Gscouts June 2016

gscouts News and Views for Scouting in Gloucestershire June 2016

Fabulous session on "Supsquatch" water weekend 2015

Badge Courses: Paddy Langham

paddydj.langham@btopenworld.com

County Administrator: Louise Little

admin@gloucestershire-scouts.org.uk 0930 am-1.30 pm

01452 814256

County Public Relations Adviser: Cindy Fowler

media@gloucestershire-scouts.org.uk

Cranham Scout Centre: Mary Large

info@scoutcentre.org.uk 1.00 pm-4.00 pm

H.Q. Information Centre

01452 812309

info.centre@scouts.org.uk Monday to Friday 8.00 am—7.00 pm 0845 300 1818 Saturday 9.00 am –5.00 pm 020 8433 7100

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gscouts June 2016 Contents Our County Commissioner — a letter from Hamish Stout ………………………………….…….4 Editorial ………………………………………………………………………………………………….5 Stroud & Tetbury District Reboot………………………………………………………………...……5 Gloucester District ……………………………………………………………………………………...6 Roverway 2016 and World Moot 2017 ……………………………………………………………….7 Water Activities ………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Bob’s Dinosaurs Two D of E Gold Expedition Teams ………………………………………….…...9 The Falkirk Wheel ……………………………………………………………………………………….9 Another type of Boat Lift — the Ronquières Inclined Plane ……………………………………….10 The Anderton Boat Lift ………………………………...……………………………………………...10 Kayak/Canoe Weekend ………………………………..……………………………………………...11 Rifle Shooting, D of E Gold Residential, Help the Everyman Theatre …………………………...12 Gloucestershire’s only dinghy sailing permits ……………………………………………………….13 Be a Leader …………………………………………………………………………………...………..14 Gilwell Training — the Wood Badge …………………………………………………………..….....14 100 years ……………………………………………………………………………………..………...15 John Travers Cornwell ………………………………………………………………………..……….16 Sky Camp Challenge ……………………………………………………………………..…………...18 Sky Camp 2016 ………………………………………………………………………………………...19 National Sedan Chair Rally ………………………………………………………………..………….22 Scout Survival Skills at Miserden 2016 …………………………………………………..………….24 Full House for 2016 Scouts Regional Cooking Competition ……………………………………....25 Operation Bald Eagle ………………………………………………………………………………….27 ************************* The difference between Weather and Climate: Weather is if it’s raining or snowing Climate is the best thing you can do with a ladder 3

Our County Commissioner For five years now, Paul Trott has been your County Commissioner. During that time he has made a significant contribution to Scouting across Gloucestershire. Amongst those many contributions, Paul will be most remembered for restructuring the County Executive Committee and County Team, supporting the Mad 13 expedition to Madagascar, selecting the World Jamboree participants by ballot, overseeing the transition from Sun Run/Malvern Challenge to Strategy and Evolution, introducing the “Poppy Badge” and establishing the bi-annual Queen’s Scout Award reception at Berkeley Castle.

As indicated in my email at the end of February, Paul has expressed that he wishes to stand down as County Commissioner, though he agreed to continue as CC for a short time. We have now agreed that Paul’s last day in role will be Sunday 15 th May. I want to take this opportunity to place on record a huge thank you to Paul for all that he has achieved whilst leading Scouting in Gloucestershire over the past 5 years.

You will be aware that we commenced a process to identify Paul’s successor. However, it has not yet been possible to conclude that appointment. In the meantime, I am delighted to be able to advise that Lewis Dangerfield has agreed to take on the role of Acting County Commissioner, with effect from Monday 16th May.

Lewis has had a number of roles in

Scouting, with a few years’ experience involved in the running of Stroud and Tetbury, his home District, where he is also an Explorer Scout Leader.

Lewis will work closely with the

DCs and other County Team members to ensure that great Scouting continues in Gloucestershire. Finally, although the formal role is ‘Acting CC’, it is important to ensure that work continues apace, so Lewis will be exercising the full authority of the County Commissioner role during this interim period.

My grateful thanks again to Paul for his leadership over the past five years, and to Lewis for agreeing to take on the CC role on an interim basis.

Best wishes, Hamish Stout Regional Commissioner, South West Region The Scout Association

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Editorial You might say that the main theme of this edition is water activities. In fact they form the main content of the magazine because nobody else has subscribed any articles. Only four of the eight Districts in the County even get a mention. Just one of the County Team has contributed. This is your magazine and I cannot imagine that, in such an active County, nothing of interest has happened in the last three months. Please send me camp and other activity reports, programme ideas, etc., Much more should come from you. Contact details are on the back page.

At the moment, I am expecting to be travelling abroad in the first three weeks of September, so I need to make my copy date for the autumn edition Thursday the 29th. If you can submit articles by the end of August, it would be very helpful, as I can start to plan the layout before I leave. However, I realise you may be busy camping and organising other Scouting activities.

Do let’s hear about what you are getting up to — especially the younger members.

Stroud & Tetbury District “Reboot” Meeting On 9th April, 22 Leaders and Administrators in Stroud & Tetbury District attended a “reboot” meeting. They were given an address on Network, explaining the set-up and the awards available to this section. It was suggested from the floor that a drive might be made to recruit ex-Scouts over 18 and under 25 who had left the Movement. Network could be advertised in local companies’ common rooms.

The District Chairman explained that, now that Leaders can update their own records, each one should interrogate Compass and ensure its accuracy. An updated District Directory would be compiled and initially sent out Group by Group for checking.

The DC said that she wanted to take the District forward and to that end wanted input from members. What activities could be offered at the District Headquarters and the District Campsite? Notice boards were provided for attendees to post their own ideas about weaknesses and strengths, threats and opportunities. If money were no object, what facilities might the District offer (to which there were suggestions for a District minibus and a small number of computers that could be loaned out to Groups). It was suggested that public displays could be organised, so that we could put over what we do, in order to recruit Leaders as well as young people. A skills directory could be compiled.

The District Business Manager detailed the changes that were in hand at the Campsite, Scout Shop and District Headquarters. It is proposed that the latter could be developed as a social hub with a café and bar, so that Groups and the District Team could meet in comfortable and attractive surroundings. Health and Safety issues were discussed, especially with regard to hiring out Group headquarters buildings.

The opportunity was taken to ask Groups what Leader vacancies each needed filling and a number of outstanding DBS clearances were requested from HQ. All in all it was considered a highly successful meeting and will almost certainly be followed up by another in three to six months’ time.

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Gloucester District

Currently (2015) Gloucester District has 18 Scout Groups with no fewer than 12 Explorer Units. At the last census the District had a total of some 1400 members (youth and leaders). The District Headquarters, Murray Hall, Tuffley Lane, is extensively used and available for hire.

The 46th Gloucester has a Marching Brass Band.

The District badge features Gloucester Cathedral, the tower and main body of building Illustrated in orange and gold, set within a gold circle all on a dark green background with the District name in gold below the design. The cathedral was built on the site of an earlier abbey with the foundations being laid by Abbot Seno (1072 – 1104), construction taking place between 1089 and 1499. The cathedral’s nave is 420 feet (130m) long and 1444ft (44 m) wide with a fine central 15th-century tower rising to a height of 225 ft ( 69m) and topped by four delicate pinnacles. The nave is massive Norman, with additions in every style of gothic architecture. The cloisters are the earliest surviving example of fan vaults, having been designed between 1351 and 1377 by Thomas de Canterbury. It also possesses one of the largest perpendicular windows with original 14th-century glass. The most notable monument is the canopied shrine of King Edward II of England, who was murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle and was buried in the Cathedral. It also houses the tomb of Robert, Duke of Normandy, elder son of William the Conqueror . He twice tried to overthrow his father, and died a prisoner in Cardiff Castle in 1134.

The badge was issued in September 1971 as a single bound variety and it is thought its design was attributable to Keith Robinson, a member of the International Badgers Club, as were so many District badges in Gloucestershire. Keith was a member of the Tewkesbury District and County Teams for many years.

Cranham Scout Centre

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Water Activities

Team Jokers going through Evesham Rowing Regatta Sunday 1st May 2016 Explorers from Nutty Badgers ESU & Bob's Dinosaurs ESU

Luddington Wharf Start Day One - Clowns & Jokers

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Bob's Dinosaurs Two Gold Expedition Teams Walking from different points in the Carron Valley, Sterlingshire, to kayak/canoe the Forth & Clyde, walk to the kelpies, kayak/canoe Edinburgh Union through the Falkirk Wheel, to walk then to sites in West Lothian and complete by kayak/canoeing to Edinburgh. 110K

The Falkirk Wheel

From Wikipedia: The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The lift, named after the nearby town of Falkirk in central Scotland, opened in 2002. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s as part of the Millennium Link project.

The plan to regenerate central Scotland's canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways, with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight.

The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom, the other being the Anderton boat lift (see p.10).

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Another type of Boat Lift The Ronquières Inclined Plane on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal in southern Belgium opened in April 1968 after a six-year construction period. It takes its name from the nearby village of Ronquières.

The purpose of the construction was to reduce the delays imposed by the 14 locks (already reduced from 16 in the 19th century) which had hitherto been needed for the canal to follow the local topography.

It has a length of 1,432 metres (4,698 ft) and lifts boats through 67.73 metres (222.2 ft) vertically. It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures 91 metres (299 ft) long by 12 metres (39 ft) wide and has a water depth between 3 and 3.70 metres (9.8 and 12.1 ft). It can carry one boat of 1,350 tonnes or many smaller boats within the same limits.

Each caisson has a 5,200-tonne counterweight running in the trough below the rails, which permits one caisson to be moved independently of the other. Each caisson is pulled by eight cables wound by winches located at the top end of the inclined plane. Each cable is 1,480 metres (4,860 ft) long.

Each caisson can be moved between the two canal levels at a speed of 1.2 metres per second (3.9 ft/s), taking about 22 minutes.

It takes 50 minutes in total to pass through the 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) of the entire structure, including the raised canal bridge at the top end. ************************* Another structure worth visiting is the restored Anderton Boat Lift, near Northwich, Cheshire.

It is an incredible edifice, perched on the banks of the River Weaver Navigation like a giant three-storey-high iron spider. It was built by Edwin Clark in 1875 to lift cargo boats the 50 feet from the Weaver Navigation to the Trent & Mersey Canal. Two huge water tanks (caissons), each with watertight sealable doors, carry boats up and down. The original counter-balanced system was replaced in 1908 by electric operation, but the lift now works hydraulically again.

The lift worked until 1983 when serious deterioration of the structure was discovered. Some £7m was raised to fund the restoration, which was completed in 2002..

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Kayak/Canoe Weekend 17th/18th September 2016 at Croft Farm Waterpark, Bredons Hardwick, Tewkesbury on the River Avon.

Are you interested in Scouting on the Water?

Are you a 13+ Scout, Explorer, Leader or in Network?

We're holding a weekend to enhance people's kayaking and canoeing skills, whether it will be for training, coaching, being assessed for "Water Permits� working towards DofE or Queen's Scouts Expedition Awards.

The weekend will cost ÂŁ40 and there will be the opportunity to network and ask questions.

The fee includes camping, daily launching, meals from Saturday lunch to Sunday lunch, Saturday evening kayak/canoe film shows/fun shows including supply of popcorn.

You will receive sessions on the water in both kayak and canoe. Plus "Try a Kayak" session should be available Sunday 18th supplied by Canoe and Kayak Store, Berkeley.

Preparation towards British Canoeing Star Testing will take place with our coaches/skills instructors.

Note:Scouts will be covered by our "NAN", and do not need a Scout Leader to attend.

Further details of booking will be sent out in July.

Please book ASAP as places are limited.

Interested? Contact : scouting-on-the-water@outlook.com

************************* Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-thewater, canoe-like boat, in which the paddler sits facing forward, legs in front, using a doublebladed paddle to pull front-to-back on one side and then the other in rotation. Most kayaks have closed decks, although sit-on-top and inflatable kayaks are growing in popularity as well.

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Rifle Shooting The National Small-bore Rifle Association Youth Proficiency Scheme Tutor’s Diploma equips participants to run have-a-go sessions and take young people for an introduction to shooting over a longer period.

The course costs £85.00, and takes place at Cranham Scout Centre on 3-4 September 2016. Lunch is provided.

To apply for this weekend, please complete form: Courses 2016 Application Form available from Cranham.

Gold DofE Residential On 15-19 August this year we are running a Gold DofE residential at Cranham Scout Centre.

Accommodation will be in the cabins and there are 12 places available (with five already taken). Food and uniform will be provided.

Tasks will include anything that is involved in the smooth running of the centre, such as cleaning, maintenance, serving in the shop and assisting in activities.

The cost of the week is £50.00.

If you know of anyone that may be interested in attending, please ask them to contact Pete Richardson on pete@cranhamsc.org.uk.

Help at the Everyman Theatre The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, occasionally needs to practise evacuating the venue in order to train its staff, and this year Gloucestershire Scouts have been asked to assist with this.

The training will take place on Thursday 8 September between 6pm and 7.30pm and they would like to try and get as close to 600 people in the building as they can, to fill all the various areas which may be in use during a show. Some form of entertainment on the stage will be provided.

Please contact the theatre and let them know what sort of numbers you might be able to bring along. Phone: 01242 572573. *************************

There was young man of Iran, Who wrote verses that just wouldn’t scan.

When they told him so, He said “Yes, I know But the trouble with me is I try to put as many words into the last line as I possibly can.”

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Gloucestershire’s Only Dinghy Sailing Permit Holders

15th St. Peter’s Gloucester Sea Scouts at Tewkesbury Sailing Club We are trying to make contact with “Sailing Dinghy” Leaders, Network, Explorers, Scouts or simply “Contacts” who may be interested in becoming “Skills Instructors” for Sailing.

The Sea Scouts gained our first two sailing permits held in Gloucestershire in far too many years.

Experienced dinghy sailors and those wishing to gain experience (both young and old) are encouraged to qualify as sailing instructors and join us.

Please pass this poster/email on to others. Spread the word.

Email:- scouting-on-the-water@outlook.com JUST THINK! Gloucestershire Scouting has gained more than 50 permit holders in kayaking, canoeing and rafting in just the last two years.

Visit Scouting on the Water Gloucestershire Facebook Keep an eye out for the Water Activities Website due this year ************************* We are pleased to announce that a Warrant as Cub Scout Leader has been issued to the Vicar of Dibdibdibley 13

Gilwell training - the Wood Badge When Baden-Powell was working on the first leader training programme, he needed a badge or insignia of some kind to indicate to others the highest level of training achievement. He referred, in the end, to a necklace in his own possession, dating from his time in the Ashanti in 1888. The Zulu necklace, over 3 metres (3 yards) long and made from beads of acacia yellow wood, was a badge awarded to great chieftains and the bravest warriors, and there might be thousands of beads in the necklaces given to the highest-ranking officials. Baden-Powell's necklace had once belonged to Chief Dinizulu, and now he had a further use for it.

He took two of the original beads and strung them on a leather thong, given to him at Mafeking, to create the Wood Badge. These original wooden beads were then used as a template for beads made in beech wood, often by hand, at Gilwell in the early days. The two beads represented the individual's achievement of the required standards in both practical and theoretical aspects of training.

There have been some variations in the manner in which these beads were worn - in a buttonhole or on the hat brim - and in the number of beads awarded, but nowadays two are normally worn proudly on a thong necklace placed over the head and twisted round the tails of the neckerchief.

All those who have been awarded their Wood Badge become honorary members of the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group and are entitled to attend an annual meeting at Gilwell Park to be reunited with their fellow Leaders and course attendees.

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100 Years 1916 Probably your great-grandparents, perhaps even your grandparents, were living at that time. This will make you think! What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for 1916: The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for cars was sold in chemist’s only.

Only 14 percent of homes had a bath. Only 8 percent of homes had a telephone.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average British wage in 1915 was £15 per year!

However, a competent accountant could expect to earn £800 per year, a dentist £900 per year, a vet between £600 and £900 per year, and, a mechanical engineer about £2000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home. Ninety percent of all doctors had no university education!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were

condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard".

Sugar cost two pence a pound, eggs were ten pence a dozen. Coffee was five pence a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering their country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke.

3. Diarrhoea

The American flag had 45 stars. The population of Las Vegas was only 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day. Two out of every ten adults couldn't read or write and, only six percent of all British pupils went to university.

Marijuana, heroin,

and morphine were all available over the counter at local corner chemist’s.

Back then chemists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!" (Shocking?)

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.! In 2014 this figure had risen to 14,249. In the UK the murder rate in 1915 was 1420. In 2015 it was 537. (Perhaps we are doing something right!)

You can now forward this to someone else without re-typing it.

It can be sent to others all over the world in a matter of seconds! Can you imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.?

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John Travers (Jack) Cornwell British Scout and Royal Navy Sailor 1900-1916

The 31st May this year saw the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Jutland, a huge sea battle off the west coast of Denmark. Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk and more than 8000 sailors lost their lives. Both sides claimed victory but the significant result was that the German High Seas Fleet was confined for the rest of the war to its base in the Bay of Heligoland.

In 1916, Jack Cornwell was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British military award, and the Scout Association’s Bronze Cross, ‘the highest possible award for gallantry, granted only for special heroism or action in the face of extraordinary risk’.

John Travers Cornwell was born in 1900 in the village of Eastham, on the south bank of the Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool, to what in those days was called ‘a poor, working-class family’. When he was old enough, he joined St. Mary’s Manor Park Troop, and made his mark as a good and enthusiastic Scout. In August 1914, World War I broke out. A year later, Jack left home and volunteered for the Royal Navy. He was trained in Plymouth. In April 1915, his training over, he was assigned as a Boy First Class to the cruiser, H.M.S. Chester. His battle station was as a sight-setter in the forward gun turret.

The vessel belonged to the 3rd Battle-Cruiser Squadron, led by Rear-Admiral Hood. It was stationed in the North Sea, and had to see to it that the German Hochseeflotte (Deep-Sea Fleet), moored in the ports of the Bay of Heligoland, could not escape to the Atlantic. The Squadron was cruising beyond the horizon, invisible from the German coast and out of reach of the primitive aeroplanes of those days.

However, an inshore Squadron was patrolling in the

Bay, and was to raise the alarm as soon as the Germans made an attempt to go to sea. Radio communication was still unknown and the British vessels had to pass on their messages to the main Squadron by means of signal flags as in Nelson’s day, or by Morse lamp.

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On May 30 the German fleet slipped its moorings, left the ports and steamed into the Bay of Heligoland, firing its guns at the retreating British small vessels, which warned of its approach.

At 1730 hours, the roaring of guns was heard by the main Squadron and Rear-Admiral Hood ordered the Chester to sail into the Bay and report what was going on. Very shortly thereafter, four German cruisers surrounded her and their shells pounded her. Returning fire, she managed to break off the twenty-minute engagement and rejoin the main body of the Squadron.

During the fighting, the forward gun turret had suffered the full impact of the enemy’s welldirected fire, and was hit several times. Within minutes, the gun’s crew was wiped out; several men died instantly, others were wounded and Jack himself was seriously injured, when a fragment of a shell embedded in his chest. As there was no one left to handle and fire the gun, he might as well have left his post to have his wounds attended to. However, he expected that other men would be sent to take over and that he might be needed, so he stayed put. Thus, mortally wounded, he remained at his post until the battle was over and he was found there.

Jack Cornwell was taken to a hospital in Grimsby. His life could not be saved, and he died three days after the battle. His family buried him in a humble grave in Eastham, marked with a gun and a number. His bravery, however, had not gone unnoticed. On July 19 1916, he was reburied with full military honours. The King awarded him the Victoria Cross; at Buckingham Palace on November 17, 1916, the King handed Jack’s mother the medal.

The Scout Association decided to instigate an award in his memory, to be known as the Cornwell Scout Badge, an arrowhead partly encircled by a capital C, standing not only for Cornwell but also for Courage. It is awarded only to Members of the Association under the age of twenty-five, in respect of pre-eminently high character and devotion to duty, together with great courage and endurance.

(Adapted by John Morton from an article by Piet J. Kroonenberg of the Netherlands in Fleur-de-Lys magazine (promulgated on the Internet) ************************* The first recipient of the Cornwell Scout Badge was Patrol Leader Arthur Shepherd, who had assisted the Coastguard during the wreck of the hospital ship, HMHS Rohilla, in a severe gale at Whitby in October 1914. His duties had included running messages and fetching rescue equipment along a steep narrow ledge, on a cliff that was being washed by high waves. He had also led his patrol in assisting the Coastguard during the German bombardment of Whitby in December of the same year. The badge, which was actually the manufacturer's sample and the only one in existence at the time, was presented by Baden-Powell at a rally in Middlesbrough in December 1916, in front of the Archbishop of York and 3,000 Scouts. In 2013, four British members were awarded the Cornwell Scout Badge (one posthumously), out of a total youth membership of 433,850.

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Scout Survival Skills at Miserden 2016 May bank holiday saw dozens of Scouts and Leaders descend on a normally quiet corner of the Miserden Estate for a weekend of training followed by a survival exercise. This year we were also able to run a more advanced course for those Scouts who had attended previously, leading to the Activity Plus badge.

The Scouts began with several training bases teaching them: knife safety, essential first aid, hygiene and campsite management, before moving into the woods for instruction on sheltermaking, fire-lighting and cooking without utensils or foil.

The weather was good – not such an advantage as you may think, as the training field was very hot, and the value of including training on the effects of extreme heat quickly became apparent! The supporting adults also worked hard to keep the Scouts supplied with fresh drinking water and food. A wide game for all the Scouts left them ready for sleep — in the woods under a tarp shelter they had built earlier.

After breakfast next day, the Scouts (and supervising Leaders) returned to the woods to begin their 24 hour survival exercise. This time the shelters were built entirely of natural materials, Scouts lit and managed their camp fires, and cooked all their own food (again no foil or utensils) for the remainder of the weekend. In keeping with the requirements for ‘natural’ food, the Scouts also learned how to skin and joint a rabbit (supplied by a local butcher), ready to be cooked kebab-style over their fires.

Another fine night passed, so we had to simulate some ‘rain’ to water-test their shelters before the exercise concluded. The final part for the Scouts was to leave their camp sites looking as though no one had been there with “nothing left behind but our thanks”.

The Activity Plus group moved into the woods sooner than the basic course, giving them time to learn how to: identify edible plants, gut and cook fish, learn some advanced knife skills, and complete a personal project (e.g. carving a set of utensils) as well as revising the basic skills. They were able to accompany their rabbit with a ‘forager’s stew’ (contents well checked by our adults) and spend some time in the evenings identifying wildlife by tracks and sound.

Squirrel Patrol ready for the night

None of this would be possible without an enthusiastic team of Leaders supporting the young people – adults from three Counties and over twenty Troops gave up their weekend to ensure the Scouts had a safe and enjoyable time. Many thanks to all involved, including those who never get onto site, but spent time finding and sorting equipment to set up our support base.

(At the same time as all this, more advanced courses were being run deeper in the woods for Explorers – more details on these can be found elsewhere.)

Chris Langham, ACC Scouts (Gloucestershire)

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Full House for 2016 Scouts’ Regional Cooking Competition The Scout section has been holding a cooking competition, open to counties from across the whole of the South West for over twenty-five years. We have been hosting the competition in Gloucestershire for most of that time, as we have a good venue, easily accessed from the M5.

Teams usually enter from Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Avon, Dorset, Devon and Somerset, and sometimes even from Cornwall, but this year we were surprised to have a phone call from Jersey, asking if we could find a local Scout HQ for their team to stay in overnight!

Prestbury Scouts were able to accommodate the team and their leaders at their newly-refurbished HQ, and Shurdington Scouts kindly provided the team with cooking equipment and crockery for the competition, so the Jersey team were able to travel light. The Jersey Scouts did however bring with them some of their famous Jersey Royal potatoes, as the theme for the competition was “Best of British”, and they wanted to be sure of the quality of their essential ingredient!

Jersey Scouts

Despite the challenge of infrequent flights at that time of year (March), the Jersey team managed an adventurous weekend, and explored Gloucestershire a little, taking part in caving at Clearwell before arriving at Prestbury in time to have a final run through of their plans for the competition.

Food

In all fourteen teams from all eight counties took part, including two from Gloucestershire.

(These were 41st Cheltenham and 1st Lechlade, winners and runners up of our County event). The standard, as usual, was very high, as most teams had already cooked their menu at District and County competitions. It is great to see just how well a team of four Scouts (aged 10 to 13) can cook when given the opportunity.

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Of course, many thanks are also due to the leaders and parents who have taught the necessary skills to the teams, but on the day no adult help is allowed at all. (We do have leaders looking out for any safety issues, but they rarely need to intervene!).

Cooking in progress

Judging

Our other challenge was to ensure the event ran to time, as the Jersey team had to get to Southampton to catch their plane home at 4 pm! Thanks to our guest judges, Ann Clarke, DCC for Hereford and Worcester, and Keith Trinder, Chef and Scouter from Bromsgrove; all ran smoothly and results were announced in good time.

Our flying visitors didn’t manage to take away the main trophy (that went to 1 st Yetminster from Dorset), but we sent them on their way with a special award for the furthest travelled and hope to see a team from the Channel Isles again.

Chris Langham, ACC Scouts, Gloucestershire 26

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gscouts is edited by John Morton editor@gscouts.org.uk 01453 452159

Please send contributions, news and pictures to: magazine@gscouts.org.uk

For information visit gscouts.org.uk or phone the County Office 01452 812309

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