A news letter of Great North Scouting

Closing date for next edition

Sunday 25th March

March 2007

Edition 2 Issue 9

Editorial

Notice the posh new title-I`ve just looked it up in the dictionary.

Everyone is talking about the mild weather we`re having, but sometimes it can come at the wrong time. For myself, if we had had a sharp cold winter, it would have killed all the bugs and germs that are floating around, and I wouldn`t have had the three months of illness.

However, I`m gradually getting over it, and looking forward to Spring. Did any one get to the Service at the Cathedral. I would love to hear what it was like.!!!

We`ve got some great stories of events from some of the groups---what are the rest of rest of you planning.?

Let`s hear from you.

Bill

Humour from St Bartholomew`s Church magazine

(Actually used in Church Bulletins or announced in services)

The sermon this morning “Jesus walks on the Water”. The sermon tonight “Searching for Jesus”

Ladies, don`t forget the rummage sale, A chance to get rid of things you don`t want. Bring your husbands.

The Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.

Gems of Wisdom by Baden-Powell (Taken from Scouting For Boys)

“Scouting has been described by more than one enthusiast as a revolution in education. It is not that. It is merely a suggestion thrown out at a venture for a jolly outdoor recreation, which has been found to form also a practical aid to education”

 

DC`s Report

This has been a month to celebrate. The centenary Service held at The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, went very well, congratulations to the two Explorer Scout Units who helped Chris Eldridge with setting up and taking down of the audio visual equipment. It was lovely seeing so many members actually at the Service, you all looked very smart.

Congratulations to Newbiggin Hall Scout Group who went to London to look around HMS Belfast, 10 Downing Street , and meet the local MP Mr. Doug Henderson. They were complimented at the end of the rail journey to London by a member of the public who commented on how well behaved the Scouts had been.  Thanks to George and Kevin, (the Local and Parish Councillors who did the organisation. There was also a nice article in the Evening Chronicle.

Please remember to get details of sizes of polo shirts to me as soon as possible. Your Group Scout Leader/Group Contact has the forms, thank you to those who have returned the completed forms.

A final thank you for all the hard work done in the Sections, the numbers of Young People and Adults working with them has increased, our District Membership is now 712 (last year it was 678) the reason we are increasing numbers is good programming and activities within the Sections, well done. Thank you Alan Scott for the work you have done collecting, and in some cases chasing up numbers in order that we get the full discounts available.

Kath Tyson DC

Centenary Year Congratulations

 

All Saints’ Cubs

 Chief Scout’s Silver Award - Josh Parker

Global Challenge - Nick Partington, Josh Parker, Edward Langley, Jamie Butcher, Alison Briggs, Sophie Smith, Paul Thompson, Stephen Parkin, Arthur Thorpe, Thomas Proudfoot, Tony Jiminez, Tom Jackson, Ben Procter

Entertainers Badge –Chirag Gobinath, Abishek Kamath, Charlie Moorin, Philip Christian, Fraser Moore, Thomas Proudfoot, Edward Langley, Josh Parker, Jamie Butcher, Ewan Bell, Ben Collerton, Sean Wrenn, Alison Briggs, Jacob MacDonald, Stephen Parkin, Tom Jackson, James Myers

Book Lovers Badge – Jonathan MacKenzie

New sixers – Ben Collerton, Tony Jiminez

New seconders – Stephen Hierons, Christopher Hierons

Newbiggin Hall Scouts

Community Challenge Badge

Connor Billcliffe, Aidan Gibbons, Lee Hollingsworth, Peter Frame, Sam Rowland and Taylor McAndrew

 

 

Notes from Cas

List of planned Great North Explorer Events 2007

21/04/07 to 22/04/07 –  Great North Explorer Scout Expedition Training (Also includes 11 and 18 April evening sessions – Leaders have details)

07/07/07 to 08/07/07 –  The Northumberland Scout Challenge Event 07 – (Leaders have details or via Cas). Be part of this exciting event.

01/08/07 –  Scouting Sunrise – How you mark it is up to you.

16/09/07 –  Dragon Boat Race & QE2

21/09/07 to 23/09/07 – National Scout Sailing Regatta – South Shields

Autumn –  Search & Evade Event – Linking with North East Cadets.

Autumn –  Tall Ships Unit – Sea survival training day.

  Young Leader Training provisionally arranged 27/28 February, 20/21 March, 1/2 May, 5/6 June.  Each pair of dates are split between West Newcastle / Gosforth depending on headquarters availability to keep travel to a minimum.  For details please contact me directly. 

  This is alongside your unit events, so 2007 is no doubt going to be a busy year.  If you want any further info then give me a call.

  Cas

House on the Hill 

Following the item in last issue re roof repairs to HQ Building known as House on the Hill at Hillheads Road , the District have agreed to extensive repairs and additions to the House electrics including security lighting and a large property board displaying the name 'Great North District Scouts'.

Around the Groups

All Saints’ Cubs may have been out of the news but that doesn’t mean to say that we haven’t been busy over the last few months. There was a Great North Cub Challenge last autumn to celebrate 90 years of cub scouting by collecting 90 things in a shoebox. Since we were busy with the Global Challenge at the time, we decided to concentrate on things which could either be re-used or re-cycled and our final tally included 161 pairs of spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas. It was a mammoth effort by the cubs – they placed notices and collecting boxes in local churches, they emptied cupboards and sorted drawers, and one enterprising cub even obtained about 30 pairs of spectacles-----from an optometrist! I think the parents need to be thanked too for all of their efforts.

The spectacles are now on their way to Africa and we have raised some more money for Vision Aid Overseas with a Show Time Evening. The cubs baked shortbread (on Burns Night, as it happened) and organised a Tombola Stall. The show opened with a rendering of ‘When All Saints’ Go Marching in’. Poor old Akela was the victim of the water joke and had resigned herself to another dunking on the announcement that the next sketch was called ‘Déjà-Vu.’ Luckily it was some-one else’s turn to get wet. The Grand Finale was a Samba Band performance. Some of my senior cubs organised the event as part of their Chief Scout Silver Award, my congratulations to them, and I look forward to hearing that they have completed their personal challenges during their first few months in Sea Scouts.

After all that hard work we decided that it was time to party and so we saw the Chinese New Year in with Chop Sticks, Mah Yong and Year of the Pig origami. 'Kung Hei Fat Choy' to you all.

Gosforth Sea Scouts

You may remember from last months Look wide that we entered challenge 100. The results came out on 12th Feb and unfortunately none of our patrols got into the top 100, but congratulations in particular to one of our patrols that missed out by just one point. We all had fun doing the activities though, and they have given ideas for future programmed ideas.

We are busy on our global challenge at present. We have had representatives from Greenpeace and Amnesty International come to talk to us on the last few weeks and we all wrote letters to try to get a lady and her baby released from prison where they're being help for crimes of conscience. We are also looking forward to a session about Traidcraft which will be taking place in 'fairtrade fortnight'.

Brian Smith

Newbiggin Hall Scout Troop

By first Class Train we travelled down, via York ,and Doncaster , to London Town. We saw the Commons, and Big Ben Saw the PM`s house, then home again.

The Scout Troop visited Downing St. the Houses of Parliament and HMS Belfast as guests of the Right Honourable Doug Henderson MP and Councillor George Patterson and Kevin Graham Parish Councillor on Tues 20th Feb 2007 . Special thanks should also go to GNER for their help and support in supplying the train tickets and food for the day. Even if the weather was a little overcast a great day out was had by everyone who was there, e We had strangers coming up and commenting on how smart the Scouts looked and how well behaved they were. All except for Connor Billcliffe who was picked out by the police around Parliament as a likely trouble maker and was whisked away to be searched. Luckily Connor was found to be clean and allowed to join up with the others to complete the visit. We had Lunch in the cafe just off Westminster Hall and then visited Big Ben with Doug Henderson; we also talked with Jack Straw before we visited Downing Street . Doug Henderson then showed us to the MPs tube entrance so we could avoid the crowds and get away easily and quickly. Back onto GNER for a trip home in First Class and after a long, tiring but very enjoyable day it was back home for the night. All of the Scouts would like to express their gratitude to those who made this trip possible and to let them know that with out their support and the support of the adult leaders and DC we could not have undertaken this visit. What made the day for the leaders was the behaviour of the Scouts, the way complete strangers made positive comments about them and the positive image they portrayed. We can all be grateful that such Scouts are still around and still enjoying Scouting in its many forms.

Report by Jimmy Gibbons

Notes from Vix Wallis

Just wanted to let you know about news from the district Network Scouts.

We held a meeting on Monday 29th January - there were 8 CNN [Central Newcastle Network] members there and they have decided to try to do the Network Decathlon, which is 10 challenges throughout the year which will gain them their Join In Centenary badges.

The activities range from doing an Easter camp [we'll be going to national  Network Gathering at Great Tower in the Lakes] where all the meals have an international theme - including costumes[!] to pitching tents in unusual places - the current thought on that one is to go to London and put a tent up in each of the squares of a monopoly board. We also have a giant cut out of Peter Duncan who we have to take on a trip somewhere so we're taking him to the Big Market one evening for a true Newcastle experience!!

Every single member of the Network will be going to the World Scout Jamboree this summer so we'll all be doing our Scouting Sunrise promises together there. I wonder if we're the only Network in the UK that is sending every single member to the World Scout Jamboree? We have members on the languages team, on the Global Development team, the adult activities team, on IST and the cast team, and one brand new member is going as part of the Northumberland contingent.

One other challenge we have is to raise £2007 to help send our members on an International experience, probably in 2008, so as usual we are selling 'SCOUT AND PROUD' t-shirts and hoodies to try to meet this challenge. If anyone would like a t-shirt or hoody then please get in touch - my e-mail is vixwallis@yahoo.co.uk.

Finally we have to do 100 hours community service in June and are quite interested in helping out at a soup kitchen, or similar for the homeless. If anyone has any contacts for this then please could you let us know.

Also if anyone of Network age [18 - 25] would like to join in with our centenary activities then please get in touch with the Network chair, Emma. Her email address is emmaw83@yahoo.com. We'd love to have some new members.

Vix

Finally, a note from your editor

A sincere apology for the delay in delivery of some of the Look Wides during Feb, due to a “ Battery of reasons.” We now have a new photocopier and unfortunately, the supplier “lost” the new toner, so that only half the copies were printed, before we ran out of ink. The new supply took a fortnight to materialize

Then yours truly took a hand in the matter, and for one reason and another, couldn`t get the copies to those that didn`t have them.