Here’s a quick run-down of what’s been happening in the Group that you support in November:
- our Squirrel Scouts have been working hard to complete the Squirrel Creative Awards – spending a pumpkin-crazy evening trying pumpkin soup, as well as carving and decorating pumpkins. As well as games and stories, the Squirrels have completed the Emergency Aid Stage 1 Badge, and learned to work together as a Squirrel Team. It’s been another month of Firsts for the Drey – after we saw our first three Squirrels move to the Beaver Colony, we have invested the next group of new Squirrels Scouts, as well as investing Saffron, our new Assistant Drey Leader, then there was the first out-of-meeting visit – to join up with the Beaver and Cub Remembrance Sleepover on Saturday, before coming back on the Sunday to parade the new Squirrel Drey flag.
- our Beaver Colony learned about Remembrance, each Beaver making their poppy to combine together into the Colony wreath. We joined forces with the Cub Pack to deliver one of the Group highlights of the year – the Remembrance Weekend Sleepover, where nearly 40 Beavers and Cubs took off from Woodcroft into the stars for their Space Sleepover. We continue training our Beavers for life, with us completing the Beaver Community Challenge looking at road safety, and remembering to be respectful to our less abled friends.
- as well as spending several meetings completing the Cub Astronomy Badge – spending time on the Sleepover to look at the Rings of Saturn, as well as learning about space exploration and rockets, the planets, and how to look safety at the sun – the Cub Pack also finished off their Communicator Badges. Elm Bank is also about to receive the Cubs’ Christmas Cards, the Young Leaders are still vacuuming the Christmas card glitter out of each other’s hair. And over half term, after Akela sent the Cubs off with “flourishing fivers” to fund a very necessary equipment update – they’ve raised £495, a brilliant result!
- the Scout Troop had a navigation competition night, before heading to London for the Remembrance Weekend to go exploring in 6 different groups all across the City – meeting up in the Sky Garden to look down on the City, and later for our Pie and Mash Supper – only Dom tried the Jellied Eels. The Tuesday afterwards was spent with Steve, our friendly PCSO talking about knife crime, before spending one evening making ice cream from salt and ice, then celebrating St Andrew’s Night with haggis, neaps and tatties the week later. And in the last action of the month, our Scout District Quiz Team matched the Cubs – coming home proudly with another trophy.
- our Kraken Explorer Unit prepared for the next Duke of Edinburgh expedition with some navigation practice, before welcoming the Viking Re-enactment Society, armed with axes, swords and arrows (Sharon soon sorted them out, bare-handed – no problem). The Unit is spending some time on the Explorer Digital Maker badges, finishing shortly, as well as spending a night watching England beat Wales – a really good evening apparently!
It was a moment of pride to see 50 of our Beavers, Cubs and Young Leaders at their Remembrance Sunday Sleepover be joined by another 20 Scouts for our Annual Group Breakfast at Woodcroft, before combining up later with our Squirrel Drey to attend en masse our Remembrance Sunday Parade. Matthew, Charles and Will read with such pride the 58 names of the Fallen on the Parish Roll Of Honour by the War Memorial, before we were welcomed back inside to present 15 Chief Scouts Awards to our top Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. A moving day.
