Welcome to our first newsletter

Welcome to our first newsletter to be a quarterly edition on our group website. This is to help us ensure parents will be aware of what has and what is happening in the group also anyone who looks at our website can see we an active group.

After the horrendous year of lockdowns during the pandemic in which we had a lot of zoom meetings we opened our doors for the first time when Beavers resumed F2F scouting on Tuesday 20th April 2021, and what a shock to see how the young people have grown. In June the Cubs and Scouts resumed F2F meetings with the Explorers resuming on Wednesday 6th October.

We are hoping to resume the reunion for past members in November, subject to response we get back from our ex-scouts, also coming up is a Prize draw and Tombola towards the end of November date to be confirmed.

As the GSL its great to see the young people back, taking it all in their stride, also we have started moving young people between sections and started reducing our waiting lists for Beavers, with others starting soon.

Hope we can continue moving forward with as minimal obstruction whilst keeping everyone safe by following Covid-19 instructions

HANDS - FACE - SPACE

Keith Pickering - GSL

After a busy summer term, the Beavers have enjoyed their school holidays, we have kept in touch via our WhatsApp group. The Beavers have shared their news, Kaleb has grown some amazing Sunflowers, completing his gardening badge and Harry passed his yellow belt while still managing to complete the cooks badge! Some of our Beavers visited Beth's pet Tortoise at the Garden Village Scarecrow festival. Lydia the Tortoise might make a visit to Scout HQ soon. If any Beavers would like information on badges that can be completed at home just speak to Beth or Jo. We are really proud of all our Beavers (including those who have recently moved up into cubs) and can't wait to see them achieve over the next term.

No doubt we would all agree that the past 1½ years have been a great strain on all levels of society where we experienced all of our scouting activities grind to a halt very quickly – this is an unprecedented event, even in wartime. But we have now re-started face-to-face meetings for all groups, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers.

This is largely thanks to Keith our GSL and all the group leaders and assistant leaders working many hours to carry out risk analyses for the use of the scout headquarters building and all of the various scout activities. These RAs were then sent to County Headquarters for vetting and approval so making our re-start as safe as possible and fully compliant with London and County regulations and guidelines.

During the shut-down of all activities we lost almost all our revenue but, thanks to Keith and his team, we raised a tidy sum through various means and the second cash prize draw is being launched now.

All costs have been minimized and Keith took advantage of various grants available from the Council and local industry, so we have weathered this storm – monthly subscriptions are now flowing back in and the hall has been let out for various outside, non-scouting activities which has always been a vital part of our revenue.

Whilst our total membership has dropped about 10%, we have a significant waiting list for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts so we will be back up to our normal strength by the end of the year. The introduction of new members along with new operating methods means that we have to take things slowly and carefully as we all know that we are not ‘out of the woods’ just yet - but we Trustees, and Executive Committee members firmly believe that all risks have been controlled and minimized.

Another step back to normality will be holding our first annual reunion since 2019 – this will be held on Saturday 20th November from 1:00pm so we hope to see as many of you who can make it.

John Clarke – Chairperson

Some of the Beavers attended Williams den and had a fantastic day exploring along side the Cub section. Fun and friends (and ice cream) was enjoyed by all, we even got to see the Look North news crew. A huge thank you to the adult helpers and young leaders who ran the day, we are looking forward to planning more exciting adventures and welcoming some new faces into our Beaver Colony.

Tuesday 3rd August seems such a long time ago, this was when 20 of our young people attended a day of different physical challenges made possible by a successful Summer Holiday activities grant application.

We met at Hull-Karting 10:45am for a session driving motor go-karts around winding tracks and tight corners. Following a safety lecture, putting on protective clothing and selecting the right size kart all riders set off on a cautious first lap around the track. Becoming more confident - even fearless - some forgot to slow down at the bends crashing into the safety barriers. After an hour the ride was over, it was a relief to remove helmets, balaclavas and gloves on such a warm day. Still buzzing from the experience, walking back to Portobello HQ gave everyone an appetite for lunch.

Baking and sharing pizzas, plenty of drinks and fruit on offer there was plenty to talk about. With a couple of hours to spare the scout leaders suggested a game of Rounders in East Park.

The evening visit to ‘Let Loose’ Adventure Park 5:30-8:30 pm (with sole use of the venue) presented new challenges including high ropes/low ropes/climbing wall and roller skating.

The day had been about listening to and following instructions; personal and team challenges; encouraging each other to keep trying when the going was a bit uncertain; reconnecting with scouting friends.

After months of face-to-face meetings being prevented by Covid 19 restrictions this was an ideal opportunity to get back to experiencing a taste of adventure again.