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Focus on GLSW
Scouting in Greater London South West October 2006
County Commissioner’s Message
If you camped during the summer break, I hope that the weather was kind and everyone was able to enjoy themselves. The two County expeditions to Lithuania and the Seychelles returned safely having participated in Explorer Belt expeditions in both locations. The renewed contact with the Seychelles was particularly welcomed and I have already had an e-mail from the island commissioner thanking the County party for their helpful contribution to Scouting in the Seychelles. Thank you also to the leadership teams of both expeditions for making such things possible and allowing members of our County to have such a wonderful international experience.
The resumption of Scouting activities in September has already proved to be a busy time for me personally. Preparations for the Centenary and the Jamboree are certainly stepping up in pace. HQ have been making enquiries about our preparations for the provision of Ho-HO in GLSW. It is looking likely that we shall be hosting two Chilean units, one at Bears Wood, the other at Bow Lane, as well as providing family Ho-Ho elsewhere throughout the County. I have also recently visited our own two units, Nelson and Victory at one of their preparation weekends held at Frylands Wood and Bears Wood. The young members and leaders were having a good time learning to work as a team and putting their Scouting skills together.
I have also been privileged to spend a bit of time with Wimbledon and Wandle Explorer Scouts recently, at unit AGMs, expedition presentations and their District awards presentation evening. Edgehill Unit’s service project and expedition in Nepal this Summer, and their achievement for a local community was truly amazing. If you want to see what can be achieved as scouts, I’m sure that they would make their presentation available if invited. At their awards night there were 29 Queen Scout awards and 9 Explorer Belts gained within the District. Quite some achievement!
What was also very encouraging was the co-operation and rapport that existed amongst the various District units, proving that Explorer Scouting as a District based training section does work.
The start of our Centenary Year is now less than three months away and Join in the Centenary packs for sections have now been produced. Have you received yours? These are designed to help leaders with their sections to get the most out of 2007.
There will also be without a doubt a large up-surge in interest in Scouting from the media and the general public, which in turn will lead to adult and youngsters wanting to join. I hope that we are all preparing to grasp this opportunity to raise our membership. It is an opportunity not to be missed. Scouting is a wonderful life opportunity and needs to be shared with so many others. I’m sure that in the coming months we will all play our part to ensure that this happens.
Opportunity
Editor of FOCUS. After nearly five years, Chris Feltham has decided to step down as editor of this newsletter. A successor is now being sought. You will be responsible for producing five editions a year and, as most of the copy is sent electronically, you should have access to a computer and e-mail.
If you are interested in this role within the County and want to know more before making a decision, please contact the County Chairman for an informal chat.
County Gang Show
October sees the curtain raise for another season of the County Gang Show. The cast have been rehearsing hard since June to bring you another great show at the Secombe Theatre.
The show opens on Tuesday 24 October when all tickets are just £5. It then runs for five more shows (two shows Sat.) until Saturday 28 October with tickets priced at £8 or £7 for concessions. Party Rate available.
To buy your tickets, please contact the theatre’s Box Office on 020 8770 6990
World Scout Jamboree—Victory Unit’s First Camp
The weekend of 8 September, saw Greater London South West’s Victory Unit have their first practice camp. They were joined by Leslie Button’s Solidarity Unit, whilst Nelson Unit were just down the road at Bears Wood Campsite also on their first camp.
The plan was to make their own way to Frylands Wood Campsite, Addington, where they would camp together, cook together and do some site activities to get to know each other much better before next year’s expedition.
Forty one participants attended along with the five Unit leaders. On the first night, many people helped to pitch each others tents while the leaders set up the dining area. A late supper was enjoyed before some of the scouts played a wide game organised by Tom. With the weather being good to us all weekend, all the meals were eaten Al fresco and as you can see there were many clear plates by the end of it!
The Site activity involved us clearing old bracken, stones, concrete slabs and any dead wood we could find from the six acres field at the bottom of the site. We split ourselves into two groups with the first crew helping out before lunch and the second group after. The leaders were not allowed to rest and chipped in moving the heavy blocks that have remained from the old stables that used to be on the site. After the fire had started, Tom decided he was in charge of this and kept it well fuelled and under control. An occasional visit from the warden and his crew saw more wood appear from another part of the site that they were clearing. After a drink break, we ventured further into the woods, which involved a huge amount of teamwork to separate a fallen branch that was still attached to the tree. After crew one had worked for several hours, they could see grass as their reward at the bottom of the hill.
Crew 2 continued the work in the afternoon and a sizeable amount of deadwood has been moved and burnt. Crew 1 had been busy at the main campsite preparing the lunch for the Patrol. A hearty Burger in a roll with lashings of Red sauce kept them all going. Upon return of crew 2, a game of football was had, with Scout against Minibus…. The Minibus was comprehensively beaten so was subbed for the 2nd game.
After another meal, we journeyed offsite to Purley Bowling Alley. Here we all got to call Leslie a Turkey, as he had three strikes in a row on the final game to take the leaders crown. However, he still lost the evening to Jamin with an impressive score of 137. We returned to the campsite and sang songs around the campfire until the early hours of the morning. Many of these were lead by the Scouts and Explorers with even the leaders learning new words!
Sunday saw a lazy start to the day, with Andrew giving some updates from the leaders’ weekend, investing some of the Victory Unit with their Orange Scarves, the announcement of the Unit badge design and the Dinner Dance to be held in 2007. Plus, there was a visit from Roy Bromley, ACC International GLSW.
Splitting into two groups again, the first half packed their personal kit up and broke camp, while the others were firing bows and arrows on the site. The two groups changed over and the final few hike tents were down before a designer lunch. Once completed, the dining area was dismantled, loaded into the Minibuses and trailer, and the camp was dismissed.
All the leaders thanked the Scouts for a great weekend and agreed that we had a great bunch that will represent GLSW for the 21st World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford, Essex in 2007.
Karl Bromley Assistant Unit Leader (Victory)
Good Service Awards
| Medal of Merit | |
|---|---|
| Susan Oakes | Royal Kingston |
| Robert Wright | Sutton |
| Chief Scout’s Commendation | |
| David Sutton | Royal Kingston |
Walton Firs
I’m pleased to be able to announce that Surrey Scouts have finally signed a lease with The Scout Association to manage the Walton Firs Scout Camp until the end of June, 2008. This secures the future of the campsite for two years whilst efforts are made to raise the £800,000 needed to secure its future.
To date, over £130,000 has been received. Furthermore one Scout District will be associated with a pledge of £20,000 and Surrey Scouts have set aside a similar sum to assist with the purchase of the site. This is an excellent start but we need to continue this momentum to ensure that we reach our target figure.
In particular, the Walton Firs Foundation is looking to broaden its appeal base to Rotary Clubs, Round Tables, Lions Organisations etc. If anyone is a member of these Organisations and feels that the branch of their particular organisation might be willing to contribute towards saving Walton Firs, please let the Foundation know by either e-mailing funds@waltonfirs.co.uk or telephone the Foundation on 01372 461439. You can also write to them at Hillbrow House, Hillbrow Road, Esher KT10 9NW.
One other fundraising event that has been suggested is a golf day. If there is anyone who might be prepared to organise such an event, again please contact the Foundation. The Foundation may be able to find the golf course but it’s the actual organisation of the event that would be required.
Finally, people may now contribute by standing order for a fixed sum per month over a fixed period of time. Many people have said that this would be preferable rather than giving one lump sum. Again, standing order forms are available from the Foundation office.
Selection of Colour Party, Readers and Section Leaders for St George’s Day Parade at Windsor on Sunday 22 April 2007
Existing Queen’s Scouts or those who will complete the Award by April 2007 are eligible to apply for selection for the roles indicated above. There will be a Colour Party and Section Leader selection in London on 5 November and for Readers at BP House on 2 December.
Further information will be published in Scouting Magazine. Contacts are Jackie Johnson (020 8433 7136) and Helen Johnston (020 8433 7134).
Diary Dates
| 23-24 October | Warwick Conference and AGM |
| 24-28 October | Souwest 06—Secombe Theatre |
| 29 October | Regional Communication and Consultation Day – Gilwell |
| 1 November | GLSW Health and Safety Coordinators—Wallington HQ |
| 6 November | County Finance |
| 19 November | County Day—Bow Lane |
| 29 November | County Executive—Bow Lane |
Congratulations
Many congratulations to Roy Bromley (our ACC International) and his new wife Alison. The happy couple were married on 16 September at St. Peter’s Church, Hersham. Members of Roy’s Explorer Scout Unit, Voyager (pictured with Roy and Alison above), were present at the ceremony. The couple later flew off for a honeymoon in Cuba.
Awards
| Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award | |
|---|---|
| Neil Wicks | Scout Network—Sutton District |
| Chief Scout’s Gold Award | |
| Ben Pain | 7th Hampton |
| Simon Cadle | 7th Hampton |
| Thomas Markwell | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Aidan O’Neill | 22nd Wimbledon |
| James Brevitt | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Daniel Fellowes | 22nd Wimbledon |
| 75 Nights Away Badge | |
| James Brevitt | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Gareth Davies | 1st Tolworth |
| Daniel Fellowes | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Michael Gagen | 22nd Wimbledon |
| David Hull | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Adam Kershaw | 7th Hampton |
| Thomas Markwell | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Aidan O’Neill | 22nd Wimbledon |
| Chris Wiltshire | 1st North Sutton |
The fantastic summer weather has ensured Network members enjoy a wide variety of activities outdoors. In July we participated in Twickeree, the County Beaver and Cub Fun Day, the MS Challenge, and the three Peaks Challenge, a 25 mile circuit starting and finishing at Horton in Ribblesdale with 1,600 metres of ascent. View the excellent photos on the County web site. On July 13 and 18 we provided stewards for two Royal Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace. Many thanks to those who volunteered for this State Duty.
At the end of July, we (Network and Explorers) travelled to Lithuania for the first County Explorer Belt Expedition. This was most successful and culminated in 17 belts being awarded at a special reception hosted by HM Consul at the British Embassy in Vilnius. As we returned so the next party, led by Jean East, set off for The Seychelles. Meanwhile, two Network members, Kate Fuller and Mike Hewer, looked after a group of 14 children from Belarus during an activity week in Wales. These children all have medical problems and were brought to the UK for a month’s respite.
At the end of August two groups undertook Queen’s Scout and Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award expeditions in South Wales. There will be one further assessment this year, from October 22-28 in the Peak District, and at the time of writing places are still available – book online at www.glswscouts.org.uk/network
The County Network polo shirts are selling like the proverbial hot cakes! They are available in sizes from small to extra large, and cost £9 each. The maroon colour with white lettering is very distinctive. Order yours from the undersigned.
There have been several investitures in unusual places this year, including the Hindu Temple at Neasden. Next year we have arranged a special Investiture ceremony on Brownsea Island in May. All those who are invested are entitled to wear the new Network uniform cloth badge. These are available free of charge from County.
The next Network Committee Meeting will be held on November 7 at Bow Lane starting at 8pm prompt. As we shall be putting the final touches to our programme for 2007 it is important that all Local Nets are represented.
Finally, details of the proposed expedition to Nepal in 2008 or 2009 have been posted on the County web site, and a meeting for everyone interested will take place in December on a date to be notified.
YINS!
Adult Training
| 2006 | |
|---|---|
| 24 September | Module 11 Administration a.m. |
| Module 5 Fundamental Values of Scouting p.m. | |
| Module 6 Changes in Scouting p.m. | |
| 15 October | Module 15 Challenging Behaviour a.m. |
| Module 14 Young People Today p.m. | |
| 26 November | Module 13 Growing the Movement a.m. |
| Module 8 Skills of Leadership p.m. | |
| Module 9 Working with Adults p.m. | |
| 10 December | Module 7 Valuing Diversity a.m. |
| Module 17 Activities Outdoors p.m. | |
| 2007 | |
| 21 January | Module 12 Providing a Balanced Programme a.m. |
| Module 18 Practical Skills p.m. | |
| 4 February | Module 14 Young People Today a.m. |
| Module 15 Challenging Behaviour p.m. | |
| 11 February | Module 25 GSL / Commissioners all day |
| 4 March | Module 8 Skills of Leadership a.m. |
| Module 9 Working with Adults a.m. | |
| Module 13 Growing the Movement p.m. | |
All workshops at Bow Lane Scout Centre, Morden (unless stated). For all details of workshops contact Mrs Joan Condon at training@glswscouts.org.uk or contact your District Training Manager.
Focus on GLSW
Items for the December issue should be submitted by 11th November 2006 to the editor: focus@glswscouts.org.uk
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