt the Cubs' fun by not having an evening of snowballs and snowmen - however we did keep in with the parents. Throughout January we learned from Baloo what is expected from us for the Global Challenge. Then Rama talked us through the Caring Challenge and the boys decided that they would support the Shooting Star Children's' Hospice appeal with a Bring and Buy next month. When Fred went to sort out the name label for our notice board, he also negotiated a very reasonably priced laminator for the Pack's use. Our thanks goes to Anne Rhodes, the stationery and secretarial shop, of Central Road. Please consider buying your 'bits and bobs' from there, as they have been very kind to us. Finally, at the end of January some of us attended a very poorly supported but excellently run Beetle Drive. We did enjoy it and the company made it a pleasant evening. PURPLE TROOPAlan Avery (Scout Leader)We have covered a couple of knots and lashings per week culminating in Geoff doing his projectiles, which if they work burst balloons at the end of the hall. We are continuing to have Patrol Leaders meetings on Thursdays - this proves very useful as well as letting off steam. After jumble collecting we geared up for whittling - this is carving with penknives. Mountain camp in North Wales is 22nd-27th April. Did you turn up to Scouts' Own? SILVER TROOPPaul Green (Scout Leader)Sorry for the lack of entry in last month's Newsletter. Before Christmas we went to the London Eye. All the boys enjoyed themselves and a few of them were even invested looking out over London. Planning for the next term has started and a joint evening with the Cubs is planned along with various activities to keep the boys amused and start preparing them for camp. Camp preparation is also underway and a trip to Phasels Campsite in Herts is looking promising. This year's camp is again going to be during the summer half term. The dates are Saturday 24th May to Friday 30th May 2003. We will need some help from Mums and Dads loading the lorry, planning and driving. Camp is also likely to be a joint camp with another Scout group from Morden. This troop is a new Troop and only has 6 boys at the moment. They have an excellent leadership team and have asked to come away with us. Hopefully everyone will be supportive of our decision to go on a joint camp and start building a good relationship with this new and upcoming Group. During January we have been preparing the new programme for the coming term. We have already been doing badge work and I took all my Police kit down and showed the boys what the Police have to carry on a shift. During that evening we went through some information about drugs, solvents and alcohol. This gave the boys an idea of what to avoid and the repercussions that can follow drug abuse including health and legal issues. Thank you to the Scouts that have attended Scouts' Own and welcome to the Cubs who have joined us. Finally, a personal request from myself; I will shortly be travelling to New Zealand. I am going to do a charity trek for Help a London Child. This is a children's charity set up and run by Capital Radio. I will be walking 115km (about 73 miles) in 4 days over mountainous terrain. I will hopefully be raising £3000 or more for the charity. If you would like to sponsor me, please give your sponsorship donation to your Section Leader and mark it clearly with 'Paul Green HALC Trek'. Put your name and Section on it and the Section Leader will put it in Silver Troop Section drawer for me to collect. EXPLORER SCOUTSAlan Avery (Explorer Scout Leader)We again welcomed the Sutton Rangers, who ran a quiz for us. The snow on Box Hill beckoned us to do some snowboarding - surprisingly no limbs broken. Another evening was a free and easy pizza evening with handball to work up an appetite. Mountain camp will be 22nd - 27th April. Were you at Scouts' Own? Phil Wicks will now be an Explorer Helper and Ben Alembic will come along to help when he is able. In the future subscriptions will be paid ½ yearly in March and September and you will be advised in due course. PARENTS & FRIENDSRichard Marston (Chairman)How are we doing?After the final banking of income, and payment of bills, the Parents and Friends were able to bring the total amount contributed to the Group up to an impressive figure of £8,900 for the year, £900 over budget. Thanks on behalf of all parents to those that helped at events during 2002. The main problem experienced by the P&F committee in recent years, and still with us now, is the constant difficulty finding parents willing to organise, or help at, events. This shortage has lead to an unreasonable dependence on the Fellowship, and other long-term friends of the Group, to run and staff events. Without them we would not have reached the impressive figure above. It is interesting to note that none of the events listed below are being managed by current parents. The fund raising is entirely for your children's benefit; please do your best to help at an event during 2003. Recent EventsBeetle Drive - This was the first event of the year but unfortunately it was poorly attended. If you have suggestions for events you would like to attend please let me know. Coming SoonGrand Auction Sat 8th March 14:30. One of our popular and well supported events. We do however have an opening for an additional auctioneer. If needed, our resident auctioneer Dave will provide training. Helpers are also required to assist the existing team; you are sure to find a role you will enjoy. Race Nite Sat 15th March 19:30. Come and have a flutter, raise money for the Group and maybe come away with a profit. Please note the revised date. For your diaryBingo Evening Sat 12th April 20:00. We are planning to make this a big prize event so note down the date now. Summer Fete Sat 5th July. Still a long way off but planning has already started. Large numbers of helpers are always required so please contact us as shown below. Internet www.4wp.org.ukThe place to go for up to date information about the Group plus links to well known companies who are willing to pay the Group commission each time you purchase something via the special links on the site. Current links include Amazon, Allders, Boots, WH Smith, Marks & Spencer and Opodo. The new Harry Potter book is available to pre-order at 50% discount - use the special 'Harry Potter' link at the bottom of the home page. ** STOP PRESS ** By the time you read this there should also be links for Allders and travel company Opodo. Buy some furniture, book your next business flight? Comments or suggestions?I welcome, and need, your comments and suggestions about the Parents and Friends section of the Group, and the events it runs. Your views enable the Parents and Friends Committee to schedule events you want to attend, and improve existing events. Please contact me via p-and-f(at)4wp.org.uk or by telephone on 020-8337 2641. FELLOWSHIPGraham SmithThe evening of the Fellowship's Annual Dinner proved to be, from a weather point of view, the worst of the Winter so far and the day when so much of the eastern part of the country came to a virtual standstill. Nevertheless there was still an excellent turnout, 36 braving the conditions and sitting down to dinner at the Kingswood Arms. We enjoyed an excellent meal in the cosy surrounding of The Study and our grateful thanks were expressed to Mary who organised and arranged the evening for us. By the time these notes are read the two jumble sales in February will have taken place and several members of the Fellowship can be expected to have given assistance. Although our AGM on the 27th March is still some way off, I will just mention that after the business of the AGM itself has been completed Gary Heron will be speaking to us about his experiences at the recent World Scout Jamboree in Thailand.
Information for April 2003 Newsletter to be with Keith Daly by Monday 3rd March
This page was last updated on 22 May 2003 |