Easter Camp • Carol Concert
The 8th Darlington Scout Group Celebrate their landmark birthday Full story on page 4 →
8th Darlington Scout Group
2015 VII
Boldron (near Barnard Castle)
O
Above: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It might be a bird: Scouts identify British wildlife
n a nippy Friday morning in early April, after only just securing transport to get the camping equipment to the site in Boldron, the small group of scouts, seniors and leaders were raring to go for the first weekend camp of the year. In true camping tradition, the weather was abysmal. The sky was grey, the field was boggy, and the gate to the field was on top of so much soft mud and dirt, it would have been impossible for the van to go through it. Thankfully, the farmer, whose field the group would be camping in, offered his tractor and trailer as means of getting the equipment onto the field. Despite the woeful weather, camp was almost fully erected by around lunchtime. So the scouts
and seniors were rewarded with fish finger sandwiches which were fried in the marquee. Veteran scout leader, John, commented on how impressed he was with everyone: “The weather was treacherous but everyone pulled together to put camp together.”
“The hot cross buns we got for supper were very tasty.” ~ Maddie S Scouts and Seniors alike partook in a British wildlife test during the afternoon where they needed to identify over 30 specific species of animals and match them to their natural habitat. Some campers were better at this than others. Before tea, there was a game of ultimate Frisbee which left many of the campers smothered in dirt after sliding, diving, and falling
in the mud. Although Tom’s team got more points (7, in total), it was Neil’s team who won the game (despite only scoring 4 goals). Before Definition being allowed to go back to camp, everyone needed 1. An interjection to head down to commonly used after the river for a making a witty joke wash. at someone else's That evening, expense while they Neil hosted a are present. quiz in the marquee where the “Your banter is like g e n e r a l Maddie’s smell… knowledge of Awful! Zinc!” the group was tested. Maddie, Synonym: Zing smelly senior, said “the quiz took my mind off the cold and the hot cross buns we got for supper were very tasty.”
Zinc:
Easter Camp Page 3
Massage anyone? Inside the boy Senior’s night club bell tent
Saturday morning seemed to drag. It took ages for the fires to be lit (in spite of the knee pads certain seniors were modelling so they wouldn’t get their knees dirty), agDefinition es for breakfast to be cooked, and then ages for 1. A method of cooking without the use of utensils. the kitchens to be It usually tastes awful. tidied up a f t e r w ard s. Inspection took place so late in the morning, to Twists cooking on a fire save time, uniform tops didn’t need to be worn and the making of soup for lunch commenced straight after inspection finished. However, leaders were pleased to see high camping standards being maintained despite the difficult weather conditions.
Backwoods Cooking:
With an open day at the scout HQ planned for the week following Easter camp to commemorate the centenary of the 8th Darlington Scout group, the Seniors started practising their backwoods cooking – as that is what they will be demonstrating in a mock kitchen at the Open Day. Using the hot ashes in their fire pit, they practised making eggs in oranges, twists, and sausages wrapped in bacon. The seniors were shocked with how much the backwoods food exceeded their expectations of it. Poppy went so
far to say that her twist tasted ‘really nice’! Meanwhile, the scouts listened to the knife and saw talk by John to ensure that they are safe when using sharp tools around camp followed by doing map and compass badge work.
get any better but when the sun came out as well – as it did on Sunday morning – the scouts were happily proved wrong. There was a spring in John’s step as everyone made their way around the back of the marquee for a scout’s own Easter service. Lishman the bear even came out to listen to the hymns, prayers, and an Easter story.
the scouts were happily proved wrong
On Saturday evening, everyone was invited into the marquee for a camp fire. Classic favourites such as ‘I like the flowers’, ‘You'll never go to heaven’ and ‘merrilysings-the-donkey’ were belted out alongside some new songs including ‘Geordie Alouette’.
Scouts thought that bacon grill sandwiches and beans couldn’t
The rest of the day was spent dismantling tents and packing up camp. And then moving equipment from camp to trailer, from trailer to van, and finally from van to the Den. Once everything was unpacked to where it lives, everyone was allowed to go home to enjoy their Easter eggs.
Above descending: Eggs in oranges, Poppy’s reaction to eggs in oranges
The group plant a Cypress Oak next to Cockerton Green
Group Timeline Significant events in the Group’s past
Beginning of time
1915 1917 1919 1920 April 13th
John Lishman founds the 8th Darlington Scout Group
Cubs starts.
Rovers starts.
World Band Winners
Years of planning, preparation and nervous anticipation all came down to one bright but windy day. Saturday April 11th was the date of the 176th annual Grand National at Aintree and it was an unforgettable race! Many Clouds won the race with odds of 25-1 and, in the last race of his career, AP McCoy finished 5th riding ShutTheFrontDoor. Meanwhile, more importantly, 734 furlongs away in Cockerton Green, the celebrations for the 8th Darlington Scout group’s 100 year anniversary were in full swing. Planning for the centenary started several years ago when it was decided that to get people engaged more
with the group, four teddy bears were to be made and named after four significant members from the group. (Lishman: Founding Leader of the Group. Brigham: One of the first Cub leaders in 1917. Beadle: the longest serving Scout leader. And Pawson: One of the first Scouts in the group.) Between the four of them, they have travelled to all four quarters of the globe, took part in a diverse variety of sports from skiing to rugby, been pictured next to an infinite amount of beverages and sweets, met celebrities, crossdressed, and even been kidnapped. It has been a busy yet fun year for the bears – as it has been for the Group also.
Top Left Rotating Clockwise: Seniors share a moment, guests watch the greatest film since The Shawshank Redemption, Poppy and Maddie stand next to the trek cart, and a packed hall.
Since the start of 2015, in preparation for the open day, Seniors, Rovers, Leaders and Committee members have worked together to clean up, redecorate – and in some cases – rebuild parts of the Den to make the grade 1 listed building presentable. The group’s efforts and enthusiasm were unsurpassable. Neil, Group Archivist, summarised it best: “Everyone did a fantastic amount of work and had fun at the same time.” One day before the open day, 8th
1920 1936 1936 1946 1951 August 6th
First camp abroad in Belgium. They got the ferry from Dover - Ostend.
Group Purchase First Marquee
First edition of the ’8th’ mag. Over 148 copies are sold.
Seniors Starts
‘Cockerton’ added to the group name
Turn over for more
Page 6 Group Centenary
members were out in force building gadgets for the mock camp kitchen, setting up seats for the screening of ‘The Camp 2014’, and filling notice boards full of information and pictures about the different sections. A Cypress Oak tree was also dropped off by Darlington Borough Council which was planted outside the Den next to Cockerton Green. “Hopefully this will last another 100 years” remarked the council employee who dropped it off. Despite initial worries about the roots of the Oak growing too close to a underground drainpipe, the Group is now proud to associate the tree with them. It was an early start for members on April 11th. Bacon sandwiches were served as final preparations for the day were made – now members just needed to hope that people turned up. In his latest newsletter before the open day Alec, leader-in -charge, said “I d o n ’ t know if 2, 200
Right: Alec making his speech
1952 First King Scout (Michael Richardson)
or 2000 people will turn up.” At 11am-ish ex-members and locals started to trickle in. In the entrance way stood a trek cart that Scouts used to fill with their equipment be-
“What makes us special is the people. I always think of the group as an extended family.” fore heaving it to camp in the good old days. It had been repainted and refurbished this year by Tom Milner and Tom Dodd. However, it was the brand new museum room which was the highlight of the day for many people. The room, a result of Neil’s hard work over the past two years, contains a wide variety of artefacts, records, pictures and documents which are significant to the Group. Also, in the committee room, dozens of historic log books and photographs were brought out of storage so ex-members could look back and reminisce. Upstairs, the 25 minute film documenting life at summer camp 2014 was being shown every 45 minutes. The film, which was shot, edited and directed completely by the Seniors, was well received and impressed most viewers. Others were apparently so emotionally
1956 1963
First Summer Camp takes place at Kings Meaburn
First group camp at Hunger Hill. Cubs got the train to Dinsdale station and then hiked the rest of the way.
touched by it that they had to leave before the end… Or something like that. In the Main Hall, stalls displaying what different sections of the group do were bring manned by the Leaders. At the Beaver’s stall, guests had the opportunity to decorate their own cupcake. The Scout stall was very scouty as it encouraged people to learn five knots and then be timed doing to ‘Five Knot Challenge’. And, the Cub stall had a dead frog. It is estimated that several hundred people turned up in the end. Outside, the Seniors had built a mock camp kitchen, complete with a green box, gadgets and a fire. The previous weekend, at Easter camp, they had practised backwoods cooking (which is cooking on an open fire without using utensils) and they had successfully made tasty twists, garlic bread, eggs in oranges, and pigs in blankets. They attempted to replicate that accomplishment at the open day. James, Rover Squire, admitted though that the consistency of the mixture for the twists was wrong so they gave up on them. However, the garlic bread was a huge success. The Mayor and Mayoress of Darlington arrived at 1pm to officially open the museum. Poppy, a Senior who met the Mayor, described shaking his hand as ‘fabulous’. The Mayor and Mayoress toured around the Den before finishing in the main hall for Alec's speech and the cutting of the dark blue, birthday cake shaped like an 8.
1964
Seniors tour of Europe. They drove through Brussels, Luxemburg, Calais and more in over 13 days.
1967
The Den opens for meetings
Group Centenary
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Left Descending: The Mayor and Mayoress cut the cake, the mural painted by Poppy and Maddie, the Beaver’s display.
Alec talked about the evolution of the group, decade by decade: the characters over the years, the building's incredible story in the 1960s, and the group's struggles with scouting associations before finally becoming independent. He explained why he thinks the group is special and why it has lasted 100 years. “A key part to me is our style of camping. And what makes us special is the people. I always think of the group as an extended family.” This was reflected in the atmosphere throughout the open day: Viv and Neil’s continuous organisation, the infinite energy of the Cubs who darted around the Den carrying messages, the Committee and Seniors singing to each other via the radios, and everyone’s perseverance to knock Erika off the top spot in the Five Knot Challenge. It's undeniable that it is people who make the group great. Yes, they have their differences at times and Scouts make mistakes but Alec spoke for everyone in the concluding line of his speech: “I feel so proud to be a part of this family.” If you enjoyed the 100 year celebrations, clear your calendar for the 150th birthday celebrations! The current Scouts and Seniors promise teleport trips to Hunger Hill (despite it still probably being boggy), holographic Lishman bear, iSisal, and ‘The Camp 2065’ (in 4D and 80K-HD)streamed straight into your brain. Also: guided tours by the RoboNewton – the Robot that replaced John.
The Future
1977 1999 2002
The 8th leaves the Scouting Associating after they move away from traditional methods.
Frank ‘Skip’ Beadle becomes group president
The group start camping at Spennithorne. They have been back there almost every June since.
Still to come this year... Group Camp at Croft Friday 15th - Sunday 17th May Garden Fete on Cockerton Green Saturday 13th June Group Sponsored Walk Saturday 11th July
Christmas Carol Concert
Twas a week before Christmas, when all through the den, Not a Scout was stirring, not even a Fenn. The tinsel was hung by the girders with care, As the Christmas carol concert was being held there. In the bleak midwinter, the 8th welcomed over 135 people into the main hall which was decked in the traditional mix of tinsel, trees and decorations for the annual carol service. The evening was anything but a silent night as sections of the group rocked around the Christmas tree to jingles including ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Cowboy’ and ‘Santa Claus is coming to Town’. The Squirrel pack’s rendition of ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’ was described as a joy to the world. After the festivities, mince pies, biscuits and drinks were available where everyone wished each other a merry little Christmas in dulci jubilo (in sweet reAbove: One hundred and thirty-five geese a-laying joicing) before going home.
From the Archive
“I should like to add my congratulations to the many that will be received by the 8th Darlington Group on reaching the 21st year of their existence. It is an occasion, however, not only to look back over the years that are passed but for looking ahead. No Group can live on traditions alone, however good that traditions may be. Scouting cannot afford to stand still; if it is to serve each generation in its turn, it must be forever looking ahead.”
To celebrate the centenary of 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 Group’s 21st Anniversary souvenir program in 1936. Above, a letter from Lord Barnard to the Group. Pictured right is the 1936 troop.
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
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