Sun Run makes a come back!

Posted on 25/04/2014 by Graham

After a one year break the troop’s annual charity fund raiser is making a come back in June.

The Sun Run is an all night hike, racing against the sun. Setting off from Ely on the dot of sun set scouts will run, hike or do whatever it takes to follow the River Cam back to Cambridge. On route they will dodge cows (yes they do sleep standing up!), wake up people on house boats and generally find out what the small hours of the morning look like 🙂

A pause for breath – Sun Run 2012

Exhausted scouts reach the finish line – Sun Run 2011

It’s not just another hike though, as long as being incredibly long at 18 miles the scouts get sponsored for their efforts and every year raise a huge amount for charity. The scouts chose the charity to support, in previous years it has been East Anglian Children’s Hospice, SOS Children’s Villages and Jimmy’s Night Shelter. This year they have chosen Child’s Play.

Child’s Play work to try and brighten the lives of children and teenagers who find themselves in hospital and even sadly in a hospice by providing toys and computer games to hospitals. In doing so they provide a fun and welcome distraction from what can be a highly distressing experience.It can be anything from toddler’s building blocks to computer game consoles. You can read more about them here.

We hope to have details of how you can sponsor the scouts on this years trek shortly so watch this space!

Burn baby burn!

Posted on 04/04/2014 by Graham

Another busy term for the scout troop was brought to a conclusion on Thursday night with a fire lighting master class at Milton Country Park. Several weeks of fine dry weather gave ideal conditions for scouts to get up to speed on multiple methods and materials for starting the perfect camp fire.

From tumble drier fluff to tissues to cotton wool, scouts discovered the different things they can find around their own homes to take with them to camp to get a fire started. And who knew that the ever popular Pringles (other potato based snacks are available) are not just a good snack but also make excellent tinder?

It brought to an end a busy term which saw every scout select and work on an activity badge of their choice including pioneering, electronics, first aid, chef and model maker developing a range of skills along the way. They also celebrated pancake day and the Chinese New Year with a Chinese Tea Ceremony.

We’ve been out and about plenty as well. From winter camp in January to the district incident hike and swimming gala in March.

It doesn’t stop over Easter. We have contingents of scouts heading sailing in Norfolk for a week, living, eating and sleeping on the traditional keel boats that they will be sailing and also to the Hertfordshire Scouts Initial Mountaineering Course in the Scottish Highlands for a week.

We’ll see you all back at scouts on 24 April.

Young Life Savers

Posted on 28/03/2014 by Graham

While most teenagers were enjoying their Sunday lie in last weekend the group’s young leaders were being trained in the art of advanced first aid.

Young Leaders are Explorer Scouts (14-18 year olds) who volunteer to effectively become apprentice adult leaders with Beavers, Cubs or Scouts and are our next generation of leaders. The first aid course is just one part of their training and equips them to deal with a broad range of emergencies including major bleeds, choking, loss of consciousness and CPR/mouth to mouth.

The course gives YLs a recognised Red Cross qualification and the skills and ability to cope with any emergency they might encounter.

Any 14-17 year olds interested in getting involved with the Young Leader programme should contact the Group Scout Leader Colin Sills.

Could you be someone’s hero?

Posted on 22/02/2014 by Graham

Happy Founder’s Day! (And happy Thinking Day to our friends in Girl Guides)

Today is the day that scouts and guides across the world celebrate what would have been the birthday of our founder Lord Robert Baden Powell. In the early 1900s he was a complete maverick and his idea that young people were of real worth, that they worth developing and could be capable of serving their community was in complete contrast to the attitudes of the time when its was said that “children should be seen and not heard”.

Today the Scout Association is remembering BP with the theme of My Scout Hero where scouts are remembering the people in scouting who most influenced them with lots going on across youtube, twitter and the rest of the internet

Right now as a group we are looking to recruit new adults, in particular with our cubs and beavers. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes and it can be the most unlikely people who are capable of being someone’s hero, sometimes for doing the smallest of things, teaching them to light a fire or taking them on their first night away from their parents. You certainly don’t need to be superman to do it!

If you want to be someone’s hero then please get in touch. You don’t need experience or qualifications, just a sense of humor and few hours to spare each week.

So what are you waiting for? We’d love to hear from you……

In the hut, nobody can hear you scream…

Posted on 12/02/2014 by Colin Sills

Well that’s not quite true. However, you might now be able to talk without having to shout!

The weekend of the 8th & 9th February saw some great team-work in the HQ. Volunteers young and old assembled early in the morning to set up a factory producing sound-absorbing panels.

The team sawed, glued, stapled, drilled and drank tea all day. The GSL handed out biscuits and tried in vain to remove glue from his hands.

Finally, the Quartermaster had a stock of 40 padded panels ready for mounting.

Sunday saw deployment of the scaffold tower, drills, screwdrivers and long-forgotten knot-tying skills. Slowly, the echoeyness diminished until you could actually hear your own blood pumping (according to our Group Secretary).

Thank you to all our volunteers: John, Rob, Michael, Roger, Eliane, Leonie, Mark, Max, Lucas, Neil, Catherine, Rebekah, Sophie, Issy, Valerie, Jamie, Robin, Graeme and Gregor. [Editor: If I have missed out anyone, please let me know!]

If it’s too quiet now, the Cubs will just have to practice louder Grand Howls!