s t u o c S e r i Hampsh ws
ne
.uk | March 2018
scouts.org www.hampshire
Insane South Downs Way Challenge
The
8
Register at: www.hampshirescouting.org.uk/leaders-rally 2
March 2018
contents
Welcome to the March 2018 edition of Hampshire Scouts News
4. Martin’s news 7. Old Scout Bushcraft, Leaders Training Weekend 10. Badges for wearing on uniform 11. Young People Emergency Response Network (YPERN) 12. Water Assessment Days 2018 13. Hampshire Scouts International Opportunities 2020 14. Fairtrade Fortnight 15. HSX - Calling all Explorer and Network Scouts 16. Day Trip to France - 3rd Portchester 18. HSX - Antarctica Challenge Badge 19. Captains of the Antarctic - Royal navy Museum 20. 2nd Fareham Sea Scouts - World Faith Activity Badge 22. Clay Shoot / Field Target Competition 23. Ferny Crofts Fun Days 24. I’ll go no more a Rovering 26. 2nd Ramalley Chandlers Ford - Christmas Carol Service 27. Upcycling raises £500 for Basingstoke Gang Show 28. Reasons to join Swanmore Scout Group 29. Coming up! Hampshire County Calendar 30. Target Sprint Competition 31. Time to Shine - Gosport Gangshow 32. Gosport Scout Kayaking - Courses & Taster Evenings
About Us
Hampshire Scouts provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for over 18,500 young people aged 6-25, promoting the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual well-being of the individual, helping them achieve their full potential. In Scouting, we believe that young people develop most when they are ‘learning by doing,’ when they are given responsibility, work in teams, take acceptable risks and think for themselves.
Get Involved
To join the adventure of Scouting whether as an Adult or Young person then contact us at: www.scouts.org.uk/join e:county.office@scouts-hants.org.uk or t:023 8084 7847
Have you got any news for us?
Do you have a story or success that you’d like to share? Help us to highlight and celebrate your achievements in growth, exclusivity, youth shaped and community – email us your team’s successes along with any photos to: county.office@Scouts-hants.org.uk, please keep emails less than 30mb, if they are bigger we can share our Dropbox link with you, please get in touch.
Photography Acknowledgements
Where we can, we strive to acknowledge the owner or source of pictures used in this publication. We use them under the terms ‘for Scouting use only’. If you would like pictures acknowledged, please let us know the owners name when submitting. Thank you.
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
3
Martin’s news
Well, we got off to a fantastic start to 2018. We welcomed back a group of Explorers who’d been away over Christmas on an HSX organised expedition to Patagonia, Chile for a few weeks. Their trip was the culmination of a great deal of hard work and preparation, but the reward was an incredible, life changing adventure that will have given them some amazing memories. Well done.
Later in the month we held the County Conference at BP Lodge which was attended by over 130 people from across the County. I had the honour of presenting a few awards, before we got into the flow of things. We started off with our guest speaker, Alex Peace-Gadsby, Chief Commissioner for England, who talked to us about the Scout Association’s strategy on ‘Preparing Better Futures’, which should be published in May. I’m grateful to everyone who engaged with the consultation work on the strategy. The key message is that we can expect: business as usual, evolution not revolution and a staged release of practical, relevant tools to meet the new vision which is: By 2023 we will have prepared more young people with skills for life, supported by amazing leaders, delivering an inspiring programme. We will be growing, more inclusive, shaped by young people and making a bigger impact in our communities.
During my presentation, I covered quite a bit of ground. You can see mine, as well as all the other presentations, on the County website. An area I focussed on was my four priorities which, if we can achieve them, should help us to meet my CC’s vision ‘to make Scouting in Hampshire even better.’ The full detail of each priority has been shared with DCs, but are summarised as: Priority 1: Child Protection. Making sure everyone is in date for safety, safeguarding and first response training be that module training or mandatory ongoing learning. Are you in date? Priority 2: Adult Journey. Making sure that we properly induct and train every leader, and then recognise their efforts through the good service awards scheme. Do we do this all the time?
4
March 2018
Priority 3: Programme. Making sure that every Young Person is aware of the full range of activities and events locally, in the County and nationally. Let them decide. Do we tell them about all the opportunities available? Priority 4: Growth. Tackling waiting lists and working to retain Young People and adult volunteers. As well as trying to attract new people, how can we encourage those already in to stay? Donna Tew, our new DCC (Growth & Development), is putting together an exciting plan that aims to improve how we tackle the task of growing our numbers. This will include the extra support to be provided by our two new part-time Growth & Development Officers who will work with Vanessa Slawson. We plan to recruit them soon. Mike McHugh is leading on Project Boundary and he’s looking at whether the current District boundary arrangement best supports our ability to manage such a large County. He’s working closely with DCs and we hope to have his report by September. I know that many people will have strong views on this, but I have said consistently that if the answer is still 27 Districts, then that’s fine. But, I think most people will recognise that we have a real mixture of sizes and shapes in our County which makes managing it a challenge at times, so having a look at how we might improve our ability to do that is, I hope you’ll agree, a sensible thing to do. At the end of January, I had the privilege of awarding two exceptional Young People with rare scouting awards. One of them received the Chief Scout’s Award for Meritorious Conduct and the other with a Chief Scout’s Personal Award. Two amazing stories with one in particular proving how Scouting can help you to get through even the toughest times in life.
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
5
The weekend after that, I attended the first Young Leaders’ Forum at Lyons Copse. Over 80 YLs were there made up of those undergoing their training and those who had finished. Like the Youth Council, this was an excellent example of Youth Shaped scouting, with YLs leading the planning and delivery of a fantastic weekend enabled by adult volunteers. A perfect example of the Scout Purpose in action and growing our future leaders. The Young Leaders who organised it did a fantastic job and are an inspiration to us all. We have the Youth Council to look forward to in early March with Tim Kidd, UK Chief Commissioner, coming as the guest speaker, so yet another brilliant example of Youth Shaped scouting in Hampshire. Meanwhile, there’s lots of other great Scouting going on at every level in our County. With over 130 Young People in Hampshire selected for the World Scout Jamboree in the USA next year and more than 80 signed up to go on Project 19, also to the USA next year, along with plenty of other fantastic expeditions planned for elsewhere in the world by District and County teams, 2018 promises to be another amazing year in Hampshire Scouts. Added to that, my best wishes go to Jo Doherty and Olly Robinson who are, as I type, on a training course in Norway as part of their preparations for their HSX expedition to Antarctica which they hope to achieve later this year. Good luck! So, this time next year, I hope that: more young people will have had the chance to experience as many adventures as possible; we have continued to grow our adult and Young People numbers as well as retain those already in; more and more people will have been recognised for their good service; everyone will be in date for their safety, safeguarding and first response training; we’ll be implementing Project Boundary recommendations, and; that we’ll have made Scouting in Hampshire even better. I also hope that Olly and Jo make it to Antarctica. Martin Mackey County Commissioner Hampshire Scouts Follow me on twitter @CCHantsScouts
6
March 2018
Old Scout Bushcraft Leaders Training Weekend 16th - 18th April, Lyons Copse Learn All About
Shelters
Tarps and Hammocks including all knots.
Knife Work
How to teach safe use. Different cuts and grip’s, Feathersticks, Simple carving project, pegs spatula/spoon/pot hanger & Sharpening.
Fire
How to teach fire lighting and use of matches. Fire wood prep: Axe and saw, Fire lays, Natural tinders, Char cloth making, Fire steel (ferocerium) use & Flint and steel use + Leave no trace.
Camp Cooking
Pot suspension methods, Bannock, Salmon ponassing. For more information please contact:
info.oldscoutbushcraft@gmail.com
Fairtrade Fortnight 26th February to 11th March 2018
Great food, fair prices, why wouldn’t you? www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
7
Insane South Downs Way Challenge
The
The South Downs Way (SDW) is an epic 100 mile (161 km) trail starting in Winchester in Hampshire and running along the undulating south downs, finishing in Eastbourne in East Sussex. The mad idea of walking the whole trail in two weekends during the middle of winter was the brainchild of Mike Baxter who sent emails out in the autumn, I jumped at the chance to take part in something that I had wanted to complete for a while and it would count towards my QSA/DofE Residential. We met around 7pm at the historic Winchester Cathedral - full of Christmas spirit - loaded our kit into the minibus and split into two groups armed with maps, headtorches and a hot flask of tea. Navigating out of Winchester was one of the hardest parts as it was very badly signposted but once we left the city and crossed over the M3 via a footbridge we were plunged into darkness and silence in the countryside. Thankfully there was a
8
March 2018
very large full moon! We quickly passed Cheese Foot Head which is a natural amphitheatre steeped in history and is the location for Boomtown Fair festival. Our Friday night stroll ended at the Millburys pub in Beauworth annoyingly it was closed! However Mike and Colin picked the group up in the minibus and dropped us at Winnall Scouts HQ for the night. Setting off the next day (Saturday) we planned to walk at least 35 km with Mike and Colin meeting us at lunch on Butser Hill (the highest point of elevation on the SDW) surprisingly the weather wasn’t as cold as first suspected, just a little grey. We finally finished at South Harting/ Cocking which meant we had walked at least 45km! Sunday morning we left South Harting scout hut and trotted on until early afternoon where we finished the day
Saturday morning, we walked all the way to Southease just north of Newhaven. The scenery really opened up on this part of the SDW, compared to the first half which was often through wooded land. Passing through Devil’s Dyke we had some sunshine, but a strong breeze which really made it chilly! Lunch was on Ditchling Beacon, a top spot for dog walkers and casual strollers.
passing through Southease by the river was gorgeous. We then started with our penultimate ‘big’ ascent up to Firle Beacon, the trail was wide, open and grassy with lots of grazing cows and horses. The ridge along this part of the SDW seemed to be a popular spot for paragliders, approximately thirty were out gliding that morning which was an awesome sight to see, this was my favourite part of the trail. We then ascended down into Alfriston, a quaint and beautiful village, where the trail splits into the footpath and bridleway. The footpath dives South into the Seven Sisters country park and along to Beachy Head whereas the bridleway stays inland and heads for Jevington before skirting around Eastbourne and dropping down and meeting the other trail at the Western end of Eastbourne before the promenade starts. This was the end of the South Downs Way epic walk marked by a subtle signpost that could’ve been easy to miss!
On the Sunday, The other group were about 8km behind us so they set off at about 6.30/7am, whilst we got a little lie in. By the time we started walking it was a calm and sunny morning and
The two weekends were great fun a huge achievement. I’d highly recommend walking the South Downs Way, even if its few miles! Thank you once again to Mike and Colin for organising the weekend.
in Washington, 7 km East of Amberley. The Sunday was a real struggle with lots of blisters and sore legs but we were motivated by Haribo and Galaxy chocolate and a little bit of sunshine as we got closer to Amberley. The second weekend began at Petersfield train station on a Friday night in January. We drove to Washington - where we finished the previous weekend and then walked 9km, finishing in Steyning.
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
9
Badges for wearing on uniform Badges are appearing in the County for wearing on uniform which have not been sanctioned by the County Commissioner. Just to remind everyone as given on POR 10.33 the rules for the wearing of badges on uniform are: • Occasional badges in respect of national programmes, activities or events may be worn as directed and for such periods as decided by Headquarters.
•
Occasional badges for wear by Members of a Group, a District or County in connection with a special gathering, camp, event or anniversary must be approved by the County Commissioner to whom a drawing or specimen of the design must be submitted.
•
Such badges must not be worn after a period of three months from the date of the conclusion of the occasion unless exceptionally authorised by the County Commissioner in respect of special circumstances for a further period not exceeding nine months.
These rules are also the requirement for Group badges in respect of the design being submitted to the County Commissioner before being produced. The three month rule does not apply. Therefore, designs for a badge to be worn on uniform, including on a neckerchief, should be submitted to the County Commissioner for verification before it goes into production. When the badge is accepted and goes into production, one of the badges should be submitted to the County Office for inclusion in the County Records. This also includes designs which are directly embroidered onto neckerchiefs. The designs submitted by Groups or Districts will rarely be denied by the County Commissioner, so long as the wording shows it to be of Scout origin or there is a Scout Arrowhead included in the design. Commemorative Badges It would be appreciated that if a commemorative badge is produced for not wearing on uniform, such as a camp blanket, Gang Show event etc, that a badge is still provided to County Office so that the records for individual districts, groups and sections can be kept up to date. The County Records also try to have one nametape from each Group and section in the records. Your help with this would be appreciated.
10
March 2018
UPDATE - Young People Emergency Response Network (YPERN): Since writing about this in our Annual Report in 2016, this initiative has been developed during 2017. Hampshire Scouting, Hampshire Fire & Rescue and the Police Cadets plus eventually other youth organisations, are looking to form an emergency support network of young people, working in their local communities to respond to any local emergency that may occur i.e. flooding. Some adults in particular, may recall that this is what happened in 2010/2014 in the West Country, when severe flooding meant many communities were cut off and many uniformed youth organisations supported various recovery/rescue operations. The team met several times over the last 15 months and have gained a further enthusiastic supporter to this initiative – Melvin Hartley, Community Safety and Emergency Planning Manager for Eastleigh Borough Council. Melvin is also a member of the Local Resilience Forum and has already supported a paper setting out guidelines to their Executive Group. I attended the Youth Council during the year and gained from them, a number of emergency activities they felt Scouting could handle and this has been passed on. Clearly for safety reasons the sections that are being targeted are older Scouts, Explorers and Network. There is still much to discuss including insurance, local leadership/organisation, deployment and training, but I thought an update would be good.
If there are any DC’s/GSL’s or Leaders in Hampshire that would like to be involved in perhaps a pilot ‘grouping’ then please contact Martin Rudd, Deputy County Commissioner & Director of Community Involvement, at: dcc@hampshirescouts.org.uk www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
11
WATER ASSESSMENT DAYS 2018
2018 has opportunities for members to gain adventurous activity permits in a range of water activities (maximum B2 water classification). These include opportunities for young people to gain personal & leadership activity permits. Theory Sessions These are essential for anyone attending the practical assessment days 26 March 2018 – venue to be confirmed Practical Assessment Days Pulling – 14 April 2018 (9.00 am for 9.30 am start) – Crosshouse HQ, Crosshouse Road, Southampton, SO14 5GZ – For those outside of Hampshire the cost per person is £20, there is no charge for Hampshire members. Closing date for bookings is 17 March 2018. Dinghy Sailing – 14 April 2018 (12.30 pm for 1.00 pm start) – Crosshouse HQ, Crosshouse Road, Southampton, SO14 5GZ For those outside of Hampshire the cost per person is £30, there is no charge for Hampshire members. Closing date for bookings is 17 March 2018. Kayaking – 15 April 2018 (9.00 am for 9.30 am start)–Crosshouse HQ, Crosshouse Road, Southampton, SO14 5GZ – For those outside of Hampshire the cost per person is £20, there is no charge for Hampshire members. Closing date for bookings is 17 March 2018. Canoeing – 15 April 2018 (12.30 pm for 1.00 pm start) – Crosshouse HQ, Crosshouse Road, Southampton, SO14 5GZ – For those outside of Hampshire the cost per person is £20 there is no charge for Hampshire members Closing date for bookings is 17 March 2018. Rafting – 28 April 2018 (12.30 pm for 1.00 pm start) – Lakeside, Eastleigh Lakes. For those outside of Hampshire the cost per person is £20, there is no charge for Hampshire members. Closing date for bookings is 17 March 2018. For full details & booking forms
www.hampshirescouting.org.uk/wapa-2018/ 12
March 2018
Hampshire Scouts International Opportunities 2020
Looking ahead to 2020, we have some International Opportunities that are in the very early stages of development. If you would like to register an interest in these, then please follow the links below. This is not a commitment on either part! Tanzania 2020 Following on from the amazing success of Tanzania 2017, we are looking to return to Tanzania in 2020, with up to 6 teams, with around 120 young people, and 30 leaders. This expedition will be for around 4 weeks, and its major focus will be community projects, such as building schools and medical centres. It will include some adventure activities and a safari. The price is likely to be around £3,000, plus £500 towards the community project. Suisse Adventure 2020 Following on from Suisse Adventure 2016, Hampshire Scouts are planning to return to Kandersteg Adventure Centre in Switzerland for a 2 week adventure packed visit in 2020. Euro-Jam – 2020 – Poland We have just started to hear about a European Jamboree in 2020, in Poland. We believe that this will be run along the lines of a World Scout Jamboree (with a UK national contingent being put together, similar to the 2019 WSJ). We understand that this will be open to 12-18 year olds, and will be aimed at 20,000 Scouts from Europe. To register interest please visit:
www.hampshirescouting.org.uk/international-opportunities-for-2020/
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
13
Fairtrade Fortnight
26th February to 11th March Fair trade fortnight is held every year in the last week of February and the first week of March to promote the concept of goods which carry the fair trade logo. Perhaps the best known fair traded products are bananas but there are many other food products which carry the fair trade label as well as handicrafts and even clothing. Whenever there is a discussion how Scouts can make a difference to families in developing countries in Africa, Central and South America, we should think of products which carry this logo. Their producers get a premium over and above what they would normally get when selling their products and they use these extra funds for many purposes such as buying food, paying for their children to go to school and buying seed with which to grow their crops. To celebrate fair trade fortnight why do you not undertake some activities to illustrate what we can do to help others? There are a variety of activities which you could undertake which have been uploaded to the Hampshire Scout website. These include blind tasting of fair trade and non fair traded products such as chocolate and wine (for adults!). A bigger challenge is to buy as many as fair traded products as possible and get each six or patrol to prepare one or two courses which they can share and enjoy with others. Rayner Mayer
14
March 2018
HSX
Calling all Explorer and Network Scouts
Interested in a long weekend of climbing, ghyll scrambling (Abseiling waterfalls and jumping and sliding into pools of water) and hiking in the Lake District? ( Here’s a video of last year!) Between Thursday 29th March -Monday 2nd April in the Easter Holidays Hampshire Scout Expeditions are running a trip to the Lake District. We will be staying at Great Tower Scout Activity Centre and will have an action-packed weekend full of activities. The fun kicks off leaving Ferny Crofts on Thursday 29th March from around 6pm. There will be pick up points at Winnal Tescos as well as Eastleigh train station, however please indicate on the form your preferred pick up point. During the course of the weekend, we will be staying in indoor accommodation at Great Tower Scout Activity Centre. (LA23 3PQ) The weekend will follow plans of hiking , climbing and Ghyll Scrambling. A great opportunity for both those new to mountaineering wanting their first experience outdoors climbing as well as those working towards qualifications to get log books filled up that extra bit. So the Cost: £120 including transport to, from and around The Lakes, food, accommodation and kit hire. For more info and booking please visit: hsx.org.uk/2018/01/sign-up-for-the-lakes-adventure-2018-is-open/ The Deadline to sign up is Wednesday 7th March
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
15
Day trip to France Pete ASL from the 3rd Portchester, organised a fun day trip to France. Here’s what he has to say about the day:
After a number of Scouts successfully made it to the Isle of Wight and back in a day, the next challenge was to see if we could make it any further and back in a day by sea. Living next door to an International Ferry Port opened up the shipping lane to a whole world of new possibilities, so the date (Sunday 13th August 2017) and destination was set (Cherbourg, France). To help prevent us from getting lost, we also invited our close neighbours 2nd Fareham Sea Scouts. In order not to miss our boat, we arrived at Portsmouth International Port soon after the sun rose and then our maiden voyage to the continent was in motion (for both groups). On the way to France we had the opportunity to learn some local phrases to assist us at our destination and also the opportunity to learn some sea navigation so we could assist the captain if he wasn’t sure which side of the channel to be on. While crossing the English
16
March 2018
Channel we ensured that we would look smart on our arrival and for many of us this meant sewing on the Union Badge to our uniform, so that people would know where we are from. For many Scouts waiting to eat until lunchtime was a challenge and this even resulted in chocolate ice cream ending up on the uniform of one Scout.
exploring we came back together to take part in an immersive experience where Captain Glass took us on an unforgettable trip to the ocean’s depths where we encountered whales and underwater volcanoes. Once we had surfaced, we watched the premier of a short documentary, as told by ourselves, on our journey through the ocean.
Once we cleared through security at Cherbourg this is where the real adventure started to occur. We first made our way to Cite De La Mer, where once inside we ate the remainder of our lunch (or for some Scouts wait around for others to start and finish their lunch) surrounded by various submarines.
We then had an opportunity to explore the remaining exhibits at Cite De La Mer before a short amount of time in the gift shop. Once all back together, we headed off into the heart of Cherbourg for the second part of our French experience. When we arrived at Place de Gaulle (Place du theater), we met up with our French hosts from 1st Cherbourg where our Scouts got a personal tour around this beautiful city by local Scouts, including being shown a larger statue of Napoleon.
After lunch we divided up into three mixed patrols and it was up to the Scouts where they wished to explore first. Some found their way into the cruise ship departure lounge and then on to various recreations of the Titanic, others exploring Europe’s deepest aquarium, while the last group made their way on to a decommissioned nuclear submarine. After about an hour of
Before departing France it was once again time for the Scouts to start thinking with their stomachs and they were offered the choice of various places to eat. Following Youth Shaped Scouting we followed the decision of our young people and we all tucked in
to a well deserved Subway. After walking further we made it back in time to catch the last shuttle to the our boat and, before we knew it, we were back on the open seas traveling back home to the UK. This gave us an opportunity to finish off some of the badge work that we started on the way out. While in the middle of the English Channel we got to see the sunset and we took this opportunity to welcome our newest Scout into her new family, where she was invested and we reaffirmed our friendship between both Troops. As we approached Portsmouth Harbour, our navigation skills were once again put to the test with some night time sea navigation. This was a unique experience for many of our Scouts to complete their first International Experience in Scouting and a large number of these Scouts have now successfully applied to be part of the next World Scout Jamboree or Project 19. Thank you so much for allowing myself and the other Leaders to share this experience with you.
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
17
HSX
Antarctica Challenge Badge
It is with great pleasure that we can announce the launch of the HSX Antarctica Challenge Badge this week. We have teamed up with Hampshire Scouts to bring young people closer to the expedition through a programme of adventures and challenges. Through the Badge, you will help us fulfil our mission of inspiring others to get outside, get active and find their ‘Everest’. Over the past few months we’ve been working with local groups and members of the County Management team to come up with suitable challenges for all groups, from beavers to cubs, scouts and explorers. There is something for everyone. We have also worked hard to incorporate other badges into our challenges, meaning completion of some of our challenges will count towards badges like My Adventure Badge for Beavers, World Challenge Award for Scouts & the International part of The Queen Scout Award. You must complete four challenges, plus the compulsory challenge to earn your HSX Antarctica Challenge Badge. For information please visit: www.hampshirescouting.org.uk/hsx-antartica-challenge-badge/ Badges are available for £1 each plus postage from: antarctica@hsx.org.uk
Share a photo of your troop taking part in any of your challenges with the team. Tweet or Facebook @hsxantarctica using #HSX2018 The BADGE! 18
March 2018
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
19
In January, 2nd Fareham Sea Scouts visited the Wessex Jamaat as part of their World Faiths Activity badge. They were greeted by the Iman, Sheikh Fazle Abbas, and some of the younger members of the community who attend the mosque’s Madrasah. The Scouts were given a tour of the site, before a group conversation took place that was mostly shaped by the questions they had submitted before the visit. Many different topics were covered during discussions, which included Ramadan and prayer. They also learned about the significance to the Muslim faith of various items around the mosque and took great interest in all the various requirements of the faith
along with the numerous similarities and few differences from Christianity. The visit was amazing, it was really interesting to see their place of worships and learn about how much their religious practices impact on their day to day life. By Jason Some of the leaders were given a special tour, which included the geothermal heating plant. This is used to heat the centre in an environmentally friendly way and is part of the centre’s ideal of the faith being stewards of the world. The visit finished with a discussion of the true meaning of ‘jihad’ or struggle which the Scouts found particularly intriguing
2nd Fareham Sea Scouts
World Faiths Activity Badge 20
March 2018
as they had embarked on their Personal Challenges the previous week. The hospitality that was shown to the troop was wonderful. The Scouts have extended an invitation the members of the Madrasah to join them in a future weekend activity with a view to returning the friendship and hospitality shown, to develop the contacts between the two groups and hopefully establish a longstanding connection between the Group and centre. I was intrigued to learn about another religion. I loved the calligraphy they used to depict their god as they aren’t allowed to draw or paint them. Amelia I really enjoyed this visit and felt very
welcome. I found myself learning so much. The mosque was really interesting learning how to take the prayers was a great experience. I am glad I got the opportunity to go and experience a different faith and to meet some lovely people. Oliver It was lovely because the people were kind and it was a nice place. I liked learning about praying and using the little clay discs and I liked that we got to have a go at praying. James At the Mosque it was very exciting as they welcomed us and showed us some interesting things. I didn’t like wearing the headscarf as it kept sliding off. By Emily
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
21
HAMPSHIRE SCOUT RIFLE CLUB
CLAY SHOOT
COMPETITION 2018 After popular demand last year we are running another clay shoot on Saturday 14th April 2018 starting at 10am. This is a 25 bird clay pigeon shoot with instructor’s there will be Three classes Junior Senior Adult with a trophy for top gun in each class and medals to 3rd place ( youngest shooter wins in the event of a tie ) THIS EVENT IS FOR SCOUT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS ONLY
14th April 2018
Tickets can be purchased from eventbrite links are available via www.hampshirescoutrifleclub.org.uk
Tickets £23.18
HAMPSHIRE SCOUT RIFLE CLUB
FIELD TARGET COMPETITION 2018
· Main Competition:- Field Target spinners Extras: · Snooker Competition
· Zero and Practice Range · Own Rifle Competition and Own Rifle Long Range Competition · (Safe) Plinking range · Junior, Senior and Adult categories open to Members of the Scout Association and their families
16th June 2018
Wallers Ash Gun Club, Alresford Drove, South Wonston, SO21 3HW
Tickets can be purchased from eventbrite links are available via www.hampshirescoutrifleclub.org.uk 22
March 2018
Tickets £10
ferny crofts fun days 28th & 29th April 2018
There will be a New Forest theme running throughout the weekend with lots of fun activities to partake in across the site. The event will be supported by The Forestry Commission and The New Forest National Park. The cost is ÂŁ12 per young person (not including camping, which can be arranged separately). Leaders can attend for free but will not be able to participate in activity sessions. Each day is open to all sections of Hampshire Scouts, on a first come first served basis.
To make a booking, please contact us on:
fernycrofts@fernycrofts.org.uk or 023 8084 5092
I’ll go no more a Rovering
2017 sees the Centenary of the Rover Scout movement and also 50 years since it was disbanded in the UK. It does however continue in other parts of the world and a Rover Moot (gathering) is held every four years somewhere in the world. The Heritage Team is trying to gather information and stories from those who served as Rover Scouts. The first person we have spoken to is Alan Seeley from Fareham who is now 91 years of age. Alan was a member of 2nd Edgware (St. Margaret’s) group in North London and became a Rover Scout with them at the age of 18. It was not long afterwards that he joined the Royal Navy and found himself down in Gosport at HMS St. Vincent and then in Aberdeen for basic training before joining HMS Collingwood for Radio training. Alan was part of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve or “Wavy Navy” as they were nicknamed due to wavy stripes on Officers sleeves rather than the straight stripes of the regulars. Members of the Royal and Merchant navy could be members of the Scout Association and were able to wear a leather wristband on their wrist with a metal Scout logo on it to show that they were “Deep Sea Scouts” and this section of Scouting continues to this day.
24
March 2018
It was not long before Alan found himself on the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious sailing round the tip of Africa and across to Australia where they arrived in Sydney. It was here that he joined the cruiser HMS Bermuda which was to be his home until he got back to the UK. It was also where Alan joined the Bermuda Deep Sea Scouts (DSS) before she sailed to Hong Kong. By now, the war had ended and the DSS used to go ashore and join in with activities the Hong Kong Scouts were involved with. About once a month the DSS produced a newspaper where members could submit articles for others to read. Alan still has some somewhere in his home but he cannot remember where. They had between 20 and 30 members on board in the crew some who had been scouts before they joined the ship. Bermuda also sailed to Korea and Tsing Dau in China to show the flag during this time.
Eventually, Bermuda returned to Portsmouth and Alan was signed off but not completely, because he was part of the reserve and when the Korean War began in 1950, he was recalled and sent to HMS Collingwood as an instructor and also as an officer. He remained there for three years. Although it was a shore base, Collingwood was officially a “ship” and as such has a DSS Rover Crew which Alan joined. One of the jobs Alan had while at Collingwood was to write training manuals and update some others to enable training to continue during peace time. For this he was awarded the OBE. Alan then moved into education which is what he was doing before being recalled for Korea. He was teaching at King Edward VI School in Southampton which at the time has its own Scout Troop. The troop is no longer going but the school is still there. He then moved to the Portsmouth Building School in Hilsea which later became the Technical High School, then City
Boys and now is Trafalgar School. While living in Portchester, he joined the 2nd Portchester Group and became eventually their Group Scout Master. His wife Joyce, whom he had first met while in Edgware, worked with the Wolf Cubs as they then were. When the group needed a new HQ, Alan designed the building and members of the group built it. Perhaps those of you who were Rover Scouts at one time would like to contact the Hampshire Heritage and tell us about what you did and where, so that we may add the articles to the section of the archive we are gradually building up on Rovering in the UK. Any pictures available to copy would be most helpful and will add to the interest of readers. Perhaps we will be able to have a display ready for the H0018 camp next August but to do that we need your help. Please contact Hampshire Scout Heritage if you have anything to share at: heritage@scouts-hants.org.uk
Hampshire’s
Big Jamboree
29th July to 4th August 2018
www.h0018.co.uk www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
25
Christmas Carol Service 2nd Ramalley, Chandlers Ford
Thank you to all the leaders, supporters and helpers in Chandlers Ford Scout District for their dedication and hard work in giving young people a positive scouting experience. Delightful photograph of the Cubs from the 2nd Ramalley at the District Carol Service. Carolyn Darbyshire MBE GSL 2nd Ramalley, Chandlers Ford District
Hampshire’s Largest Kit Store Camping Equipment Climbing Kit Winter Mountaineering Expeditioning Kit
Contact: matt.prince@hsx.org.uk for prices 26
March 2018
Upcycling
raises £500 for Basingstoke Gang Show
Our Christmas craft this year was to reclaim wooden pallets and turn them into Christmas trees. We auctioned these on the 14th December to raise funds for the Basingstoke Gang Show and raised a total of over £500 which is phenomenal. Inspired by an idea from Scout Leader Helen Wood, the Scouts at 1st Chineham were responsible for the cutting, nailing, painting and decorating with lights, bows and tinsel under the direction of Vicki Ellis and Tim Gibbons. The skills used will count towards their badge work. If other groups would like to run a similar craft session in the future, we would be happy to share the plans and lessons learned. As the photo shows, the “forest” of 16 trees (and one upcycled snowman) make a colourful sight. Parents and friends were treated to mince pies and cheese and biscuits before a very lively and amusing auction conducted by James Langham and Steve Wood with some very competitive bidding to secure some unique Christmas decorations.
www.basingstokegangshow.com www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
27
Reasons to join Swanmore Scout Group My name is Ava; I’m 14 years old and currently attend Swanmore Scout Group. I’m aiming to achieve my Chief Scout award this term. I will probably continue to come to scouts on a Monday evening until the end of the current academic year when I’d like to move up to Explorers. I’ve been attending scouts since year six. The other day, someone asked me why I liked going to Scouts. There are loads of reasons, but I thought I’d try to summarise what I really like about attending and what I think I’ve gained from my experiences with the group. I hope this will inspire other young people to join. 1. You learn social skills, and it helps you gain confidence so that you’re not afraid to speak out in front of a crowd or to let your ideas be heard. 2.
Not only do you gain friends, but you gain a family whom you can relate to and trust.
3.
Swanmore Scout Group provides many amazing opportunities, and a wide variety of activities to participate in such as camping; orienteering; water sports; hiking; woodworking; survival skills; cooking and many other fun things.
4.
The activities can give you the opportunity to overcome your fears. In my instance, I hated heights, and we went to Rock Up in Whitley one Monday evening. Being with the Scouts and my friends gave me the confidence to jump the “leap of faith” (which reached all the way up to the roof of the building!). After I had done it I felt great that I’d actually faced my fear and overcome it. I also manged to go gliding – which I was terrified of doing. Another fear beaten!
5.
If you chose to complete the whole Scout course then you could be awarded the Chief Scout award (which I’ve nearly achieved) this is a big achievement as it means you’ve learned loads and achieved lots of things: from first aid to me chanics; and from IT to canoeing. You can add your achievement to your CV, and you never know; it might help you to get into university or to get that job.
6. And finally, the leaders are amazing; helpful; understanding; reliable; and just down right hilarious! I’ve loved my time at Scouts and I’d like to say a big thank you to the leaders and helpers for giving up their time and giving me the opportunity to have so much fun and to learn so much. If anyone is not sure whether they should join Scouts I’d say give it a go. There is so much to be gained and I really can’t recommend it highly enough.
28
March 2018
Coming up! hampshire county calendar Friday, 2-4 March - County Youth Council Conference Saturday, 3-10 March - Act: HSMT Winter skills week Thursday, 8 March - DofE New Forest presentation evening Friday, 9 March - Act: HSMT Winter skills week - DofE Havant and Waterlooville - DofE presentation (inc. Fareham) Sunday, 11 March - AT: Module 10 (First Aid) Basingstoke East - AT: Modules 14 & 15 (Central Venue TBA) Tuesday, 13 March - AT: TMT meeting Thursday, 15 March - DofE East Hampshire DofE presentation Saturday, 17-18 March - AT: Residential Weekend (Ferny Crofts) Sunday 18 March - ALL: Leaders Rally Saturday, 24 March - AT: M10 (First Aid) Silchester - AT: Modules 12a &12b (Central - Venue TBA) Sunday, 25 March - AT: Module 10 (First Aid) Basingstoke East Thursday, 29 March - 2 April
- Net HSX Lakes Trip - Exp/Net IOW Revolution Monday, 2-6 April - QSA Open Gold / QSA training & practice Friday, 6 April - AT: Module 16 (Ferny Crofts - evening) Saturday, 7 April - Cty Act: HSMT Hillwalking & Climbing Experience and Training courses - AT: Module 38 (Ferny Crofts) Sunday, 8 April - Cty Act: HSMT Hillwalking & Climbing - Experience and Training courses - AT: Module 38 (Ferny Crofts) Tuesday, 10 April - QSA Queen’s Scout Award Certificate presentation Friday, 13-15 April - Pro-Badge weekend Saturday, 14 April - AT: L&M (Achieving Growth) Saturday, 14 April - AT: Module 8 (Hook) Sunday, 15 April - AT: L&M (Meeting the Challenges) - AT: Modules 11 & 19 (Cricket camp) Tuesday, 17 April - AT: Module 10 (First Aid) (Blackwater Valley) Saturday, 28-29 April - Ferny Crofts Fun Day (All sections)
www.hampshirescouts.org.uk
29
2018 COMPETITION
Could you be the next Champion? This competition will be the 4th Target Sprint hosted by 21st Romsey and Shackleton rifle clubs at the 21st Romsey Scout HQ in Nursling, Southampton. The competition is fast, fun and friendly and mixes 3 x 400m sprints with air rifle shooting at 10m. Open to all from age 11 upwards. Competition format: 400m run then shoot 5 targets, 400m run shoot 5 more targets 400m run to the finish line. Competition Date: Saturday 12th May 2018 Location: Peter Digby Scouting Centre Entry Cost:
Joe Bigwood Close, Nursling, Southampton SO16 0YL
£8.00 per entry via Eventbrite (Closing Date 31st March 2018)
http://targetsprintsouthampton2018.eventbrite.co.uk/?s=79375669
For the second year running this event is a British Shooting National Series Qualifying event. Winner is declared based on the fastest time recorded including penalties for the class, age category and gender. The competition will be based on multiple age groups and split into Scouting Member and Non Scouting (Open Class) entries to which Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places, A Scouting Team Trophy will also be awarded to the fastest combined times for 3 scouting member entrants (team members must be named prior to the start of the competition and must be linked to the same Scout Unit, Group, District or Scout Rifle Club).
www.targetsprint.org.uk 30
March 2018