Focus on GLSW

Scouting in Greater London South West April 2004

St. George’s Day Awards

SILVER WOLF In recognition for service of the most exceptional nature to Scouting
Clifford E Beck	County Air Activities Advisor
Christopher C Dean	County Scout Network Commissioner
BAR TO THE SILVER ACORN In recognition of further specially distinguished service
Robert D G Bushell	Group Treasurer, 1st Hook, Surbiton Assistant County Commissioner (Activities)
Terence F Mitchell	Chairman County Gang Show Committee
John B Perkins	District Commissioner, Sutton and Cheam
Robert C Prescott	District Commissioner, Wimbledon and Wandle
SILVER ACORN In recognition of specially distinguished service
Richard A Ball	Assistant District Commissioner (Scouts), Croydon
Laurence J Barham	District Commissioner, Wandle
Anthony K Crackett	Explorer Scout Leader, Croydon
Reginald W Gage	Polyapes Wardening Coordinator, Surbiton
Christine J C Holton	Group Secretary, 8th Cheam, Sutton and Cheam
Janet B Howard	Assistant District Commissioner (Adult Training), Kingston and Malden
Theresa C Jeffrey	District Commissioner, Croydon
Roger B Jones	Assistant District Commissioner (General Duties), Croydon
John R Kendall	Group Scout Leader, 14th Wimbledon, Wimbledon and Wandle
Philip Lakin	Group Treasurer, 1st North Wallington, Wallington, Carshalton and District
Ian R Marsden	Assistant District Commissioner (Fellowship), Surbiton
Ian G Newbury	Assistant County Commissioner (Scouts)
Bernard S Reeves	Assistant Cub Scout Leader, 1st Merton Park, Wimbledon and Wandle
Linda P Stacey	Assistant District Commissioner (Cub Scouts), Kingston and Malden
Barry F Sullivan	Scoutlink Club Leader, Surbiton
Roger J Tomlin	District Scout Leader, Croydon
Clive P Uridge	Group Scout Leader, 1st Hook, Surbiton
Joan E Uridge	Deputy County Commissioner
Yvonne M Wilkinson	Group Scout Leader, 1st Malden, Kingston and Malden

Chairman’s Notes

Having been out of the Country for a few months I was delighted to learn on my return of the St George’s Day Awards. Warmest congratulations to the recipients and a big thank you for your contributions to the development of our young people.

On that theme I would repeat the final paragraph from Ian Newbery’s covering letter to the scout leaders with the excellent GLSW Scout event book for 2004.

“..... I am always humbled by the adaptability and willingness to change shown by all who work with the Scout section”. I endorse those compliments wholeheartedly and would pass them on to all section leaders.

You may have read in the national press one banner headline “Be prepared: To stay in a centrally – heated chalet” This refers to the Scout Association who are planning to develop “Centres of Excellence” at their campsites – Gilwell, Downe (Kent), Great Towers (Cumbria) and others currently leased to Districts and Counties. What does it mean to our members? It provides other opportunities for the modern age but does NOT alter our traditional outdoor camping activity, which remains the key to the development of your people. Obviously there are perceived concerns, as it is with any change; will there be sufficient camping grounds in the future, are the camping fees going to increase, what about the future of our local sites? You can be assured of one fact. Your County’s financial support to our North Wales activity centre in Bethesda will continue and is not affected by HQ’s planning changes. Secondly your County will keep you informed of further development.

I was encouraged when reading 1st Old Malden Scout Group’s newsletter on their action list for Group development. Their GSL listed four targets, which I want to pass on to “Focus readers” (My thanks to Tim Eggitt GSL)

• Each section of the Group to recruit one new regular adult helper or (even better) new leader into its leadership team

• Each section of the Group to ensure there is at least one outdoor event planned for each term

• The Group is to arrange at least two new events for all uniformed members to take part in

• The Group to continue to improve the linking process as our young people move onto their next section

I am confident your Group has targets of their own so why not tell Focus (Chris Feltham editor) so that we can share them with all your fellow leaders.

In order to report our progress and achievements in 2003 our AGM has been confirmed for Wednesday 9th June 7.30 for 8.00 and will be held at the 8th Cheam’s HQ. There is adequate parking in the nearby Library car park. Please make a note in your diary because you will be assured of a warm welcome.

Cheers, Tony Edwards

County Commissioner’s Message

I met recently B-P’s grandson, Lord Baden-Powell at the occasion of the launch of the latest edition of Scouting for Boys, at the Wimbledon Post Mill. Whilst staying at the Post Mill House, B-P had penned part of Scouting for Boys and this was a fitting venue to re-launch this particular edition.

Lord Baden-Powell recalled a few of his personal memories of his grandfather and he felt sure that B-P would have been proud of the way the message and values of Scouting, expressed in the book, had continued to be developed for the benefit of young people today.

The Chief Scout was also in attendance and he took time to remind those present that soon Scouting moves into its second century and we should be prepared for that and to continue to develop Scouting so that we may develop a strong future for our young people.

Interesting that both speakers at this occasion chose to emphasise the need to develop Scouting for the future. In turn we have to ensure that GLSW will play its part in the development of its young people too.

Roger

PS: if you haven’t been to Wimbledon Post Mill and its museum on Wimbledon Common, its worth a visit. Entrance is inexpensive, the museum contains an interesting display of working models and there is a section devoted to B-P and Scouting. There are decent refreshment facilities too!

GLSW Cooking Competition 2004

On Sunday 8 February, 31 teams of four scouts converged on 1st Hook HQ for the 2004 Scout County Cooking Competition. The theme, ‘5-Alive’, was in line with the DOH initiative to ensure that everyone eats at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. As usual the standard of food and variety of dishes prepared in 2 hours was extremely high giving the judges a very difficult task. With only 20 points separating 1st and last place Leander were declared the winners scoring 67 points out of a possible 70 – congratulations! A full set of results can be found on the County web site.

My thanks to Sandra Newbery, my co-organiser, the 20+ judges who worked extremely hard on the day and, of course all the teams who took part – see you in 2005.

Mark Patrick County Scout Leader

County Scout Night Exercise 2004...

Saturday 13 March saw the hugely popular County Scout Night Exercise take place at Boidier Hurst Campsite, near Boxhill. Over 230 Scouts passed through the hall in a three-hour flurry of activity. The 44 teams had to be book into the event at the allocated time, have their kit checked and be issued with a map & walking instructions. Finally they were off…with one team passing the starting line every five minutes! A few teams struggled to get out of the campsite and one team decided after 30 minutes exploring the site to pop back in and get a few pointers on finding the gate! 85% of the teams finished the five-mile route required and within the allocated time! Although, I feel sure they all walked more than five miles after the odd occasional unplanned detour, in other words got lost! We did receive one call on the evening from a friendly landlord of The Running Mayor Public House, a team had turned left instead of right then walked two miles in the wrong direction. They consequently lost themselves on the map and had seized the opportunity to pop in…and ask for directions! Whilst on the route the teams had to complete various activities to gain valuable points which ranged from looking after a strand of spaghetti each for the next four miles without causing it any damage to naming ten pre recorded Nokia mobile ring tones. The event was won by 13th Twickenham with 220 points who were very closely followed in second place by 3rd Hampton Hill with 219 points…

WELL DONE to every team that took part! The event wouldn’t have been possible with out the 65 leaders and adults that helped make the event a fantastic success – thank you! A complete set of times and scores for all teams are now on the county web site www.glswscouts.org.uk.

Andy Harris County Scout Leader

County Scout Questionnaire

This year’s questionnaire brought in 34 responses which is slightly less that we have had in the past but the information that it gives the County Scout team is invaluable, so many thanks for all those we did find the time to jot down your views.

The 1st Troop out of the hat in the draw for the tent was the 18th Purley. Congratulations to them and the tent will be with you in time for the camping season.

Below is a summary of the results of the survey. Not all the questions were answered on every reply, but I have listed the finding as a percentage to give us a broad overall view.

The first set of questions were aimed at gauging the effectiveness of the Scout Section Events book and to try to determine if it is value for money to keep producing it.

Communication

Is it helpful to have the competition / event entry forms in the events book?

100% of you said yes to this one

Is it useful to have the competition rules in the events book?

Again 100% said yes

Is it helpful to have the event contact details in the events book?

And we had a 100% answer yes here too

Is your Troop more likely to participate because you have had the information in advance?

97% thought that having the info in advance would make it more likely that they would participate.

Would it be useful to send out reminders of events nearer time i.e. a month in advance?

76% Yes, 24% No

If your answer to the above question is Yes, please indicate your preferred method that you want to receive these reminders by.

E-mail: 65%; Post: 35%

Do you find the colour coding of the pages useful?

97% liked the colour coding

Do you find the year planner useful?

88% said yes and only 12% do not appear to use it

Is there anything else you would like to see included in the events book?

There was nothing specific requested in relation to events under this question however there were one or two points that were raised. One asked for contact points for other Groups to appear, another asked for training dates with contacts and a third asked for the book to be produced earlier – around Oct. The first two requests we can have a look to see if it is feasible, the last will not be as easy. The District Scout Sections representatives have over the last 6 years held their main meeting at the end of November where amongst other things the events are discussed.

For the past two years this meeting has altered the arrangements from the year before which in both cases has made the Year Planner inaccurate as this is printed in October (Free of charge!). Careful thought will be given to this request to ascertain if it would be feasible.

Linking

Does your Troop use the “Moving On” award when young people are linking between the Cub Pack and the Troop?

Worryingly 24% of those who responded said that they do not use the award. As the main tool at our disposal for encouraging the linking process I would have hoped that this figure would be smaller. Perhaps it is no surprise then that our retention of young people between Cubs and Scouts is so poor!

Do you encourage young people to spend 4–6 weeks coming to part or all of the Troop meeting while they are still part of the Pack?

Slightly more encouragingly 82.5% do try to encourage a transition period between sections, however it is recognised that in some cases it can be difficult to achieve.

In your Group, who gives out the “Moving On” award?

23.5% did not answer this one, of those who did:

46% said that the Cub Scout Leaders presents it at the Pack meeting

27% said that the Scout Leader presents it at the Troop meeting

27% said that the Cub Scout Leader presents it at the Troop meeting

0% said that the Scout Leader presents it at the Pack meeting

Scouting Essentials says quite clearly that; “The Moving-On ceremony should not be the 1st time that a young person meets the new section Leaders!” This cannot be achieved if there is no co-operation between sections and some attempt at implementing the Moving-On Award is not made. Ideally a member of the Cub Scout Leadership team should present the Award at the Troop meeting after the young person has completed a period of 4–6 weeks of linking.

Do you know who your District Explorer Scout Administrator is?

Only 65% knew who their DESA was. Of the 35% who didn’t, there was a fair split right across the Districts.

Have you either been asked by them for details of any Scout in your Troop over 13 or passed on these details before being asked?

The following results are in my book the most worrying of all and it will be a matter of some urgency that I will be working with the County Explorer Scout Commissioner and pushing at District level to reverse the trends shown up here.

35% of the Troops who replied said that they have NEVER had any contact with the District Explorer Scouts

41% said that the last contact that they had had was 12 months ago or longer, and only

14% had had contact within the last 6 months, and just

10% had been in touch within the last 3 months and one of those was because the Scout Leader was also the Explorer Scout Leader!

European Jamboree 2005

Do you know what goes on at an International Jamboree like Eurojam?

Only 38% (13 replies) of Troops had no idea of what type of programme is run at an International event. Sadly 5 of these did not want a presentation and one cannot help but feel that their members could be denied the opportunities that this type of event offers.

Would you like someone to come to the Troop meeting to give a presentation on International Jamborees?

Of the 13 that requested a presentation 8 have already been completed and the others are in hand.

Would you consider taking your Troop to Eurojam for their summer camp in 2005?

This question provoked some quite strong response. 59% said that they would not take their Troop to Eurojam, with only 41% prepared to consider it as an option.

If no, is it because it is too expensive?

Of the 59% who said no in the question above, 85% said that it was the cost that was the issue. Many added comments to this re iterating the point, including some of those who were prepared to consider the event.

If no, is it because the Troop is not able to mount a summer camp?

This did not appear to be an issue, 90% indicated that they were perfectly able to mount their own summer camp.

The following 3 questions did not produce any clear answers as many replies had “yes” marked for 2 or 3 of the questions.

If yes, would you prefer to go under your own steam?
If yes, would you prefer to go as part of a District organised unit?
If yes, would you prefer to go as part of a County organised unit?

However many indicated that they wished to have the District or County organise a unit. To my knowledge only one District has found enough support to organise a unit, however Steve Clark (ACC International) is managing the County based effort. He can be contacted at stephen.clark@glswscouts.org.uk for more details.

Ian Newbery Assistant County Commissioner (Scouts)

The annual Census produced a 70% increase in membership of Network over last year, and shows that real progress is being made after a slow start. We now have a County-wide membership of 54 with a further 37 recorded elsewhere as Scouters in Groups and Units. However, while this is encouraging there is at least this number again in the 18-25 age group who have yet to play an active part in our section.

This is most disappointing especially as the programme, widely advertised on the County web site and Smartgroup calendar, is both attractive and challenging. In January we held our first ‘Winter Meet’ at Bentley Copse where the highlight was removing tree stumps with the aid of a Landrover! In February Network members competed in the Southern 50 Challenge Hike and Operation Red Flare, in which a team from Croydon finished 8th out of 17, a vast improvement on last year! The first weekend in March found members hillwalking in the Glyders and watching Ireland beat England on a ‘big’ screen at the Swallow Falls Inn !

The future programme looks even more impressive with several events planned for the period to July. In April, 14 members will be completing Queen’s Scout and Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award expeditions on Dartmoor, and we wish them luck; while others head for either the Black Mountains or Lake District(West Lancs SNet Gathering) for a combination of adventurous activities and the ‘obligatory’ Network socialising ! On Easter Monday we hope to run the Network Rugby Sevens in South Croydon but this depends on receiving sufficient entries to make it worthwhile. The Belarus Project Network is holding a ‘Race Night’ on April 10, and would welcome your support. They are also spending the following weekend on a ‘bonding’ residential experience at Frylands Wood ! Finally, in April, we shall be parading the County standard at a ‘St George’s Day Parade near you’ so do look out for us in our royal blue neckers with gold trim.

The main event in May is the ‘Mystery Investiture’ somewhere within 120 miles of GLSW. During the weekend members of the Scout Network will make their Promise, and the County standard will be blessed. There will be all sorts of activities to suit most tastes, truly an occasion to remember, and not to be missed. If you wish to take part please contact me immediately, the cost is £28 fully inclusive.

On July 2 we return to Bethesda for the MS Challenge, which involves our team of 12 carrying an MS sufferer in a wheelchair over a 10 kilometre orienteering course near Capel Curig, and in doing so raising sponsorship for the MS Therapy Centre in our County near Coulsdon. A week later we are holding the second ‘Blues, Barbecue, Beer and Bangs’ at Frylands Wood to raise funds for the Belarus Project, and we pray for fine weather and a big crowd. Tickets are now widely available.

At the present time we have still to decide on a date and venue for the County Conference. Rest assured, all those eligible will receive a personal invitation to attend and to stand for election to the Network Committee, which meets approximately 6 times a year. At the Conference I shall be presenting ‘Record of Achievement’ certificates to all those very deserving members of Network- you have been warned!

Finally, and on a personal note, my thanks to Kate Fuller who has volunteered to attend Regional Activities Panel meetings with Bob Bushell, and to Ian Smalley who joins the Bethesda Management Committee.

YINS Christopher Dean County Scout Network Commissioner

Catering for Training Courses

With the new training programme for Leaders, the County are looking to expand its catering team. The new training courses will be on a Sunday and you will be asked to prepare and cook meals for approximately 30–35 Leaders on any one course.

If you are interested please contact Joan Condon County Training Administrator.

Card Hat Trick

Everyone should be conversant with the yellow card, Young People First. The white card is for Adults in Scouting taking part in adventurous activities where groups are wholly adult. Now GLSW is introducing the green Safety in Scouting card. It mentions the Safety Policy of The Scout Association, Risk Assessment of Scout Premises and includes a checklist of possible hazards.

If you don’t receive a green card prior to 31st May 2004 please contact your District Safety Coordinator or myself.

Bob Bushell Assistant County Commissioner (Activities)

Diary Dates

2 April	Executive	County Scout Centre
21 April	DC’s Conference	County Scout Centre
10 May	Team	County Scout Centre
17 May	Finance	67 Westow St., SE19
28 May	Gang Show Management	TBA
9 June	County AGM	8th Cheam HQ
20 June	Team and DC’s Conference	County Scout Centre
16 July	Gang Show Management	TBA

Special Needs

The London Region Special Needs team are organising another workshop, and it is again to be held in our County.

Book the date now – 7th November 2004. Venue South Croydon. Cost will be approximately £10.

Day to include: Headquarters Speaker; workshops on Deaf Awareness; Allergies; D.D.A. and other workshops requested prior to event.

Margaret Pooley Assistant County Commissioner (Special Needs)

First Steps Training

Details of the final First Steps training course to be run in GLSW

Who can attend

Leaders who are starting on their training and Scout Explorer/Network members who are doing service in another section as part of their D of E Award.

Dates & times

Thursdays 13th & 27th May and 17th June 2004 from 7.30p.m until 10p.m. Applicants must attend all three evenings to complete the course.

Venue

Wallington & Carshalton District H.Q. Woodcote Road, Wallington.

Cost

£18.00 inclusive of refreshments/meals, training handouts, materials and running costs of the course. Cheques made payable to G.L.S.W. Training Account.

Syllabus

The course will include sessions on the training scheme, scouting history, ceremonies, games, programme planning, records, safety, etc. You will be asked to complete some simple projects after each of the evening sessions.

Recognition

Courses are recognised by the Programme & Training Department at Gilwell Park.

How to apply

Complete an application form, get it endorsed by your Assistant District Commissioner (Adult Training), or District Commissioner, and return it together with the course fee and a stamped self-addressed envelope to Margaret Pooley

Closing date

Applications should be received no later than 6 May 2004.

The Southern 50 Challenge Hike
2004 Report

• Imagine a major County event celebrating its Silver Jubilee;
• Imagine folk from far and wide taking up the challenge of walking and navigating their way round a new long distance course each year;
• Imagine throughout the past 25 years every member of each team reaching a combined mileage equivalent of over 10 times round the World......

This isn’t imagination – it’s reality. The Greater London North sponsored Southern 50 Challenge Hike is steadily and annually increasing in popularity. For the second year running, the choice of three routes, 50 miles, 50 kilometres and 30 kilometres has proved that the event has moved with the times with a resulting increase from 56 teams entering in 2003 to 74 this year. A total of 15 Scout Counties were represented.

The 30 kilometres event for Explorer Scouts remained in the hills with the first four teams walking briskly to finish in under 7 hours. The winning Explorer Scout Team of four girls from Southgate District completed the distance over 90 minutes faster than last year’s winners. Runners-up, The Four Musketeers, were a new team from GLNE.

The 50 kilometres teams, a good mix of young and old, produced a clear winning outfit clad in colourful one piece Lycra suits. The victors were the 21st Purley Old Boys (not so old really, as they are all aged thirty-something) from GLSW who finished in a minute under seven hours, nearly 2½ hours quicker than the second place Don’t Rely on the Army – a Leaders’ team from 12th Southgate who are more used to winning the event rather than coming runners-up.

Finally, the 50 mile Blue Riband event followed the form book. The first two teams were never more than a few minutes away from each other until the last few miles when GLN’s 1980 Late Finishers opened up a 46 minute gap. Second team home were three Toy Boys and a Wench. This Croham Valley team from GLSW won the event two years ago and this time the same three males returned with “a different wench”. They checked in some 20 minutes in front of the fast finishing Undertakers from Essex who caused confusion at the start by claiming that they had lost a body after a team member had run off to the loo.

None of this would have been possible without the help of over 100 volunteers – that’s higher than the required ratio for taking Beavers on an outside activity! This Centurion army of helpers were engaged in many assignments such as providing meals, operating checkpoints for up to 15 hours at a time, staffing Central Control, driving supplies to checkpoints and then driving retired walkers back, and running Saturday evening entertainment for 80 Explorer Scouts. All this must have had a positive effect on the walkers because they achieved an 85% successful finishing rate – something of a record for such a tough challenge.

Over the past 25 years walkers have chomped their way through 10,000 dodgy pies, drank more cups of tea than the entire population of the Isle of Wight and eaten a total of 3 miles of sausages. And what’s more we’ll be back again next year on 12 February 2005. Just keep clicking on to the official Southern 50 web site for regular updates – www.scouts-gln-southern50.org.uk.

Chris Foster Southern 50 Committee

The following article is taken from Croydon District Fellowship newsletter (with kind permission of their Chairman Les Ling):

This week we took a day out to visit Wakehurst Place, a National Trust property next to Sussex County Showground, Ardingly. The extensive grounds have a wealth of plants and trees, plus a huge variety of birds including some very tame pheasants.

As we strolled along we came on a group of schoolchildren two of whom were trying to encourage a pheasant to eat from their hands. We stood and watched. Getting up, one of them spotted my Scout cap and grey jacket.

“Hello” he said “I’m a Cub”.

“Hello, how do you like Cubs?” we said

“Great” came the reply. “Can’t keep him away” said his mum as she whisked him back to the main party.

I mention this story to illustrate two things. The first is that wearing a baseball cap, or jacket with the Scout logo creates an opportunity for some Scouting PR. The second is that all leaders are trying to put that Wow! factor into Scouting. It is part of the Fellowship’s remit to help make it happen.

Award

Focus on GLSW

Items for the June issue should be submitted by 16 May 2004 to the editor: focus@glswscouts.org.uk

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