What a great year we’ve had.  We have seen all our sections running at full capacity and the amazing leaders have given the children some fantastic opportunities. 

The Beavers are our biggest section and we have a great set of enthusiastic youngsters starting their Scouting journey with us.  They have enjoyed a wide range of activities in their programme and have got out and about as much as possible.  I know the fire station visit was a great success and even a damp and dreary evening didn’t put our wannabe fire fighters off.  They had a great summer camp, despite the awful weather and happily played on the inflatable obstacle course despite it being wet. 

The Cubs have had a wide and varied programme of activities this year run by a great set of enthusiastic leaders.  I think their summer camp was one to go down in history as being the wettest ever experienced and the first camp where we have had to evacuate.  Funnily enough this was on the same weekend as the gala last year.  We certainly hope that this years camp will be a lot drier.

The Scouts have had a fantastic year taking part in many of the District competitions with the highlight being coming first in the Loxley Cup district cooking competition.  The Scouts get out and about as much as possible and the weather certainly doesn’t put them off.  They are at their happiest outside in the dark with a torch doing a night hike.

Our Explorers, even though a small group, still manage to fill a wide and varied programme, even though the pressures of school and exams sometimes seem to take over.

The leaders have also enjoyed some time together.  A few of us had a great night at the County Ball in November where we enjoyed a lovely meal and danced the night away.  We also enjoyed a Christmas get together with the members of the Group Executive Committee at the Crown Inn.  Sometimes our paths just don’t cross so it is lovely to have an excuse to get together every now and again.

The highlight of the year was finding out we had been awarded a substantial grant from the Youth Investment Fund which has enabled us to begin completing the refurbishment works on our Scout Hut.  The Group Executive Committee worked tirelessly to put in a fantastic bid and it was such a relief to find their hard work had paid off.  We have now got a beautiful brand new kitchen in the hut, enabling us to do some cooking with the young people and work is currently under way to replace our roof and make the building completely water tight,  Work has also taken place on the external walls which completed this phase of the project.  The hut is certainly starting to look smarter and all it needs now is a lick of paint to finish off all the hard work.

Thanks must always go to all the leaders in the group who work so hard to give our young people such fantastic opportunities every week.  The group wouldn’t be what it is without them.  Also a big thank you to our Group Executive Committee, who although small, do mighty things.

Sue Bridgens

Group Scout Leader