1st Woldingham Scout Group News

Date: 11th Oct 2024 Author: Susan Dobson

It has certainly been a busy month for the 1st Woldingham Scout Group! For our first meet-up after the summer holidays, we enjoyed some fantastic and energetic games on the Glebe. We then returned to our Scout hut for both new joiners’ investiture ceremonies and ‘moving up’ ceremonies, in which we celebrated our Beavers and Cubs who were moving on to the next stage of their Scouting journey.

The following weekend was our fantastic annual summer camp! We gathered at Mercers Country Park to enjoy some exciting watersports activities. Our group of young people showed tremendous courage and resilience as they explored the open water of the mighty Mercer’s Lake in their kayaks and paddleboards. The instructors taught them different skills through experimentation and games, and all of our group quickly improved their confidence in the water. Everyone also engaged in a team-building activity building rafts, which they then paddled across the lake with much hilarity and falling in! After returning to Roverdene (our District’s Scouting campsite), tents were put up, a roaring campfire was built, we toasted marshmallows and of course, we all enjoyed singing our usual Scouting greatest hits at the top of our voices! The next day the group enjoyed activities such as air rifle shooting, archery and the infamously fun stretch and peg game before packing up camp and heading home. It was a big team effort and a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make our weekend so wonderful and of course to the fantastic team of leaders and parent helpers who worked so hard to facilitate and supervise this special event.

The resilience, courage and perseverance demonstrated by our young people at Mercer’s Lake was evidenced yet again the subsequent weekend when our group ventured to Harrison’s Rocks and reached new heights, quite literally! Some members were new to climbing and scrambling while others had returned to challenge themselves with more difficult climbs. Everyone was undeterred by the sight of the mighty rocks and showed tremendous determination and perseverance in conquering the lofty sandstone crag!

Towards the end of September, our Scout section spent a wonderful weekend navigating the Grand Union Canal. They spent two nights on board 70-foot traditional narrowboats, learning the art and science of narrow boating. Some of the invaluable skills they learned included steering boats, operating locks and team building. Congratulations to Flos, Matilda and Joseph, who were among only a few Scouts to be awarded their Power Coxswain Activity Badge!

I want the public to know how Scouting continues to open young people’s eyes to a world of extraordinary promise and possibilities.'
Bear Grylls, Chief Scout Bear Grylls