Rough Close 2013

Rough Close July 2013

Hi Leaders!

Some pictures from our weekend at the Rough Close Scout Campsite near Coventry have been added to the website.

Just click on the image above to view them.

All the best,
Adam (Chief)

Camp Cook Activity Badge July 2013

Scout Meeting 22nd July 2013

Hi All,

Over the last two Scout meetings before the Summer holidays, several of our Scouts started work to achieve their Camp Cook activity badges.

As you can see, some very interesting and creative dishes were attempted by the Scouts, who used a variety of cooking methods to produce some extremely appetising meals.

The Scouts will continue with this badgework when we return after the Summer.

Yours in Scouting,
The Scout Leaders

Joint Scout & Explorer Survival Camp July 2013

Joint Scout & Explorer Camp July 2013

Hi All,

During the weekend of 20th July, four of our Scouts took part in a minimalist Camp organised by Members of the SOS Explorer Unit.

During the Camp the Scouts made their own shelters to sleep in at night, learned how to build and cook on an open fire, how to use axes, saws & knives safely plus other very useful Scouting skills.

Well done to the following Scouts for taking part in the joint Scout/Explorer survival camp:

Byron, Aaron, Omar & Daniel

Laura and I also practised our Scouting skills by building a shelter and boiling water/cooking meals using natural resources from the forest.

Many thanks to the Explorers for organising and running the Camp.

Yours in Scouting,
Adam, Laura & Andy

Raft Race 2013

Raft Race 2013

Hi All,

On Sat 6th July, we took part in the Sutton Coldfield East & West District Scout raft race.

This year we changed the design of our raft in an attempt to regain the title we were robbed of last year. Needless to say we did not succeed!

Although we did not finish, the Scouts put the raft together well and had an hilarious time reaching the first marker.

They also entertained the crowd for a good part of the race and got a ride in the power boat at the end!

Well done to the following Scouts for taking part in this year's race:

Byron KJ
Daniel P
Cameron D
Simon U
Lawrence P

Many thanks also to Nigel for his part in the adventure.

We will be posting some amazing 'head-cam' footage onto the website in due course.

We would also like to thank the handful of parents who turned up to support us.

Yours in Scouting,
The Scout Leaders

Chief Scout Gold Award Presentations April 2013

Scout Meeting 22nd April 2013

Hi All,

During the month of April Dave Phillips, our GSL, presented several of our Scouts with their Chief Scout Gold Awards, the highest award a Scout can achieve.

Well done to: Lauren A, Jacob H, Lawrence P, Kelsey J, Nicola P, Josie P & Pia KJ

This follows on from Vincent P who achieved the award in 2012.

Pia will be presented were her award in Sept, along with Jenny C who also gained her award in June.

Their names will be added to the honours board for all to see.

Yours in Scouting,

Adam (Chief)

Scout Meeting 15/04/2013

Scout Meeting 15th April 2013

Hi All,

On Monday 15th April we challenged our Scouts to design and build a container that would prevent an uncooked chicken egg from breaking when dropped by a Leader from a height of approx 4m. The Scouts should also be able to remove the egg without damage.
The Scouts worked in pairs or Groups and came up with many interesting and varied designs.
At the end of the challenge we dropped each container from a height of approx 4m and recorded the results. There was a prize for the winners who’s eggs survived and a consolation prize for everyone else.
We had a lot of fun and the night was a big success. We will be running a similar event later on in the year.

Best regards,
The Scout Leaders

Cosford Air Show 2013

Cosford Air Show 2013

Hi All,

On Sunday 9th June we took 13 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 11th. The weather was perfect!

We then headed onto the motorway network before joining a massive queue into Cosford.
By around 12.30pm we reached our destination and were directed onto the car park reserved for air cadets and other youth groups such as the Scouts.
Whilst waiting in another queue, we watched a very noisy RAF Typhoon roar through the clouds and do some very interesting manouevres.

After we had parked up, the first stop was the toilets and then choose a spot where we could all meet up over the day.
After we had chosen an easily recognisable meeting point, we split the group up and allowed the Scouts some free time to explore the airfield.
Kelly and a parent took charge of the Cubs and asked them what they would like to do. First stop, the market!

We then did some further exploration of the airfield before we all met up for lunch at approx 2pm. During lunch we watched one of my favourites, the battle of Britain memorial flight. This is always a favourite of the crowd and the sound of those Rolls Royce engines is amazing.
After this exciting bit of history we let both groups of Scouts have some free time to explore the other attractions that were on offer at the air show.

At approx 3pm we watched the brilliant Red Arrows and got some amazing footage of the display. After the Red Arrows, we watched an Apache gunship be put through it's paces. We later found out that the pilot was none other than HRH Prince Harry!

At approx 4pm, all the Cubs & Scouts came back to watch the grand finale. They were treated to a flyover by a Vulcan bomber, the only one in the world still flying. This was a piece of real history roaring through the clouds and one that we may never see again.

At approx 4.30pm, we got back into the minibus and headed home. The Scouts and Cubs had a great day out and the weather stayed perfect.

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, Andy & Kelly

Brick BBQ Building May 2013

Brick BBQ Building May 2013

Hi All,

We now have a lovely new brick BBQ situated in our HQ grounds.
The BBQ was built by the lads at H2O and assisted by the following Scouts:

James D, Byron KJ, Alex A, Bradley R, Ryan J & Daniel P

The above Scouts will soon receive the DIY activity badge.

Many thanks to Mike and all the builders at H2O for giving up their time and materials free of charge on Weds night. The BBQ looks fantastic and will be put to good use for many years to come.

The Scouts definitely enjoyed themselves and I'm sure they got some valuable experience from all the work they did.

The BBQ will be 'fired up' for the first time at the Summer BBQ party on Saturday 22nd June. Don't miss it!

All the best,
Adam (Chief)

Summer Fayre 2013

Summer Fayre 2013

Hi All,

Some pictures taken at the recent Summer Fair can be viewed by clicking on the image above.

Enjoy!

District Football Competition May 2013 - Winners!

District Football Competition May 2013

Hi All,

On Saturday 11th May we took part in this year’s District football competition, the winner and runner up of which would go through to the County competition in the Autumn.
We managed to field the full team requirement of 6 plus 1 sub so that we could rotate our players in each match.
Each team played each other twice in a league based system and points were awarded for a win and a draw.

I am pleased to say that this year’s winners who finished top of the league with 8 points, were our very own 6th Sutton Coldfield East. This means that we will go through to the County final later on this year - brilliant result!

The trophy is now on display at our Scout HQ. Well done to Harry, Kelsey, Ben, Aaron, Omar, Niran & Matthew for taking part.

Best regards,
Adam (Chief)

District Scout Activity Camp April 2013

District Scout Activity Camp 2013

Hi All,

During the weekend of 26/27/28th April 2013, 13 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, 2 mess tents and set-up all of the kitchen and dining equipment. 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.
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/beans/bread & optional fried egg plus hot drinks were welcomed by all for breakfast and it was soon time to begin the programme of activities organised for the day.
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 6 activities.
The activities included; zip wire, giant’s ladder, high all aboard, Jacob’s ladder, 3G swing, nightline & 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.
For dinner we had a choice of sausage or fish fingers with mash and mixed veg. Pudding was sponge cake & custard!
A wide game was run for all of the Scouts to take part in following dinner, organised by our very own Leaders, Jason and Callum. The wide game was very well received. During the wide game, the rest of us Leaders got a camp fire going. We had a supper of marshmallows, biscuits and hot or cold drinks and were then treated to a good old fashioned sing song around the camp fire, aided by Tim and his awesome guitar playing. I have to say that I was in particularly fine singing voice once again this year, just ask the Scouts! We were also joined by Laura, one of our Beaver Leaders who was doing some Leader training on-site. After the entertainment, some of the Scouts continued to roast their marshmallows on the alter fire before finally retiring to bed.
On Sunday morning we awoke to overcast but dry weather.
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/scrambled eggs and bread plus hot/cold drinks.
At 9.30am we had our final flag break before starting the second day of activities. Each Troop was challenged to build a trebuchet out of poles & rope and fire a water balloon from it. This was a good way to demonstrate pioneering and knotting skills to the Scouts and I would like to thank Andy for leading this activity. I assisted the Dave Evans, District training adviser, with a nights away assessment.
At approximately 12pm 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. We also Invested our two new Leaders, Andy and Callum, officially into the Troop.
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.

Yours in Scouting,
Adam, Andy, Callum, Jason & Tim

St. George's Day Service & Parade 2013

St George's Day Parade 2013

Hi All,

On Sunday 21st April several of our Scouts participated in this year’s St. George’s Day service & parade held in Sutton Coldfield town centre.

Well done to: Alex A, Ben H, James D & Byron KJ for giving up just a few hours of their weekend by taking part in this year’s celebrations. You did yourselves and the Group proud.

All the best,
Adam (Chief)

Chase Walk 2013

Chase Walk 2013

Hi All,

On Saturday 16th March we entered a team of 7 Scouts into this year’s Chase Walk event.
The Scouts met at Birches Valley car park at 9.30am for a brief equipment check and then made their way to the official starting point near the Birches Vally Forest Centre on Cannock Chase.
I had to get there earlier than the Scouts this year to assist the Scout Comms team with check-in and also man one of the checkpoints at Seven Springs.
After registering our team with the organisers, the Scouts then had to wait for an official equipment and safety check before finally being allowed to start the walk at around 9.56am.
The weather forecast was sunshine and showers, very similar to the prvious weekends practise hike.
The route was approximately 22.3km (~13 miles) long and the team had to check in at 7 bases in total along the way, including one near the town of Brocton and Walton-on-the-Hill.
Our team did extremely well and made excellent time throughout the day.
All of the extra map reading sessions and practise hike had obviously paid off. We were very impressed.
The team reached the base at the finishing point approx 5 hours & 13 minutes later and were in very good spirits.
This is the fourth time we have entered a team in this event since it was opened up for the Scouts over 10 years ago.
We hope to enter another team in the Chase Walk event again next year.
Many thanks to all those parents who helped with transport, I am very grateful.

Yours in Scouting,
Adam (Chief)

Chase Walk Practise Hike Sat 9th March 2013

Practise Hike Sat 9th March 2013

Hi All,

On Saturday 9th March we took our Chase Walk team for a practise hike on Cannock Chase.
The walking conditions were favourable, although it was slightly wet underfoot due to the amount of rainfall that had fallen over the previous few days.
The Scouts walked a total distance of approximately 13 miles (22km) and they all had a go at navigating using a map and compass.
This year’s Chase Walk event would take place on Saturday March 16th, 2013.
The team performed very well and I envisaged that they should have no trouble at all walking in the national event.

Best Regards,
Adam (Chief)