It may be a shorter report than usual, as the Sections have closed with the School holidays … but the three sections of 1st Kettering Scout Group finished the term with a bang:
- after our Beaver Scouts started the month with an evening of archery – led by our Cub Leaders – and beaver lodge-making at JLC, they spent an evening playing daft water games at Woodcroft trying not to get wet, before finishing a great term for the Colony playing Beaver games and activities at JLC. The Colony started after Easter with around 10 Beaver Scouts regularly attending the Zoom Meetings, but finished the term with around 20 per meeting – with more on the waiting list and with our two new Young Leaders’ names having been selected by the Beavers from the Atlas as Rio (de Janeiro – Kyle), and Khartoum (Bailey)
- our Cub Scouts started the month backwoods cooking at JLC on a balmy summer’s evening, before finishing the term with an evening of mop hockey and water fights at Woodcroft. The leaders have been meeting on several occasions to plan their next term’s programme – which includes a Cub Rafting Camp in September, for which over 20 Cubs have signed up already
- the Scouts finished their term-long detailed preparation for the Expedition, and on the Euro Finals weekend, 28 of our Scouts trotted off in seven teams to walk from Foxton to Market Harborough Station to catch the train back to Kettering, and to cook tea on the wall at Woodcroft. Sunday started early with a second train journey to Wellingborough – sharing trains packed with England supporters heading towards Wembley and immortality. And their biggest / first cheer of the day? The Terrace Heroes applauding our Team 2 for leading “Football’s Coming Home”. The Exped finished at Stanwick Lakes with the presentation of the Challenge badge and an Ice Cream – we were not sure which was appreciated more. The rest of the month seemed dull by comparison – a full-on, no-holds-barred water fight and mop hockey (sharing the same wet kit as the Cubs) before finally taking 19 of our Scouts onto the River Nene for a Tuesday evening’s paddling for the first time in our own fleet of kayaks.
What our young people have had to cope with over the last year became shocking clear to us with the last event – the kayaking session. Whilst we took 19 Scouts with us, 6 others – yes, nearly a third – wanted to join us but had to isolate, and following the event a further four have isolated in their holidays as well. We guess that this is typical of how their lives have been turned over at short notice during the last year, but we have no idea how it will have affected so many of our young people in so many ways. We really hope that Scouting across the piece will in some way form a major part of regaining normality for them.
Whilst we are in the Summer Holidays / Leader Recovery Time now, the Leader Teams continue to plan for the next term – a London Trip for the older Scouts, a Cub Rafting Camp and a Remembrance Sunday Weekend Group Sleepover are already being planned. We also struggle to resolve two big challenges coming our way – we still have to find open indoor venues willing to take all of our Sections; and the 1st Kettering Scout Group is seeking to create a partnership agreement for a new town-based Explorer Unit, to look after our people when they turn 15 (watch this space next month hopefully for an update!). As we do our utmost to deliver quality Scouting for all of our people, having your financial help is a massive support for us. So we finish by repeating our “Thank You” again from all of our Group members, we hope you all a happy summer, and wish you good luck in next month’s draw – yes, it could be you
