Est. 1936
8th Darlington Scout Group 2018 XVII
LIAM PAPE
SURPRISE! WE ARE BACK! Welcome to issue 17 of 8th Mag. In this issue, our team of writers spanning Scouts, Seniors, and Rovers will give you all the goings-on and gossip from the 8th Darlington Scout group. We have columns, puzzles, features, and of course our hefty report taking you through summer camp 2018 day by day. This is actually the second summer camp I’ve been to this year. The first was with a Greenwich Cub group who, in June, had their annual camp in Downe, south London. The camps were very different. Not only is the southern group part of the Scouting Association (SA), but the age range was, of course, younger. When trying to describe the differences between the two styles of camping, it is hard to tell what is because of the SA and what is down to age.
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Regardless, the starkest difference was how both groups handled younger members making noise before 6am. The 8th dealt with this by Mark having a stern word with the campers in question to ensure they do not to the same again. Whereas the leaders in London decided that 5:30am would be a perfect time to get up and start on breakfast*. Who says southerners are soft? The second difference is inspection. Whereas the 8th line everyone up outside their kitchens, in full uniform to ensure personnel, tents, and equipment are up to scratch, the Londoners glance at the tents with an “it’ll be right” attitude. Another large difference was the noticeably fewer number of children I made cry with the 8th compared to down south. But that’s a recycled story for another time... *Needless to say, most Cubs were falling asleep again by 3pm.
Masthead 8th Mag’s editorial team and their favourite camp breakfast Liam Pape - Editor-in-Chief Just Cereal Ben Hewins - Copy Editor Eggy Bread and Bacon Grill Maddie Simpson - Senior Writer Eggy Bread and Bacon Grill James Simpson - Puzzles Editor Eggy Bread and Bacon Grill Poppy Milner - Hike Correspondent Pancakes Holly Barrigan - Columnist Pancakes Geoff - Columnist Eggy Bread and Bacon Grill Holly Carter - Contributing Writer Pancakes Fenn Barrigan - Contributor Bacon, probably Matthew Race - Contributor Endless amounts of Bacon
CONTENTS News and Views 4
The News
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The Views
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Rover Mate Your camping problems, solved!
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Holly Barrigan How the Seniors enjoyed summer camp Ben Hewins On defining the “frankly fabulous Rover crew”
Summer Camp
100 Years of Rovering Looking back at the last century through Rover eyes Maddie Simpson
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Saturday 21 July Setting up camp
Wednesday 25 July Washday Wednesday, Rover day out and Scout craft training
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Poster The Rover kitchen at PL’s choice Neil Duncan
Thursday 26 July North Lakes Wildlife Centre Holly Carter
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Friday 27 July Sports Day, PL’s Choice and campfire
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Saturday 28 July Dismantling camp
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From the Archive An extract from summer camp 1969
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Summer Camp 2018 Foreword Liam Pape
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Sunday 22 July Gadget building
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Monday 23 July Scout walk and Rover silliness Matthew Race and Fenn Barrigan
Features 12
Above: A Skip Beadle illustration from 1961 showing what might be an 8th Mag journalist on the right
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Tuesday 24 July Super Scout and Rover walk Poppy Milner, Matthew Race, and Fenn Barrigan
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news
the Scouting Shortfall...
Scouting Association partners with NCS
LAST APRIL, the Scout Association reported that they were short of some 17,000 volunteers, leaving over 50,000 children on waiting lists for sections. Could the shortage of helpers be something to do with the arduous amount of training required? Anyone involved in Scouting needs to study nine modules including ‘administration’ and ‘changes in Scouting’ - and that’s just for 'section supporters’. To become a fully fledged leader, recruits need to take modules entitled ‘International’, ‘Working with Adults’ and ‘Tools for the Role’, plus another 20 modules, all of which must be completed within three years of signing up. If only Baden Powell knew of the shortfall his youth organisation would face, maybe a more fitting name for it would be Scouting for Leaders…
IN JULY 2017, the Scout Association partnered with the National Citizen Service. This was with the goal of supporting the growth of both organisations and “to improve outcomes for young people across England.” This summer, the ‘research’ phase of that partnership began. Exactly what this entails is unclear however the SA say there will be a team speaking to Scout volunteers and young people, delivery partners, and staff. Specifics about the research and conclusions will be published in due course - it is unclear whether this will be in the form of a 26 minute video with Harry Carvey moulding an altar-fire to the soundtrack of Ghost.
New Fleur-De-Lis more of Fleur-De-miss OUR FELLOW brothers and sisters in the Scout Association have recently redesigned their logo. According to The Telegraph, the old fleur-de-lis was “old-fashioned and meant little to a modern audience.” Thankfully, 8th Mag can happily report that the new logo is not only funky but it unabashedly means a lot to a modern audience (not). The design agency behind the redesign, NotOnSunday, said the new icon is “immediately recognisable, and more usable in print, fabric and digital.” They went on to say they have worked with the Scout Association to “create a series of brand templates” and “extensive guidelines” because the only thing better than a new logo is a dogmatic rulebook declaring how you can and can’t use said logo.
How much the Scout Association spent on the redesign is unknown, however they will undoubtedly make their money back through the flogging of new Scout shirt, badges, and tote bags displaying the logo. The emblem keeps with the modern trend of efficiency and recycling as once a Scout is finished using the new logo, they can take it into their tent and hang their Scout shirt on it so it doesn’t become creased. Rumour has it, the SA’s new fleurde-lis is hinting at what a future Scouting mascot might be because if you turn the new emblem upsidedown, it quite clearly looks like a bowling pin with arms. The truth is out there... Above: The Scout Association’s new official logo. We would compare it with the 8th’s but we don’t actually have one.
views
the
ON LEADER Name: Erika Dodd
Years as a leader: 18
Section: Scouts
Favourite knot: Easy, sheet bend, closely followed by fisherman’s knot Favourite campsite: It’s got to be Kings Meaburn, the river is lovely Favourite camp meal: Thai chilli mince Favourite PL’s choice costume you’ve ever done: I think probably this year’s Chicken Supremes with Julie carter, it's good to do a double act... or it could be when we all did Snow White and the seven dwarfs (Mark was Snow White, if it was before your time) Favourite camp memory? Too many... It could be the stalker badge at Hexham 2014 when the Scouts got all camo painted up and thought it made them invisible.
“Scouts stage protest over washing in river” We’re revolting!
We know. We can smell you from here...
Any marquee gossip? Loads... usually about random stuff that can only be discussed at camp.... What happens in the marquee, stays in the marquee thank you.
1 DOWN - Wood and sisal kitchen helpers (7) 2 DOWN - Kitchen leader makes the decisions for tea(3,6) 3 ACROSS - Stand around on a morning (4,4) 4 ACROSS - Male leader’s sleeping tent (4,4) 4 DOWN - Bringing your cooking level up (5,4) 5 DOWN -Summer camp snack provider (4,4)
6 ACROSS - Nordic name of largest patrol tent (9) 7 DOWN - Where the ash goes on a morning (3,3) 8 ACROSS - It’s not string (5) 9 ACROSS - It’s burning, draw nearer (8)
Solution on back page
MATTHEW CURREY
DEAR ROVER MATE… Your camping problems… solved!
Dear Rover Mate, Help! I’m afraid of a fellow Rover. He keeps saying that he isn’t scary but he really is! What should I do? Yours truly,
shake them off? (No euphemism intended) Yours truly, Name Withheld
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Manny Gurlies This is a common issue both inside the Scouts and in life. I would recommend imagining them in something absolutely ridiculous so that they may never appear intimidating again. If you can picture this person wearing a pair of women’s tights on their head with a fat suit on, I’m sure your fear will ebb away. ———————— Dear Rover Mate, Whenever I want to make a visit to the bog at camp, another two Scouts follow me in. What should I do to 6
Don’t stress it, I’m missing the Rover Camp to go to Rome and I haven’t shut up about it yet.
Although the intended purpose of RAID is to ward off pesky insects, I’m sure it will have the desired affect on the rest of the poo pals. Simply borrow a can from the marquee next time you need to go. ———————— Ciao Rover Mate! I am currently in Italy - or as the locals say, Italia - so I will be sadly missing summer camp this year. Do you have any advice on how to make my Italian holiday feel more like camp? By the way, did I mention I am in Italy? Johnthany Newtano
Dear Rover Mate, My fellow Senior keeps having visions of killing her friend and I am worried about sharing a tent with her. What should I do to ensure I’m not smothered in my sleep and my body dumped in the wet pit? Yours truly. HC Often in situations like this we should fight fire with fire and fear with fear. Is there anything you could do that world make them uncomfortable? Just like with vampires and garlic, hang bags of sick
Opposite: Rovers sit around the campfire at December camp at Archdeacon Newton
around you whilst you sleep, as to ward off this diabolical character.
Tuck Shop Challenge Using the total cost of the top three selections, work out how much each individual item is then work out the total cost of the bottom collection. Solution on back page.
———————— Dear Rover Mate, Visiting a farm earlier this year with my friends, I couldn’t help but wander into a large cowshed where I saw a farmer and a woman who was presumably his wife. The lady - I think her name was Nelly - was violently kicked in the belly by one of the cows when trying to milk it. However, instead of helping the woman who looked in agony at the strike to her stomach, the farmer insisted that “it would do no harm” so all of my friends persisted to kick Nelly in the belly in the barn. I thought this truly despicable behaviour, but my friends have been chanting and singing about it ever since. Have these actions now become socially acceptable? Yours truly, John Brown One of scouting’s issues in recent years has been its inability to change with the times, often begging the question “is scouting relevant for the modern age” (addressed in The Camp 3). My advice would simply to be to accept this for what it is and acknowledge this is a tradition from an earlier time. It is often the strong history of the Scouts that still makes it the relevant and thriving institution it is today. Either that or get Maddie to start a petition to change it. They work apparently... ———————— Dear Rover Mate, I’ve had a look at the menu for summer camp this year and it consists of bacon sandwiches, bacon and egg, eggy bread and bacon, fried bread and bacon, bacon grill, and pancakes (with optional bacon). Do you
have alternative breakfast suggestions I can put before the leaders? Yours truly,
romance alive whilst camping? Yours truly, Names Withheld
Mrs Eve Ryone Although the nature of camp suggests otherwise, it may actually be possible to have a camp breakfast without bacon. For instance, after camp I managed to recreate eggy bread with just eggs, milk, bread, salt and pepper!? I used no bacon in the recipe! Alternatives like cereal are also available. ———————— Dear Rover Mate, Me and my partner will both be attending summer camp. Can I please have some advice on how to keep the
Rover Mates are often inexperienced with the concept of two Scouts in a relationship, as they’re usually entirely fictional and serve only to mock the lovers. In your instance however, there are some clear no go’s. For example, relationship questionnaires in The Times may act as a fatal hurdle in making it to the end of summer camp intact. I would perhaps recommend using the time shopping for PL’s choice to slip away and get coffee together or use the day out on Tuesday to have a romantic meal together in a gift shop. 7
HOLLY BARRIGAN
THE SENIORS’ WEEK BEING A SENIOR at summer camp 2018 was very different to previous years. Despite the two attending Seniors being frankly amazing, we would have struggled with our own kitchen. Therefore, Holly C and myself had to alternate between the two Scout kitchens throughout the week. At first, finding out we would have to be with the Scouts all week was a bit disappointing as we didn’t know many of those attending and we had been looking forward to a having our own kitchen. However, after just a few hours our opinion had changed, and we became excited for the week ahead. Within the Scout kitchens, we took an advisory role and assisted the PLs in organising meals and assign8
ing job roles. However, it also meant that we had to act as role models for the younger Scouts – especially those who were attending their first camp. Often this included demonstrating how to perform certain tasks and helping building gadgets on Sunday. I found that joining in with wood collecting, cooking and washing up was quite rewarding. With wood collecting, we were able to show the less experienced Scouts the amount and type of wood needed. This hopefully helped reduce the stress on the patrol leaders as an improvement in the wood collected was seen as the week progressed. By the end of the week, the Scouts were wood collecting by their own accord and fires were being lit faster, conse-
quently improving efficiency. Fenn, a patrol leader, was grateful for the Senior’s assistance and he was “surprised at how much (he) enjoyed the Seniors’ company and help through week.” Usually, the Seniors have a preplanned hike they have to do. However, as there were only two of us, we were able to choose the hike we went on: The Scout hike or the Rover one. This scenario helped decipher which Holly was lazy and which one wasn’t, if people were previously unsure. Holly Carter chose to go on the Rover hike, leaving me (the lazier Senior) at camp to help with the annual Super Scout. As I was no longer a
Opposite: Holly C and Holly B with a large lemur
Scout, I could not participate in the competition (which is a good thing as I would have lost by miles anyway) therefore, I just helped the leaders with running activities such as the quiz and crossbow shooting! Being a Senior at the X-Fire was also great as we didn’t have to sit on a ground sheet like we had to when we were in Scouts – we sat on a bench. A privilege! The lack of available Seniors made PL’s choice unusual too. It resulted in the Seniors splitting up (one in each kitchen) for this meal, the brains went in Matthew’s kitchen, but the personality went in Fenn’s. We aided meal choices, invitation writing and the shopping itself. From my experience, it’s fair to say that without the Seniors, half of the food items would have not been bought and the meal on Friday night would have been non-existent. That being said, if it had not been for the combined savvy of Matthew and Jack plus some extreme luck, the ‘intelligent’ Senior would have lost an entire bag of food, leaving one kitchen with only a starter of melons. Despite this little mishap, I found the evening unusually relaxing. Even though we were running between kitchens trying to speed up cooking and cleaning, it was nice to know that our presence was appreciated by the Scouts and if, for some strange reason, the food turned out to be horrible, we didn’t have to take the blame. Thankfully the food turned out fine. Although a two-man Senior team would have been sure champions of the volleyball tournament, it was better to save the other teams from extreme embarrassment. Instead, we joined the Scout teams and to
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earn valuable points from our serves, digs and pancakes. Holly and I found transferring between the two Scout teams quite hard as it
We sat on a bench. A privilege! felt like nonstop volley balling, which is extremely exhausting! However, it was necessary to keep up team moral and, as cheerful Seniors, it was our job to do just that. Personally, the best part of being a Senior this summer camp was being able to spend time with both the
Scouts and the Rovers (morons). Although at previous camps, Seniors had done this, it wasn’t as prevalent. I think this change was due to the fact that there were so few Seniors. This meant that we did more activities with the Scouts (such as the Scout hike on Monday, Super Scout and PL’s choice) and we spent more time in the Rover’s food shelter as we didn’t have our own. This definitely helped us to build life-long friendships with Scouts that we hadn’t even met before - and to annoy the Rovers as much as we possibly could. Because of this, I can firmly say that I enjoyed this summer camp hugely and would not change it for the world. 9
BEN HEWINS
WHO AND WHAT ARE THE ROVERS? UPON VISITING the headquarters in Cockerton have you ever looked at the sign above the door and wondered what each section does? Probably not. Regardless, I am going to explain what one of those sections does. The Rover crew is for people aged 18 -24, however once a Rover is invested, they remain one for as long as they are involved in our group (whether that be in the role of a leader or in the committee). Before their investiture, a Rover must spend at least a year as a Squire. In this time, a Squire will learn the values of the crew, attend our week10
ly meetings as well as events and trips that we plan, and help out in another section of the 8th. There are currently dozens of invested mem-
“the frankly fabulous Rover crew� bers, ranging from leaders such as Alec and Mark who have been in the group for many decades, to Poppy and Maddie who were only invested a few weeks ago at summer camp. That is a brief background as to who
we are, so what exactly is our role within the group? I feel that a fitting place to start with this is with the motto for the Rover crew: Service. The most important part of being in the crew is recognising this and acting upon that all important motto. This means that every Rover must do their best to give back to the group that has supported them and helped them develop. Rovers are often involved in Cubs and Beavers, helping leaders with games and badge work, and thus passing all the values taught to them earlier in their
Opposite: Rovers James, Liam, Maverick, and Poppy at Whitby Right: Maverick, James, and Ben engage in a seemingly one-sided water fight at summer camp scouting careers onto the next generation. It is not all about aiding the development of the younger members though, because over the summer when most members of the Rover crew are back from university, we plan events and trips such as a recent cultural excursion to the Black Sheep Brewery where the group learnt how to brew beer. Also, at summer camp we visited Rookin House Activity Centre to have a go at the nauseating but brilliant human bowling, and karting. (Side note: I won every single race I participated in‌ Just thought that was relevant.)
Identify the Knot Draw lines to match the name with the knot. Solution on back page.
We also plan our own camps; for the last two years we have had a weekend camp just before Christmas at Archdeacon Newton, and we are hoping to have one this summer before the crew members go back to university. We use all of these events to catch up with each other as we are a very close group despite the relatively large differences in age between members like myself, who are 22, and members like Geoff and Holly C who have recently turned 18. It means that the Rover Crew feels like a big, if a little dysfunctional, family. For this reason, some of the happiest and best memories I have of my time in the group have come in the last four years and that speaks volumes considering I have been a member since the age of seven.
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MADDIE SIMPSON
As the movement celebrates their centenary, we reflect on the 8th’s Rovering journey
A reconstructed photograph taken in 1974 showing a typical camp of the 1940-44 period at Low Moor Farm
Right top: A visit to Bamburgh Castle at Embleton Camp 1931 Right bottom: The 1936 group photo. Notice lots of older faces? The group was rather top heavy at the time with 24 Seniors and Rovers in total. Leslie Williamson (the first Rover Mate) is pictured fourth from the right on the second row back.
IN 2018, ROVERS will be celebrating one hundred years of existence. The Rover Crew is ‘a section of the movement which started in 1918 to cater for older chaps’ between the years of 18-25. After looking through old log books, meeting minutes, and ‘60 years with the 8th’, it is fair to say that Rovers beginning was a significant moment in the history of the 8th Darlington
started in 1918 to cater for older chaps Scout Group. Moreover, it is a section that continues to grow and develop to this day. Although Rovers as a national movement started in 1918, the earliest documented records of a Rover crew within the 8th start in 1921, when it is said that members of the group who were over the age of 18 were made Patrol Leaders in the Scout troop. The Rovers at the time were older Scouts who were still passionate about being involved in the group but were not yet old enough to become full leaders. It is written in Court of Honour minutes from July 1921 that ‘as none of the 13
Left: A book of Court of Honour minutes from October 1951
Rover Officers feel able to spare time for special attention to the Rovers, we decided not to extend the Rover patrol at present.’ This seems to suggest members were still enthusiastic about continuing to learn new skills within a Scouting environment, however they felt it was more appropriate for them to run a Patrol and look after the younger members of the group rather than continue with the expansion of their own section. In 1926, Leslie Williamson was classed as a ‘Senior’ Scout, but was still a Patrol Leader for new members of the troop at camps – his age: 22 years old! It soon became evident that older members of the group needed to form their own crew officially. ‘Several of the older Scouts wished to form a Rover Patrol with Leslie Williamson as “Rover Mate”.’ The Rover Mate was an elected position and essentially fulfilled the duties of a Rover leader.
It soon became evident that older members of the group needed to form their own crew officially. 14
As war broke out in Europe, many of the older members of the group were sent off to fight. A Rover, Gordon Todd Anderson was the Third Radio Officer on S.S. Empire Crossbill, Merchant Navy, who died on 11th of September 1941, aged 18. He is remembered with honour at the Tower Hill Memorial in London. The Empire Crossbill was a steam merchant ship which was sunk by torpedoes fired by a German U-boat causing the death of everyone on board. Another member of the Rover crew was William Barnett Richardson, who was the ‘Leading Writer’ on H.M.S Indomitable. He died
Above: A Rover Hike in Weardale, 1950 A.R.S.L. John Beadle with Eric Easthill and Norman Brown
on 12th of August 1942 at age 23. He is remembered with Honour on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Richardson was on a boat that, again, was torpedoed by the enemy. It goes without saying that the dynamic of the Rover crew during the war was affected, as many of the members were away fighting and not attending meetings. However, letters were sent back to England to keep the remaining members updated.
many of the members were away fighting
Once the war had ended, the Rover Crew could begin to establish itself again as an institution for older members of the group and they did this by organising weekly meetings. From 1950 and beyond, the Rover crew began to make some changes. For example, it is noted that ‘the Rover mate
took the chair’ and lectures and political debates even took place! I can speak from the perspective of a current member of the Rover crew that these sorts of conversations are not a regular occurrence anymore! The Rover mate became a very important figure within the Rover crew at this point, as he was able to appoint new Rovers. In 1951, Ken Robinson was the Rover mate, and he was given a treasurer’s report every week that had to be read out to the whole crew. At a Court of Honour meeting in November 1951, ‘the question of the expansion of the crew was raised and it was stated, by the Assistant Rover Scout Leader (A.R.S.L) that three and a probable fourth Senior Scout would be eligible to join the crew.’ Although this shows that the 8th Rover crew continued to grow, Rovers membership nationally peaked in the mid1940s. 15
Camping has always been a large part of the 8th, and many of the places that were visited by the first Rover members are still visited by the group today. For example, in 1952, Rover Ronald Lilly camped near Ullswater, which the current Rover crew did a hike around when camping in Kings Meaburn in 2018. Rover archives begin to lack between the years of 1953-1980, but members did continue to meet on a regular basis and were still very much involved in Scouting. Russ Wilkinson was the Rover Leader in the 1980s. As numbers were growing, Russ thought it was important to separate the Seniors and Rovers from 1 February 1980 ‘in order that both sections stand on their own feet.’ The Rovers still played a prominent part of the group during this era, as demonstrated at the 29th Garden Fete, when four of the Rovers set up on the Friday and stayed overnight to look after the kit – now that’s dedication! However, a problem facing the Rov-
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er crew in the 1980s was the increasing number of people pursuing further education, with Skip noting in many log books the turnout at meetings was ‘good but hampered by four at university .’ Rovers needed to adapt and it is a good thing they did as if you look at the current Rovers, six of the nine members will be going away to university this September.
Russ thought it was important to separate the Seniors and Rovers
In 1981, Skip writes, ‘the Rover crew - again the most difficult section to run, the Crew Badge Scheme taking up too much time for the average Rover to look at - especially as he is at university as some are. I have to review the crew programme.’ Rover badges are still given to show appreciation for service to the 8th. For example, in 2018, Rovers Liam Pape, Maddie Simpson and Poppy Milner received their Service Star for their help with younger sections,
Below: The 8th in Patterdale in 1925
Below: The Rovers today, pictured in 2015. (Top row: Harry, Neil, Alec, Mark, Ben | Bottom row: Maverick, James, Poppy, Maddie, Liam)
and Rovers Ben Hewins, James Simpson and Harry Carvey received the Rover Instructor badge for being able to teach a Cub or Beaver badge to the section.
female members could now wear trousers - how very modern!
Throughout the rest of the 1980s and 1990s, the Rover crew continued to run smoothly. In 2000, a decision was made that stated female members could now wear trousers how very modern! And that brings us pretty much to present day. Currently, there are six fully invested Rovers: Harry Carvey, Ben Hewins, James Simpson, Liam Pape, Matthew Hill (Maverick), Poppy Milner and Maddie Simpson, and two Rover Squires (not yet invested Rovers): Matthew Currey (Geoff) and Holly Carter. We meet every Thursday from 9pm in the Scout HQ, and discuss a variety of topics, as well as helping at the younger sections throughout the week. The Rover crew is bigger than it has been in over a decade, and I hope that it continues to thrive in the years to follow.
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Summer Camp 2018 Kings Meaburn, Cumbria PHOTOGRAPHY BY NEIL DUNCAN, JAMES SIMPSON, LIAM PAPE, JULIE CARTER AND BEN HEWINS
Above: Scouts, Seniors, Rovers, and leaders pose for a photograph before setting off to Kings Meaburn
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SUMMER CAMP is undoubtedly the highlight of the camping year and the camp which all Scouts, Seniors, Rovers, and leaders look forward to the most. The week is packed full of hikes, training, trips, and activities. However, it is also the most testing camp – especially for Scouts. It is their opportunity to put into practise everything they learn on a Thursday night at the Den and expand on their camping knowledge that they have picked up at weekend camps. The Patrol Leaders
need to be on their toes constantly as their ability to lead, educate, and maintain camp standards is tested on daily basis during inspection, where points are awarded. At the end of the week, the patrol with the most points wins the prestigious camp trophy.
21 SATJUL
THIS YEAR, summer camp was at Kings Meaburn near Appleby-inWestmoreland. It is a site that the 8th visits regularly and it has a special connection to the group as it was the location of the first summer camp in 1956 and where the alumni camp for ex-members took place in 2015.
Map of Camp (not to any kind of scale)
Everyone met at the headquarters at 9am to pack the vans full of equipment and take the annual photograph. Let the history books know that a group selfie was taken for the first time this year! Everyone then piled into cars and the minibus (kindly on loan from the 7th Darlington Sea Scouts) and departed for Kings Meaburn.
James inelegantly slipped out of one of the flaps 9
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Key 1 - Marquee 2 - Leader Tents 3 - Scout Food Shelter 4 - Rover Food Shelter 5 - Scout Patrol Tent 6 - Senior Patrol Tent 7 - Rover Patrol Tent 8 - Flagpole 9 - Games Area 10 - Volleyball Area
On arrival at Kings Meaburn, one Rover kitchen and two Scout kitchens were erected. Fenn Barrigan was the PL of the Otters and Matthew Race the PL of the Swifts. The rest of the morning and much of the afternoon was spent digging pits in the noticeably uneven ground, setting up kitchens whilst trying to avoid large divots, and pitching tents – which took Fenn’s patrol multiple attempts to align their tent with the rest of the site. Meanwhile, opposite, the leaders and Rovers were proving themselves to be children by racing each other through the large vents on the side of the male leaders’ army tent. “Ah, the miracle of childbirth” chuckled Tom as James inelegantly slipped out of one of the flaps. 19
The Last Supper (Stood - Tom, Erika, Harry, James, Geoff, Poppy | Sat - Maddie, Ben, Maverick, Liam)
Saturday was rounded off with a game of rounders. Even though the teams were supposed to have been split fairly with tall and short people on both teams, many remarked at how uneven they seemed. There was a brief interval three quarters of the way through the game as
Harry lost the ball in the long grass and everyone tried to find it – unsuccessfully. The shot of the game went to Geoff who managed to bounce the ball off the top of one of the electricity lines that pass over the field.
Watch leaders racing through tent vents: www.youtube.com/ 8thDarlingtonScouts
22 SUNJUL ON SUNDAY morning, everyone in camp was awoken by either the girl Scouts chatting too loudly in their tent, or Mark shouting at the girl Scouts for chatting too loudly in their tent. Unfortunately, due to little sleep caused by the rowdiness, Mark misjudged which tent the noise was coming from and proceeded to ball at the girl Seniors instead. Thankfully, Alec was there to correct him, so Mark did eventually tell off the culprits.
The early rise on Sunday morning at camp came as both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it meant that there was plenty of time that morning to get fires lit, listen to a seaside themed prayer at flag break, cook breakfast, and conduct a thorough inspection. On the other hand, it meant most campers were about ready for bed again at about 9:30am.
brainstorming ideas on a flipchart at the altar. The question was, “How does volunteering make you feel?” Answers produced by members of the 8th included ‘proud’, ‘successful’, and ‘it gives me headaches.’
Campers who were expecting an opportunity to quietly doze on God’s shoulder that morning were disappointed as, half way through the Just after 10am, service, some actcampers headed ing was required. up the hill to the Half of the group Methodist chapel were made Jews in Kings Mea(not literally… burn. The sermon that would be covered two large painful) and the themes: why peoother half GenGeoff observing Harry at work ple should voluntiles. They were teer and the key to happiness. The told of how Jesus united them, so service started with the minister everybody needed to get up off their 22
Above: Holly, Maddie and Holly make the altar-fire
pew and shake hands with someone on the other side of the aisle. Shortly after, the people sat on the end of the rows were instructed to build a roof with their arms, with the two ministers in the room acting as the supporting cornerstones. The second half of the service focussed on the pursuit of happiness. The minister admitted she did a quick Google search of Scouts that morning, knowing that the 8th were visiting, and she drew the congregation’s attention to some of the Scout laws that seemed appropriate. She then shared the answers that everyone seeks in life: how to be happy. Apparently, everyone needs a purpose, friends and family, and a way
of giving back to the community. Simple, ey? Neil disagreed but the minister insisted that those who give back by being a part of scouting in their younger years tend to be happier when they reach old age. With plenty to mull over, everyone returned to camp to cook hot dogs for lunch. The rest of Sunday afternoon was filled with wood collecting and gadget building. At one end of the field, the Rovers managed to pioneer a corner unit with a table and washing up bowl holder – complete with drying rack and even plumbing to take dirty water straight into the wet pit! At the other end of the field, the Swifts did not even manage to build a table with four legs. Instead, the bread tray relied on being carefully balanced on one of the uneven wooden stumps. Later that day, a letter was delivered from Mark to Holly2, apologising for shouting at them by accident that morning. 8th Mag saw the note, which read: “Please accept my sincere apologies for my behaviour this morning. I was totally in
When is a ford not a ford? When the environmental agency runs out of money to maintain it. The ford north of the woods, is a ford no more. Locals told members of the group that weeks after the alumni camp in August 2015, storm Desmond hit the area and destroyed it. Months later, work commenced to restore the ford to a working condition but whilst this was happening, an invasive species of crayfish was discovered in the water which needed to be wiped out, so work ceased. Fast forward to early 2018, it was unclear whether the crayfish still occupied the water; but that fact was rendered irrelevant anyway as the environment agency had ran out of money for the project. At summer camp, it was clear that a ford used to be there, obviously, as the road now runs straight into the river and vanishes. However the footbridge remained, meaning Scouts could still access the trees beyond the campsite where they have been known to wood collect before. the wrong for shouting and balling at you through the tent door. You have shown great character by accepting my pathetic verbal apology this morning. Your humble servant, Mark.” Sunday afternoon saw many visitors
shelter and played with bubbles. As Liam blew them, Holly C slid from left to right on the bench trying to avoid them. “Holly tries avoiding them like Neil avoids happiness” one Rover remarked. That evening, Christine, Tom and Harry went to do ‘some tap dancing i n
everyone needs a purpose, friends and family, and a way of giving back to camp. The Papes came to visit, along with the Coats, who brought with them ‘the group’s youngest member’, Leonard. After a tea of Thai chilli mince and rice, the Rovers sat in their food
the river.’ Wading through the Lyvennet from where the ford used to be back along to camp, their attempts at dancing were not as impressive as they would have hoped. “You can’t do star jumps in water,” Christine reflected.
23 MONJUL Scout Hike by Matthew Race and Fenn Barrigan SCOUTS woke, washed, woodcollected and wolfed down a breakfast of bacon sandwiches on Monday morning before piling into the minibus and heading to Pooley Bridge for their hike. En route, they sung all types of music all the way there. The hike itself began with getting the steamer across Ullswater from Pooley Bridge to Howtown. Then walking back to Pooley Bridge through the beautiful fells, past Aik Beck, past Elder Beck, and stopping at The Cockpit Stone Circle. The Cockpit dates back to the Bronze Age and many Scouts described it as “a mini Stonehenge.” Like Stonehenge, the history of The Cockpit is unknown and historians to this day still make hypotheses about how the stones came to be laid there. As has became the norm on Scout hikes, the packed lunches were one of the main highlights of the day. Luke had almonds, and the Scouts amused themselves afterwards by trying to lob their cans into a bin. There was a lot of walking on the hike (unsurprisingly) but a lot of bantz also. Scouts talked to Scouts that they had not had a proper conversation with before. They also help reunite a lamb with her mother. They also saw a dead sheep but cannot imagine the two were related. On return to camp, Matthew summarised the hike in a concise way. “It was alright. It rained. Nobody fell over, but Fenn forgot his raincoat like an idiot.” Fenn admitted leaving his coat in camp was a grave error - especially when mid-way through the walk it tipped it down. 24
Jaffa Cake Challenge Results Ranked best to worst Belmont Biscuits at Aldi (score: 118) Tesco own brand (score: 108) McVitie’s (score: 102) Marks and Spencer (score: 90) Euro Shopper (score: 90) Morrisons Savers (score: 86) Sainsbury’s Minis (score: 82) Happy Shopper (score: 48) Aldi Everyday Essentials (score: 36) Meanwhile, the Rovers and Senior who remained at camp were working through their to-do list which comprised of erecting a huge flag, wood collecting for the Scout patrols, digging a firepit for campfire, and conducting inspection. It was not long before they got distracted and thought it might be a funny idea to plonk Harry’s car inside the marquee for a laugh. So began the Rover’s day of eating. They had their first lunch of sandwiches, crisps and biscuits at mid-
day whilst James and Neil were out shopping, only to find out that Neil was buying fish fingers. So, the second course of their lunch came at about 1pm. Throughout the afternoon, Harry cooked various parts of a Sunday dinner in the ovens that had been dug around the kitchen. A joint of beef was slow-cooked in the Hawaiian oven along with roast potatoes and vegetables. Harry also practised making Yorkshire puddings in the regular oven. The first few attempts were poor and resulted in either the lard catching fire instantaneously or the anti-stick resin on the tray peeling off. However, in the end they were not too shabby. The official review from Geoff was, “Mine’s quite tasty” whereas Harry modestly admitted, “I’ve had a worse Yorkshire pudding.” For tea there were barbecued burgers and sausages and for once there was not a copious amount of food left over. Finally, to top off the Rover’s six course banquet, Christine had brought nine different brands of Jaffa-Cakes to do the ‘Jaffa-Cake challenge’ whereby leaders would blind taste test each and then rate them to find out which is best. When discussing this a day earlier, Lynne had suggested quartering the Jaffa-Cakes. The rest of the leaders reacted to this ludicrous suggestion by laughing her out of the marquee. The ranking methodology took various forms from leader to leader. Tom wrote a short review for each one before coming to his final decision whilst Mark scoffed all nine before ranking them all in a seemingly arbitrary way. In the end, it
You can watch Harry attempting to make Yorkshire puddings: www.youtube.com/ 8thDarlingtonScouts was the Belmont Biscuits from Aldi which ranked first place with a whopping 118 points. These were described by Christine as, “Aldi ones that are trying to be posh.” The original McVitie's Jaffa Cakes came in third. On Monday evening, will full stomachs, the Rovers organised a game of Relievo. First, they had a practise game so it gave them more time to remember all of the rules. Then, they played a proper game. However, it was not long before the majority of the Rovers could not help but feel like they were missing out on the fun so insisted that there should be a Scouts versus Rovers game (to Maddie’s dismay). The Rovers started by hiding - not very well admittedly. It was not long before all of
the Rovers had been rounded up and put in the jail by the long-legged likes of Fenn and Blake. When it was the Scout’s turn to hide, the Rovers thought they had it easy at first. They quickly found the lazy Scouts who assumed it cunning to hide behind the marquee or in plain sight. Within ten minutes, all but two of the Scouts had been put in jail, however Toby and Lucy were nowhere to be seen. James went to sweep around the river again whilst Liam walked up the road to ensure they had not left the boundary. Still, they were nowhere to be found.
“Nobody fell over” Mark called “five minutes remaining”, causing the Scouts in jail to yell for one of their team mates to make an appearance and free them. But still nothing. With less than one minute to go, Toby made a dash for it. He had been hiding on the river bank behind the
Top left (clockwise): Harry burning Yorkshire puddings, the mega-flag, Geoff in a laybag, the Scouts mooching about in their kitchen boy’s toilets. He was immediately caught but ultimately that did not matter; when the game ended Lucy was still hiding which meant that the Scouts had won. (For future players of the game at Kings Meaburn, remember to check around the bridge at the end of the field). Sweaty and exhausted, the Scouts dawdled back to their tents and reflected on the game. Toby confidently declared that Liam had walked right by him when he caught Jack, and Geoff had looked straight at him. Geoff rebuked that he is blind without his glasses. That evening, Holly Barragan proved again how normal she is by reading Maddie and Poppy’s futures through onion skins. 25
The Hikes
Pooley Bridge
The Cockpit
(not to any kind of scale or orientation)
Howtown Watermillock
Key Road Water Scout Steamer Journey Scout Hike Martindale Ullswater
Rover Hike
Dale Head
Place Fell
Glenridding Patterdale 26
Rover Steamer Journey
Left: Harry at Silver Point
24 TUEJUL
Rover Hike by Poppy Milner ON TUESDAY morning, the campers awoke to rain. The Rovers had planned a hike up Helvellyn that day but due to the weather conditions, a last-minute alternative hike was drawn up. They decided to do a similar walk to the one the Scouts had done a day earlier with the Ullswater steamer, but instead of getting off at Howtown and walking back to Pooley Bridge, they would stay on the steamer until it completed its journey to Glenridding and follow the path around the edge of the lake to finish. Alec kindly drove them to Pooley Bridge after a breakfast of bacon sandwiches. The journey on the steamer was wet, but there were still good views of the lake and its surrounding area. The Rovers disembarked at Glenridding and walked on the road until Patterdale, where the footpath around the lake properly began. The weather improved as the hike went on, and by the time the Rovers decided to stop for lunch the sky was
Below: Holly C, Maddie and Poppy near Place Fell
For lunch, the Rovers strayed slightly off the path to a little hill that protruded into the lake. From here they could see a couple of small islands that they had passed on the steamer earlier, and some boat shacks on the other side of the lake. During their break, Harry discovered a strange DVD in his bag which he claimed not to have packed himself. The mystery DVD was taken home by Holly, who expressed intrigue at its plot. After checking the map to see how far they had come and how much of their walk was left, the Rovers set off again.
even starting to clear in some places! However, the summit of Helvellyn remained thick in clouds, making the Rovers thankful they were not up there as the poor visibility meant there would be no picturesque views from the summit. Three years earlier, the group had climbed Skiddaw in similar conditions and been severely underwhelmed by the views – or lack of them.
The route from where they stopped for lunch to Howtown was all on footpaths on the banks of Ullswater, through wooded areas, vast amounts of ferns, and open grassy areas. Once at Howtown they stopped for a quick Diet Coke at the Howtown hotel, as Liam had foolishly only brought Capri-suns with him to drink on the hike. Feeling refreshed, they set off again to complete the final leg of their journey, hoping to beat Alec to Pooley Bridge as he was picking
them up at 5:30 to take them back to camp. The latter stages of the walk were mainly roads. Nevertheless, they still offered beautiful scenery on either side and the weather had thankfully been mostly dry since lunchtime with only a few showers hitting them on their way. The road to Pooley Bridge seemed to just keep on going without end, until they found a sign for a public footpath through a field of sheep which seemed like a nice break from the monotony of the road they had been walking on, and a possible shortcut to their destination. The path on the other side of the field led them through the car park of a pub in Pooley Bridge. All of the Rovers were relieved to be back with time to spare, so they rested their legs and had another Diet Coke. Sadly, when ordering refreshments, a toddler sat on the bar decided she wanted to stick her fingers in one of the drinks to see if she could pop all the bubbles in the foamy head. This did not however put Ben off his drink as soon as it was brought to the table. Once they were picked up, the Rovers were taken to Appleby to get their dinner of fish and chips, which they decided to take away and eat back at camp.
Above: Tom examines the map Opposite: A birchy view Here: A mood...
Weirdly, by this time in the week, a new trend had been adopted by the Scouts and observed suspiciously by the leaders (no, not that flossing dance from Fortnight). Scouts mainly Matthew, Fenn, and Jack started going to the toilet together, kind of like that way that women do in nightclubs. Alec kindly dubbed them the ‘Bog Boys’, other leaders named them ‘Poo Pals’, and the Rovers liked the sound of ‘Turdis Trio’.
Super Scout by Matthew Race and Fenn Barrigan Back at camp, the Scouts were competing in the annual Super Scout competition. They tested their ability in a number of mental and physical challenges with points awarded for the winners of each, in order to find out who was the ultimate Scout. There were a few new elements to Super Scout this year, including a quiz on Darlington, however old favourites such as the archery with crossbows remained. The PLs were amongst the most competitive in the group with Matthew endlessly boasting about how he beat Fenn in everything apart from the atlas stones (water carriers). Goodness knows how that happened though. During the quiz on Dar-
lington, Matthew wrote down ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ as the answer to a question about trains in Darlington. Meanwhile Fenn was just happy with himself because he even managed to beat Neil in the atlas stones. Scouts were relieved that the bleep test did not feature in this year’s Super Scout and instead they enjoyed attempting to identify countries from around the world by their outline. After the iconic final knot challenge, the points were totted up and it was revealed that there was a tie between Blake and Toby w h o
were both on 79 points. The Scout leaders therefore thought it was only right that they have a tiebreaker Kim’s Game. Out of the 20 items that the two boys needed to memorise, Toby remembered 13, Blake only 11; meaning Toby was crowned
‘Bog Boys’ Super Scout 2018. On Tuesday, Scouts also built ovens around kitchens and lasagne was baked in them for tea. The ovens were used to make cornflake tart for
dessert however Fenn’s patrol burnt theirs the first time so needed to start from scratch and made another one.
the lyric book omitted a crucial ele-
Scan this to listen to the ment: complete lyrics. X-Fire Spotify playlist:
That evening, it was the X-Fire. Everyone on camp gathered around the campfire to belt out pop classics such as Country Roads, Angels, American Pie, Delilah and more. Even some hits that made the leaders groan with disapproval made an outing, including All Star by Smash Mouth and that huge tune from 2008, So What by P!nk. Thankfully the latter song was cut off early as 29
25
WASHDAY WEDJUL
The Rover Dictionary
Geoffs
Noun Poor bowel movements, commonly caused by red meat. “Don’t go near that toilet, Jenel has got the Geoffs” ON WEDNESDAY morning, it was clear that the river had gone down. Holly C explained that this made sense as we had been taking water out of it for washing up all week. Wednesday morning was also special because it was Julymas! Leaders, Rovers, and Seniors headed over to the decorated marquee that morning to discover that Summer Santa (Neil) had been and delivered presents. Erika got a disco-ball with lights, Alec got a scarecrow, Poppy a toy dinosaur, Ben a water squirter, Maddie a straw hat, and Maverick an alarm clock – because he is always late to everything. Wednesday was the Rover’s day of fun. It commenced with some delicious pies from Appleby before travelling to Rookin House Activity Centre for human bowling. Human bowling entailed being strapped into 30
Geoffed Adjective Impotency, initially caused by an electric fence. “It’s absolutely geoffed”
Geoffeninged Verb Hammered; wearing James’ patience down whilst screaming at him during Mario Kart (then admitting questionable events to Neil on the way home). “Maddie was completely geoffeninged last night”
Geoff Pronoun A gender, currently existent in only one person. “Leave me alone grandad. If I want to identify as Geoff, then I can!”
were also issues regarding unsportsman-like driving from Rovers, primarily Harry; barging people off the track, primarily Harry; and not slowing down immediately when the red flag was waved; again, you see where this is going. On your marks, get set, go! a round metal cage, which some of the larger members of the group struggled to squeeze into, then being flung down a ramp towards plastic barrels that were acting as oversized bowling pins. Neil went first to demonstrate how easy it was. Everyone agreed that two goes each were more than enough. The only other drawback of the human bowling was how tightly you were strapped in. There were straps over feet, straps over chests, and straps
over shoulders and legs. Some straps were so tight, at one-point Harry eagerly pointed out, “Liam is presenting!” The ardent bunch then suited up for karting. Despite his often-humble personality, it turns out Geoff has a massive head; the organiser handed him an XXL helmet. The group were split into two even teams. Each team would get 5 practise laps and then two 10-lap races.
It turns out Geoff has a massive head The winners from each race would go through to the final and the losers would go into the… erm… losers final. To increase the difficulty of the circuit, horse manure had been smeared everywhere and before the races started, the instructor sprayed the whole track with water. Another tricky element was discovered once racing: the straight before the last corner of the track was so bumpy, you could get air-time if you were lucky.
Above: STRIKE!
The first race was won by Liam, second by James, and the final two by Ben. There was some controversy raised over the advantage that the inside lane offered as some argued it started on the driver’s line. There
In the final race, Ben attempted to retain his winning streak by taking the lead before the first corner and slowly pulling away from the rest of the pack for the remaining 10 laps. However, it is not over until the fat (or plus-sized) lady sings! Liam attempted an Ayrton Senna-esque move by not slowing down on a corner and hoping to take Ben out by ramming him out of the way. Ben wobbled, went into thick manure, but ultimately regained control quickly, and left Liam for dust. The Rovers then headed into Penrith for swimming, back to camp to pick up Maverick (who had finally arrived), and then out to The Crown Inn in Morland for their Rover meal. Geoff enjoyed the look of the food so much, he not only ate it, but then re-examined it in a bush next to the car park 30 minutes later. At camp that day, the Scouts also had been treated to pies for lunch before going swimming and then returning to Kings Meaburn to relax. Julie accompanied some Scouts as they walked up to the ford for some wallowing about in the shallows and then plodding back down to camp via the river. William lost his shoe in the current on the way. Some Scout training also took place for the newer members of the group. They were taught fire lighting, so they could help their PLs in the morning routine. Fish and chips from the chippy in Appleby were picked up for tea.
31
26 THUJUL North Lakes Wildlife Centre by Holly Carter
ON THURSDAY, the group had a day out at North Lakes Wildlife Centre. It was a long, hot drive there, but definitely worth it. Upon arrival, a schedule was handed out, listing the activities going on throughout the day. Unfortunately, many missed the eleven o’clock ‘hug a bunny’, but they had a lovely time later cuddling guinea pigs instead (their names were Mango and Chutney!). Meanwhile the Scouts headed straight for the Otter enclosure but did not find it due to difficultly reading the map. Campers also enjoyed the reptile encounter, where they met a baby tortoise, a bearded dragon and a boa constrictor, which the zookeeper 32
Above: The Seniors and Rovers at North Lakes Wildlife Centre
switched between calling George and Tommy. Everyone had a chance to stroke each of the reptiles - as long as nobody touched their heads because this frightened them.
more food, and that really was a sight. Some pulled their weight around with their arms, but the best gibbons would stand up on two feet and wobble their way to more food.
gibbons would get up and look for more food
But there was plenty more than just gibbons! The park had lemurs, which take a lovely picture, and red pandas, which do not look like pandas at all. There were yaks as well, which shocked some leaders with their size! As for winged creatures, there was a whole host of birds, from macaws to bald eagles, and there was a birds of prey show, where the birds flew much too close to the audience.
A highlight of the day was stumbling upon the gibbons. It was snack time and they were munching away on fruit and veg, but not carrot as they didn’t seem to like that. Every now and then one of the gibbons would run out of food, and then would sit and wait, looking very sorry for itself – a bit like a Scout who has run out of scran. Sometimes the gibbons would get up and look for
The Scouts spent most of the day playing in the park however it was noticed that even out of camp, the Bog Boys make visits to the lavatory together.
The best show of the day, however, was when three of the Rovers had a go on the children’s go-karts, which struggled under their bacon bellies. After this, everyone piled back into the minibus, sweating and stinking but grinning from ear to ear.
was sourced from. On Thursday night a water fight broke out in camp, which Ben’s new mini-water canon was a central part of. The game began by accident when Harry was attractively eating
relatively bright. Harry insisted that they were passing alongside the field rather than going over it. The final match of the night was Rovers versus leaders. In a game earlier that week, the leaders had
Above: Would you eat that? Animals snapped by James on his poncey new camera Liam and Ben remained in Kings Meaburn on Thursday to supervise camp. It was during this time, Liam came up with a nifty idea of how to recycle the excess fish from the previous night’s fish and chips. He pried the now soft batter from the five cold cods, moulded them badly into fish finger shapes (soon giving
a doughnut without using his hands whilst lying on some tarpaulin. Maverick simply could not resist spraying him. It was not long until water pistols, mugs, plastic bottles and any other water-bearing objects were being used by Rovers to soak each other.
beat the Rovers… possibly due to their sheer excellence and talent; possibly due to the fact that nobody was keeping score and they declared the win before anyone got a chance to argue. Although volleyball games at camp usually play first to 11, the leaders
Above: Liam with sticky fingers, uncooked fish cakes, and the finished (slightly burnt) hefty lads up on this and just aiming for balls), were still six points behind by the A game of volleyball followed. Mark then dipped them in egg, flour, and time the Rovers hit match point, so kindly dabbed the sweat off Maverbreadcrumbs. Once fried, they tastit was agreed that they would play ick’s head between serves and then ed half-decent. Maverick, Geoff and to 15. Once the Rovers scored 15, for the rest of his team when the Harry tried one when they returned the leaders quickly exclaimed that leaders were on the court. In the and noted how they were pleasantly they were not victorious but the distance, a thunder storm loomed. surprised. Mark declined to try winner of the next point would be Dark clouds frowned on one side of them once finding out where the fish the ultimate winners. Unfortunatecamp whilst the other half remained 33
Left: Dark skies fill one half of camp whilst clear ones fill the other half en, they must go to jail. Their team must free them from the jail before returning to the headquarters and this can be done at any point during the game. When a robber is in jail, the jail officer will reset their lives.
ly for the Rovers, the leaders won the point thus claiming overall victory. “The opposition look distraught and who wouldn’t under these circumstances?” laughed Mark as the leaders bounced around their side of the court, high-fiving one another. Ben said later, “I’m sure there was some cheating going on during that game.”
Volleyball
Scouts were given some downtime after volleyball to put their beds down before being summoned to the marquee for a special night game. As leaders dispersed themselves to checkpoints around the field, Ben and James explained to the Scouts what the rules were. Like any good game, it was split into chapters.
“I’m sure there was some cheating going on” This was “Heist: Part 1”. Their instructions were as follows: Each team is a group of robbers preparing for a heist. To pull off said heist, the robbers must collect resources by reaching five informants located around the field. Each informant must tell the robbers where the next one is. The robbers have two lives each and if both lives are tak-
No more than one policeman officer is allowed near the jail whilst there is a robber in there. If all three robbers are caught by the policemen officers situated around the field, then they have failed the mission and must return, with their heads held in shame, to the headquarters. After an hour of darting around in the dark, going from informant to informant trying to avoid being caught by the nifty policemen officers, only half of the teams managed to complete the mission. Regardless, everyone had fun participating and look forward to part two next year… Apart from a few of the leaders who were sat out in the cold by themselves.
Above: James, Hannah, Mark and Harry Above (left to right): Maverick as a primed ball boy, Mark dabbing down Autumn, descend down a Scottish moor leaders celebrating winning a point, Julie ready to serve
27 FRIJUL
DURING INSPECTION on Friday, the Rover’s altar-fire collapsed. Mark uttered the words ‘about-turn’ and, on cue, the suspended fire burnt through the sisal which was holding it in place and ash went all over the kitchen. Earlier in the week, Maddie needed to explain to Geoff exactly what an altar-fire was after he assumed it was a version of the X-Fire that was limited to alternative music. “I thought it was when we just sat and sung Morrissey!” exclaimed Geoff. For the two Scout patrols, Friday was the last day inspection points were going towards the camp trophy – not that it mattered that much, Fenn’s patrol had already built up a 100-point lead. James did point out that it was mathematically possible for the Swifts to still win however Fenn would have to probably not even have a kitchen in order to be marked that low.
Top: Scouts competing in sports day Bottom: Fenn flying over the hurdles
to sit in the river to cool down after all the exercise. Liam was even nice enough to lob some hotdogs in the river for them, which Maverick happily ate. After lunch, everyone headed into Penrith to shop for PL’s Choice. Earlier in the week, the Scouts had issued their invites to leaders and the
“I thought it was when we sat and sung Morrissey!”
Swifts had RSVPs from Mark and Autumn, and the Otters received RSVPs from Alec and Julie. For those of you who do not know, PL’s Choice is the meal on Friday evenings at summer camp where the PLs choose the food, the entertainment, and the leaders they dine with. Fancy dress is optional. As the Rovers prepared their banquet at one end of the field, Holly 2 picked a Scout patrol each and led the efforts to impress leaders with their meals. Just after 6:30, dinner
As has become norm, Friday morning played host to sports day. The two Scout patrols and a Rover team competed in hurdles, skipping, hopping, and other relays. Whilst the rest of camp devoured hot dogs for lunch, the Rovers went 35
Top: Campers during PL’s Choice
was served, and an ensemble of characters turned up for the most lucrative dinner party in King’s Meaburn. Where else would you see a zebra dining with a chicken? Or a fisherman dining with Sam-I-Am? There was also ketchup and fries, a couple of Yorkshiremen smoking pipes, gangsters, a wizard, and a back-
the most lucrative dinner party in King’s Meaburn street surgeon who went around camp offering people ‘twenty quid’ for their liver.
The Otters Garlic Bread · Homemade Burgers with Wedges and Salad · Raspberry Eaton Mess
The Rovers Caesar Salad
· A full Sunday Roast with a side of Bangers and Mash · Cornflake Tart
The Swifts Melon · Homemade Burgers with Chips and Salad · Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Custard
However, it was Mark who, once again, pulled out all the stops with his Hellboy costume by covering himself head to toe in red face paint. Sadly, he could not get the horns to stay on. That evening, once Mark had spent almost an hour in the river trying to get the red paint off his skin, it was the campfire. Following complaints at the X-Fire that it was the ‘coldest fire imaginable’, Harry used plenty of fuel to ensure this one was the opposite. He stood over the pile of logs with a can of petrol, chuckling in a menacing manner like a Bond villain, as many litres glugged out onto the stack of logs. Once he got his cue from M.C. Pape to light the fire, he lit a torch and made his way into the circle to place it underneath. WOOSH! In the blink of an eye, the campfire blazed into light – along with all the grass in a two-metre radius. Seniors fell off their bench backwards, leaders jumped out of their chairs and Scouts looked in awe at the spectacle. The four billies of river water that had been put aside to put the fire out at the end of the night were used immediately to put all the grass out. “I’m not
Top: Hellboy, tomato sauce and fries, Wednesday Addams, and the Chicken Supremes Bottom: The HUGE campfire
going to complain that one of your fires is cold again!” Mark quipped to Harry.
a gangster take on a camp classic The first few campfire songs were sang standing behind their seats as everyone waited for the fire to die down a little. Neil suggested they do a song that involves standing up whilst they were there so everyone sang Green Grow the Rushes, O. Once everyone reclaimed their seats, the Scouts performed their sketch which was a gangster take on a camp classic, Erika and Julie (A.K.A The Chicken Supremes) sang ‘Stop
in the Name of Love’ - complete with chicken costumes, Mark led a lion hunt that involved parachuting out of an aeroplane, Liam mistook himself as Freddie Mercury getting everybody to repeat voice exercises after him, Rovers chanted “It’s coming home” during Music Man, and everyone improvised their way through at least ten verses of ‘He’ll be coming down from Mowden… when he comes’; a song about the absent but not forgotten Scout leader John Newton. Tom described the whole ordeal as “ambitious.” After everyone took a bow or curtsey during Good Night Campers, Poppy and Maddie were invested as Rovers. There was then a silent disco outside the marquee… because why not.
Oh you’re never going to heaven... On Harry’s fire… because Harry’s fire can’t get much higher If you’re Matthew Race… because God almighty won’t like your face If you’re Fenn or his pal… coz you’ll be stood outside the urinal If you get a choice… because even up there you can hear Sam’s voice In Geoff’s cokes… coz they’ve gone bad like recycled jokes In Holly’s bag… coz it’s full of vomit because she’s absolutely disgusting
Quartermaster’s Store There was…. Ham, ham… smellier than William Thunder, thunder… violent as Geoff’s chunder Tea, tea… as bland as Ebony An eel, an eel… making Maddie squeal 37
28 SATJUL
THE WEATHER on Saturday morning was abysmal. Worse than it had been all week. The morning wash in the river was more of a rinse in the shower. Over breakfast, Scouts could not even use the excuse of wood collecting to go take shelter from the rain in the woods. Admittedly, some leaders did pity the Scouts and told them to sort their kits while they did most of the frying. A swift inspection of personnel took place before a thorough one of billies, boxes, and utensils to ensure that they were spotless before being packed away. Thankfully, by this time, the rain started to lighten up and some pools of blue sky could even be spotted amongst the clouds. Wood was taken back to the woods – or bunt off in a huge fire (depending on who you ask), sods were put back over pits, and boxes packed up. Surprisingly the rain held off long enough for patrol tents to dry off in the sun. Once completely dry, they were swiftly packed away before the rain started again. When the heavens reopened just after
Three-Legged Race The Rovers are doing the three-legged race during sports day. Find out the pairs by following the lines connecting two Rovers together. Solution on back page.
toilet trio were told to take down the male bog midday, campers were summoned to the marquee for sandwiches and cake. In a rather fitting way, the toilet trio were told to take down the male bog and fill in the pits. After all, they had become rather attached to that part of the campsite over
the course of the week. Anth’s van and the Sam Turner’s van pulled into the field as the final few tents were dismantled. Many took amusement out of watching the Rovers and leaders attempt to fold and carry the soaked male army tent which had swelled in the rain. On arrival back at the den, equipment was unloaded and put away. The boxes were unpacked in an unusually rapid
Opposite: The two vans come to collect tents and kit Here: Campers take down the marquee
fashion, and everyone lined up in the hall for the final flag.
their service and making the leaders’ jobs easier.
Group President Alec congratulated both patrols on the noticeable improvements they made throughout the week but homed in on the efforts of the PLs. “The hardest job of any summer camp is PL and winning the camp trophy is something really special.” In the end, it was the Otters led by Fenn who won the camp trophy. Although the actual points were not announced, 8th Mag can reveal that throughout the week the Otters built up a lead of approximately 100 points. Mark said this was due to the advantage that building as many gadgets as possible on the Sunday creates. Fenn made sure his patrol did this, Matthew did not, and the points reflected this.
There was a going up ceremony for Fenn and Emma who moved up from Scouts to Seniors, and Holly C was handed off from her Senior
Alec also commended the Seniors for their work throughout the week. Despite being displaced, they played a pivotal role in showing the Scouts what they should aspire to be like. Finally, Alec thanked the Rovers for
“The hardest job of any summer camp is PL” leader Mark to the Rover leader Neil as she became a Rover squire. Alec called the Scouts to alert, the flag was lowered for one last time, and with the words “8th Darlington Scout Group, summer camp 2018 at Kings Meaburn, group, group dismissed” everyone was allowed to go home. Or they would have, if there were not half a dozen soggy tents to lay out in the pioneer store and main hall. But then, once that was done, everyone went home.
Writers of this magazine fall into the habit of declaring each year’s campfire superior to that of 1977; dubbing each PL’s Choice more outrageous and ludicrous than the last; and proudly disseminating that the summer camp must be the best one the group has ever done. However, in an attempt to ditch the sensationalism this year, many will agree it is fair to call summer camp 2018 average. That is far from a defeatist view though. The 8th set the bar so high with annual summer camps, what the 8th might consider second-rate or mediocre is undoubtedly still far more exhilarating, hilarious, educational and darn-right-right outlandish than what most other Scout groups have to offer. After all, that is what makes the group so special.
39
Crossword (page 5) 1 DOWN - GADGETS 2 DOWN - PLSCHOICE 3 ACROSS - FLAGPOLE 4 ACROSS - ARMYTENT
From the Archive To celebrate the 8th, we are looking back over past reports from the original ‘8th Mag’ and log books to reflect upon some interesting moments from the group’s vast history. This issue’s extract is from the 1969 Log Book and is about a hike that took place during the annual camp at Caldbergh
4 DOWN - ALTAR FIRE 5 DOWN - TUCKSHOP 6 ACROSS - ICELANDIC 7 DOWN - DRYPIT 8 ACROSS - SISAL 9 ACROSS - CAMPFIRE Tuck Shop Challenge (page 7) - Coke = 50p, Randoms = 15p, Crunchie = 25p, Cost of bottom selection is £1.55 Three Legged Race (page 38) - James & Geoff, Ben & Liam, Harry & Maverick Knot Matching (page 11) -
Illustration by Skip Beadle
“Rising at 7:15 breakfast was slow in some patrols due to lack of wood and the right kind of wood (it did not happen again). “By 10am ‘A’ party were ready to move off on their hike: ‘A’ party consisted of those who were experienced hikers or those who had good foot wear. “’A’ party walked from Little Whernside over the top to Wharfedale Thence by Nidd Mill back to camp. Some idiot map reader led us across a river four times—he shall be nameless.” N.B. Although we can never know for sure who the Scout was who couldn’t read a map very well, let it be known that John Newton was A.P.L of the Otters at that camp. Coincidence?
Why not become a leader?
If you have been inspired by the last 40 pages and want to be a part of it, the 8th are always on the lookout for potential new leaders whether that be for the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, or Seniors. Even if you can only spare a couple of hours a week, any help is appreciated. For more information email scouts8thdarlington@outlook.com
“I don’t feel valid when I spend all week trying to avoid wood collecting at all costs” ~ Poppy Milner
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www.8thDarlingtonScouts.blogspot.com
Puzzle Solutions