So how did we finish last year? Well, we learnt years ago not to run too much in mid-December – we would be competing against every school play, concert and sports club event and party going. The report for the four sections of 1st Kettering Scout Group contains quite a bit more about our future plans than the one meeting we did run last month!
- our Beaver Scouts thankfully returned after a Covid Break for a quiet night of games, before finishing the term at Thunder Bowl. The Leader Team has been busy organising the Winter Term’s activities – which will include working on the Beaver World Challenge, and hoping for a day out to move the Air Activities Badge forward … we will be sending info out shortly
- our Cubs too returned for a more riotous games night, held a joint meeting with the Scout Troop at the Flip Out at Rushden Lakes, then an evening with our Beavers at the Thunder Bowl. The Cubs have a great programme organised for this term including a Backwoods Camp at the Fermyn Woods Shelters for the Sixers and Seconders, and are trying to (re-) organise an Overnight Holiday for the rest of the Pack later in the term
- the Scouts finished the Tuesday meetings bouncing the year away at Flip Out, before completing the Swimmers Badge and serving the Parish Church Dinner. Our Winter term programme includes the “Creative Challenge in One Day” in January, the Model Makers and Emergency Aid Level 5 Badge during the February half term, and a Night Hike in March – as well as publishing details of our Annual Troop Camp this summer. Two leaders were seen in the JLC Woods during the Break looking at a further project for the Troop to qualify towards the Scout World Challenge … more details later!
- our Explorers finished the year taking part in the District’s Explorers Night – with 50 Explorers there. The Kracken Unit is now looking for a bigger meeting premises than the Oak Lounge at Woodcroft to accommodate all of their new members, and will be introducing the Explorers to the Duke of Edinburgh and Explorer Chief Scout Platinum and Diamonds Awards for the Explorers to work towards and
- two years after we moved into the new Container store, we are now sorting the last part of it out to enable us to use the stores properly before the season starts. Two leaders drove to Luton to pick some cheap shelving found on e-bay, another leader is trimming the shelves, and on a dry day the stores will be emptied and repacked. Post-Covid Progress!
Whilst we continue to make great plans for 2022, we are still – to some degree – limited by what we can do by the Covid Restrictions. We will respond to any further challenge thrown our way to ensure we continue delivering quality Scouting for all of our people safely. Knowing that we have the means to ensure our bills are paid through all of this is such relief.
