Yes, it’s July. It’s HOT! And it’s party time!!!!!
After a busy scouting year, the committee and leaders of 12th Cambridge invite all members, friends and family to our Summer Party 2015 on 20 July, 6pm on.
With catering by our very own professionals and fun & games organised by our scouters, this is the event not to be missed!
FREE entry*, just RSVP to summerparty@12thcambridge.org.uk (*but donations via our Virgin site are welcome at any time!)
It’s been a while since the Cub pack’s Spring Camp in the Peak District: it’s about time I got some photos out to the world! See the bottom of this page for a large number of photos.
The theme of the camp was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a story with a close connection to where we were camping. Our band of knights encountered many a challenge and accomplished many a feat of derring-do, too many to recount in full, but particular highlights should be recorded.
Perhaps most notable was their descent from a terrifyingly high bridge, lowering themselves through thin air. Then there was the epic journey on foot along the spectacular Roaches ridge in two separate groups, navigating themselves.
Back at camp, our knights were never idle. When they weren’t building our grand fortress gate, they were inventing and building numerous items of camp furniture, making flags and heraldic crests, laying trails of tracking symbols, hunting for treasure, cooking food over a fire and digging around in the undergrowth to discover its hidden inhabitants. And let’s not forget the necessary components of day-to-day life on camp: collecting firewood, helping with cooking, washing up, fetching water, and so on.
The cubs’ enthusiasm, helpfulness and general positive attitude to the activities, as well as the more mundane everyday aspects of camp life, was fantastic and made the camp great fun for all of us! Well done to them all, especially those camping with us for the first time!
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In April this year, we launched a second Scout Troop and meeting night. Up to now, it’s been known – rather boringly! – as the 12th Cambridge (Wednesday) Troop.
Last week, the Scouts at the new Troop got to vote on their choice of name. The clear winner, seeing off Reptiles, Mountains and even Dinosaurs, was Wildcats.
This led onto decisions about patrol names, and we now have the Black Panthers, Jaguars and Pumas. They’re led by our three new Patrol Leaders, who will be appointing their assistants later in the term.
With fifteen Scouts and now a Troop name, things are settling down at Wildcats. We’ve got our first camp in July (joint with Raptors, the Thursday evening Troop), and will be launching a patrol points competition over the summer, as well as designing a Troop badge.
If you’ve got any questions, or would like to get involved (either as a Scout or as an adult helper/leader) do email us at newtroop@12thcambridge.org.uk And yes, we might change that email to wildcats@ soon!
12th Cambridge Scouts took part in the SWAN65 sailing expedition over Easter. Half a dozen of our fine galley-boys and girls set sail in a group of 28 scouts and 22 leaders in traditional 1930s Broads cruisers.
As is often the case around Easter, the weather provided its challenges. After a couple of days of sailing, a storm blew in and the fleet was confined to home port. This provided the opportunity to engage with some shore-based activities, including archery & crate-stacking (kindly hosted by 50th Norwich) and trips to Norwich cathedral & castle and Yarmouth.
Later in the week, conditions improved and some fine sail-training was had by all. Suncream was deployed. Wroxham and its bridges became the location for mast-lowering practice and a spot of quanting.
Friday evening saw the return of the fleet to the boatyard, fish & chips for everyone and prize-giving, with Ben “can we switch the engine off?” Binks being awarded the Quant Fever prize.
Well done to all our Scouts (& Explorer) for being such enthusiastic crew-mates for the week.
It’s 1 week today til the 12th Cambridge launches its second Scout Troop!
So, our very first meeting kicks off at 7:45pm next Wednesday, at the Scout Hut on Gilbert Road. The entrance is through a fairly narrow set of gates between the Gurney Way and Courtney Way turns; there’s a full map here (under the “The 12th” tab). The meeting will run to 9:15pm, and parents are welcome to pop in for a chat at the end (or indeed at the start, but the leaders may be a little busier sorting things out then).
We’ve got a couple of games included in the programme, as well as a general introduction to Scouting, a getting-to-know-you activity, and a session on using pen knives safely. As with most Scout evenings, no specific kit is needed, other than uniform for those Scouts who are already invested (i.e. those transferring from Thursdays). It’s a good idea to wear old clothes, just in case we have some messier or outdoor activities, and to bring a coat/waterproof that’s suitable for the weather. We’ll be doing quite a few things outdoors over the summer term in particular.
For those few people who haven’t returned information forms yet, it would be really handy to have them in advance, but otherwise do please bring them in at the start of the meeting. As you’ll appreciate, we need contact and basic information before any Scout is left for the meeting.
If there are any queries, please do email, or give Toby a call on 07912 494875.
Events to look forward to…
It’s 2 weeks today til the 12th Cambridge launches its second Scout Troop!
Over the last two months we’ve used the weekly updates to set out some of the events for next term – including the “Sun Run” overnight hike in June; the Troop camp in July; and the main Summer Camp in August. Once we’re up and running in April, we’ll be inviting bookings for those events (this is managed through a simple online system called OSM, and there’ll be more details sent out about this soon).
There are also a couple of places spare on a go-karting activity which the Thursday night Troop has arranged for Sunday 17 May. This costs £25, and anyone who might be interested is welcome to email for more details. We’re putting this out now, rather than waiting until our first meeting, as space is genuinely limited.
We’ll also shortly be confirming a Wednesday around the Whitsun half-term when we’ll meet at a local campsite rather than the Scout hut, for outdoor games, camp-fire, and more.
Next week we’ll give a flavour of the programme for Wednesday 15 April and the first couple of meetings, as well as reminding everyone about the practicalities – meeting times, what to bring (don’t worry, not much!), etc. But if there are any questions now, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Events to look forward to…
It’s 4 weeks today til the 12th Cambridge launches its second Scout Troop!
We talked last week about what normally happens during meetings, including games, team activities, learning skills, etc. As we’ll be a new Troop, however, the first few weeks will include a few special introductory activities, helping Scouts to get ready for their investiture. This is the short ceremony when they officially join the Troop, and we’d expect to run a big investiture around half term. We’ll try to find somewhere unusual for it – maybe up a climbing wall, or in a swimming pool! – and Scouts are welcome to suggest ideas for this!
Making the Scout Promise is one of the main parts of getting invested – it’s our commitment to acting in a certain way during Scout activities, and in fact throughout life. The core Promise is as follows;
On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God, and to the Queen, to help other people, and to keep the Scout Law.
There are alternative versions of the Promise for those different faiths and nationalities. The Scout Law sets out seven values, including trust, loyalty and respect. You can find out more about both the Promise and Law at www.scouts.org.uk
and one new Cub
Events to look forward to…
It’s 5 weeks today til the 12th Cambridge launches its second Scout Troop!
We said last week that the leaders are beginning to plan out the weekly programmes – but what does a typical Scout meeting look like? There’s normally a formal start and end to each meeting, when we break or lower the flag. Each only lasts a couple of minutes, but it’s a chance to present badges, invest new members, and give out notices. Scouts and leaders will generally be expected to wear uniform – you can find examples of this on the Scout Shops website.
During the middle part of the meeting, there might be a chance to learn new skills – things like first aid, or how to use expedition stoves. Navigation, pioneering, and the safe use of axes and saws are just some of the others. As far numbers allow, Scouts will get the chance to try things out in small groups, with leaders supervising.
There are normally also one or two games each evening – cornerball, cat and mouse, and poison ivy are just some of the games that will become familiar to Scouts. They’re a chance to wear off energy, work together in teams, and just have fun!
It’s not long now til the Scouts joining the new Wednesday Troop will get a chance to experience their first meeting!
Events to look forward to…
It’s 6 weeks today til the 12th Cambridge launches its second Scout Troop!
In last week’s update, we mentioned some of the admin that we need to do before the new Troop starts. Thanks very much to those who’ve already returned the information form, and just to confirm that Scouts who are transferring from the Thursday night Troop don’t need to complete another one.
We’re now starting on the fun part of the planning – actually getting the programme sorted out! The date of our first leaders meeting is being set for mid-March, and that’ll be when we sort out the games, activities, challenges and skills sessions that will be included in each weekly meeting. Once things are up and running properly, the Scouts will all get the chance to contribute their ideas when we do planning for future terms.
We talked about patrols last week, and one thing that will definitely be on the agenda in the first few weeks is to decide patrol names. Normally these are themed around animals, birds, etc – although they don’t have to be. Once we’ve got that sorted, we’ll also need a name for the Troop – something a bit more original than “12th Cambridge (Wednesdays)”! Hopefully we’ll have plenty of creative Scouts in the Troop.
There are still a number of spaces available on Wednesdays, so please do pass the information out to friends, or through schools and other groups. Anyone who’s interested can get in touch with us at newtroop@12thcambridge.org.uk
It’s 7 weeks today til the 12th Cambridge launches its second Scout Troop!
As leaders, there are lots of fun and exciting things involved in planning for the new Troop. There are also some more routine ones, like the basic admin. As with any membership organisation, it’s important we hold the right information – things like contact details, medical needs, and so on. There’s a standard information form which all new members need to complete, and which has been sent to those looking to join the new Troop. We’re hoping these can be returned sooner rather than later!
One event that requires quite a bit of admin but is definitely worth it is Summer Camp. This year, we’re hosting Scouts from Canada, as part of our twinning arrangement. That adds another dimension to what’s already a great event – camping for almost a week means that we can do more activities, have more fun, and still be more relaxed J There’ll be more information in the coming months, but do mark the dates in your diary now – it’s from 18 to 24 August.
The first three countdown emails have explained about what Scouts do – the programme zones, the badges, and the idea of everyday adventure. How Scouting works is just as important, though. The patrol system started on the very first Scout camp, back in 1907, and today it still offers a really important way for Scouts across the 10 to 14 age range to work together in a way that doesn’t happen in schools and many other settings. There are opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills as (Assistant) Patrol Leaders, and team working is really emphasised.
When the new Troop launches in 7 weeks time, we’ll take the first few weeks to settle in, but then setting up permanent patrols and appointing the Patrol Leaders will be a big milestone at the end of the first half-term.
Events to look forward to…