Scouting with Ron Smith

Let’s be thankful for small mercies.

This summer has not been as wet as last year's!
Nevertheless, with what is becoming almost a tradition, everyone who attended the recent Scout Fellowship Barbecue was waiting for the inevitable moment when moving into shelter became a part of the proceedings.
But, with true English spirit, no-one minded and everyone continued to enjoy an excellent Sunday afternoon social event!

Anne Collins, writing as secretary of Ripon & District Scout Fellowship, has sent an account of the event and she keeps us up to date about other Fellowship matters.
At the barbecue, there was a good turnout of twenty or so members and friends and, whilst the chatter always includes recounting and reviewing recent activities, such social events also provide opportunities just to meet up and have a good catch-up on life with friends.
Of course, the men tend to gravitate towards the actual barbecue – some primeval instinct with men and fire?
– but everyone always manages to get to see everyone else through the afternoon.
Good food, drink and conversation were shared by all.
The Fellowship members have a wealth of talents, skills and ‘connections’ which they bring to Scouting.
Tapping into a lifetime’s passion for wildlife that has made Colin Slator one of the area’s most well-known and knowledgeable experts, he kindly led a group of fellow members around the High Batts Nature Reserve, which he created over thirty years ago and has maintained ever since.
With the trees just out in leaf and the bluebells still in flower, it was just the right time of year for a walkabout and our guide’s knowledge and enthusiasm made it a most memorable evening.

As always, Fellowship members have been much in evidence at all recent District Scouting events.
Some were to be found helping with activities and general duties at the much enjoyed Water Activity Camp at Aldwark in May, whilst others were providing the catering provision to keep Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Leaders well fed and ready for action.
Two members even broke off from their weekend’s holiday to come and lead the camp fire on the Saturday evening.
Catering in the form of a barbecue was also required for those fit and energetic people, young and those not quite so young, who completed the Scout- a-thon route which stretched from Masham to Boroughbridge, by way of road, path or river.
Several members took part, with their own youngsters or with their Groups, and they were certainly all ready for their meals when they arrived.Many thanks to Anne for providing us with her usual lively update.
I know that, as Groups start to wind down towards the end of the summer term, so the Fellowship programme will be taking a break.

Next term will see members supporting Beaver, Cub and Scout activities and also organising the District Swimming Gala on 8 November, as well as enjoying their annual Bowling Night.
All Leaders in the District should know by now that they are welcome to join in with Fellowship events and new members are always welcome.
No experience of Scouting or Guiding is necessary, just a willingness to help out with supporting Group or District activities when able, and a sense of fun to bring to social events, many of which are ideal for families.

Details are always available from the Anne on 01423 322458 or from any Scout Fellowship member.

Scouting with Ron Smith

Beaver Scouting is one of the country’s most successful areas of work with children in the 6-8 years age range, and this is especially true in our part of North Yorkshire.

I was delighted to receive this entertaining and informative report from Elaine Day, Beaver Scout Leader of the 6th Ripon Beaver Colonies.

Holy Trinity Junior School and ‘The Arches’, Holy Trinity Church, were the venues for Ripon and District’s Beaver Scout Sleepover held over the weekend of July 5-6th.
54 Beavers and many Leaders from across the District came together to take up the challenge and have lots of fun!

At 10 am Beavers started to arrive carrying rucksacks, pulling cases and holding on to ‘cuddly toys’: apparently a must for everyone on a Beaver Sleepover.
Andrew Roberts [Brown Beaver] and Elaine Day [Tarka] welcomed everyone to the Sleepover and outlined boundaries, rules, emergency procedures, etc. A ‘getting to know you game’ then took place.
All this talking to other Beavers proved thirsty work so a drinks break was in order.

Activity bases followed: make a name badge and a label for packed lunch bag [Ripon Sainsbury’s kindly donated lunch bags and a packet of crayons for every Beaver], design a team banner and decorate a hat [in case it was sunny!].
The Beavers then made a sandwich for their lunch, which was duly placed in their lunch bag.
After lunch team banners were paraded before the afternoon challenges took place.
Due to the inclement weather the programme had to be adapted.
Challenges included: decorate a flying bug and learn the country code, Morris Dancing, computers, adventure play in the hall, Line dancing, learn the promise in different languages, stage – tell jokes, miming, acting and finally decorate a bun and eat it!

After the challenges it was time for a bit of fresh air as it had at last stopped raining.
The Beavers had fun running around the playground and taking part in relay races.
Then it was time for tea, cooked by Andy I’Anson, a Beaver parent from 4th Ripon.
Beavers and Leaders tucked into lasagne, garlic bread and salad followed by chocolate sponge and chocolate custard.
Beavers then had fun by visiting four different bases: Fair Trade chocolate game, decorate doorhangers, make a book and play with Lego, Biro, Technic, etc.
The Beavers then got ready for their walk through the Spa Gardens and along to the Rustic Bridge where a number of bats were spotted.
Back to the school and time to get ready to walk to ‘The Arches’ at Trinity Church where we were to spend the night.
I wonder what the residents of Church Lane thought when they saw all the Beavers carrying their bags to the Church!

Beavers were all quiet by midnight – not bad to say that there were 54 Beavers there.
Leaders settled down – or tried to – there was a lot of snoring to be heard.

7 am Sunday morning and time to get up, pack up our bags and go back to the school.
Once there the Beavers had a breakfast of croissants, jam sandwiches and fruit juice.
The Sleepover drew to a close with Andrew Roberts, Carol Ransome and Elaine Day presenting the Beavers with a certificate for attending the sleepover, the Global Challenge Award and the Creative Challenge Award for all their efforts over the weekend.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all the Leaders for their help and support in the running of the Sleepover.
The Beavers had a great time and I understand that some of them have not stopped talking about it; so we must have done something right!

Scouting with Ron Smith

Sunshine and showers have been a feature of the last few weeks and, for all of the District's Boroughbridge Units, the patches of good weather have made possible most of the activities planned for, what seemed at Easter time, to be a very long term stretching from early April to late July.

Anne Collins reports that, during this term, the young people and their Leaders have enjoyed that popular blend of old favourites alongside new challenges that makes for a programme with something for everyone.

Most of the Cubs from both Packs and the Scouts were at the half-term District Water Activity Camp, where a number of Cub Water Activity Badges were gained.
Tuesday Cubs have spent a great deal of time around their meeting place at Aldborough, identifying trees, exploring the local footpaths, trying out the Roman Ramble Route, cooking sausages by the river, playing games on the village green, visiting Boroughbridge Fire Station and, a first for most of the Cubs, dissecting owl pellets to discover owls’ favourite meals!
Friday Pack has also taken advantage of long, light evenings to spend time on ‘the island’ between the river and canal, as well as in the picnic area which is ideal for outdoor cooking activities.

Local Wildlife Ranger, Colin Slator, took the Cubs around Roecliffe Ponds Conservation Area and volunteers were able to identify and then release the small mammals that had found their way into the humane traps.
They have also been working for the Cub Promise Challenge and My Faith Activity Badge, which included a very interesting visit to St James’ Church in Boroughbridge as well as some thought-provoking activities back in the Hall.
The whole Group was invited by All Saints Church in Kirby Hill to take part in a special ‘Promises’ Service in which the youngsters were able to demonstrate clearly the links between their Scout Promise and its interpretation within a Christian setting.

Beavers are always busy and four of them enjoyed the recent District Sleepover in Ripon.
They all travelled to Tockwith for a joint meeting with the Colony with which they have made links over the years and they have also been making good use of the super playground facilities just up the road from their meeting place in Langthorpe.
And, of course, the Scouts have been making the most of the summer with wide games on the island, cooking by the river and developing their outdoor cooking skills.
The invitation from Thirsk Scouts to use their woodland area at Rainton gave the opportunity to collect wood and light real fires on which to cook ‘backwoods’ style and was much enjoyed.
Several older Scouts have now gained the Camp Cook Activity Badge and so there will be plenty of volunteers to take over from dads at family barbecues this summer.
Scouts also took part in the recent District Activity Day and gained Athlete and IT Badges.

The final meetings of the summer term in Boroughbridge are traditionally Rounders Nights and the last Tuesday saw Beavers, Tuesday Cubs, brothers, sisters and various adults competing in friendly matches on the Boroughbridge Primary School field, an event repeated on Friday for Friday Cubs and Scouts, together with their families.
Some members were nobly ‘on duty’ at the recent Aldborough and Boroughbridge Show but now is the time to wash the shirts and neckers and put them away until September when the new term will bring more Scouting fun.

Many thanks to Anne for her comprehensive and very informative report.

Scouting with Ron Smith

Although the District Scouting calendar runs from January to the end of December, there is just a sense in which the Scouting year ends at the close of the school summer term.
Whatever the case, most Leaders are now taking a well-earned rest until the beginning of September.
Articles written for publication during the summer holidays tend to be reflective or prospective, taking back-bearings over the past several months or focusing on events to come.

In this week's contribution to this column, District Commissioner John Helliwell cleverly combines these two approaches.

On the last Friday of term I was standing on Glover’s Bridge in the centre of Ripon at the start of 6th Ripon’s Duck Race.
Initially I found myself lacking in enthusiasm for plastic ducks.
However, once I understood that the many folk on the bridge, including Scouts, parents, and other supporters, who had paid a pound to race a particular duck, stood to win £100, I began to realise why so many adults were taking a serious interest in the event!
As the ducks made erratic progress downstream in the low-water Skell, one duck appeared to have an unassailable lead as the finishing line, the bridge at the bottom of Bedern Bank, came into view.
But it was not to be and, in manner that modelled life itself, the front runner was overhauled due to some hydrological quirk of the river’s flow, and a rank outsider crossed the line first, making a happy man of the person who had “backed” it at the cost of a pound.

The Duck Race was followed by a barbecue and a social get-together.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and I trust 6th Ripon made plenty of money from the event because that was at least one of the aims of the exercise.

Scouting these days is meant to be “balanced”, meaning that the programmes offered at all levels are varied and broad-based.
It isn’t acceptable to do just outdoor pursuits, or football, or cultural visits.
It strikes me, however, that Scouting is best when it “combines” on a particular occasion.
Combines what exactly?
Well, the Duck Race combined an outdoor activity, which had an element of competition, with fund-raising and fun, bringing together adults and youngsters in what could only be seen as a happy summer’s evening social event.
Its success flowed from this combination of ingredients and, because it took place in the public domain, it was a first-class advertisement for Scouting in Ripon District.

Looking both back and ahead, I take this opportunity to thank Andrew Williams and his Mayoral Appeal Committee for donating £3000 to Scouting a few weeks’ ago, the result of various fund-raising events during Andrew’s year as Mayor of the City.
It is true that Scouts and supporters of Scouting assisted at some of the events but the amount donated to us is out of all proportion to our modest contribution.
Consequently, we receive the gift graciously, in the manner in which it was given, but do express publicly our appreciation of the generosity, not only of Andrew and his committee, but also of the people of Ripon who responded to the appeal for donations.

Looking forward to the next meeting of the District Executive Committee in September, we shall be hoping to find a really worthwhile project as recipient of the donation, feeling that it should not merely be used to swell existing District funds.

I have made a note to communicate the outcome of our deliberations to readers in due course.
Lastly, it is self-evident from this article that Scouting is about people, in the first instance, not about activities.
We continually need good people to make a contribution to local Scouting in any capacity whatsoever.
So, if these regular pieces grab you in any way, why not telephone me, John Helliwell, on 01423 320731, for a conversation about how you can become involved.

Scouting with Ron Smith

Two of the Leaders of the District's 4th Ripon Group have sent us updates to ensure that we are well informed about the progress of their youngsters.

Beaver Colony Leader Carol Ransome begins by looking back at the last few weeks of last term and looks forward to the start of a new Scouting year.
We had a wonderful time with Reverend Susan Richardson as she reminded us of the birthday of the Church and shared a birthday cake with us.
Cake is always good! Last year we had to cancel our treasure hunt because of the weather but this year Beavers went out in groups with some very willing adults and looked for clues along a route taking them around the streets close to the Church where we hold our meetings.
The competition was tense with only one point separating first and second places.
Bad weather did however mean that we had to use alternative programmes for our Water Olympics and walk to Studley.
Twelve of our Beavers enjoyed the fun packed District Sleepover and some parents were still enjoying the fact that they were exhausted well into the following week!
Many of the Beavers who started the year with us have moved on to Cubs or will be doing so in September and so, looking forward, we will be joined by some new young people with lots of energy who want to have fun and make some new friends.
Thanks to all those who have made this year special for 4th Ripon Beavers - parents, leaders, young leaders, and visitors - the children have loved it and I have appreciated your support.

David Bumby, the Group Scout Leader has compiled reports about the Cub Pack and the Scout Troop and he makes a sad announcement about a valued colleague.
The Cubs have been very busy learning how to tie knots (reef, sheet bend, clove hitch and a square lashing) and they then had knotting relays.
One evening was spent learning compass directions and map symbols in preparation for the ‘Seven Bridges Walk’ through Studley Rodger.
The walk was well attended despite the light rain at the start and all the Cubs managed to complete the walk.
Another evening doing a ‘sausage sizzle’ was also very successful, with lots of parents enjoying the experience of cooking on open fires without using utensils.
The Cub Pack is looking forward to the Autumn Term anticipating more entertaining and fun evenings.
The Scout Troop has had a hectic time lately with several of our planned activities having to be altered because of the weather. An evening of pioneering started well but unfortunately had to be continued indoors due to heavy rain.
At least we now know you can build a full sized tripod supported log bridge in our Church Hall and still stay clear of the ceiling!
The water fight activity was also a very wet experience but not because of the rain.
Scouts like to eat and the backwoods cooking evening was well attended, though I’m not sure that I would have eaten some of the cooked carbon morsels that appeared from the fire.
A very successful cricket and rounders evening was enjoyed by all those who attended.
Unfortunately, the rafting evening was cancelled as the river was too swollen and fast flowing for safe rafting.
However, the Troop enjoyed a frantic games evening in the Church Hall instead.
The end of term Family Barbecue was very well attended by Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and members of their families.
Lots of games, food and drink for everyone outside in the sunshine rounded off a successful term.
We unfortunately have had to say goodbye to Barry Wolfendale, our Scout Leader for the past three years.
He joined the Group when we didn’t have any uniformed leaders in the Troop.
Many thanks go to him for his work with the Scouts and his contribution to the Group.
He has said that he is willing to help out on occasion and I’m sure his kind offer will be taken up.

Scouting with Ron Smith

Like many of the Leaders in Our District, ADC (Beavers) Andrew Roberts looks forward to the summer break as an opportunity to relax and recharge his batteries.
He tells me that he feels that it is also a time to reflect on events that have taken place as well as looking forward to the new term and what all that holds for Scouting in the District.
Andrew now shares some of his reflections and gives a vivid impression of a trip down memory lane.

Events this year have included a very successful trip to two museums on the outskirts of York.
They were very different but the Beavers, as ever, enjoyed the day at the Yorkshire Museum of Farming in the morning and the Yorkshire Air Museum in the afternoon.

In July, as reported by Elaine Day, we had over fifty Beavers for the District Sleepover held at Ripon's Holy Trinity Junior School and Holy Trinity Church.
It certainly was a very eventful, exciting and a tiny bit exhausting 24 hours with so many enthusiastic Beavers!

Also in July, I was able to attend two end of term meetings.
The first was 6th Ripon’s Annual Duck Race which took place along the River Skell, beginning at Glovers Bridge and ending down stream at the children’s play area.
This was a wonderful event for all in the Scout Group, from the youngest Beaver to the oldest Scout, not to mention the numerous parents and Leaders who all came along to see if their duck was going to win a prize.
Luckily, a few older Scouts and adults were in the water to cajole the ducks along if they got stuck and to catch them as they reached the end of the race.
A barbecue was well under way when the first ducks finished the race and this was a very fitting end to a very busy term at 6th Ripon.

Across the City at Harrogate Road Methodist Church, 4th Ripon Scout Group was having its end of term festivities.
Each year, the Group Executive puts on a barbecue as a thank you to all the adults and Leaders who have supported the Group during the year.
When I arrived, the evening was well under way and a good head of smoke was emanating from the barbecue.
The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts were having great fun playing some games whilst the parents were enjoying the surroundings, chatting and awaiting the hot dogs and burgers.
The atmosphere was really relaxed and, as I left, I knew that everyone was going to have a good evening.

While I was on my holidays visiting my parents in Bristol, I had the opportunity to visit my old Scout Group on Summer Camp in South Wales.
The Group has been going to the same camp site in Cymyoy near Abergavenny for nigh on 40 years!
It was with great excitement that dad and I drove into the farm as memories of bygone days flooded back.
Unfortunately, most of the Scouts and Leaders were visiting ‘Big Pit’ for the day but a few people were still around.
I had forgotten how ‘back to basics’ camping with 175th Bristol Scouts was.
As I looked around the site, I could see the wood piles for the traditional wood fires for cooking and the infamous latrine tent.
However, the 21st century has brought a few changes including a roof on the latrine tent, as well as a solar light that could be seen shining in the middle of the night.
This was amazing as before you would generally trip over guy ropes in the pitch dark when you needed to pay a visit after having too much cocoa.
It was also still really easy to wind up the Scouts about the house on the hill which was the infamous home of the ‘Mad Axe Man’.
“Maybe now he has a CRB so that he can officially visit the camp!” shouted one of the leaders.

Seriously though, it was wonderful to visit the Camp and catch up with old friends and know that scouting in the Group, in which I cut my teeth as a Cub, Scout, Venture Scout and, ultimately, as Beaver Leader, is still going strong and consequently celebrating its 80th birthday in November.

I am already looking forward to the programme for 2009.
We start planning early in Ripon and District and I plan to have a meeting with the Beaver Leaders to find out what they want from the District Team in 2009.