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c s you District and County news
Kayak rescue
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stranded scout kayaking group were rescued in a training exercise for the emergency services in Watchet and Minehead in k g.u or ts. January. ou tsc scoutout@somerse The coastguard’s search and rescue teams used members of the 1st Watchet Sea Scout group to simulate for their training. The youngsters acted as the stranded group of kayakers and the adults acted as concerned onlookers. The rescue simulation itself saw nine youngsters bought to ish and chip shops in Yeovil were put through their paces safety from Dunster and Warren Bay whilst the by cubs in January. The youngsters from Holy Trinity Cubs toured the many fish and chip outlets in the town to find their scouts pretended to have injuries and broken limbs. Exercise Sea Hawk was coordinated by the favourite by tasting and rating their services. Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s search and Chips from eight shops were tasted and rated on several criteria rescue teams from Watchet and Minehead, two including chip presentation, taste, customer service and overall value for money but, in the blind test, Palmers in Bumford Lane and Minehead lifeboats and police special constables. Four of the 1st Watchet Explorers also took part in in Market Place, Yeovil, came out top. a simulated rescue from a land-slip at Warren Bay message Cub leader Angie Dollard said there is an educational where they were rescued by the coastguard’s rope behind the activity: “It teaches the boys and girls about dealing rescue team. with money and they always really enjoy it.”
Send us yours
Cracking chips
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Planting partnership
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oungsters from Mells planted an astonishing 70 trees at the Somerset Earth Sciences Study Centre in January. The cubs and their leaders were at the centre for three hours planting the native species which had been chosen for their ability to create habitats for birds and small mammals. The 1st Mells Cubs first formed a partnership with the Study Centre in 2009 and the relationship continues to grow stronger.
Learning to speak scuba
Vegetables!
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eavers from Burnham-On-Sea have been learning all about healthy eating. A group of 20 beavers visited Highbridge’s Asda in February to sample fresh fruit and veg before completing a healthy eating quiz. The visit was part of the Burnhma-On-Sea Beaver’s fitness and healthy eating badges.
Beaver’s award
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he highest award in beaver scouting was awarded to four young people from Central Beavers in February. ADC Beavers Jacqui Hopkins presented the awards to the Central Beavers after which the youngsters proudly posed for a photo to show off their certificates. Five beavers were also invested that night in to the group which now has 12 youth members enjoying the adventure that is beaver scouting.
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entral Cubs in Taunton spent an evening scuba diving and snorkeling at the Quantock Lodge Swimming Pool in January. The cubs not only had the chance to experience the sensation of breathing underwater for the first time but were taught various safety aspects of diving and even how to talk under water. “The instructors were absolutely brilliant and the Cubs want to go again as they loved it so much,” said CSL Sean Ellett.
k u . g r o . s t u o c s www.somerset
. . . t cou Kitchen at last
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here is now a brand new set of kitchen cupboards in the 3rd Taunton Bishops Lydeard scout hall including a new sink, set of china, cutlery and even a new floor. The kitchen upgrade has been a while in the wings but young people and leaders alike are really pleased with the improvements. “We must be one of the luckiest groups in the district as we have our own mini-buses, a small woodland play area, car park, a camping field with a wood lighting / camp fire area as well as a good sized scout hut,” said GSL Yvonne Back. The good news for Somerset Scouts is that all this is available for hire. Yvonne is keen to make their fabulous resource accessible to all: “We’re not sure why this is such a well-kept secret in Somerset as we have lots of visitors from out of the county but now is your chance to visit.” If you would like to use this county resource call Yvonne on 01823 432151 or email yvonne.back@virgin.net
County website comesmetrsoeltsicofeuts.org.uk www.so
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he county’s new scout website has comes to life in March. The site has been technically masterminded by Mike Turner of Turnkey IT solutions and Tony Dyson, our resident hill walking advisor, activity permits manager and computer programmer. The new site gives Somerset Scouts a web presence both for the public hoping to find out more about what we do and existing members of the movement to access the county diary, issues of the county newsletter ScoutOut, our county resources directory and to make contacting a member of our management teams much easier. The look, feel and content of the site has been carefully designed in line with the Scout Association’s brand and messaging policy so that people looking in from outside the movement see a consistent, professional and youth centred image of scouting in Somerset. Hopefully this image can entice prospective members, both young and adult, to become a part of our great adventure. Visit the site, check it out and let us know what you think by emailing mediamanager@somersetscouts.org.uk
Mendip gangshow
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embers of the North Mendip Scout Group took to the stage in February to perform their Gang Show Concert. The showcase of singing and dancing was performed by 35 beavers, cubs, scouts and young leaders and featured both singing and dancing as well as musical talents. In the finale, Ralph Reader’s iconic gang show tune Riding along on the crest of a wave was sung and a collection of £60 was made to help fund the five members of North Mendip Scout Group who will be attending the World Scout Jamboree this year.
New ACC Beavers
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rom parent helper to ACC Beavers in five years, Mandy Williams speaks to ScoutOut about her new role at county.
Mandy first joined the Scout Association five years ago after her son joined beavers and she signed up on a parent rota. Since then she has supported the movement, taking the reigns of the Burnham-On-Sea Beaver Pier Colony in 2009 – where she continues as beaver leader. “I’m really excited to be joining the Assistant County Commissioner team in the 25th year of beaver scouting. I’m really looking forward to going out to other units and seeing what they do so I can share best practise and people’s ideas across the county. I’m also here to act as a support to anyone who needs it,” said Mandy Williams during an interview with Media Development Manager Andy Burland. Somerset has got lots of special events planned for the 25th anniversary of beaver scouting and Mandy is at the helm organising a year of great events: “Beaver 25 is a fun day we’re running on Sunday 18th September and is open to all beavers in the county. I’m also hoping to put on a beaver challenge and I want to visit local groups and join in with their celebrations too. In my own colony, we are running a birthday sleepover, a disco, a trip to Puxton Park and hopefully making a special appearance at Burnham-On-Sea’s carnival in November. And the number of beavers in Somerset is growing: “We have just added an additional colony at 1st Burnham which is growing steadily, a colony has just opened in Wembdon and there is one opening at Wedmore shortly. 1st Wellington opened a third Beaver colony recently and I’m looking forward to working with some passionate, experienced and skilled leaders across Somerset. I would like to thank them for their time and efforts which, as we know, are so rewarding.”
Celebrating 25 years
W
e continue our celebration of 25 years of beaver scouting with this new badge. You can buy yours online now from Scout Shops. Cli Somerset played an important ck role in the development of the bad beaver scouting in the years ge before it became an official section. Read all about it in forthcoming issues of ScoutOut.
website ty n u o c w e n r u o t check ou
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t n i s t u o c s f o s m a e t Put five n i k o o c A ? t e g u o y o what d
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rmed with spatulas, stoves and recipes for soup, youngsters from across the county met at Shepton Mallet for Somerset’s annual county cooking competition in January. Their challenge: to plan, prepare and serve a three course meal for four people on a budget of just £15 using equipment you would find in an average camp kitchen. Not only that the teams took their ingredients from cool box to fully laid table in just an hour and a half. The standard in Somerset is high. This is about as far away from chewy pork chops and runny jelly as you can get. Poached pears in rosemary and amaretto from the 1st Shepton kitchen had the room smelling fruity while prawn cocktails, with avocado and whole tiger prawns for decoration, from the 5th Frome Kitchen were certainly catching people’s eyes.
“We’ve never seen it so closely run”
Then the 1st Wellington team pulled out all the stops with their bright pink summer puddings doused in vanilla cream only to have the limelight stolen away by 2nd South Petherton’s remarkably fragrant chicken risotto. Not only that the team had been out into their local fields to pick blackberries back in October with which they made wild fruit trifles. But the Wessex kitchen was where the action was at. Having started first (start times were staggered at 10 minute intervals to give the judges a chance to get around the room) the Wessex Wonders got busy cooking crab cakes and serving up steamed pudding. Judges Enid Chapman and Carol Lewis had a tough time sampling all the dishes.
“We’ve never seen it so closely run,” said Carol as she came off the final tasting table. “You have to put your personal tastes aside and judge the food on whether it’s cooked properly,” continued Carol. “All the teams have done very well.” But it’s not just food the teams are judged on. In fact the judges look at how well the menu has been put together judging its complexity, originality and ability to stay within budget. The teams are observed for their team work and their appearance. Smart teams do better than scruffy ones and then there are the tables. Are they laid correctly? Are they decorated nicely and in line with the theme, which this year was a ‘Help for Heroes Charity Dinner’? The judges have to assess whether the food was on time, nice and warm and whether the dishes on offer complemented each other. Then, at last, the youngsters sit down and wait tentatively while Enid and Carol taste test their dishes. It’s certainly a challenge but everyone involved has a lot of fun. The scouts were really enjoying their cooking and worked so well as teams to bring these often complex meals to the table. Even the washing up seemed to get done fairly quickly, save for a few bubblefights around the room.
r food and ou h it w n fu of t lo a e “We hav ice with drizzles!” enjoy making it look n
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d n a s n e h c t i k p m a c to . .. e s r u o c f o n o i t i t e p ng com Winners of this year’s county cooking competition are the Wessex Wonders and in a close second are 2nd South Petherton. Joint 3rd are 1st Wellington and 1st Shepton and 5th Frome came a respectable 4th place. But all the rankings are commendable as there were only five points between top and bottom place. The Wessex Wonders walked away with 160 points while 4th place, 5th Frome, were hot on the Wonders’ tails with 155 points. The judges had never seen a competition that was so close and perhaps it will be even closer next year if you are able to enter a team. Groups can run their own cooking competitions which feed into district events which feed into the county event in January. I asked 5th Frome why they wanted to be cooking on a Saturday morning rather than anything else: “We love eating our food after the competition,” they answered. “We have a lot of fun and we like getting creative with our food under pressure and making it look nice with drizzles!”
2011
Winners
The Wessex Wonders Scott Boulton Justin Babb Jack Bond Samuel Palmer
MIND YOUR W HEAD
ScoutOut’s intrepid editor spent the day with our county caving team in January to get a taste of Somerset’s underground adventures. e walked across several fields, all dressed in serious caving gear, until we reached a stream and a tree. There was a small stone hut with a sign on it: “Swildon’s Hole. In event of an emergency dial 999. The nearest phone box is at Priddy Green.” This hole is some serious cave, not for the faint-ofheart. We’re on the Mendips somewhere, near Cheddar Gorge but where Priddy Green comes into it I’m not so sure. My
phone is in the car, so is everyone else’s. We’re a group of five and about to climb deep underground through a cave system that has been eroded out of the bedrock by water over thousands of years. We’re excited, intrepid, anxious. For some reason I had expected a grand entrance, possibly even a gift shop and a light stroll through a cavern before needing to get on my knees. Instead we were greeted with what looked like a drain: “Surely not Rob.”
Rob Franklin, our County Scout Caving Advisor, had asked me out to cave that morning. I’d never been before; in fact I’d avoided it on several occasions but this time I decided to give it a go. I knew we were in good hands and Rob had hired out all the right kit as well as fortified us with bacon sandwiches before the adventure began. It was all going swimmingly but there I am looking into a dark hole with a cold stream running into it and it’s, January although the sun is shining which is warming my face. How am I ever going to fit in there? This is silly. Where’s the nearest café? Simon, caving ahead of me, slips into the darkness and from somewhere I found a need to overcome the fear and dive in. So I did. It’s at this point a great sense of adventure swells over you. A few metres into the secret, underground world is a cavern. It’s small but big enough to sit in comfortably while everyone else comes in through the cave entrance. There’s daylight streaming in through the hole, the last we will see for a few hours. Our lamps flicker into action and we start to cave. On we pushed through tunnels, over boulders, around stalactites and all ways following the stream. We used every part of our bodies to navigate the passages, sliding down steep crevices barely wide enough to pass and hopping backwards off underground waterfalls into a dark unknown below. This was particularly challenging. If you’ve ever abseiled you’ll know what I’m on about. That horrible feeling at the top of the climb as you lower yourself backwards off the tower is more intense when you can’t see what’s behind you. There is a
stream babbling underneath you and you’ve got very little to hold onto. But once at the bottom though you feel like you’ve conquered the world. At times the roar of the cascades was deafening, the excitement seared if you lost grip on the slippery rocks and fell into the safety of your climbing harness on a descent. Occasionally we stopped for a snack, snaffled down some flapjack and admired the stalactites clinging to the glistening cave roof. It was quiet here, the stream rambling off somewhere else. Quiet in a cave is like no other quiet and the darkness is quite like nothing as dark as I have ever seen. We’re an hour’s journey from that little hole next to the tree in the field. Swildon’s Hole is an intermediate’s cave. We had to set up ropes and ladders in places before we abseiled down into the cave system so that we could climb back out on our return. At times the gaps we squeezed through were so tight you had to contort your shoulders and arch your back but all the time trying to keep yourself out of the stream. Eventually we reached the sump; a pool of water with a rope attached to the bank that disappears off into an underwater passage and up the other side. It’s just like a u-bend in a pipe. You can swim through if you hold your breath. I was enjoying myself. I won’t pretend I was really quite scared at the top. The noise, dark and all the steep climbs had me putting on my brave face from the word go but I wasn’t scared about leaping off a
ledge down a waterfall anymore. You have to push yourself at something like this, it’s a challenge but once completed you are left feeling full of achievement. As we sat 100metres
At times the roar of the cascades was deafening, the excitement seared if you lost grip on the slippery rocks and fell into the safety of your climbing harness
below Priddy Church and, presumably, Priddy telephone box, I wanted to dive through the sump and see more of the secret world. Sadly, we needed to go. The end of the cave was only half of our journey and I had a party to get to. Climbing where we jumped, jumping where we climbed and going against the flow of the little stream we ascended towards the tree. When we reached the first cavern in the system there was no light coming through the hole anymore, no sunshine to welcome us back but as we pierced the chilled night air, a million stars in a brilliantly clear indigo sky were welcome enough. Not that I’d realised but we’d been secretly adventuring underground for hours.
G N I V A C COUNTY ng cave systems ti ci ex t os m e th of e ith som Somerset is riddled w ic scout outings. st ta n fa r fo e ak m ey d th ntures for yourself? in the British Isles an ve ad d n u ro rg de n u county’s Why not discover the
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omerset Scout Caving is set to have a revival. The county is investing in new equipment and we have a growing band of enthusiastic cave leaders. We are in the final stage of putting together a number of fun and exciting events to introduce scouts, explorers young and adult leaders to caving. If you are a more experienced caver or have a desire to lead underground we would love to hear from you. If you have previously held a cave leader permit and would like
to hold one again then please contact me direct and we can arrange to re-validate the permit. For longer and more varied excursions we now have the capability within the county to explore some of the caves of Wales, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. We kick off this exciting programme with the British Caving Associations Artificial Cave at the County Explorer Scout Moot on the weekend of 29th April to 2nd May at Huish Woods. You can register your interest in
county caving either as a leader wishing to take young people caving or an adult hoping to learn new caving skills and become an instructor on our new county website:
Click here to register interest in county caving.
caving-sign-up/
rg.uk/our-resources/
www.somersetscouts.o
Making friends
Somerset makes a special effort to meet the ten Gibraltarian scouts joining us at World Scout Jamboree
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nit leader Sue Ovenden visited Gibraltar in January to meet the ten scouts that will be joining Somerset’s Apple unit on their adventure to Sweden in August. She took with her photos and messages from members of the Apple Unit and brought home messages and photos of the Gibraltarian scouts. The Somerset Unit is organising itself to accommodate the Gibraltarian Scouts in mixed patrols, rather than having an allGibraltar patrol and the Scouts will be given access to a closed Facebook group so the youngsters can get to know each other before they meet in Copenhagen at the end of July. “They were only selected in December,” said Sue, “so have had very little time to prepare [for the WSJ] and they do very little camping.” The rock of Gibraltar simply doesn’t have any camping space, is smaller than the Isle of Wight and home to just 29,000 people. There are only 282 scouts on the rock of Gibraltar but it was the 1st territory outside of the UK to form scouts in 1908 and Sue’s
visit has forged fantastic links with the scouts in Gibraltar that will be carried forwards to the jamboree this summer. “I’m really glad I went, very worth doing”, continued Sue. “Scouts in Somerset are benefiting from a large amount of jamboree preparation before their trip because the experience of a World Scout Jamboree can be overwhelming and we want to make sure the participants get as much out of the adventure as they can,” (see ScoutOut September 2010 issue 4). Sue also hopes to visit the rock again in the autumn to soften the blow of post jamboree blues: “You bond so tightly meeting so many people and having an amazing experience that coming home from a jamboree can be a bit of an anticlimax.” Sue would like to point out that the Gibraltar trips are a personal expense and not drawn from any WSJ or county funds.
Unit leader Chris Gomez stands 3rd from left in a black polo shirt. The participants from left to right: Michael, Alex, Jonathan, Shane, Chelsea, James, Laurence and Gary.
If you would like to support Somerset’s young people in their fundraising for WSJ and at the same time help pay for the Gibraltarian scouts’ camp costs then you can buy one of these beautiful t-shirts. Please email: wsj2011sue@yahoo.co.uk
Apple unit WSJ t-shirts. All sizes available, £10. Logo design by mrpineapple.co.uk
WSJ T S I A
people s well as the young World r’s yea s thi g din atten adult ht eig Scout Jamboree, t rse me So m fro leaders will travel rvice Se al on ati ern Int with the UK Team. lp make the Their purpose: to he e adults are Th . lity rea a jamboree way to the selected in a similar and still pay a nts younger participa nt. eve the d en fee to att host country You sign up with the jamboree the of well in advance ividual skills ind r you ile wh d itself an t sections of en are allocated to differ boree you jam the hin leadership wit anything on site could end up doing to running an from cleaning the loo
activity. a Somerset Tony Dyson has been and found rs yea scout leader for 15 22nd the for up n sig to inspiration st WSJ 21 d the WSJ when he visite hlands Park which was held at Hig 07. 20 in rd sfo near Chelm by the buzz in ed gg dra t ge u “Yo ieving things,” of young people ach jamboree Tony t firs e Th said Tony. in Japan in 1971 ever attended was by a typhoon hit s but the site wa cuated. Tony eva s wa ne ryo and eve school where ls ended up in an all-gir til danger un ion vat sal they sought had passed. me to the Somerset is also ho the IST of er mb me UK’s eldest . “I went to lfe Ro vid Da nt: ge contin thoroughly d an the 2007 Jamboree d, having an ce en eri exp enjoyed the earlier y an d been unable to atten le to ab be to d Jamboree, I wante UK. the e tsid ou e on experience lls and abilities Naturally I have ski help in the can which I believe for the many nt eve the of running ople who will pe thousands of young I can help pe ho I d be attending an nt in some way,” them enjoy the eve said David. aron Parkman Mike Turner and Sh trict cubs have from Weare and Dis go. “I’m really to also been selected porting the sup to rd looking forwa king a difference huge event and ma m all different fro to young people going to all are We countries. ke new ma e, tim at gre a have tic skills.” tas fan friends and gain nted: me com e Mik n. said Sharo our own n pla “We have decided to site ree bo Jam the travel route to stopping be to ing go are and we a day. I am a in Copenhagen for t the airline ou ab d little concerne l certainly wil we its, lim e baggag need to pack light!”
S R A E Y S I H T AT
Y T N U O C REE O B M JMA ERRYFIELD AIRFIELD ILTON
Y A M h t 27th - 30 F SOMERSET
O E L O H W E H T R FUN FO Check out online booking. Applying to County Jamboree has never been easier.
click here to
APPLY ONLINE
running This year jamboree is different. We’re camp so both a competition camp and a troop skill anyone with any degree of camping can take part in this weekend of fantastic activities and fun.
Not only that but sub camp leaders will be running camping skills workshops for adults and young people alike. SOMERSET
G N I L B M A SCR N O D W O N S P U
Y T N U O C E TH DIARY
SAT 5/3
Cub Swimming Competition
Strode Swimming Pool, Street, Somerset, BA16 0AS. SUN 20/3
County Mountain Bike Competition Open to all Somerset scouts and explorers. Come and peddle a path around our course.
SAT 2/4
outs Somerset’s network sc ble up SAT visited Wales to scram 2/4 ... k a e p st e h ig the country’s h
“J
ust don’t let go,” said Tony Dyson to the network scouts as they shimmied along Crib Goch on their way to the summit of Snowdon. In early February ten network members from both the Taunton and Frome hubs travelled to Wales in order to immerse themselves in some serious mountain scrambling. Led by hill walking advisor Tony Dyson the intrepid team walked the whole of the Snowdon horseshoe taking in Crib Goch, Snowdon itself and finally the summit of Y Lliwedd. But this wasn’t just hiking. In fact the trip was a scramble up the mountains of north Wales and one that proved to be rather more hairy than the network scouts were first expecting. The first part of the scramble saw Tony leading the scouts off the well beaten tourist path and up the steep rock face of Crib Goch. Once on the top, the team edged their way along the ridge trying very hard not to fall off before descending back onto easier paths for the ascent of Snowdon itself. Once watered and fed at the summit of Snowdon, which was a doddle compared to the white knuckle experience of Crib Goch, the scouts then tackled Y Lliwedd, another peak just south of Snowdon. This involved more scrabbling up rocks and careful attention to
the location of the edge before the summit was reached. At the top the team realised they had lost Bertie, much to the disappointment of everyone. After a slightly panicked hunt for the missing scrambler it transpired he was busy taking photos with his new lens as the clouds had cleared to reveal some extraordinary views. On the way home, after the days climbing the hikers witnessed a dramatic helicopter rescue from the rock face of Crib Goch and this was discussed in great detail long into the night in a crowded Inn near Betws-yCoed. The network scouts dined on hearty grub, played outrageously noisy card games and retired to bed contented with their day’s adventures. Network scouting is for anyone aged 18 – 25 and welcomes new members at any time of the year. In August Somerset’s network scouts are running a summer camp to the Blackwell Adventure Centre.
SAT 10/4 22/4 to 25/4
Beaver Connect 4 Competition
Swanmead Community School, Ditton Street, Ilminister. £1 a player. 1pm - 4.30pm
County Chess and Draughts Competition
Cubs and scouts welcome. Swanmead Community School, Ditton Street, Ilminister. £1 a player. 1pm - 4.30pm
County Presentation Day
Check the online county diary for the latest info on this event.
Network Camp
Somerset’s Network will be re-building the Beacon Field’s gateway at Huish Woods this weekend. Anyone aged 18 - 25 can join Network in the county. See our county website for more information: www.somersetscouts.org.uk/network
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