December update

Several of our sections have had indoor camps over the past month. The Sea Scouts had a fun-filled weekend at  Youlbury Scout campsite staying in the new Bear’s Den building, but with its warm en-suite dormitories it wasn’t much like camping at all! Many of their activities were outside however, and the troop took part in a District Wide Game on the Friday night where 150 Scouts competed in teams by torchlight. Fire-lighting, high ropes and problem solving activities took place over the weekend along with Camp Service, where Scouts do jobs at the camp site for part of a challenge badge. Several of our younger members spent a morning taking wheelbarrows full of woodchips to the bottom of the climbing tower.

Jacala Cubs had a ‘Sinterklaas’ sleepover at the Scout Centre, where they celebrated Christmas the Dutch way. One of the traditions they followed was leaving a carrot in a shoe overnight and waking up to find sweets there instead!

Continuing the Christmas theme, our youngest members enjoyed a ‘Singalong with Santa’ day at Jubilee House in Beckley along with Beaver Colonies from all around Oxfordshire. They had a great day taking part in crafts, toasting bread and marshmallows on open fires and enjoying songs and games.

Fundraising

December and January are our busiest times for fundraising, with Christmas Post, Bag Packing and ScoutRail. We're currently collecting Christmas cards at Freelance Fabrics and La Patisserie in Kidlington, and our Scouts will deliver them for just 25p a card (Kidlington and Bletchington only).

On Sunday 11th December, we'll be in Sainsbury's helping pack your groceries in return for a small donation. All proceeds go to the group to pay for building maintenance and new equipment.

Coming up in 2017

We’ll be starting the year as we always do, with the ScoutRail model railway show at Exeter Hall. On the weekend of 7^th-8^th January, our doors will be open from 10am-4:30pm. Everyone is welcome to come along – the hall will be full of large and small model railway layouts based on real and imaginary railways around the world. Layouts range from the very large (more than 20ft long) to small enough to fit on a piece of furniture. Our café will be open all weekend serving homemade cakes, sandwiches and hot and cold drinks.

In 2017, we’ll be celebrating the Scout Group’s 75^th Anniversary. If were a member of the group at any time and have old photographs or a story to tell, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch at kidlingtonscoutgroup@gmail.com

 

November

Last month, we told you about the Land Scouts' sponsored survival event to raise money to fund a school teacher in the Maasai community. This month, we're delighted to report that they raised an amazing £1150, which smashed their target of £750. The Scouts presented the money to the Woodland Ways Bushcraft Foundation on 9th November, when the charity's founder, Jason Ingamells, visited a Troop night. He gave a talk on the work his charity does with the Maasai community in Kenya, and was extremely grateful for the Scouts' fundraising efforts.

The past few weeks have seen lots of Halloween and bonfire night celebrations across the group. Mowgli Cub pack had a fun Halloween themed sleepover at the Scout Centre at the end of half term week, while the Sea Scouts dressed in Halloween fancy dress for an evening of messy games. They all went home covered in custard, egg and flour but had a fantastic time! The Beavers and the Explorer Scouts both had bonfire celebrations in the grounds of the Scout Centre.

There has also been a strong community theme this term: Jacala Cub Pack spent a Sunday afternoon weeding and tidying St Mary's churchyard; the Sea Scouts went out into Kidlington and recorded problems on 'Fix my street' cards to pass on to the council; and Mowgli Cubs were visited by Land Scout leader Andrew Davis,  also from Ability Matters, who brought along a large range of products to teach the Cubs how having a disability doesn't have to stop you having a normal life, and how not all disabilities are visible.

October - Land Scouts' Sponsored Survival Event

Kidlington Land Scouts tested their survival skills overnight in a woodland camp to raise money to fund a Maasai teacher in in Kenya.

From Saturday 8^th October and Sunday 9^th October the Scouts fended for themselves armed with only an Army Ration Pack and a litre of water each, sleeping in shelters they made themselves.

The Scouts are well on their way to raising their target of £750, which will be enough to train a teacher and then pay their salary for a year.

Money from the event will go to the Woodland Ways Bushcraft Foundation (WWBCF) charity, which aims to use the skills, history and story of bushcraft to provide tribal peoples around the globe with assistance where required or requested. The charity owns the 250 acre woodland in Appleton where the Scouts camped out.

Land Scout Section Leader Andrew Davis and Assistant Section Leader James Palmer came up with the idea for the event during a talk by the charity’s founder Jason Ingamells at the Bushcraft show in May.

“James and I sat in on one of his talks, his personal journey that started the foundation,” explained Andrew. “It was a very moving, inspiring, tear jerking story, and without hesitation James and I looked at each other and said “sponsored event”. We chatted to him afterwards about our idea and he offered us the use of his site here in Oxfordshire”.

Gordo Explorer Scout Unit's summer camp photos

Our older Scouts had a great summer camp in Cornwall, trying rifle shooting, archery, surfing and climbing, and visiting a working RNLI lifeboat station.

Sixty go mad in Dorset

Our Sea Scouts spent a fantastic week full of activities in Dorest this August. They had a great time on the inflatable assault course at Dorset Water Park, had a go at windsurfing and paddle boarding, visited Corfe Castle, rode the Swanage steam railway, met the monkeys at Monkey World and enjoyed a few ice creams along the way.

Here are a few photos of the camp:

The campsite in Wareham



Dorset Water Park



Waiting to board the steam train to Swanage from Corfe Castle

Camp site games

The daily menu

Windsurfing

Movie night

Midweek roast, complete with stuffing and Yorkshire puddings!

The Troop at the end of the week

Iceland Jamboree

In July, three of our Explorer Scouts travelled to Iceland to join an international jamboree with 800 Scouts and Guides from around the world.

Zak Gibson, Erin Corness and Jacob Pickering spent two weeks in Iceland as part of a group of around 100 Scouts from Oxfordshire.

The first week at the jamboree was spent with Scouts from lots of different countries including Ireland, Iceland, Germany and America. Here they enjoyed activities such as hiking, canoeing, swimming in glacial lakes, teamwork exercises, pioneering and camp skills.

The second week was just spent with the Oxfordshire Scouts, taking part in volcano hikes, sightseeing in Reykjavik, swimming in the Icelandic baths and pools, seeing geysers, waterfalls and volcanoes and hiking once again.

Everyone had a great time, and many want to go again to the next jamboree in two years' time!

Here are some of Zak's photos of the trip:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit the Oxfordshire Scouts - Iceland Jamboree Unit Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/LandsmotSkataIcelandOxfordshireUnit/

July - boating, athletics and water fights

It's been a really busy summer for all our sections and although regular meetings have now stopped until September, there is still plenty going on with Scouts and Explorers going on summer camp.

Some of our Explore Scouts have also had the fantastic opportunity to take part in the International Jamboree in Iceland.

What else have we been up to since the last update?

Sea Scouts expedition camp

July began with our Sea Scouts' annual expedition camp at our boat base at Kings Lock Island, Wolvercote. They had a great weekend boating along the Thames, with plenty of fun in the water along the way.

Districts Cubs sports day

Both Mowgli and Jacala Cub packs were lucky enough to see what it's like to compete at a real athletics venue when they took part in the District sports day at Horspath Athletics Ground. Everyone had great fun!

End of term celebrations

Jacala Cubs and our Land Scouts marked the end of term with a water fight and barbecue. Jacala Cubs held there's at Youlbury Scout Camp at Boars Hill and a great time chasing each other through the woods and getting thoroughly soaked.

Mowgli Cubs spent their last meeting of the term ten pin bowling.

Behind the scenes

You may have noticed that we've recently made some improvements at the Scout Centre, including a new fence around the cesspit that was installed last year, new ceiling tiles to replace the ones that were damaged, and new radiator covers.

Over the summer, volunteers from our fundraising partners, the Midcounties Cooperative, are helping us out by cleaning the Centre, and we plan to repaint the walls soon too.

We were extremely grateful for all the help we received on our gardening day at the start of July, and we'll be holding another working party day in the autumn to do some more gardening and maintenance jobs around the centre.

Fancy getting involved?

Whether you can spare an hour to make cups of tea at a fundraising event or want to become a leader, we want to hear from you! Get in touch at www.kidlingtonscoutgroup.org.uk/help