In the Medals - District Air Rifle Shooting Competition 2013

District Air Rifle Shooting Competition 2013

Hi All,

On Saturday 26th January, 7 of our Scouts took part in the District Air Rifle Shooting competition held at the National Indoor Shooting Centre in Wolverhampton. Each Scout took turns to fire at several targets some 10m away and their cards were scored accordingly. Out of the 12 teams who took part (48 Scouts), one of our two teams came overall 3rd in the District. Not bad considering half of our Scouts who volunteered had never shot before!

Many thanks to Ben, Daniel, Ryan, Bradley, Omar, Aaron & Kelsey for putting their names forward and having a go.

I would also like to thank Dave & Tim for helping out with transportation to and from the venue. Without the help from parents many of these events would not happen.

All the best,

Adam

Scout Christmas Outing 2012

Scout Christmas Outing Dec 2012

Hi All,

On Monday 17th December 2012 we took the Scouts to Star City in Birmingham to do indoor rock climbing and laser station for their annual Christmas outing. 17 Scouts joined us for the evening and everyone seemed to have a great time by the looks of the smiles on their faces! After the activities we then gathered in front of the rock face to perform an Investiture ceremony for 2 of our new Members; Ben & Alex A. Welcome to the Troop!

Yours in Scouting,

Callum & Adam

iceSCOUT 2012

iceSCOUT 2012

Hi Scouts,

During the weekend of December 7th to 9th, two of our youngest Scouts took part in iceSCOUT 2012, 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, Arts & Crafts, Twists, and Felling Axe. Nearly 200 Scouts & Leaders took part in the camp this year and next year the organizers 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 all over Europe. I was also joined by Kelly, one of our Cub Leaders, who helped look after the Scouts and also assisted in some of the activities. Next year I hope to take several more Members of our Troop but well done to Ben & Alex A for braving the cold and taking part in iceSCOUT 2012!

All the best,

Kelly & Adam

Winners - District Swimming Gala 2012

District Swimming Gala 2012

Hi there,

On Saturday 24th November our Scouts took part in the District Swimming Gala held at the Wyndley swimming baths. We put together a full team of 7 swimmers which meant that we were able to take part in all of the Scout races and some of the Cubs.
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 just about every final going! Each one of our swimmers received at least one gold, silver or bronze medal and Simon was the only Scout who did a dive from the second board in the diving competition, much to the amazement of the crowd.
I am therefore pleased to announce that the overall winners of the District swimming gala trophy 2012 for Sutton Coldfield East was our very own 6th Sutton Coldfield East Scouts. Fantastic!
I would like to thank the following Scouts who gave up their time on Saturday evening to take part:

Simon, Nicola, Alex A, Matthew, Jacob B, Daniel & Luke B

They all gave 100% 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

3rd Place - County Football Competition 2012

County Football Competition 2012

Hi All,

On Saturday 17th 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 Coldfield 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.
Harry once again excelled himself in goal and this year we finished up in third place overall in the whole County after a nail biting penalty shootout in the play-offs. Brilliant result!
We would therefore like to thank the following Scouts for taking part:

Jack, Ben, Patryk, Jacob B, Harry, Christian, Alex & Niran

All the best,

Adam & Callum

Remembrance Day Parade 2012

Remembrance Day Parade 2012

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.

Laura and Adam would like to thank;

Jenny, Ryan, Alex A, James D, Byron, Lauren & Lawrence

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

Yours in Scouting,

Laura & Adam

Flash 2012

Flash 2012

Hi Leaders!

During the weekend of 2nd to 4th Nov, several Leaders stayed in a farmhouse located in the village of Flash for some much deserved R&R. We went for an all day hike around an area of the White Peaks and on the night we went for an Indian meal in one of the nearby towns. Much fun was had by all and it is an excellent opportunity for the Leaders to let off steam after working so hard all year to deliver their Programmes.

Regards,

Adam

Expedition Challenge 2012

Expedition Challenge 2012

Hi All,

During the weekend of 13th & 14th October, 4 of our Scout participated in the Expedition Challenge event, which took place around the Lickey Hills in Bromsgrove.
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 4 did exceptionally well and they were one of only a handful of teams who fully completed each route within the allotted time on each day.
They all received their badges at the end of the 2 day event.

Congratulations to Nicola, Lauren, Jenny & Daniel for taking part and completing the Challenge so admirably.

Our sympathy goes out to Bradley who was also part of the team but who had to pull out last minute due to illness.

All the best,

Adam

Brumventure 2012

Brumventure 2012

Hi All,

During the weekend of 5/6/7th October, 16 of our Scouts participated in Brumventure 2012, 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 Mechanic, Navigator, Camp Cook, Forester, Radio Communicator, Paddlesport & Master at Arms badges.
This year I was again badge Leader for the Radio Communicator badge in charge of 7 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 radios and on the Sunday, 4 of the Scouts managed to talk to other radio amateurs in Scotland, Channel Isles, Italy and Skegness!
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 the following Scouts who took part:

Lauren, Harry, Christian, Simon, Josie, Nicola, Daniel, Vincent, Jenny, Ryan, Alex, Kelsey, Byron, Jamaal, Aaron & Omar

We also had a surprise visit from the Chief Scout himself, Bear Grylls!
Bear dropped in as part of his ‘Bear in the Air’ tour of the UK and spent 45 minutes chatting to the Scouts and taking part in some of the badge activities. He was even made to do 25 press ups after losing to one of the Scouts in an archery shoot-out! Several of our own Scouts also got to chat to him during his tour of the event.
At the end of the Camp I also took the opportunity to Invest Alex M into the Troop. The ceremony took place on the main field in the good old traditional style. Welcome to the Troop Alex!

Yours in Scouting,

Adam

Bivouac 2012

Bivouac 2012

Hi Scouts,

During the weekend of 22nd Sept, I took part in our third County Bivouac event, deep in a woodland somewhere in Gloucestershire.

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)

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)

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 again this year which added a little extra pressure to the weekend! Three 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 very was kind to us on Saturday, in fact it was T-shirt friendly! However the heavens opened up on Sunday morning. 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 achievement 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 ‘Junior Staff’ awards.

Well done to Vincent, Pia & Nicola for completing the training and to Tom and Ryan U for completing their Junior Staff award.

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

All the best,

Adam

First International Camp - Italy 2012

Italy 2012

Hi All,

During the week from Friday 3rd August to Saturday 11th August, 9 of our Scouts completed their first International Camp with me in the Aosta Valley, Villeneuve, Italy.
During our stay we took part in many activities including; gorge scrambling, white water rafting, abseiling, hill walking, rock climbing, canoeing, rafting, fencing and much, much more!
We also took a day off from our activities to visit Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps.
Our Scouts behaviour was impeccable and they did the Group, themselves and me proud.
They will shortly receive their Union Flag badges to wear with pride on their uniforms.
I would therefore like to thank the following Scouts for making the trip such a memorable experience:

James D, Josie, Nicola, Daniel, Jacob H, Lauren, Jenny, Christian & Pia

Yours in Scouting,

Adam & Clare

Runners Up - Raft Race 2012

Raft Race 2012

Hi All,

On Saturday 30^th June we took part in the District raft race competition in Sutton Park, an event which we have won for the last 3 years running.
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.
Both of our teams got off to a good start and our raft design which came 1st last year was soon neck and neck with another Groups raft at the front of the pack. They managed to maintain this position for almost the entire course, almost! At around three quarters of the way round, the raft from the 7^th edged out in front. Our team paddled extremely hard to close the gap, but there was no way that the 7^th were going to be caught. In the end we settled for 2^nd place, beaten by a team who basically tied 6 giant inner tubes together. Not what we would call entering into the spirit of the competition!
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 & currents. 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 were pushed home by the rescue boat, their dedication and effort did them proud and they managed to finish in 6^th place overall, not last or sunk!
I would therefore like to thank the following Scouts for taking part;

Jacob B, Lawrence, Simon, Vincent, Lauren, Nicola, Bradley, Harry, Byron, Daniel, Alex M & Josie & Pia

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, for helping to transport the equipment to site.

Please click on the image above to see more pictures of the event.

All the best,

Adam & Jason