We’d like to start this month’s newsletter with a special mention of our own Scout Leader, John Hopkins, who this year is set to complete his 33rd year of leading the Troop. A time which has spanned 9 Prime Ministers, German reunification, the release of Nelson Mandela and the emergence of a boyband called New Kids on the Block. We think that, in that time, up to 350 young people have passed through the Troop – and he’s still able to recount (most of) them all by name.
August is our quiet month, as the four section leader teams needed some time to breathe again, recover, work out what we are going to be doing over the next term / year, and see their families again undisturbed – we take advantage of the lower numbers being around during the School holidays. Notwithstanding, all the sections of 1st Kettering Scout Group have been preparing for the term ahead:
- After completing their first full year as our Squirrel Scout Drey, Paprika (Hannah) and the Team look forward to the next year of Squirrelling, with a waiting list big enough to start a second Drey, ready to replace all Squirrels as soon as they move up to the Beaver Colony.
- Cairo (Rachel) and her Team in our Beaver Colony will be welcoming a big group of linking Squirrel Scouts, and have been preparing for a packed programme for the next term.
- following the retirement of Tom and Emma (Akela and Raksha), the Cub Pack Leaders have agreed to split the leader responsibilities between them, and will be running the section as a Team – especially in leading the running of the Junior Sections’ Remembrance Weekend Camp at Woodcroft.
- after recovering from our rather wet and windy Troop Camp, the Scouts have had a wonderful weekend’s Canoe Expedition led by Jon Lawson, paddling with a Group from Titchmarsh to Fotheringhay, then on to Elton the next day. John and the Troop Leader Team have been busy, and our programme has been published with a Day Trip to London, an Incident Hike on the Remembrance Weekend before joining up with the others for breakfast, a diving session and a Swimming Badge test session are all in there!
As part of our long-held beliefs in the strategy of leader re-generation, every one of our sections has young leaders embedded within our teams. These 14 – 17 year olds both helping us in running each of the sections in the Group, but offering training and experience from a young age ready for when they turn 18 and can take on leader responsibilities. Not all are able to stay as adults – we lose a high proportion of our YLs to college or work – but when they do stay, we are proud to have had – and will carry on to have – so many enthusiastic young people ready and willing to take the mantle as leaders.
