Christmas Greetings

Hi,

On behalf of all the Leaders I'd just like to wish all our members and supporters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Just a reminder there are no meetings this week, but we're back to normal next week. Have a great time and we'll see you in the new year.

Ian

Message from Spud

We've received this Christmas email from Spud (Andy).....

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Sorry I’ve not been in touch sooner... as usual, things have been pretty hectic! I’m working in the Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow at the moment – the job here is fantastic – but I move on to another hospital to do adult General Surgery at the start of February.

I’ve got involved with a Cub pack here now... 4th Glasgow... The group has been on the go since 1908, but it’s struggling at the moment through lack of adults. When I joined, they only had a GSL (acting as CSL), BSL and ABSL. We’ve got good sized Beaver and Cub sections, and as usual we don’t have any shortage of kids. But the main problem at the moment is that we need to start a Scout Troop. I’ve taken on the CSL role, and am working on drumming up more adult support from parents, so hopefully in the New Year we’ll be in a better position to juggle things to start a Scout Troop too – especially cause half the kids are 10 already! I’ve taken the liberty of copying you guys by setting up a blog! http://4thGlasgowCubs.blogspot.com

I keep an eye on your blog too! Glad to see you’re all still having plenty of fun! Looks like you had a couple of great camps towards the end of the season. It’d be great to hear from you all sometime... take care & have a great Christmas!

Andy

Christmas Dates

Sorry I haven't written for a while but my computer has been poorly but is all better now.
Mon 10 Dec is the District Carol Service open to all sections. Meet at Darfield Church just before 6pm in full uniform. Pick up about 7.

Sun 16 Dec is our Christingle Church Parade, a family friendly service so you can all come along to join in, Mums, Dads, siblings etc. Meet at HQ at 10.10 am. Pick up about 11.40. Full uniform please with money for collection optional.

Weds/Thurs 19 & 20 Dec are as normal but we are closed 26 & 27 Dec. Open as usual the following week.

I only have 2 panto tickets left - I'll let you know the times and venue as soon as I have them confirmed.
Kim

Scout Challenge - Reminder

Any Scouts wanting to take part in the District Challenge this Saturday (17 November), please let me know asap. The event is at Silverwood from 10am to 5pm. You'll need a packed lunch. I can give you a lift there and back if you would like to go. Cheers Ian.

Update: I'll be picking up at 9.30am from HQ, so meet there if you want a lift up to Silverwood.

Update: We Won! A team comprising 3 Scouts from Ardsley and 2 from Hoyland won 4 out of 5 events at the District Challenge. The challenges were tent pitching, fire lighting, first aid, pioneering and a rope trail. Thanks to James, James H and Ethan for taking part. We have a huge trophy for our efforts, which we shall have to defend next year.

Scouts - 10-Pin Bowling

A reminder that this Wednesday night, instead of a troop meeting, the Scouts will be going 10-Pin bowling. This event is only open to those scouts who came to the Remembrance Sunday church parade.

Update 15/11/2007:

Our bowling evening was a great success. Results were as follows: 1st James (82pts), 2nd Thomas (72), 3rd Dale (68). Joint 4th Jaye, Abbie & Robert (65), 7th Emma (61), 8th Lewis (46), 9th Ewan (30), and 10th Ethan (18). Adult results were 1st Steve (144), 2nd Ian (120), 3rd Ed (111) and 4th Kim (100). Well done everyone.

Beavers night off

There will NOT be a Beavers on 22 November. This is because Kim has a very important work's event to go to that night. There WILL be a Cubs though as there are other Leaders to run that.

Latest news

First, the swimming gala....5 Scouts and 10 Cubs turned up to represent us and despite winning several heats and finals had to concede defeat yet again to Hoyland. (Once again Hoyland took more Cubs and Scouts than we did so won on numbers as much as anything). However, we were very proud of those who turned up as they swam their socks off and didn't give up til the final stroke! Thank you to all those parents who stayed and supported us. All swimmers will receive a medal of appreciation.

Secondly the Remembrance Day service.... 10 Scouts and 13 Cubs attended and we were very pleased with this turnout. Thanks again to parents for understanding that we needed a good attendance for this very special event.

Beavers/Cubs

Beavers have been very busy lately working on their Imagination badges. I have been impressed with the brilliant robots. The Healthy Eating badge work was very good too. Thanks parents/carers for your support with all this. I am planning our next badge now but we have a busy crafting time coming up with Christmas so close.
Next year we will be spending a lot of time on a 2008 Challenge programme for which we get to wear a special badge all year... more later. We said bye to William and Niall this week as they have moved up to Cubs. We also said hello recently to Charlie and Connor.

Cubs have just finished the Astonomers badge plus some of the kids have been working on other badges in their own time as well. Next one is the Communicators badge and finishing the Scientist badge. All this and Christmas crafts too!!
ps Fingers crossed we win the Swimming Gala tomorrow!

Kim

Christmas Event

Sunday 6 January at Wombwell to see Robinson Crusoe (panto). For Beavers, Cubs and Scouts - oh yes it is! £5 each. I need to know who's going and collect money in asap so you've got til Thursday 22 Nov to let me know. If you come after that (like lots of you did for Spooktacular) you will have missed out.

Thanks to everyone who ordered Webb Ivory - hope it's all ok and thanks a lot for your prompt payments.
Kim

Beaver Campfire

Just got in from the campfire..... thanks to all the mums who sent in buns, sauces etc. (and nannans,aunties etc who baked). We have enough to feed the whole Scout Group this week! And a very big thankyou to all the mums and dads who stayed to help out in various ways. We really appreciate it. The event was a huge success and much better for being outside with a real fire, despite the rain.
Kim and Ian

10 and 11 November

Saturday 10th is the District Swimming Gala at Wombwell Baths. Final details to follow but I would hope that we get better support for this event than we did for the events at Silverwood today. Beavers will be allowed to have free access to the small pool as long as a parent is with them. This has nothing to do with the gala though. All details to follow.
Sunday 11th is the Remembrance Day Service. If you cannot attend this service, Cubs and Scouts, you MUST bring written apologies signed by a parent. May I remind you that this is a very important service as it is a time for you, as Scouters, to pay your respects to the many Scouts who supported our country during WW2, some of whom died doing so. Many received the Victoria Cross. I expect you to also do your duty and attend this service. Doing your duty is after all, one of the things you promise to do when you are invested into your section.
Kim

beaver campfire

Tuesday 16 October
Please arrive at 5.45 before the rest of the District Beavers arrive at 6. We are, weather permitting, having a real fire in the carpark and hotdogs. Some parents have volunteered to bring parkin and buns. Parents are very welcome to stay and join in with the fun, although some of you have kindly volunteered to help out with the refreshments.
Kim

SPORTS DAY AND CROSS COUNTRY

Just wanted to say a very big thank you to the 7 Beavers and 7 Cubs (and their parents) who turned up at Silverwood to represent our Group at these events. We had a really good day and won several heats but Hoyland, predictably, won all the events yet again. All the children got a prize. Perhaps if some of the other 48 children in our Group had attended we might have won at least one of the awards.
Kim

Worth the Wait?

I have finally managed to post Kim's excellent summary of the Beaver sleepover which took place at Silverwood in September.

Sorry about the delay, but if you want to read the post please click here.

Also, you can see more photos from the event by clicking here.

Regards,

Rich

Church Parade this Sunday

This coming Sunday, 7th October, it's our Harvest Festival Church Parade. ALL Beavers, Cubs and Scouts are expected to attend. We'll be meeting at the Scout Hall for 10:10am, and we expect the service to finish around 11:40am. Please wear Full Uniform. Parents are very welcome to stay for the service.

You may also like to make a diary note that this year's Remembrance Day Church Parade is on Sunday 11th November. (Beavers are not expected to attend this Parade.)

Update: Really disappointing attendance at the Harvest Festival Church Parade. Can I remind everyone that ALL members are expected to attend Church Parades, and in the event that this is not possible they are expected to bring a letter explaining their absence, signed a parent.

Beaudesert - Reserve List

All 26 guaranteed places for next year's Summer Camp at Beaudesert have now gone (in record time!). So we now enter a period of uncertainty where we have more people wanting to go than will fit on two minibuses, but not enough for three.

If you want to go you should still put your name down and pay your deposit. It may take a few weeks until we know for sure whether a third bus is viable, but we'll let you know as soon as we can. And we'll do everything we can to avoid disappointing anyone. If, in the event, we can't justify a third bus we will, of course, refund your deposit.

It's great that we have this problem; we must be doing something right!

Beaver Sleepover - An Exciting Weekend or What?

All those cynics out there thinking that todays’ youngsters are only interested in video games and tv should have come along to our first ever Beaver Sleepover at Silverwood. All but 3 of our “Eager Beavers” arrived on site in great excitement and bagged a bunk bed for the night. Once parents had gone we held our opening ceremony and then got changed.

It was then down to basic team work to shift a load of lightweight pallets down to the campfire circle ready for later. Next, a walk in the woods, the highlight of which was finding an abandoned car at the bottom of a hill. Some of us were excited too at finding pine cones amongst the fallen leaves and learning how to tell if it was going to rain. Tea was quarter pounders with optional cheese or sausages with bread rolls and jacket potatoes plus salad, all followed by yogurt. Don’t think they’d been fed all day!

Then time to grab our torches and make our way down to the campfire circle where Ian lit the fire. After a few songs we sat and watched the fire in all its’ glory with its’ sparks dancing like fireworks in the darkening sky – well that’s how the kids described it anyway. Next, we made necklaces and bracelets and even light sabres with glo-sticks and spent a happy time running around the field with Jaye and Amy, in all the colours of the neon rainbow like huge fireflies. A spot of stargazing followed before meandering back to the building for a colouring competition to start winding down for bed. Well that was the theory! Hot chocolate and marshmallows for a nightcap and then teeth brushing and changing into jimjams before the “disco.”

Ian and Richard brought out their guitars and the buzz about the “disco went round like wildfire! The boys taught us “Puff the Magic Dragon” and we all joined in the chorus. After a few more songs the theory was working and lots of little heads were nodding so everyone went to bed. That was the cue to start over wide awake and it was a good hour or so later before most were asleep.

Everyone was awake by 7.20 next morning and after breakfast we set off for our hike through the woods.

Along the way we stopped off to play in a sleepy hollow climbing out of it with tree roots as a natural ladder. Loads of fun! We found the car again and enjoyed lobbing sticks at it for ages! Back on site we had Milky Ways and apples with a drink and then got our bags out ready to go. Then we formed a huge circle to finish our camp off.

The winners of the colouring competion were announced and prizes given. Katie came 3^rd; Jessica 2^nd and Amy 1^st. Don’t know what happened to the boys but I think they need to practise a bit more. Everyone was given a Nights Away 1 badge and a Hikes Away 1 as well. These can be worn all the way through Scouts until they gain the next stage. Amy was handed her Swimming Stage 2 badge and William his Imagination badge.

Then, our Group Scout Leader, Ian, made a special presentation to William and Niall of the Chief Scouts Bronze Award. This is the highest award a Beaver can gain and they had to complete 2 challenge badges and a personal challenge to earn it. Finally a group photo session for the blog and then we climbed trees and chatted before parents started to arrive.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable camp for both Beavers and Leaders and we will do it again next year. As Beaver Leader I would like to say a very big thank you to Ian for all his hard work and support prior to and over the weekend and a very big thank you also to Richard for his help and support with Beavers over the summer as well.

Finally, a special thank you to our Scouts Jaye and Amy, who are an enormous help to me every Thursday but especially this weekend. Thanks girls.

Kim

Spooktacular 2007

News just in via owl: On October 20th, Hesley Wood is hosting the Tri-Universe Conference of Wizards, Witches and Warlocks. Harry Potter has been invited to attend and all cubs have been asked to bring their magic wands, cloaks and spell books to join the great spell competition. Be there and be scared!

The cost is £4.50 per cub and £1 per adult. Places are limited and must be booked in advance. It will be up to parents to arrange transport to and from Hesley Wood Scout Camp, near Chapletown. The event starts at 5.30pm and finishes at 9.30pm.

If you'd like to go you need to let Kim know as soon as possible, preferably by text. Alternatively you can drop an email to the address in the sidebar of the blog, or use the 'comment' link below this post.

Beaudesert - Limited Places

After just one week of taking bookings, 22 of the initial allocation of 26 places for next year's Summer Camp have gone. There are just 4 definite places remaining!

Lost Property

We still have a few items of lost property left over from Summer Camp. If you haven't already, could you please take a look through them to see if any belong to you. This is your last chance to reclaim your kit!

Weekend Patrol Camp

This weekend saw a patrol of Scouts invade Silverwood for what was (for most of them) their first patrol camp. All the tents were put up in time for dinner on Saturday, where bacon sandwiches were prepared on open fire.

After dinner the Scouts headed up to Penistone show, which had loads of exhibitions and stalls to explore. The group managed to locate each other when it was time to leave, which was an impressive feat considering the number of people at the show.

Once back at camp, a meal of Lamb Stew and Pancakes was prepared, once more on open fires and then began to settle down for the night. Of course this cannot be achieved without first playing with the fire for at least an hour or two!


Sunday dawned and the Scouts prepared a hearty breakfast, then decided it was probably time to get some practice in at preparing fires, again! From one element to the next; an impressive water fight followed. Actually the word fight doesn't do it justice; it was war. The Scouts even managed to get the Leaders involved, which led to almost every single person getting wet, with most people even managing to get soapy, chocolaty and even floury!


Once everyone was cleaned up, it was time for lunch and time to pack up and get ready to leave. Morale was high and I think it would be safe to say that everyone had a great weekend!

Cubs

Hello Cubs, It was great to see most of you back after your hols. We postponed our badge work for another week to take advantage of one of the last lovely evenings of this summer and played wide games in the woods. However, this coming week we will begin working on our brand new Rolls Royce sponsored Scientist badge, which comes with a certificate as well as a badge. See you Thursday......
Kim

Beavers

Hello All, Beavers started work on their Healthy Eating badge this week with 2 groups making a fresh fruit salad, peeling and chopping all by themselves, and the rest making some really delicious flapjack. Next week we'll swap round so that everyone gets a go at both activities. The following 2 weeks will see us making sandwiches and healthy eating posters before the badge presentation on the final night. Next weekend we also have our sleepover camp (you don't need to bring carrymats for this after all) with fun activities there as well. So, an exciting start to the new "term." We also said hello to Sophie, James and Chloe who have just joined.
Kim

"New Term"

Next week sees you all back to school and it's the start of a new season of fun and activity at Beavers and Cubs. We will start working on a range of badges this week. Healthy Eating for Beavers and Cubs will have to come along to find out their badge! Beavers also have a sleepover camp to get excited about. Cubs, if you haven't attended through the summer then you've missed a whole range of fun games and activities including building your own assault course, hiking for your Adventure badge, wide games, pillow fighting and your favourite Ripple Tipple!

If any of your friends would like to join in the fun ask me for an application form.

Beaver Sleepover at Silverwood

We're organising a Beaver Sleepover for the weekend of 15/16 September at Silverwood Scout Camp. For most Beavers this will be their first night away from home and a chance to earn their Nights Away 1 badge. We'll be having a campfire on the Saturday night.

The plan is for parents to drop the beavers off at Silverwood Scout Camp at 5pm on Saturday 15 September and collect them at 12 noon on the Sunday. We will be providing an evening meal (probably burgers), a bedtime drink, and a breakfast of cereals.

We've kept the kit list fairly simple: Beavers will need a sleeping bag, activity clothes, change of underwear and socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, soap, towel, and a torch. We will supply cutlery, etc.

We'll be issuing permission-to camp forms this week at Beavers.

Update: If you couldn't make it to Beavers last night and you'd like a permission-to-camp form send an email to the address in the sidebar and we'll send you a pdf version.

Update: Just to clarify, we've booked indoor accommodation at Silverwood for this event.

Patrol Camp at Silverwood

We have a patrol camp coming up for first year Scouts on Sat/Sun 8/9 September at Silverwood Scout Camp. The scouts concerned should all have a letter by now. If you're going we need your camp fees and permission-to-camp forms back next Wednesday, no fail.

Summer Camp 2008 - Beaudesert

We'll be sending letters home during the first week of September with details of next year's Summer Camp, but here's a sneak preview for those of you who subscribe to blog updates.

The dates are Saturday 19 - 26 July 2008, and we're going to Beaudesert Park campsite. The campsite is in Cannock Chase which is an area of outstanding natural beauty in Staffordshire. The cost of the camp will be £175 per person. There is an initial allocation of 26 places, which may be increased if there's enough interest to justify a third minibus. A £25 non-returnable deposit is required to secure a place, and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The camp is open to cubs, scouts and explorers.

Please note: We will not be taking any bookings until week commencing 10 September, in order to be fair to everyone. Please don't bring any money before then as we're not geared up to deal with it.

Feel free to use the comments feature to ask any questions.

Click here to visit the Beaudesert website

Summer Camp 2007 - Photos

Photos from this years Summer Camp can be found here

To browse other photo albums from various camps and Scouting activities, visit:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ardsleyscouts

Scouting's Sunrise

At 08:00 on the 1st August 1907, Robert Baden-Powell blew his Kudu horn to assemble the 20 boys camping on Brownsea Island around the flagpole. This was the start of the Scouting movement.

100 years to the day, millions of Scouters around the world are honouring this historical event by renewing their Scout Promise on what has been dubbed "Scouting's Sunrise".

As the name suggests, today is the dawn of a new century of Scouting.

Here's to another 100 years!

We will be holding a small sunrise ceremony tonight at around 20:00 at Ardsley Scout Headquarters.

My final fairwell...

On Thursday our Cubs completed their Emergency Aid Badge. Over the last few weeks they’ve been learning their ABCs… whose ABC? Mine of course… ask them and they should be able to fill you in (DR’S ABC)! They’ve also learnt about what to do at the scene of an accident, and what to expect if they need to make an emergency call. They’ve acted out road and bike accidents (sorry about the bloody shock for a few unsuspecting parents!), and this week each Six made and performed a rap or song about the Green Cross Code.

For those of you who don’t know, this is my last week as a Cub and Scout leader in Ardsley, as after Summer Camp I’m moving back to Glasgow due to work. It’s been really nice getting to know you all, and I wish you all the very best in your futures!

Take care,
Spud!

Summer Holidays

Weds 18 July there is a Scouts, Thursday 19th a Beavers but NOT a Cubs (most will be discoing at their Leavers party at school). There will not be any meetings on the 25 and 26 July as we are on Summer Camp with nearly all our Scouts and two thirds of our Cubs. from then on there will be Scouts, Cubs and Beavers as normal throughout the summer holidays.
Leaders would like to wish you all a very happy summer whether you are going away or not and would like to say thanks a lot for your continued support throughout the year so far. Your words of encouragement and praise really mean a lot as well. We are a brilliant group and have great kids and great parents!

A Bridge Too Far...

Last night the Scouts built a bridge over a chasm (well, a really big ditch!) in Horse Carr Wood.

The Scouts rediscovered their sense of adventure, and fear of heights, whilst walking the tightrope over the ditch!

A wobbly good time was had by all involved!

Happy Hikers...

Five cubs had a great time when they went hiking in the Peak District yesterday with Spud and Chill. They navigated their way to Lost Lad Hillend (without losing any of the lads!)…

…and then on to Back Tor.



They learnt and put into practice lots of techniques to help them navigate safely. The weather held out well, with just the odd spit when we arrived back at the cars!

Everyone’s earned a badge too – either the Adventure badge, or a Hikes Away badge. Well done guys!

This weekend....

A quick reminder that the district Duck Race event, scheduled for this Sunday, has been cancelled due to flooding.

Scouts wanting to take part in the District football competition should meet at HQ at 12 noon this Saturday.

Build it and they will come......

Well, even though the church pulled out of the Summer Gala we went ahead as I was sure that the sun would shine - and it did! Pirate Akela ran the Coconut Shie and we also had stalls and games as well as hotdogs and popcorn. Just so you know, the Tombola items you donated raised £85, the books raised £38.50 and the Bottle Hoopla £60 as well as £18.70 from the Cake Stall. With the other things going on we raised a magnificent £270 despite most of Ardsley assuming we had cancelled along with church. However, word soon got round the village and people started to arrive. It would have been nice to see a lot more of our children and parents though! So, a very big thank you to all of you who donated, baked and attended this event. Every penny raised will be spent on the children and I will let you know what we buy asap.
Church have postponed their Gala until September so we will do it all again with them. Therefore, please keep donating tombola items, bottles and books whenever you like throughout the summer. I know the kids are grateful when they use the games equipment etc that we buy for them.
Kim

Cub Hike in the Peaks...

Cubs are invited on a Day Hike in the Peak District this weekend. The places will be limited, as usual, to a maximum group size of 7 including adults, so book your place as soon as you can… see me on Thursday for the "One Day Activity" consent form.

Section: Cubs
Planned Activity: Day-hike
Date: Saturday 23rd June 2007
Location: Peak District area
Meet at: B&Q car-park in Sheffield, on A61 at 0930 on Saturday 23rd June
Collect from: B&Q car-park in Sheffield, around 1700 on Saturday 23rd June
Cost: Free
Transport: Leaders will provide transport from B&Q car-park in their cars. If you are under 12yrs and less than 135cm please bring your booster seat.
Please bring / wear: All the equipment recommended on the "One Day Activity" form (which will be given out on Thursday if you’ve not already got one!). You'll need a packed lunch.
Weather: We’ll still go if it rains, just bring plenty of warm and waterproof clothes

You’ll have noticed we’re meeting in Sheffield… Spud commutes to Ardsely for Cubs & Scouts every week, so this time I’d like you guy’s to save me a quadruple journey… Sheffield B&Q is half-way to the Peaks! By all means, you can arrange amongst yourselves to share lifts from HQ or home to Sheffield!

Directions to B&Q car-park in Sheffield:
Follow A61 towards Sheffield, passing Worsbrough Mill, to Junction 36 of M1. Continue on A61 towards Sheffield, passing Hillsborough. A bit further, and you’ll see KFC on the right. B&Q is just after KFC, also on the right. Turn right at the lights between B&Q and McDonalds.

Art Attack!

As promised for a few weeks, here’s the pics of Thomas Yates’ "Art Attack" – it’s of a Cub, a Leader, and a campfire… he did it as part of his Artist’s badge. Have a look in HQ for the rest of his artwork. Well done Thomas, and your helpers!

SUMMER FAYRE

It's 8.15 on the 16th. Church have lost faith and cancelled their part of the fayre BUT we scouts are made of sterner stuff. The church folk might have lost the Dunkirk spirit but we have BP Spirit. The fayre is going ahead at this moment in time. Please tell everyone you see that we are holding the event as planned. Please come along and join us.
Kim

SUMMER FAYRE

Our annual Summer fayre will be held on Saturday 16th June at 1pm. You can help by donating good quality items such as books and other prize gifts, cakes, biscuits, chocolates and toiletries.Bottles of alcohol or soft drinks would be gratefully received. There will be food available plus games and stalls.

This week at Ardsley

We welcomed Alicia, Kaishan and Jessica to Beavers this week and wrote letters to some Joey Beavers in Australia. Kim will send these off to her contact there and fingers crossed we'll get some replies.

Cubs said Hello to Gabriel and Deacon(Kim really likes "Mrs Gabriel" as she did ALL the washing up and made us all a drink AND washed up some of the Scouts mess from Weds night - she can come again -PLEASE!) We also said a fond farewell to Spike and Matty who are moving up to Scouts. They have been a really great pair of Cubs and I'm sure will be a lovely addition to Scouts. (sorry about the 'lovely' lads but I can't think of a more macho word) This week we had feedback from the Synergise camp (sounds like we missed a treat if we didn't go) and had a think about recycling for our Global Challenge badge.

Scouts had a great time doing Ready, Steady Cook and came up with some tasty and innovative ideas from simple ingredients. Leaders were impressed with their ideas and use of knowledge learned in previous cooking sessions we've done.

We will be running sessions for all sections as normal throughout the half term.

Kim

cub walk update

Just to let you know that my info was incorrect. The walk will finish at 8 and not 7.15. Sorry.
Kim

A Great Weekend at SYnergise

The SYnergise camp at Hesley Wood was a huge success. About 1500 campers from all over South Yorkshire enjoyed the fun and games! Around 100 kids from the Barnsley Fitzwilliam District joined in the Centenary Celebrations, and we all enjoyed camping, cooking, and playing together as a District. Here we all were after a bit of 100-year-old birthday cake!!

A huge THANK YOU goes out to everyone who was involved in the organisation of this event… we all saw an awful lot of smiling faces throughout the weekend (kids and adults alike), which made it all worthwhile. They might have been smiling, but they weren’t always clean…

Many games came about… some organised… and some spontaneous… and our cubs really enjoyed “exploring” the whole campsite!

My activity was climbing… even the youngest beavers gave it a try, and some of our cubs and scouts enjoyed taking on the wall!

On Sunday, we all renewed our Beaver, Cub, or Scout Promise, and we heard about what Scouting meant to some different people.

Later, as they washed up the cups, some of the cubs discovered that even doing a “good turn” can be fun… although I’m not sure if they had played Drip Drip Drop earlier!?

Ardsley Cubs did themselves proud again on the 5-aside football pitches… not only were they recently winners of the District Cub Football competition, but now they have also won at County level! Great job guys!

...

..

Unfortunately, our fun had to come to an end on Monday…tired but happy, we went home to get washed!

I’d like to thank all the parents who offered to help transport other kids to and from camp – and thanks to everyone for dropping off and collecting kids on time. That really helped things run smoothly.

Campers were all given a SYnergise Camp badge. This is a green, oval badge. It should be sewn onto the right sleeve just above the cuff, in line with the district and county badges which are at the top of that sleeve.

If you have a Centenary necker, you will also be given a Centenary Camp badge, and a Joining-In The Centenary badge. These are to be sewn onto the back of the Centenary necker. There are four centenary badges to collect, which end up forming a diamond with a gold trim. See the image below for where to sew each one.

If you’ve not yet ordered a centenary necker, and now you think you’d like one, leave £6 in an envelope with your name and “late order” on it, and I’ll get you one in due course.

Well done for choosing to join in… you’ve been a great team… enjoy the rest of the Centenary Celebrations throughout 2007!

...

Beavers Thursday 24th May

There will NOT be a Beavers on 24th May as Kim is not available. There will be a Cubs as normal though.

District Cub Walk

Cub Walk: Tuesday 15th May
Cubs to meet at Wombwell Scout Hall at 6pm and be collected from there at 7.15. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather, you don't need money. please wear your necker. There will be a Cubs on Thursday 17th

Cubs Win Football Competition

We Won!!! What more can I say? Well actually quite a lot. Six cubs attended this prestigious football match in Darfield: Thomas Speed, Daniel Hewitt, Spencer Lavender, Thomas Rymer, James Saunderson and Nathan Dennis. All played some excellent football and were the only team to win all five matches.

Game one saw us playing Hoyland Common. This was an extremely close game, but eventually Ardsley got the better of them with Spenner scoring 3 and Chewitt scoring the other one, in a 4-2 win for Ardsley.

Game two saw us against Hoyland (2nd's). Once again this saw the teams evenly matched, but Ardsley showed real talent, leading to the 3-0 win. Once again Spenner was on the score sheet with 2, as was Thomas Saunderson with the one.

We had a little breather next to be able to observe our next team Wombwell. Wombwell fought bravely with a very vocal leader on the sideline. Our supporters were able to match them though. The game was again a close one, but Chewitt was able to pull off two great goals and we beat them 2-0.

The fourth match was against Hoyland (1st) team. On this occasion the lads were getting a little tired, but with support from the side line, James Saunderson scored first, we then forced them into an own goal, finishing off with James scoring again. The game finished 3-1 to us, but the legs were getting tired.

Plenty of Mars Bars were on hand to keep them going, and the thought of possibly winning a trophy.

The last match was going to prove to be difficult. The reason, one of the leaders is support teacher at Oakhill where most of the lads go and with the threat of detention hanging over them it was abit of a dilemma! Putting this to the back of thier minds, the lads fought on. This last game was a free for all, in that, Spenner opened our account, then James Saunderson scored 2 and finally Young Rymer opened his account with the last goal. The final score was 4-0.

That was it. The lads went barmy finally culminating in being awarded the trophy at the end. It remains to be seen if they get detention on Monday, but who cares:

We Won !

Thanks to all who turned up for support and a very special thanks to the lads mentioned, who were finally able to beat Hoyland at something. See you all next year for our title defence.

Chill

Cubs Comic Relief night…

This Thursday, our cubs got into the spirit of...

Each Six did a short presentation about a charity involved in helping children from the UK or the rest of the world. They had done some research at home through the week. The Green Six presented about Children in Need, Blue Six about Comic Relief itself, Red Six about Oxfam, and Yellow Six about Barnardos. Some cubs had put an awful lot of work into this, which was really great to see! Well done!

Later, we learnt about the problems caused by landmines throughout the world. I’d hoped to show these two video clips… Landmines video 1 ... Landmines video 2 …but because of technical problems I told the stories portrayed in them instead! We learnt that Comic Relief spends some money clearing landmines, and some helping those who have been injured by mines. Then we played a blindfolded minefield game, putting a fun slant on this very serious problem.

We talked about what makes us happy, and what Comic Relief think kids need to make them happy, and we learnt some facts about Africa and child poverty.

Any Cubs who would like to donate some of their pocket money to Comic Relief can do so with their parent’s help by clicking here.

Ethan, Nathan and Wesley were presented with their Hikes Away 1 badge, which they earned in the Peak District recently. Well done guys!

See you all tomorrow for the Mother’s Day Service!

Spud

Beaver Quiz

Thanks to all who turned up last night. Our team did realy well (some of the questions had me scratching my head), but unfortunately we were pipped at the post by Darfield who were the eventual victors.

Synergise Centenary Camp

Cubs and Scouts are invited to attend the Synergise County-wide Centenary Celebration Camp.

It will be held on 4th to 7th May 2007 (May holiday weekend) at Hesley Wood.

This is a fantastic opportunity to try loads of exciting activities that we can’t normally offer because of Adventurous Activity Permit rules. It’s also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in a large camp with hundreds of other Cubs and Scouts.

The total cost including food is £45 for the 4 days. (The organisers have reduced the price since we last told Scouts.) As Ian, Spud, and Chill are the only Ardsley leaders able to attend, places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, and may need to be limited by adult to child ratios.

Reserve your place by returning the tear off slip from the note we give you this week, and pay your £20 deposit by Thursday 29th March 2007 at the latest.

Further info at www.synergise.org.uk – but please don’t book online yourself – we’ll book for you as a group.

Keep your eye on the blog for updates.

The Muddy Bike Ride!

James, Robert, Lewis, Ewan, Nathan, Daniel and Spencer all had a great time on the Muddy Bike Ride this Saturday morning. We started out nice and clean…


…but it wasn’t long before they got the hang of it (the clue’s in the activity name)…


…Lewis decided to do some stunts for the camera… although it was Nathan who crashed just after this pic!


And just in case any parents are still wondering why we asked the kids to come in old clothes…


For those of you who didn’t come, I’m sure we’ll be running a similar activity in the near future… maybe even a sponsored weekend ride! Anyone up for it!?

You Win some, you Lose some…

While our Scout PLs and APLs made it up Lose Hill a few weeks ago, last weekend it was Kieran, Ethan, Wesley, and Nathan who went hiking… and they made it up Win Hill!

While layers were stripped off on the way up…


…it wasn’t long before they were needed again! It was a bit blustery on the top (minus 11 with wind chill we’re told)…


…but despite getting a good soaking, spirits were high all day! (Ethan morphed into a zombie for this one!)


I’ll be trying to run another hike soon, so if you’ve got the energy for it, get your boots (and waterproofs) ready!

Beaver Quiz
Wednesday 14 March at Wombwell HQ. Drop off and pick up there. 6-7pm. Wear uniform. No money required. Come on Ardsley Beavers - let's win it this year!!

Cubs News
1. Matchbox Challenge.
In connection with our centenary activities each Cub is challenged to fill a small matchbox with 100 items. Each item must be different and the matchbox must be able to close. They have as long as needed to complete this challenge but the first one to do it will win a prize.
2. Global Challenge Badge
This week each Six chose a children's charity to research. Next week they will help their Six to present their findings to the Pack. If Leaders feel that the individual Cub has tried their best to contribute to this it will count towards the badge.

Welcome Liam H. Samuel C. Mason E. Spencer L. and Cameron to the Group.
Beavers and Cubs both now have a waiting list!!
Scouts welcomed Hayley, just up from Cubs.
Kim

Cyclocross

Thanks to all those who attended yesterday's Cyclocross on what was a wet and wild Sunday afternoon in the woods. We had 7 cubs, split into three groups: 8, 9, and 10 year olds. All three groups raced together after a staggered start. There were 31 cubs in all. Beth and Lewis started first, then Ethan, Nathan, Sammy, Daniel, then following up the rear was Matty Smith. The results were as follows, Nathan 2nd, Beth 8th, Lewis 9th, Ethan 15th, Matty 21st, Sammy 27th and Daniel T 31st. Unfortunately Matty ran most of the way due to mechanical failure. Lewis Johnson, our only scout entrant put in a brave effort against bigger opposition, finishing 14th out of 17. Not bad when you consider he had too much fun from the night before and no sleep. Eventually the heavyweight Hoyland ran away with all the trophies once more through shear numbers again. After all the excitement it was home for a well earned bath and bike scrub. The mud and sludge was hiddeous. I can speak for all (as I rode the course with the cubs with other parents), it was a gruelling course and everybody did very well. Well Done. Chill

Happy New Year…

Happy Chinese New Year to you all. Kim has worked very hard in the kitchen with Scouts and Cubs this week, and they’ve enjoyed cooking and eating noodles, rice, and stir-fry… some even managed to eat it with their chop sticks!

A big “congratulations” is due to Mini-Matt who has achieved his Level 5 Swimmer Staged Activity Badge at the age of just 10! Remember, those of you who didn’t complete everything when we were at Wombwell can ask an adult to supervise you swimming. If they write and sign a note stating what you have done, you can complete your badges. Check out what you need to do on the Scoutbase website.

For those of you who are interested in the Peak District Day Hike or the Let's Get Muddy Bike Ride, you can email me or see me on Wednesday or Thursday to reserve your place.

See you all next week,
Spud

Up and Coming Events for Cubs & Scouts

Flight-Sim Night
Sat 24th Feb
Open to Scouts who have booked a place with Thornton
Bring your overnight gear
Meeting at Ardsley Headquarters
Times: check with Thornton (overnight Sat – Sun)

Cycle–o–Cross
Sun 25th Feb
Open to all Cubs and Scouts
Bring a bike that is in safe working order (ideally a mountain bike), old clothes, old shoes, and a cycle helmet that fits
Meeting at Silverwood Campsite
Times: 1230 for 1300 until around 1530

Peak District Day Hike
Sun 4th Mar
Open to all Scouts and now to ALLCubs too!
5 places available (3 remaining, 23/02/07) on first come first served basis – inform Spud
Bring hiking boots, warm clothes, and plenty of energy
Meeting point to be confirmed
Times: 0900 – 1600 (to be confirmed)

Let’s Get Muddy Bike Ride
Sat 10th Mar
Open to all Scouts and now Cubs too!
6 places available (3 remaining, 23/02/07) on first come first served basis – inform Spud
Bring a bike that is in safe working order (ideally a mountain bike), old clothes, old shoes, and a cycle helmet that fits
Meeting at Ardsley Headquarters
Times: 0930 – 1230

A chilly weekend away…

Our Scout Patrol Leaders and Assistant Patrol Leaders were tough enough to cope with a hike and camp under canvas in the snow this weekend.

They climbed Lose Hill from Edale, and learnt some navigation techniques, as well as what to do in an emergency. Plenty of snowballs were thrown, and some thought it was the most snow they had ever seen! Leading the hike was a great experience for me too, as I’ve recently passed a hill walking adventurous activities assessment… so more hikes for Cubs and Scouts to come soon!

Here’s a couple of pics to help you feel the cold (minus 17 with wind chill apparently!)

A wee break en route…

But the snow had all been blown away at the top!!

Centenary Tree

Beavers made a Centenary Tree this week with named handprints and other prints that named things that were important to them such as lesssons at school, games, tv etc so that in 2017 other Beavers can look at it and see what 2007 meant to us. We welcomed Cameron to the Group and said bye to James K who's moved up to Cubs. Lydia and Luke were invested into the Group.

Cubs played various games this week in an effort to keep warm in our very old building. We had a great time!

Next week it's Chinese New Year so our activities will be on that theme.

By the way, I've eaten my way through more eggs this week and now have enough shells for our cress heads.

Any old boots?

Does anyone have old or out-grown hiking boots kicking around? If so, we could use them to start a troop “boots library”.

Kids out-grow hiking boots so fast it’s difficult and expensive to keep up, yet they’re an essential bit of kit for any serious hiking. Feel free to bring along any that you no longer need… all donations gratefully received! If we get enough, we can lend them out for activities and camps on a first-come-first-served basis.

On a more specific note, does anyone have a pair of size 9 or 10 boots that one of our scouts could borrow for the weekend of 10th / 11th February? I’m sure he would look after them and return them all sparkly clean! If you can help, please email me to let me know. Thanks, Spud.

Congratulations Swimmers!

Congratulations to all those swimmers who earned a swimming badge on Wednesday! Particular congrats go to Zak, who completed everything for the highest level.

If you didn’t complete all the sections, don’t worry. Get a parent or swimming teacher to watch you. If you succeed, have them write and sign a short note stating what you’ve achieved. We can then get you your badges.

If you’re not sure what you have and haven’t done, see Spud and we’ll sort it out!

Remember, you can print off the badge requirements from the scoutbase website; and for levels 3, 4 and 5 you can read the rules governing swimming for Scouts (Rules 9.48 - 9.54) there too.

Latest news

Another busy week. Beavers made food faces and played Sharks with the parachute. Cubs had a night at the swimming pool working on the swimming badges which were awarded on Thursday. Then we had an action packed meeting full of scouting activities such as map reading, compass point pictures and knots along with lots of game. We welcomed Ella to Cubs and Samuel and Corey to Beavers. I've managed to save 14 egg shells all by myself - does anyone read this?????
Kim

Swimming Badges

Just a reminder… we’ve arranged a meeting for those Cubs & Scouts who want to do their swimming badge!

We’ll meet at Wombwell Swimming Pool this Wednesday, 31st January. Cubs 7.30pm til 9.00pm, and Scouts 7.30pm til 9.30pm.Bring your swimming gear, a towel, and money for a locker only. If you are going to do the level 3 badge or the level 5 badge, you will need pyjamas or a shirt and shorts. See scoutbase for details of what you need to do for the different levels.

Please note that you need a shirt and shorts for the level 3 badge (as well as level 5)… I didn’t realise that previously!

Parents / carers, please drop off your kids at the pool (we meet in the corridor until 7.30pm). Any parents / carers who would like to or would be able to stay and help are more than welcome.

Cubs, a normal Pack night will take place at headquarters on 1st Feb. Scouts, there will be no troop night at headquarters on 31st Jan.

What have we been up to this week?

This week Beavers had a go at making Janus masks. We invested Rebecca G. and gave out the long awaited Safety badges and Air Activities badges. We said goodbye to Joshua H, Lewis R and Thomas S who are moving up to Cubs.Happy 8th birthday to all three. We said hello to Sam C.
Cubs learned to play an old game from Baden-Powell's day involving scout staffs and were much better at it than the Scouts on Wednesday! They split into groups and started to learn some knots and played a logic game. Kirsty C moved up to Scouts. Also, bye to Joe P who left the Group for a while to concentrate on his studies. We'll miss him.
And a happy 12th birthday to Amy B. (Scouts)

Scouts Patrol Points are adding up!

Scouts had a great night tonight continuing the 100 years of scouting celebrations, they did centenary circuits, puzzling pyramids, and scout staves (a game that’s 100 years old!), as well as learning about international distress signals and route planning.

Lots of points were collected by all three patrols tonight. We’ve totalled the points from the last 4 meetings, to give running totals so far of 866 to the Eagles, 766 to the Kestrels, and 730 to the Cobras. So there’s everything to play for… remember, the lead can be won back… its up to you!

Swimming Badge Night

At last, as promised, I’ve managed to arrange a meeting for those Cubs & Scouts who want to do their swimming badge!

We’ll meet at Wombwell Swimming Pool on Wednesday 31st January 07. Cubs 7.30pm til 9.00pm, and Scouts 7.30pm til 9.30pm.

Bring your swimming gear, a towel, and money for a locker only. If you are going to do the level 5 badge, you will need pyjamas or a shirt and shorts. See scoutbase for details of what you need to do for the different levels.

Parents / carers, please drop off your kids at the pool (we meet in the corridor until 7.30pm). Any parents / carers who would like to or would be able to stay and help are more than welcome.

Cubs, a normal Pack night will take place at headquarters on 1st Feb. Scouts, there will be no troop night at headquarters on 31st Jan.

See ya there, Spud!

Gift Aid nets £1028

I'd just like to thank everyone who completed Gift Aid declarations for subs last year. I have in my hand a cheque from the Inland Revenue (how often do you get to say that!!) for £1028.02 plus interest.

We were able to claim tax back on 57% of subs, and with your help we can do even better this year. Thanks again.

100 Up!

We had great fun at Beavers last night with this theme. 10 hops, 10 jumps, 10 star jumps, 10 penalties etc making 100 in all. And a certificate for each Beaver to mark the event. The Air Activities badges and Safety badges have come so I can give those out next week. We sang Happy Birthday to Joshua and Lewis R - next week is their last as they're moving up to Cubs along with Thomas S. Welcome to Lydia, Rebecca G and Liam, our newest members. More Centenary activities next week. By the way, if you could save any eggshells to grow cressheads, I'd be grateful. I need 20 and have managed to save 6 so far.
Kim

Beaver Scouts in 2007

HAPPY SCOUTING CENTENARY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
I have planned an exciting programme for the next few months up to Easter so make sure you don't miss a meeting! Parents - I should be able to suspend the rota most weeks and will ask for help only on those evenings where I need to impose extra safety measures eg when we go out of the building or when we have our Knight's Challenge Event. I will need help from adult Squires and Squiresses (is that a word?) to supervise the Chasm of Fear and the Forest of Torments etc. for that. However, please feel welcome to come along any evening to join in the fun. Also, if you have any ideas for activities, trips visits or visitors etc, I'll welcome those as well.
Kim

Welcome to our Centenary!

Over the past few days, it’s been pretty hard to avoid the news that Scouting's Centenary is finally upon us. There have been television and radio programmes, and bags of newspaper coverage – a sure sign that 2007 is going to be one of our most exciting years yet.

Scout sails into record books

A 14-year-old Scout has landed in Antigua to become the youngest person to cross the Atlantic single-handed. Michael Perham, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, finished his 3,500-mile voyage earlier today. He said ‘It feels great, it’s something I've always wanted to do since I was really young.’

After six weeks at sea, and tackling severe weather, including gusting winds of force eight and nine, with waves reaching 25ft, Michael was extremely relieved to touch land. He said ‘It feels absolutely fantastic being back on dry land, absolutely brilliant.’

Scouting equipped Michael with the skills to take on this momentous challenge. He said ‘With the Scouts I have been on many weekends away and summer camps including a trip to Kanderstag, the International Scout Centre in Switzerland. These occasions provided me with a variety of valuable experiences I would not otherwise have had. Scouting has offered me various challenges and taught me new skills, some of which have been transferred and used in this adventure.’