Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

Tangible results of training are still few, but many of the Scouts are working towards the Advanced Scout Standard and the Chief Scout's Award, and the Venture Scouts towards the Venture Award. Three Venture Scouts have achieved this and we offer them our congratulations.

Activities have been varied and we are now proud possessors of four fibre-glass canoes, made by members of the Unit. This represents considerable time and effort and the result has been that a number of Venture Scouts have been able to undergo rigorous canoe training, using their own equipment. Even more encouraging has been their willingness to pass on their skills to members of the Scout Troop. The minibus we bought from the School is now almost ready for the road again, though a lot remains to be done to the bodywork and the interior before it is the expedition vehicle we want it to be.

Modern Scouting probably appeals to only a small proportion of members of the School and the extent to which we can develop it depends upon man power. There is no doubt that the Group will have an important part to play in the life of the School and in the York Scout Association in the years to come. K.G.C.

Although the most obtrusive section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, the expedition-training and testing, goes on in the Summer term. the other three sections for each boy must progress during the ,rest of the year and some useful course work has again taken place over the winter. Twenty-six first-year boys joined the Scheme in the School (places are in fact, over subscribed) and after a two-term course of instruction by the Red Cross, all passed the Junior Red Cross Proficiency Certificate in March.

Fifty-three Second and Third year boys (at "Silver" and "Gold" stages in these activities) took a variety of courses provided through the cooperation of local organisations; the Police programme is the most popular,and in addition to evenings studying Police organisation, prosecution, and crime prevention, boys also saw the Police work in photography, dog handling, and the under-water section. Other boys were trained at the Fire Station, and the R.S.P.C.A., and this year three boys opted to do Social Service at Clifton Hospital; they enjoyed this themselves and their help was much appreciated by the Hospital; perhaps others will take up the idea next year.

The organisers of the Scheme insist on the importance of the various activities in the Scheme, rather than the number of certificates awarded. However, the Certificate is an achievement and during the winter the Bronze Award was gained by N. J. Williams, and Silver Awards by S. Foster and D. B. Hart. Congratulations to them.

Mr. Burbridge moved from St. Peter's at Christmas and our grateful thanks must go to him for his energy in initiating the Scheme in the School (by far the first such organisation in the area) and his enthusiasm in running it. His accounts of adventures with Peterites on the North Yorkshire Moors will now be regaling the Maltby citizenry—hilarious, hair-raising, and usually, we may comfort ourselves, exaggerated.