Scout Christmas Outing 2011

From Toboganning 19/12/09

Hi All,

On Monday 19th December 2011 we took the Scouts toboganning at the Snowdome in Tamworth for their annual Christmas outing.

26 Scouts donned their Winter woolies and hurtled down the main slope, cramming in as many runs as they could into our extended session time of 60 minutes!

There were some spectacular crashes and lots of dodgy manouevres going on but everyone had a great time, told by the massive grins on their faces!

After our session on the slope, we then gathered outside the entrance underneath the snow making machine to perform an Investiture ceremony for 5 of our new Members; Ryan, Niran, Aaron, Omar & Byron.

Welcome to the Troop!

After what seemed like an age the snow blower eventually fired up, bringing a cool close to the evening.

So that’s it for 2011.

We have had a very successful year and done loads of interesting things including; winning the raft race for a 3rd time, reaching the final of the County football competition, winning a medal in the swimming gala, doing the Expedition Challenge, Chase Walk, Brumventure, Family camp, District activity camp,
3rd JOTA/JOTI participation, County Bivouac and many other camps and events.

Check out the Group’s Red Border website for a pictorial record of what we have done.

The Troop has grown to one of the largest in the Group’s history and long may we continue to enrich and develope the lives of the young people who turn up every week.

I would like to wish the Scouts a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

I would also like to thank the Leadership team for all their hard work over the year, without the dedication of whom we would not have such a thriving Scout Troop.

Finally I would like to thank the handful of parents who volunteer their time and help out at many of the events, again without whom we would not have such a successful Troop. Have you ever considered taking up a uniformed position? See me for details!

We look forward to seeing you all back again in the new year, fit and well.

Our first meeting will be on Monday 16th January 2012.

Enjoy the Christmas holidays!

Yours in Scouting,

Adam, Emily & Jason

Scout Leaders
6th Sutton Coldfield East
2nd Wylde Green
227th Birmingham

iceSCOUT 2011

 
 
 

iceSCOUT 2011

Hi All,

During the weekend of December 9th to 11th I took part in iceSCOUT 2011, a fresh approach to Winter camping.

Scouts from all over the County took part in a number of activities including Archery, Grass Sledging, Go Karts, Fencing, Radio Amateur, Twists, and Felling Axe.

A total of 126 Scouts took part in the camp this year and next year the organisers hope the numbers will be even higher.

I was asked to set up my amateur radio station in the Ben Nevis activity zone and some of the Scouts managed to make contact with amateurs in Oman, Bulgaria, Russia and... Daventry!

I hope that several Members of our own Scout Troop will be taking part in iceSCOUT 2012.

Yours in Scouting,

Chief

Brumventure '11

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/33121863 w=400&h=225]

Brumventure 2011 from Birmingham County Scouts on Vimeo.

Hi All,

Check out this cool video put together by the Brumventure organising team.

It's got loads of our Scouts on it...and me!

Regards,

Chief

District Swimming Gala 2011

Hi All,

On Saturday 26th November our Scouts took part in the District Swimming Gala held at Wyndley Pool.

We put together a full team of 6 swimmers which meant that we were able to take part in all of the races.

The format of the evening was as follows;

Scouts – Under 12′s Freestyle, Back Stroke & Breast Stroke
Scouts – Under 14′s Freestyle, Back Stroke & Breast Stroke
Scouts – Relay
Scouts – Diving

At the end of all of the races we managed to qualify for 5 finals; the under 14′s backstroke, under 14′s breastroke, under 14's freestyle, under 12's freestyle and the Scout relay - Superb!

I am also pleased to say that Matthew U won a silver medal in his event, fantastic result!

I would like to thank the following Scouts who gave up their time on Saturday evening to take part;

Simon, Nicola, Bradley, Matthew, Aaron, Christian

They all gave 110% and did the Group proud.

I would also like to thank the parents who watched from the spectator area, for giving up their time and supporting the team!

Well done to everyone!

All the best,

Adam & Jason

Runners Up - County Football Competition 2011

County Football Competition 2011

Hi All,

On Saturday 19th November our Scouts took part in the County Football competition at the Futsal Arena in Birmingham.

Scout Groups from all over the county took part, including Groups from Rae Valley, Sutton Colfield West & Tame Valley, as well as those from our own District of Sutton Coldfield East.

The teams were separated into two leagues and the teams in each league played each other once.

Points were awarded as follows;

3 points for a Win
1 point for Draw
0 points for a Loss

The winners of each League then played each other in the final.

Our team did extremely well and didn't lose a single game.

One match went to a penalty shoot out and Harry, our goalkeeper, was definitely man of the match, saving all of the penalty kicks against him.

This year we made it all the way to the final against the winners of last year, Tame Valley.

It was a close game and in the end we only lost by a goal to nil.

Well done Tame Valley and to our own team for playing so well.

We would therefore like to thank the following Scouts for taking part;

Jacob H, Matthew, Kelsey, Harry, Christian, Liam, Aaron, Omar & Luke

We would also like to thank the handful of parents who stayed to watch.

All the best,

Adam & Jason

Family Quiz 2011

Family Quiz Nov 2011

Hi All,

On Saturday 19th November the revamped Parents Group held our first family event – the Scout Family Quiz. There was an incredible turnout with nearly 90 adults and children comprising 17 teams. A sell out! They grappled with questions announced by our able Quiz Master Gwyn Lloyd on a wide range of topics such as Sports, Children’s hobbies, Local & General Knowledge, Music, TV and Scouts.
The little ones loved having a play mat in the corner as they were able to make block towers and let off some steam away from their tables if they needed a break.
The Supper duly arrived and I can say that mine was really good. Everyone actually got the meal they ordered thanks to Kelly Andrews who organised it brilliantly - an incredible 90 meals of 6 different types.
We had lots of laughs and some heckling where the questions were vague or contentious so as Quiz Setter I’m going to have brush up on getting the questions just perfect!
Whilst the final scores were totted up we played Irish Bingo which was good fun and resulted in a nail-biting finish with Pia Keeley-Johnson winning the first prize of Chocolate Truffles and Wine. Two Runners up prizes were awarded (including Lawrence Peters who won a 1.5 m box of Jaffa Cakes and looked very happy!).
There was a great atmosphere in the Hall with some good-natured banter between the teams and the final results are shown below with the winners taking away big boxes of Celebrations for the children and some wine for the adults.
1st Not Lashing 62
2nd Toxic Rubber Duckies 61
3rd Exploders. 60

We are planning a Summer Quiz in 2012 and we will need to keep the number of teams to 15 so look out for the flyer by paper and email when we announce the details. It will be first come first served so get in quickly and see if you can beat the champions, Not Lashing which was in fact the team with 4 of the Leaders in it!

See you at the next event.

Many thanks,

The Supporters Group

Remembrance Day Parade 2011

Remembrance Sunday Parade 2011

Hi All,

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Emily and Adam would like to thank;

Jacob H, Lauren, Liam W, Pia, Vincent, Jamaal, Christian, Nicola, Jack, Josie & Will.

for attending the event and for being such great ambassadors to the Scout Movement.

We would also like to thank Byron for attending the service with his mum.

Yours in Scouting,

Emily & Adam

Scout Meeting 31/10/2011

Scout Meeting 31/10/2011

Hi All,

On Monday 31st October the Scouts tried their hand at pumpkin carving.

Please click on the image above to see the results.

By the way, who is Erin?!

All the best,

The Scout Leaders

Gradbach 2011

Gradbach 2011

Hi Leaders!

Some pictures from our weekend at the Gradbach Scout Camp in Derbyshire have been added to the website.

Just click on the image above to view them.

All the best,

Chief

Scout Meeting 17/10/2011

Scout Meeting 17/10/2011

Hi All,

On Monday 17th October we took our Scouts to Sutton Park to find a geocache buried somewhere near the Jamboree Stone.

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek", sharing many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking.

Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. After 10 years of activity there are over 1,532,000 active geocaches published on various websites. There are over 5 million geocachers worldwide.

We divided our Scouts into two teams and they were each given a GPS device loaded with the coordinates of the first location. The teams were also given some clues to find the location of the geocache once they got there.

Geocaching is fun. Geocaching by night is even more fun!

After much searching, one of the teams successfully managed to find the Geocache. It was hidden at the bottom of a multi-trunked silver birch tree located in a small copse.
We signed the logbook and put the geocache back as we had found it before heading back to Boldmere gate.

Geocaching is a great family activity that gets you outdoors to see things that you never thought you would see.

All the best,

Adam & Jason

JOTA/JOTI 2011

JOTA/JOTI 2011

Hi All,

Please click on the above image to see more pictures taken during the Jamboree On The Air/Jamboree On The Internet (JOTA/JOTI) event which took place over the weekend of 15th/16th October 2011.

What is the Jamboree-On-The-Air?
The JOTA is an annual event in which about half-a-million Scouts and Guides all over the world make contacts with each other by means of amateur radio. Short-wave radio signals carry their voices to virtually any corner of the world. It’s the shear excitement of having a live conversation with a fellow Scout or Guide at some other place in the world that attracts so many young people to this event. JOTA is a true Jamboree during which Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared. It’s a unique opportunity for each individual Scout to get the real feeling of belonging to a worldwide movement.

What is the Jamboree-On-The-Internet?
Similarly to the JOTA, the Jamboree-On-The-Internet connects Scouts using Internet techniques. The JOTI is a separate event, but held on the same weekend as the Jamboree-On-the-Air. Units can choose to take part in either one, or both events.

Basically, the aim of the event is to make contact with other Scout Groups worldwide using radio communication and/or Internet chat or voice.

During the event, which we ran from 6.30pm Saturday night through to 1pm Sunday morning, we set-up an amateur radio station inside HQ to allow us to make contact via radio communication and, we also set-up a notebook PC to allow us to make contact over the Internet, using a mobile broadband connection.

To make allowances for the different timezones across the world and to sustain interest if contacts were intermittant, we set-up camp inside HQ with the pop-up tents for a sleepover!

There was also a Wii and a DVD player plus projector on offer for further entertainment.

We asked the Scouts to bring along some food for a little midnight feasting, play games, read, chat and watch some films, as well as take part in the main JOTA/JOTI theme of the evening.

In the morning we cooked bacon and sausage sandwiches for breakfast.

As you can see from the pictures, I even put some some pioneering skills to good use by constructing two tripods and masts for the HF antenna that was raised up at the back of HQ! I also fixed up a long wire antenna to allow the Scouts to listen to another communication receiver.

The agenda for the weekend was as follows;

Arrive at our Scout HQ on Sat 16th Oct around 6.30pm

Take part in JOTA/JOTI event and other activities on offer

Sleepover in pop-up tents

Breakfast

Arrange for parents to collect from HQ at 1pm on Sunday 16th Oct

Have a load of fun for 18 hours!

During the weekend we made radio contact with other Scout Groups in Sweden, Portugal, England and Switzerland (see pictures of Gil from Portugal).

We made plenty of other contacts all over the world via the Internet.

The Scouts also did some work towards the radio communicator badge by sending messages to each other using the phonetic alphabet, using a pair of handheld radios.

The event was a great success and although most of us got no sleep Saturday night(!), we would have to say that the Scouts had a fantastic time!

We will definitely be taking part in the event again next year.

All the best,

Adam & Jason

Brumventure 2011

Brumventure 2011

Hi All,

Latest pictures from our participation in the Brumventure 2011 event, which took place at Pikes Pool, near Bromsgrove.

Once again we entered one of the largest contingent of Scouts from any one group in the district and we took part in the DIY, Navigator, Camp Cook, Photographer, Radio Communicator, Mechanic, Canoeing and Pioneering badges.

This year I was badge Leader for the Radio Communicator badge in charge of 8 Scouts. We had a great time slinging up our aerials between the trees, learning how to use communication receivers properly and logging all the stations we heard. We also did several activities around Camp with some handheld radio's and on the Sunday, 4 of the Scouts managed to talk to other radio amateurs in Northern Ireland, Luton and Bath!

It was a fantastic event and all the Members from our Troop who attended the event received their badges at the end of the weekend.

Brumventure takes place every year and it is an excellent opportunity to gain an activity badge in a short space of time.

Well done to all those who took part!

Hope you enjoy the photo’s.

All the best,

Adam

Expedition Challenge 2011

Expedition Challenge 2011

Hi All,

Latest pictures from our participation in this year’s Expedition Challenge event, which took place on 1st & 2nd October in the beautiful White Peak area of the Peak District National Park.

During the expedition, our team had to;

- journey for at least 4 hours a day
- use a map to keep track of where they were
- play a full part in the team
- achieve at least one goal (cooking a hot meal)
- stay overnight in a hostel

The weather was absolutely gorgeous for hiking, if a little too hot at times!

Our team of 6, plus two from the 23rd, did exceptionally well and they were the only team to complete each route within the allotted time on each day.

They all received their badges at the end of the 2 day event.

Congratulations to Jacob H, Jacob B, Vincent, Pia, Jenny and Liam W for taking part and completing the Challenge so admirably.

Hope you enjoy the photo’s!

All the best,

Adam

Practise Hike on the Leicestershire Round

Practise Hike Sun 25th Sept 2011

Hi All,

On Sunday 25th Sept I took 4 of our team of 6 Challengers to the county of Leicestershire for a 12 mile hike around ‘Battle of Bosworth’ country, in preparation for the Expedition Challenge on 1st-2nd October.

We were also joined by a couple of parents who walked the route with us.

Once again the Challengers were asked to navigate the route on their own and cook a meal on the way.

The weather in the morning was absolutely glorious for hiking and the team did very well with the distance and cooked an excellent meal of macaroni cheese.
In the afternoon it hammered down with rain, but this was good preparation just in case there were any surprises on the day!

They should have no problem with the Challenge this weekend.

Click on the above image to see some more pictures and video.

Good luck to our Challengers this Saturday!

I will let you know how they get on.

All the best,

Adam

Bivouac 2011

Bivouac 2011

Hi Scouts,

Definition

Bivouac (biv-oo-ak) n. – a temporary camp without tents or other cover. – v. (bivouacked, bivouacking) to camp in a bivouac. (Source The Oxford Dictionary)

A Bivouac shelter is a simple hut, which you can make quickly. (Source Scouting for boys)

During the weekend of 17th Sept, Alan and I took part in our second County Bivouac event, deep in a woodland somewhere in Gloucestershire.

Bivouac is an activity weekend that has been specifically developed for Scouts and Explorer Scouts of Birmingham County who not only wish to achieve the Survival Skills Badge, but to develop their skills further.

Furthermore each applicant is expected to build and sleep in a Bivouac, no matter what happens with the weather – there are no back up facilities!

There are 4 activities to do, taking 4 years to complete in the following order;

1. Bivouac Training Award

2. Bivouac Award – Assessment for Survival Skills Badge

3. Bivouac Junior Leader Award

4. Bivouac Junior Staff (Building a Bivouac is optional)

Alan and I helped out on one of the training sectors with a group of 6 Scouts, who will hopefully move up to assessment next year.
I was also given the role of a sector leader this year which added a little extra pressure to the weekend!

Two of our Scouts and two of our Explorers also took part in the activity.

On the first day the Scouts had demonstrations on the use of a knife, shelter building, survival tin, fire lighting, cooking, gadget making, distress signals and the use of a survival bag.

The Scouts then built their own shelters, made a fire and cooked their meals on them. They slept in their shelters overnight.

The weather was not kind to us at all this year. It rained heavily and on several occasions we were showered with hailstones! Not good when you are trying to keep a fire going for cooking and warmth. This just made the whole weekend more of a challenge and the sense of achievment at the end even greater!

On the second day the Scouts had demonstrations on first aid, tree identification, edible plants, knife care, water collection and purification.

Shortly after 1pm a whistle was blown to inform all the sectors to light their signal fires. I'm sure the one on our sector was the best!

At the end of the weekend the Scouts on our sector all received the coveted ‘Bivouac Training’ badges and our Explorers received their 'Bivouac' awards.

Well done to Jacob B and Matthew U for completing the training and to Tom A and Ryan U for passing the assessment.

We hope to take part in the event again next year.

Yours in Scouting,

Adam & Alan

Back to Basics August 2011

Back to Basics Camp Aug 2011

Hi All,

During the weekend of 26 to 28th August, a handful of our Scouts took part in a back to basics camp at the Rough Close Scout campsite near Coventry.

We arrived early Friday evening and made a way to our pitch, which was hidden deep within a wooded area of the campsite.

We then strung up several tarpaulins between the trees to keep off the worst of the elements and cleared an area underneath of leaves and debris, using a leafy tree branch as a broom.

Because the light was fading fast, we pitched several pop-up tents for the Scouts to sleep in that night and got on with supper.
We had brought a small portable BBQ with us and the Scouts were soon cooking themselves burgers, sausages & corn on the cob. Sausages are not really in keeping with the survival ethic because they are processed, but they tasted nice and so we let the Scouts off this time!

It was a damp night.

Next morning, the Scouts went off to find some wood so that we could build a fire and make some breakfast. One thing about this sort of camp is that if you don't get a fire going, you don't eat!
We were also joined by a couple more Scouts who could not attend on the Friday evening.

Whilst all the Scouts were away we cleared areas for both a traditional ground fire and a chopping square, using our makeshift broom. Twigs were used to mark out the four 4 corners of the square. We also made a washing up bowl stand.

The Scouts were soon bringing back a decent amount of wood for us to use in the camp. Some larger sections of wood were used as a fire surround and to prevent the fire from spreading. A layer of green wood was also placed at the base of the fire in order to prevent damage to the ground. Two forked branches were driven into the ground either side and another branch was placed across them so that we could suspend our billy cans over the fire.
The Scouts also managed to 'recover' a couple of benches to sit on and a rather impressive chopping block.

Unfortunately the weather was not kind and it rained on and off over the entire day. This meant that the wood was wet and took longer than normal to provide heat and light. However in good Scout tradition we were well prepared and had brought along plenty of dry tinder, kindling and larger pieces of wood to get us going.
The fire was soon established and the Scouts were able to start cooking bacon, sausages and anything else they fancied! Some water was also boiled up to make hot drinks.

After 'brunch' the Scouts went off again to find wood and foliage in order to try their hands at shelter building (or 'bivouacs'). All sorts of designs were attempted, some starting from scratch whilst others made use of some naturally ocurring shelter. Unfortunately there was a serious lack of useful dead wood on the campsite and this made construction very difficult indeed. However this did not put our Scouts off from having a go. The Scouts learned how to use axes, saws & knives to utilise the wood in their designs. They were also shown some basic lashings so that they could tie the various bits of wood together.

Around mid afternoon another fire was established so that the Scouts could start preparing dinner. Because of our location deep within the trees, we lost the light earlier than if we were on open ground and we therefore needed to start cooking a little earlier.
For dinner the Scouts cooked chicken, steak, eggs, rice, pasta & sausages. One Scout even parboiled some potatoes to make some backwoods cooking style chips! Nicola attempted some egg fried rice and even made her own collander to strain the rice and for some blackberries she had collected and washed earlier.

After dinner and the usual camp duties, the Scouts continued with their shelters.
We decided to keep the fire going so that we could dry out the wood we collected and also create a nice ambience within the camp.
With the light quickly fading and the weather taking a turn for the worst, we then started to make preparations for the evening.

For supper we had hot drinks, biscuits, toasted marshmallows and bananas stuffed with chocolate buttons which were then baked in the hot embers.
We all enjoyed a good social around the campfire before finally turning into our tents. One of our Scouts however, Vincent, braved the elements and decided to sleep in his shelter. Well done Vincent!

It was another damp night with some rain in the early hours.

On Sunday morning we awoke to a chilly start. Vincent had lasted the entire night in his shelter and was none the worse for wear.
For breakfast we cooked more bacon & sausages and after the usual chores of washing up, etc, we then started to break Camp.

At around 11am we stopped what we were doing in order to Invest Jack W into our Troop, using one of the bivouac's as a backdrop. Welcome to the Troop Jack, we hope you enjoy your time with us as a Scout.

By noon we had managed to pack most things away and waited for the parents to arrive.
At around 12.30pm we had final flag down before leaving site and heading back to HQ.

We would like to thank the following Scouts; Jacob H, Vincent P, Kelsey J, Jack W & Lawrence P for taking part and getting stuck into the theme of the weekend. I would also like to thank our Leaders Nicola & Jason for giving up their time and making the weekend possible.

We had a most enjoyable if very wet & tiring weekend and we would like to do similar camps in the future.

Yours in Scouting,

Adam, Jason & Nicola

Beaver's Summer Trip to Woodlands Adventure

We spent a fantastic day at Woodlands Adventure.

Our activites included

• an aerial zip wire, which EVERYONE had a go at, and loved!  Leaders included, admittedly!


• an assault course- challenging obstacles, lots of mud and great photos


• archery- again everybody had a go, with the occasional arrow even hitting the target


• visiting the animal sanctuary


• canoeing- an apparently simple and relaxing activity to end on, although it turns out sedately rowing laps round the lake wasn't what the instructors (or the Beavers) had in mind, and poor Keeo got very very wet.  Obviously nobody laughed at this unfortunate turn of events.

So check out our photos to see what fun we had...

https://picasaweb.google.com/theredborder/BeaverSSummerTrip?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNaD477ejZvTIg&feat=directlink

... and if you missed out this time, watch out for details of our yet to be announced Christmas Trip which is always brilliant fun!

Hope you're all having a lovely summer,

Keeo and Rusty.

Cubs Picnic in the Park (Update 1.30pm)

I can confirm that the Picnic in the Park will take place tonight in Sutton Park. We will be meeting by the Visitor Centre at 6.30 and finish by 8pm.

Please wear your own clothes and if you haven't paid this half terms subs please bring these with you.

Look forward to seeing you all later.

Kaa

Cubs Picnic in the Park (Update 10.30am)

So far ok!

I will make final decision at around 3pm but the weather is starting to brighten up and looking good for fun and games in the park tonight between 6.30 - 8pm!

Kaa

Picnic in the Park (Update 7am)

The Picnic in the Park is still currently going ahead.

I will attempt to keep this website updated throughout the day.

Kaa

Picnic in the Park

Hello Cubs and Parents,

We are holding our final meeting of this school year in Sutton Park.

We are meeting at the Visitor Centre (Town Gate) at 1830 - 2000. We have plenty of games and fun activites planned!

Please bring a small picnic and wear your own clothes!

Look Forward to seeing you all.

Graham
Kaa

Family Camp

This is just a quick note to say a huge thank you to all of the support from the other leader and parents who made this years Family camp a huge success and one of my most enjoyable camps!

After many sleepless nights of trying to plan all of the logistics, everything camp together like a swan to water (literally on Friday night)

Thank You All!

Graham
Kaa

Survival Camp July 2011

Survival Camp July 2011

Hi All,

During the weekend of 9/10th July, several of our Scouts spent a weekend away with the 5th Sutton Coldfield East Scout Group on their survival camp.

The Scouts arrived at Beaudesert between 1.30 & 2.30pm, some hot-foot from the raft race, and after a short safety talk they were set the task of building their shelters. The Scouts constructed a variety of bivouacs, either making use of the natural shelter around them or starting from scratch with a basic wooden frame. For the more advanced designs I showed the Scouts how to do basic lashings.

Soft ferns were used for roof & floor coverings.

Once the bivouacs were well on the way to completion, the group was given another important task with respect to survival, making a fire. The Scouts were asked to collect kindling and fuel for the fire and a chopping square was set-up to cut the larger pieces into more manageable sections.

Once an ample supply of kindling & fuel had been collected, I showed the Scouts how to lay a fire. We used cotton wool as tinder. Once the fires were lit, they were built up and then allowed to burn down to hot embers so that they could try a bit of backwoods cooking.

When the fires had burned down to embers the group tried some backwoods cooking. They wrapped potatoes in tin foil and wrapped fresh fish in wet newspaper and placed them all in the hot ash until properly cooked. They also baked stuffed apples and bananas with chocolate rammed in!

At the end of the evening the Scouts got into their survival bags and then crawled inside their bivouacs for the night.

I put up a traditional basha, using various lengths of wood for the supports and ferns on the floor. This was my bed for the night!

The weather was very mild and I am happy to say that everyone got a good nights sleep.

In the morning after bacon & egg rolls, the Scouts dismantled their bivouacs, cleared up the fires and left the camp exactly how they had found it.

They were collected by their parents at approx 9.30am.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jo Garvey and her team of Leaders at the 5th Sutton Coldfield East Scout Group for inviting us along and making us feel most welcome.

I hope to run a survival camp for our own Troop in the near future.

Yours in Scouting,

Adam

Winners - Raft Race 2011

Raft Race 2011

Raft Race 2011 - Extra

Hi All,

Guess who came 1st, again, in this year’s District raft race held in Sutton Park on Saturday 9th July?

That’s right, it was our very own 6th Sutton Coldfield East Scout Troop, making it 3 successive years in row that we have won the competition.

This year we entered another 2 rafts on the water, each of very different designs.

We held several additional training sessions prior to the event in order to get the teams up to speed with the knots, lashings and general construction.

One of our teams got their raft built in less than 20 minutes, which definitely caused a stir from those around them. You are usually given 1 hour & 15 minutes to build your raft!

Both of our teams got off to a good start and our raft design which came 1st last year soon created a decent lead, which they managed to maintain over the entire course, almost! At the turn of the last marker they were in hot pursuit by a raft from the 16th, but there was no way we were going to be caught.
It was a nailbiting finish and I believe there will be some video available shortly which shows how your Leaders encouraged both our teams to keep going and win!

Our second raft design had a much harder slog as they were a less experienced crew and their raft was severely affected by the strong winds.
They seemed to row a boat length forward only to be blown 3 boat lengths backwards by the wind!
However they all put in 100% and although they did not finish, their dedication and effort did them proud.

I would therefore like to thank the following Scouts for taking part;

Jacob B, Lawrence P, Jamal M, Liam P, Kelsey J, Jacob H, Bradley R, Harry M, Reece D, Christan B & Simon U

Matthew U & Pia K-J were our reserves and Edward C also attended on the day. They all gave their support during the event.

I would like to say a special 'thank-you' to Matthew U for 'volunteering' to help Scouts from another part of the District in the raft race.
Without Matthew's support they would have been unable to take part, so well done Matthew!

I would also like to thank Patrick, Jacob B’s cousin, for helping us out once more on the day.

Many thanks also to all those parents who offered their support and helped make this a day to remember. I would especially like to thank our Group chairman, Ian B, for helping to transport the equipment to site.

The trophy, an old wooden oar, will once again be proudly hung from the rafters of our HQ for all to see.

All I can say is well done once again, to our brilliant raft building/raft racing winners of 2011.

Best regards,

Adam, Jason & Emily

Family Camp June 2011

Family Camp 2011

Hi All,

During the weekend of 24th to 26th June, the 2nd Wylde Green Scout Group took part in a family camp.

The last family camp was held at Beaudesert in 2007 and many of those who joined us as Beavers back then, now attended this time as Scouts!

The Camp was held at the Alfrey Activity Centre, Broadwaters, near Meriden.

Approximately 60 young people, parents & Leaders attended the Camp and for some it was their first camping experience.

Lots if exciting activities were organised for the Cubs, Scouts & siblings over the weekend including; archery, air rifle shooting, assualt course, climbing and greasy pole.

A hike was organised for the parents on Saturday afternoon to keep them out of mischief!

On Saturday evening we all gathered around the campfire and had a traditional sing-song. We were even joined by Members from another District who saw what a fine time we were having!

Please click on the above image to see more pictures taken over the weekend. Further video and images will be added as and when they are received.

Good fun was had by all and we will definitely be doing another one in the future.

Many thanks to everyone who took part and for their help in setting up, washing up and generally getting stuck in!

Yours in Scouting,

The Leaders

Flower Show 2011

Please find here a link to a letter from the Group Chairman to parents regarding the Flower Show

Also linked here is the schedule

Cosford Air show 2011

Cosford Air show 2011

Hi All,

On Sunday 12th June we took 11 of our Cubs & Scouts to the Cosford air show in Shropshire.

We met at HQ early on Sunday morning and boarded a minibus, which we'd hired from our colleagues at the 7th.
It started to rain.

We then headed onto the motorway network before joining the long queue into Cosford.

By around mid morning we reached our destination and were given a good parking spot close to the event.
It carried on raining.

First stop was at a refreshments van to buy some chips, burgers, hot-dogs and a tea or coffee!
The Black Cats helicopter display team were in the air doing some manoeuvres at the same time.

After we had filled up, we then split the group up and allowed them some free time to explore the airfield.
We took one of the groups to see the air cadets, who showed us round one of their light training aircraft.
It was still raining.

At approximately 1pm the Red Arrows started their air display and we gathered our Cubs & Scouts together for a surprise.
We had managed to get our Cubs & Scouts a meeting with one of the pilots from the Black Cats helicopter display team, Lieutenant Dave Fleming!

Dave walked us onto the airfield very close to the runway, towards a Lynx Mk8 helicopter which he had just flown in the air display.
The Red Arrows continued to fly overhead.
Dave gave us a very detailed explanation of how helicopters worked and took us on a personal tour of the Lynx aircraft.
Unfortunately due to the rain we were unable to climb aboard but nevertheless, we got closer than most to this fantastic machine.
The Cubs & Scouts thoroughly enjoyed their time with the Lieutenant and we are very grateful to Dave for giving up his time to share his knowledge and experiences with the group.
Three cheers for Lieutenant Dave Fleming & the Black Cats, hurrah!

After this exciting surprise we headed back to the minibus to get out of the rain and have some lunch.
Whilst we tucked into our sandwiches, a very loud, twin jet engined fighter plane roared about overhead, culminating in a mock bombing run with an explosion, fire & smoke!

After lunch, we made our way towards the museum and allowed the Cubs & Scouts some more free time to go exploring.
The first stop for Emily & I was the cafe where we bumped into some Leaders & Explorers from our District. It's a small world!
The rain persisted.

At around 5pm we gathered the group back together near the museum gift shop (which got some good trade) and made our way back to the minibus for the journey home.

It didn't stop raining all day and although many of the air displays were cancelled, the Cubs & Scouts had a great day out exploring the airfield and museum, plus they got the chance to get as close to a Lynx helicopter as the pilots do!

Please click on the above image to see some more pictures taken over the day.

We hope to organise similar events in the future.

All the best,

Adam & Emily

Scout Meeting 23/05/2011

Scout Meeting 23/05/2011

Hi All,

On Monday 23rd May we took our Scouts to Sutton Park to practise orienteering.


Orienteering:
Orienteering is a challenging outdoor adventure sport that exercises both the mind and the body. The aim is to navigate in sequence between control points marked on a unique orienteering map and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time.

The Troop were split into three teams and given a map of the course and a compass.
The teams were then given details of the route and set off approximately 5 minutes apart.

The course we chose was an easy one and took the Scouts through the Nuthurst & Hollyhurst areas of Sutton Park.
It was a mixture of narrow tracks and forest paths through open grassland and wooded areas.

The teams were shown how to use a map & compass and also how to identify features on the ground in relation to the map.

All of the teams finished the course and had a good time in the park to boot.

This activity was also used to prepare the Scouts for a game organised by the SOS Explorer unit taking place the following week.

All the best,

The Scout Leaders

Latest Red Border

The latest Red Border is available for download by clicking on the link below

Red Border June 2011

District Scout Activity Camp May 2011

District Scout Activity Camp May 2011

Hi All,

During the weekend of 13/14/15th May 2011, 15 of our Scouts made their way to Blackwell Court near Bromsgrove to take part in this year’s District Scout activity camp.

We arrived in decent weather on the Friday evening and pitched all of the Scout sleeping tents, a Patrol tent and set-up all of the kitchen and dining equipment.
Jason and I had already gone over on the Thursday evening and pitched the garage tent plus another Patrol tent and moved in all of the camping equipment.
Emily also came over on the Friday evening to help us set-up camp.

Once again we had one of the largest numbers of Scouts on site!

In just a few hours the camp was complete and supper was soon on the go. We cooked burgers on baps and made hot drinks and biscuits available for everyone who wanted them before starting the long task of preparing for bed!
Some of the Troop also collected firewood ready for a camp fire on Saturday evening.
In between all of this, some of the Leaders were called to a meeting and briefed on the arrangements taking place over the next 2 days.

It was a cold night.

On Saturday morning we awoke to sunshine and many of the Troop were up & about very early in the morning, excited about the day ahead.

Some cereal, sausage/egg baps and drinks were welcomed by all for breakfast and it was soon time to begin the programme of activites organised for the day.

Note to Scouts, never let Christian cook sausages on camp, ha ha!

At 9.30am we had our first flag break before the Scouts were let loose on the site!

Our Troop was split into 2 teams and each team took part in 4 activities on Saturday and 2 more on Sunday.
Due to the number restrictions on activities, some of our Troop teamed up with Members from the 5th S/C East Scouts.

The activities included; tree trek, grass sledges, giant's ladder, high all aboard, indoor climbing, multi scramble & crate stacking.

Lunch was sandwiches with a choice of fillings, sausage rolls, hot or cold drinks plus crisps, biscuits and fruit.

The weather was a mix of sunshine & showers, but this did not prevent any of the activities from taking place.

At approximately 6.30pm, we entered a team into the District 6-a-side football competition.
We managed a draw in two of our games and only lost two of our other games by a very narrow margin.
We came 5th in the league.

For dinner we had a choice of spaghetti bolognese or chicken/cheese, with pasta. Pudding was fairy cakes & custard!

A wide game was organised for all of the Scouts & Leaders to take part in following dinner and afterwards, there was just enough time to get a camp fire going.

We had a supper of marshmallows, biscuits and hot or cold drinks before finally retiring to bed. Some of the Scouts roasted their marshmallows on the alter fire.

It was another cold night.

On Sunday morning we awoke to some more sunshine, which meant that the tents would hopefully be nice and dry by the time it came to pack away.
Good weather on the day you break camp is always number 1 on a Scout Leader’s wish list!

Breakfast consisted of lashings of bacon, sausage, beans, egg and bread plus hot/cold drinks.

At 9.30am we had our final flag break before starting the second day of activities.

At approximately 1.00pm we had lunch, similar to that what we had on Saturday (and anything else that was left), and then started the inaugural task of breaking camp.

At 3.30pm we had final flag down and parents began arriving to pick up their young ones. I would imagine that the first port of call for most Scouts would be a nice warm bath!

Please click on the image above to see more pictures taken during the weekend.

Many thanks to all those Scouts who took part and I hope you all had a good time.

I would also like to thank all those parents who gave up some of their time and assisted us with setting up & breaking camp and helped the Scouts pitch their tents. We know who you are and we are very grateful!

Going to camp is a major reason why young people join the Scouts, the fun of living in a tent can be unbeatable. You will hopefully appreciate how much effort goes into running a camp and we try to organise and attend as many as is feasibly possible, so that all Members of our Troop get the opportunity to attend at least one over the year.

Our next camp will be in June, which will be a family camp!

All the best,

The Scout Leaders