So what has the Group you support been up to in June?
- On June 15th, the 1st Kettering was proud to open the first Squirrel Drey in Kettering, with 16 new members aged between 4 to 6 coming along. Paprika, our Squirrel Leader, is starting “slowly and surely”, to make sure our new Squirrel Scout members are comfortable with their new section. There’s to be a Grand Investiture in a few weeks’ time, I am sure the Evening Telegraph will have something in it!
- Our Beaver Colony have been looking at Beaver Scout health and fitness – with games and pulse rates before and after exercise – as well as healthy eating, spending a delicious evening making a substitute ice cream with berries. One crazy meeting this month was swimming safety – but in the dry of the Willow Room (I think you had to be there!), as well as teaching our Beavers about stranger danger – all essential skills for life.
- June turned into a busy month for our Pack – we started with our second camp of the year, this time under canvas at Overstone Campsite. We had a great couple of days learning to make egg catapults and a monkey bridge, and – of course – a camp fire. The week after camp was the Group’s AGM, so whilst the Grown Ups had their meeting, the Cubs had a Games Night on the Woodcroft lawn in the late Spring sunshine. The final two meetings in June were held at John Lowther Centre: the first was run by the Cub Pack Young Leader team – they did a super job of organising wide games, and another Campfire where the Cubs that had been on camp were eager to demonstrate their song knowledge; and at the second – last week – the Cubs cooked eggs in baked beans, and made toast on an open fire.
- The Scouts too have had a ball this month. The Queen’s Jubilee Weekend was spent at Hawkhirst Campsite, where we sailed, paddle-boarded, climbed, abseiled and visited Hadrian’s Wall. After a quiet Tuesday evening of fire lighting, we spent several evenings preparing for the camping season, pitching tents and lighting the tilley lamps, before having an evening’s orienteering around Irchester Country Park. Outside of Tuesday nights, our kayak fleet has also had its first proper usage – with 12 Scouts attending a three week evening course to pass their Paddle Start Awards. And as already advertised, the Troop had their Shakedown Camp at Fotheringhay this weekend – making emergency rafts, including the Milk Float, the Bin Liner and an inner tube coracle to float on the River Nene.
- Our Kracken Explorer Unit has constructed the new fire pit at Woodcroft, and is busy attacking the lawn to create a camp fire area. Many members of the Unit are also our Young Leaders, and these guys have been a massive support to all of the sections on our activities this month. It gives the Old Leaders a real kick, seeing young people wanting to put back the fun and experiences that they had into the Junior Sections … yes, the very heartbeat of Scouting!
And so, you may have gathered that now the two-year nightmare of Covid-19 has passed, we are truly getting back into our stride ….. we have to repeat our “Thank You” again from all of our Group members for your continuing support which has made this all possible. So wishing you a wonderful Summer.
1st Kettering (Parish Church) Scout Group
