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This is the first edition of your brand new Scout newsletter - designed to celebrate everything about the fantastic scouting that goes on here in Somerset. Inside: stories from across the seven districts so that you will not only feel informed of things that have happened over the last two months in scout huts and HQs but also inspired by them. We really loved all the stories you have sent into us. Especially the Cubs from Mells who have been rummaging around in the undergrowth at a nature reserve looking for wildlife. We hope you like what we are
giving back to you. Our name, Scout Out, was devised as I stared out of the window on a local bus trip - it’s about shouting out to every member of the scouting community in Somerset letting you in on what’s happened, what will happen and a wealth of scouting knowledge. We hope you like the colourful look of our newsletter and the great pictures taken by you around the county. Every two months look out for ScoutOut. In our first issue check out Neil Slade’s personal message to the county, read all about the Somerset Jamboree that is being organised as we speak and check out our top five cycling tips given to us by a man
who has cycled 18,000 miles. Mark my words this is more than just a newsletter and it’s yours to enjoy! The back page of this issue is really quite useful. The County Diary gives you the heads up on events taking place across Somerset in the next two months and you are invited to all of them. So without any further ado I’ll let you get inside but just before you do thanks for reading and help us fill up your newsletter with interesting things by sending us your stories, campsite reviews and scouting knowledge. Our contact details can be found on the back page. Happy Scouting.
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reetings one and all! In April of last year the County Census showed a staggering growth of nearly 7%. This impressive figure places Somerset as the second fastest growing County within the West Country. I am excited and optimistic to think of our many new recruits now with us as Scouting continues to inspire young people across Somerset offering our members adventurous activities, challenging competitions, the chance to experience and learn new skills and the opportunity to make lifelong friends. Our Adult Volunteers and Leaders continue to enthuse the young people of our communities, offering them the opportunity to fulfil their potential and make every day a new adventure. As we look to the Summer I ask you to do so with a new determination. To work along side your neighbouring Scout Groups and Scout Districts, sharing resources and benefiting from one another, strengthening your support teams and offering activity programmes that will give our young people the greatest adventure that they could ever have dreamt of. Share your success stories through the medium of your newsletter, Scout Out, and indeed through your local newspapers and weekly gazettes. Trumpet at every opportunity how great it is to be a Scout and what fun it can be to experience new challenges. Somerset is a great County; to all the adult volunteers who give so much to this great cause of ours I say thank you, for making a difference, for standing up and making a contribution, for truly inspiring the next generation and for championing all that is good in the youth of today. Thank you all and happy scouting! Neil Slade, County Commissioner
E E R O JAMB ! TEASER
NURTURING NATURE
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ubs from 1st Mells have been getting up close and personal with wildlife. The budding Bill Oddies found out about the work of the Somerset Earth Science Centre in Stoke St Michael and its wildlife by rummaging around in leaf litter, pond dipping and designing bird nesting boxes over two evenings. In a third visit to the site the bird boxes were assembled, with help from quarry worker Jim Sims and the Cub pack made feeding stations for wildlife, bat boxes and lady bird boxes. This flurry of activity is earning the 1st Mells Cubs pack their Environmental Partnership Award as well as benefiting the wildlife at Wainwright’s Quarry on Mendip where the Earth Science Centre is based.
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his year your Red Indian dressing up skills are needed because the County Scout Jamboree is taking on a Native American theme. From Friday 28th of May to Monday 31st the camp will take place at Merryfield Airfield, Ilton and your Scout troop are all invited! The long weekend of challenge and competition will see youngsters from across Somerset competing for a cooking competition, pennants, District awards and the County Banner. The Jamboree this year promises to be a great adventure with boundless opportunity for refining those scouting skills and meeting fellow scouts from across the county. For application forms visit www.somersetscoutsinfo.org.uk
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e are looking for young people in the county who just love to get involved in everything because Scout Out needs reporters on the ground. A team of people in every district who are on the look out for stories. We want to tell everyone in Somerset about the great Scouting that takes place every day in the county and we can’t do it without you. We would love to hear your scouting stories, no matter whether it’s the night hike your Explorers did or the buried treasure your cubs might unearth. It doesn’t have to be a ‘big’ story just whatever you get up to as Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Leaders. If you would like to be one of our reporters please email ScoutOut: scoutsnewsletter@googlemail.com
COUNTY CHAMPS
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couts in Taunton Deane are celebrating their County Cooking Competition win this month. A team of four chefs from 1st Wellington took part in the challenge having won their District competition. The team chopped, cut and cooked their way to the top with their meals, team work and table displays winning them first place in the county. Ten teams entered the cook off with the challenge of preparing a three course meal for just £15 and only using basic cooking equipment and scouting skill. The finest Scout cooking team in the County served up a dinner of home made soup followed by succulent lamb and finished off with Chocolate and Banana Pudding. 1st Wellington’s chefs now represent Somerset in the regional heats to be held in Cheltenham in March.
CAMELOT
SOUTH SOMERSET
SEDGEMOOR
CHEFS AND CHESS
CHILLY COAST TRIP
WATERY WEEKEND
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ooking and chess have been keeping Cubs and Scouts busy in Camelot. The District held both its Cooking and Chess and Draughts competitions within hours of each other in January. Eighteen Cubs and twelve Scouts took part in the tournament. With the winners found and gaming over the scouting skills themed District cooking competition began. Seven teams entered into the spirit of the occasion with some interesting menus: mushroom pate in the shape of a bivouac, desserts shaped as campfires and ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ served up as an archery target! After two hours of intense preparation, careful cooking and meticulous table arranging there could be only one winner. The Sparkford Krags came first with a culinary point score of 175.
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couts from South Somerset joined forces and braved freezing temperatures for their District winter camp in February. 32 Scouts and 9 leaders hiked from camp to Chesil Beach where they took in the massive waves before visiting the Weymouth Sailing Academy to investigate Olympic preparations. The Scouts spent the evening lighting candles from a distance using poles and drinking hot chocolate. After a cold night under canvas they met up with the Weymouth and the Portland Coast Guard. The Coast Guards worked with the scouts demonstrating the use of rescue gear and provided lessons in 1st Aid, CPR, Communications and cliff rescue. The finale was a helicopter fly past and the Scouts receive their winter camp badge.
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ish at the National Marine Aquarium had some evening visitors in February. Cubs, Scouts and Explorers and Leaders from 1st Burnham on Sea spent the night sleeping under the sharks and stingray that live in the aquarium’s tanks. Before camping down the group visited a submarine at the Devonport Naval Base. Submariner Andy answered questions from the cubs mostly about bombs, missiles, food and the toilet! The group were then treated to a guided tour of the National Marine Aquarium where they met Snorkel the turtle and the Sand Tiger sharks. After waking up with sharks and stingray swimming around over head Cubs George and Harris were invested in front of the shark tank. Cub Catie said: “It was the best trip ever!”
scout you sco u yo t ou sc u yo t ou sc u yo t out you scou ut you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you sco ut you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you sco sc out you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you sc out you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you sc out you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you scout you sc MEET BRAD WILLS... SOMERSET t you scout you YEOVIL & DISTRICT you scou outWEST
As of February 1st Bradley became Somerset’s very own Development Officer. He works along side the Regional Development Service to the County expand our Scouting provision. We found out about the Scout behind the officer… My scouting began as a beaver in Exeter. From there I progressed through to cubs, and then moved across to the Local Sea Scout group, where I also became a venture and a skills instructor. I’m currently an Explorer Scout Leader in Exeter, with the Water sports activity section.
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st Watchet Sea Scouts attended a Royal Navy swimming gala in February. The swimmers were up against 36 other Scout and Explorer troops from across the country taking part in the Free Style, Backstroke and Breaststroke races. The Scouts and Explorers were also treated to some exciting Royal Navy activities including a power boat trip during which the Explorers tried their hands driving the Royal Navy Training craft. Leaders Paul Chisling and Karen Smyth said: “The team worked extremely hard in the swimming competition and fought well against some stiff competition.” The youngsters were also very well behaved during the event attracting the attention of a senior ranking naval officer who commented that their behaviour was ‘excellent’!
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aking on some particularly challenging badges Cubs in Yeovil took part in a Badge Day in January. Cubs from Yeovil and the 1st Bristol Muslim Scout Group came together and completed three badges in DIY, communicators and world faith. For their DIY badge Cubs built desk tidying CD racks and pen pots. Next the youngsters devised and cracked codes, for their Communicators badge, as well as learning to send emergency texts and phone calls. For the World Faith badge Cubs and leaders discussed both the similarities and differences between the Muslim and Christian faiths. Some of the cubs wrote prayers which were attached to the prayer tree shown in the image above. Overall a very productive day with the young people gaining all three badges.
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Your best ever Scouting moment?
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My favourite memory from scouting would have to be the trip I organised for my Queen Scouts award. We paddled down the River Exe from the Quay in Exeter, to the Sailing Club on the Exe Estuary, where we camped for the night, before sailing out to sea for the day, fishing for mackerel, and then returned for another nights camping before paddling back up the Canal to the Quay. Outside of scouting I enjoy tinkering with my classic Land rover, Sailing, Canoeing, Camping and Photography. I hope to encourage adults and young people in Somerset to participate in Scouting and all the activities and friendship it brings.
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Y T N U O C E TH DIARY
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orld record breaker James Bowthorpe is set to pay Somerset a visit in the Spring. James currently holds the record for cycling 18,000 miles around the globe in less than 6 months and Taunton Deane DC Shaun Dale and Scout leader Geoff Pinney have been organising a talk by James here in the county. James knows Somerset well having grown up as a West Hatch Scout in Taunton Deane. His Scout leader Geoff Pinney said: “Everyone at West Hatch is tremendously proud that James has achieved this feat.” There is a lot to talk about. Visiting 20 countries on his trip James faced both danger and real kindness from the people he met. In Iran James was very nearly kidnapped and whilst in Australia he was
Images by and reproduced with the permission of James Bowthorpe
WORLD CYCLIST T I S I V O T T E S R E SOM attacked by a kebab flung from a passing car window. When James needed his bicycle repaired in America however a man offered to fix the broken bike free of charge, not everyone is bad! The challenge undertaken by James is all in aid of raising money for research into Parkinson’s Disease. He was inspired to do this after seeing his Grandfather suffer from the disease and has a £1.8million target. It is hoped the upcoming talk will help James’ fund raising efforts. All are invited to go along and listen to James Bowthorpe’s accounts of cycling around the world where he will also be showing the pictures he gathered on his travels. Contact Taunton Deane DC Shaun Dale to book your seat! taunton.dc@gmail.com or 01823 354 407
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SAT SUN 06/07 MAR
World Scout Jamboree Young people preselection camp. Tedbury Campsite near Frome
SAT 13th MAR
Connect Four Competition Tedbury Campsite near Frome - for Beavers
WED 24th MAR
Chess and Draughts competition for Cubs and Scouts. Yeovil
WED 24th MAR
County Fellowship meeting Tangier, Taunton. 7.30pm
THU 25th MAR
ACC Meeting The Pipers Inn, Ashcott 8pm
FRI SUN 26-28 MAR
World Scout Jamboree Young people selection weekend. Huish Woods, near Taunton.
SUN 28th MAR
Regional Scouts Cooking Competition. Cheltenham
SAT 3rd APR
Sailing Open Day Sutton Bingham. Talk to existing instructors and demonstrate your sailing skills.
MON 26th APR
County Executive Meeting Tangier, Taunton 7.30pm
FRI MON 28-31 MAY
Somerset County Jamboree Ilton, Spring Bank Holiday
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