ScoutOut Issue Eleven

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Hiking Serbia

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wo Explorers from Yeovil hiked 100 miles around sunny Serbia in September. The expedition was for the Explorer Belt and was the trip of a lifetime for Matt: “It’s given me a whole different perspective on life in Serbia. They have nothing but are willing to give everything”.

The trip is a 10 day hike - the idea being you immerse yourself in the local culture. “The Serbians are really nice!” said Matt. “We had no accommodation organised and one night this chap gave us pears and let us camp in his garden”.

Matt and Graham from Yeovil and 3 other team mates from around the UK had 10 challenges to complete including learning to milk a goat or cow, make a Serbian friend and exchange gifts and to teach some children a game.

After the adventure of hiking 100 miles in Serbia and relying on the kindness of strangers for places to camp the Scouts visited a large Scout camp.

This year the Serbian Scouts are celebrating their centenary and they were celebrating with a large jamboree which Matt and the team visited.

Reflecting on the incredible adventure Matt said:”This has changed me and taught me lot about sharing what you have with other people.” Next year’s expedition is to Poland with the Explorer Belt.

When the clock strikes 12

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omerset’s Network Scouts invested their youngest ever member in September at the Huish Woods 50th birthday party. Explorer Sam Gaines turned 18 during the event and at the stroke of midnight the Network scouts invested him straight into the section with the help of County Commissioner Shaun Dale and a crowd of Explorers to wave Sam off on the next stage of the adventure. Despite the late hour everyone had a bit of a party in the Huish Woods car park with birthday cake. 2012 is the 10th anniversary of Explorers and Network working together. Check out somersetscouts.org.uk/the-districts/network/ to get involved.

Anti Bullying

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rom the 14-18th of November we’re working with Anti Bullying week to make a difference right across the county. Resources can be found online and we also provide a great deal of guidance for leaders all available here: learning-southwest.org.uk/page/Practical-Help

Burning bridges

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ell the old bridge was burned and a new one put in it’s place.

Somerset’s Network spent a weekend in October repairing a collapsed bridge at Huish Woods. Once the new bridge was constructed the old one was used to light an alter fire on which the Scouts cooked their tea, breakfast and in fact lunch the following day.

“It was quite a large bridge we re-built and we had a lot of rotten old wood to burn,” said Network Scout Charlie Drakeford. “Out with the old and in with the new and if we can boil the kettle while were at it then I’m all for it!”

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. . . t cou Winning three courses

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aunton District held their annual Scout cooking competition in October. Groups from across the Taunton area took part as they prepared three course meals using basic equipment,in a set time limit and with a set budget. After a few hours of intense stirring, frying, chopping and tasting the 1st Wellington Scouts came out as winners with a sumptuous menu of pear and rocket salad, sausage and mash followed by cheesecake and strawberries. Group Scout Leader (and taster) Steve Altria said: “It was absolutely delicious!”

Fruit for all

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he Beaver Colony at 1st Bridgwater Wemdon was filled with exotic fruits recently as the group had a fresh fruit evening. Not only did the Beavers learn how to prepare fruits they are used to eating, like apples and bananas, but they were taken on a fruity journey of discovery as pineapples, mangoes and all sorts of interesting fruits were rolled out. This healthy eating evening counts towards the Beaver’s Fitness Challenge Badge and afterwards the Beavers all enjoyed a bowl full of fresh fruit salad.

Down under

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outh Somerset is hooking up with Adelaide this year. The 1st Ilminster Scouts were visited by an Australian Joey leader in September and the group are writing to the group in Stradbroke, Adelaide to become pen pals. The Beavers learned some Australian games as well as some opening and closing ceremonies the Australian way. The Beavers have even made boomerangs!

Bell ringing

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eavers from 5/7th Wells tried their hands at church tower bell ringing in September. With adults standing by to keep them firmly stood on the floor and not hoisted up the tower by the weight of the bells the Beavers were able to make as much noise as they pleased. Church tower bells can weigh several tons but the Beavers managed to ring them despite their being many times lighter than even the smallest tower bells. Young Leader Kelly Vincent: “The Beavers really enjoyed making so much noise but it was very tiring though!”

Reuninon WSJ camp at Huish

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xplorers in the Cheddar Cheese unit held a reuninon camp at Huish Woods in October.

They sang the jamboree songs, played the jamboree games and re-lived the adventure for a few more days.

Highlights included a mass disco-cum-barn dance, climbing the new Huish tower and teaching the Bungalow song to visiting Network Scouts. ‘Let me see you Bungalow, let me see you bungalow etc...’

JOTI in Frome

Roverway

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overway 2012 takes place in Finland next year and we are looking for participants to form the UK Contingent. The event is a chance for Scouts aged between 16 and 22 to have a fantastic international experience. With 5,000 attendees from over 100 countries, Roverway is sure to be a showcase of global Scouting and Guiding at its best.

Registrations close on 1 December. www.roverway.org.uk/

uts.org.uk

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he mice were clicking, the keyboards were tapping and all over the world scouts logged on to the internet to take part in the annual JOTI in September – Jamboree on the Internet. A way of using modern technology to link up and meet people all over the world taking part in Scouting. An opportunity to find out what scouting is like abroad. And this is just what 9 Scouts in Frome did when they logged on to JOTI. Using instant messaging software the Scouts were able to chat to other Scouts in Australia, Oman, Norway, Poland, Denmark, Egypt, New Zealand and even Tasmania.

Canoeing the Wye

The River Wye

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was exhilarating and brilliant for building up the skills needed to tackle the rough Ross-on-Wye waters. 500 metres down river at the Biblins 0 5 campsite the paddlers tucked into a well10 earned dinner and camped the night. miles Sunday bought yet more chance to play on the rapids. However, since the campsite was downstream, there was a spot of energetic Symonds Yat rapids paddling to do before anyone was anywhere near the rapids again. Once the team got to Monmouth the bottom of the rapids they carried their canoes up to the top – known as portage - and re-launched into the white waters.

Furious paddling ensued as the group became ever more confident in the rough water but by late morning it was time for some swimming and rescue practice.

Chepstow Each Explorer took it in turns to jump into the rapids and swim downstream while their friends threw lines to rescue them. The recoveries went well and even came in very handy when a passing canoe capsized and the Scouts carried out a rescue.

The Explorers now wait for their next canoe adventure which will be their proper DofE award expedition.

Se ve r

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hy the Wye? Well, Explorers from Yeovil needed some serious white water training before embarking on an open canoe expedition for their Gold DofE awards. Explorers from two groups in Yeovil, Lendiniae and The Levels, have spent their whole summer learning to canoe but the Wye’s tumultuous river rapids was their next challenge before they can be let loose on an expedition.

Just up from Monmouth on the England Wales border is the Kerne Bridge where this weekend adventure launched . A morning was spent practicing paddling techniques including ferry gliding. Ferry gliding is where you cross a river with your boat angled almost directly upstream and as you paddle the current carries you swiftly across. The paddlers also practiced breaking into and out of patches of calmer water created by obstructions to the river’s flow known as eddies.

With confidence built the Explorers headed for Symonds Yat to take on the Wye’s rapids. This was the first time some of the paddlers had tackled white water and there were a few capsizes - not that it scared anyone off of course! In fact the experience

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This year alone 73 new adults are in Scouting thanks to Brad and he’s hoping for a whole load more on the books by the New Year. If the success of his most recent project on the edge of Exmoor is anything to go by that should be easy...

Dulverton’s fresh start

“We started out by approaching the schools in Dulverton”, says Brad who identified the town as being one of only a few in Somerset that has no scouting provision at all. The nearest Scout group is miles away in Devon and Dulverton is right on the edge of West Somerset. “Then we visited the schools’ assemblies and got the kids excited by Scouting. To follow that we did a leaflet drop in the area and spoke to local businesses to advertise our open evening which we held in October. Fourteen young people and their parents came along – all really keen. We tried a few activities, ran a few games and learned as much about the community as we could from the parents while we chatted to them. Having taken names, numbers and agreed that everyone there would love to see Scouting grow in Dulverton we have now started to go about setting up a new group.”

Brad Wills works within Somerset to help you recruit develop and grow , when you need it.

Parents that came along to the open evening have put themselves forwards for leadership positions and the young people all had a great time making balloons filled with corn flour and cooking marshmallows over candles.

Brad will now continue to support the group as it gets off the ground and grows for the future.

It’s just one of a number of development successes the Regional Development Service are seeing right across the region and in Somerset Brad is working wonders.

If you have a development need you would like to talk to Brad about drop him a line.

It could be more Explorers needed, more adults needed or perhaps you could do with a hand enhancing your programmes.

Get in touch: bradley.wills@scouts.org.uk

k u . g r o . s t u o c s @ s l bradley.wil

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t was a huge party, over 300 Beavers and leaders celebrating 25 years of Beaver Scouting in the UK this September. For a moment it looked like the torrential rain would put the candles out on the cake (so to speak) but we carried on! A magician kept everyone entertained in the shelter of a marquee until the sun came out when the Beavers got down to having some serious party fun.

Inflatables popped up everywhere; there was a monkey bridge, party

disco, craft tent, photobooth and even Punch & Judy. The Beaver’s birthday party was held up at Ilton on the airfield and as a celebration at the end of the day each Beaver let off a balloon with an RSVP attached to some ribbon.

Hundreds of bright blue helium-filled balloons ascended into the sunshine with their notes fluttering beneath.

In a fitting end, an RSVP arrived home a few days after taking flight from Somerset. The note had come all the way from France.

w o r g t i Let

the vegetables are coming...

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n old, unused allotment in Pibsbury has recently been taken on by Scouts on the Levels and turned into a vegetable garden. The Scouts had to start from scratch doing a lot of weed clearing before they could start by building raised beds which they have just finished.

As the days get colder the gardeners are now concentrating on fertilising the soil, creating an efficient composting system and getting ready to plant their winter vegetables as soon as possible.

“The Scouts really enjoyed making scarecrows for the allotment and whilst learning how to grow various vegetables are gaining some DIY skills and starting to understand the long term commitment needed to produce food all year round,” said leader Jane Redfearn. “We’re also able to discuss and relate our allotment experience to food production in developing countries and of course there is the satisfaction of eating the vegetables we grow - hopefully on camp!”

Since taking on the site the Scouts’ enthusiasm has been infectious and even as the weather gets much colder the Levels group show no sign of slowing up their work

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in the garden to make sure everything is ready for sowing seeds in the Spring.

“We have been offered everything from help and advice to seeds and plants while local people and businesses have been very generous. Kelways donated pallets for a composting system and Mike Gillingham has provided old scaffolding planks to create the raised beds. The Scouts’ parents have also helped by bringing their own equipment to the allotment to put in the hours necessary to get things growing”, continued Jane who is also on the hunt for some serious amounts of dung: “We would really like to hear from any horse owners who can provide manure, carpets to line the compost bins, any tools like forks, rakes and spades and anything else that would be useful!”

“We are all learning as we go along but are hoping that the allotment will inspire the Scouts and involve them in a community centred project.

Jane Redfearne 01458 252813 janeredfearn@hotmail.com

Since taking on the site, the Scouts’ enthusiasm has been infectious and even as the weather gets much colder the group show no sign of slowing up their work in the garden to make sure everything is ready for sowing seeds in the Spring.

Y T N U O C E TH DIARY

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ver 120 campers turned out for Frome District’s Survival camp at Tedbury. Scouts, Explorers and Network took part backwoods cooking, building and sleeping in bivvy shelters.

The camp also featured first aid, emergency signalling, fire building and a master class in purifying and filtering ‘wild’ water (see ScoutOut 9 for some inspiration).

All Scouts attending were successful in completing the weekend and earned their Survival Skills badge. Robert Francis (5th Frome Scouts) and Sam Johnson (1st Shepton Mallet) were also awarded their Chief Scouts Gold Award during the camp.

If you fancy a spot of survival skills training yourself, here’s a backwards cooking recipe from the 5th Frome Scouts:

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stew in a ba sweet twists

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y making a tinfoil bag you can cook all sorts of things in the embers of a fire. This recipe calls for a few simple stew ingredients all bundled into a tinfoil bag and cooked together on the fire. Here’s how:

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Make a foil pouch by scrunching or folding tinfoil into a bowl shape.

Cut into small cubes carrots, potatoes, onions and mix with beef mince and seasoning.

Put the mixture in the foil pouch and wrap the whole thing with a new layer of tinfoil to make a sealed tin.

Place on hot embers for 20min, turning over halfway through.

Rob, Alex and A ndrew cook ba ckwoods at Frome Distr ict’s survival ca mp

Sweet Twists

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ake a dough of self-raising flour and water until it is putty like.

Cut into strips and wra p round a gree n (cleaned) stick. Bake ov er hot embers until you can easily slide th e twist of the stick. Fill the hole left by re moving the st ick with jam, honey, or choc olate spread.

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scoutout@somersetscouts.org.u

SAT 12/11

County Scout Challenge

SAT 7/1

Network Scout Ball

SAT 14/1

Trainer’s Training

FRI 10/2 to SUN 12/2

Snowdon Scramble

FRI 24/2 to SUN 26/2

Adult Hill Walking

An evening adventure with bases and challenges. Huish Woods, £15 per patrol.

Dicky bows and all the chivalry you can muster. The Network ball promises to be the highlight of the January programme. The theme is hats this year.

Come along to discover ‘what is new’ in the training arena, share good practises and discuss difficulties experienced in the role. Venue:Compton Dundon Village Hall Somerset Network are off up the hills again scrambling the peaks of Snowdonia.

Batchelors Hall, Dartmoor.

Learn and experience this refreshing activity whilst gaining a hill walking qualification. t is e for conten six Our deadlin e su 24/12/10. Is Wednesday lished uebli illebde pubtO wsh be eplv ut u suilel tw co Isw S .

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