Diary Dates

District Secretary

Please note that all mail for John Young should be sent to 14 Wandle Bank, Wimbledon, SW19 1DW and not to Mill Farm.  His mobile telephone number is as printed in the District directory.

District Store

Please note that the District Store will be closed on Thursday 16 February for half term.  If you need anything urgently, please contact Brian at home or on his mobile (numbers in District directory).

Red Cross First Aid Course

26 February 9am - 5pm at the County Base. Cost £15 which includes the First Aid manual.

Tea and coffee will be available but bring a packed lunch.

Anyone with a Scouting connection is welcome on this course.  Please apply to: Mrs Janet Drinkall,

Morden Hall DHQ

As most District meetings are now being held in the Morden Hall DHQ, it is essential that the booking secretary, Betty Cronk is notified of the dates required as soon as possible.  Everyone is asked to note that it is not available on Thursdays during term time because of the District Store, although a meeting of just a few people can be accommodated in the back room.

One off use:  there are no set charges for individual Group or Section use, but a donation towards the running costs would be appreciated.  Alternatively, you could undertake one or two small jobs to help out the maintenance team.  Please liaise with Cliff Condon.

Trophies

Thank you to everyone who brought in their trophies as requested.  They will be available for collection from the Morden Hall DHQ from Thursday 9 February.

Gang Show

GLSW Buddy Badge

All Sections are reminded that they can use the Buddy Badge to help recruit new members.  The requirements of the badge are simple:

• Bring a NEW member along to join your Group/Unit

• Introduce them to the Leaders and other members

• Help them become familiar with Scouting, its traditions and history

• Help them through the membership badge, Law and Promise etc.

More than one buddy badge can be worn if someone introduces more than one member but they cannot be transferred from one Section to another.

Buddy badges are free of charge (they are funded by the GLSW Development Project) and can be obtained from your District Badge Secretaries.

B&Q 'You Can Do It' Awards 2006

Could your headquarters be transformed with £5000 worth of products? B&Q are launching 'You Can Do It' awards 2006, which aim to play a key part in helping local communities to create inclusive and sustainable facilities to be proud of.

Top prize is £5000.  For details visit:  www.diy.com/awards 

Training

All the modules listed above will be held at Bow Lane Scout Centre.  The first module on any particular day will be in the morning, the last in the afternoon.  Please check the middle modules with your Local Training Manager. More modules will be added during the year and advertised in Links.
Anyone can do, or re-visit, any module and is welcome to apply.

Applications can be made as follows:

• If you are re-visiting a module as 'ongoing learning', apply via GSL to Joan Condon

• If you already have a 'Training Advisor' apply via them to the Local Training Manager

• If you have completed part of the old style training - any warrant holder in this position will have had a letter from County and will have been told what modules they must do to complete their training.  They will be assigned a County Training Adviser on the first module they attend and then given the opportunity to get the modules validated.  Please note that some modules have new or additional material in them although they still hold the 'old' training name.  If you have any questions or you need application forms, please contact Joan Condon or Brian Beckley.

• Any warrant holder, holding a warrant prior to December 2004, and so far has had 'no' training needs, should contact their Line Manager/GSL who should have completed module 1 and got the module 2 workbook for them.  (Module 1 is available on video from LTM, module 2 is available from HQ cost £5).  You can then select the modules you need to do and start training.  If you have any questions or you need application forms, please contact Joan Condon or Brian Beckley.

The District Training Advisers are all fully loaded at present.  We are recruiting more Advisers, as you can see from the first module in the year, and Brian Beckley has started visiting Groups to sort out training needs, but it will take time to get round to everyone.

Badges

The Future of Walton Firs

As you may be aware, the future of Walton Firs Campsite has been the subject of much speculation over the past 18 months. We are pleased to announce that arrangements are now in place to secure the site's future as a place for Scouts and Guides.

Initially, Surrey County Scout Council will enter into a two year lease with The Scout Association to manage Walton Firs until 31 December 2007. The site will continue to be managed by Dave and Sue MacIntosh, who have been running the site for the past sixteen years.  Meanwhile a new organisation called "The Walton Firs Foundation" will be launched. The Walton Firs Foundation will be a company limited by guarantee, and will buy Walton Firs from the Scout Association. It will then hold, improve and maintain the campsite.

To ensure that the Foundation can buy the site, there will need to be substantial fundraising activity between now and the end of 2007 as a total of £800,000 needs to be raised to buy Walton Firs. Once acquired the site will continue to be leased to Surrey County Scout Council and it is anticipated that the site will continue to be profitable as it has been in recent years.

To make all this happen, we need lots of support and as Richard Shortman (Surrey Scout Country Commissioner) says "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire an excellent camp site. We must ensure that we do not let this opportunity slip so that generations of young people can continue to enjoy the pleasures of Walton Firs."

So how can you help Walton Firs?

• Continue to plan your camps and activities at the site.

• Tell as many people as you can that the Walton Firs Foundation has been launched and that £800,000 needs to be raised. If you need more information to do this please contact Alison Cox, PR Manager, Walton Firs Foundation waltonfirs@alisoncox.co.uk

• Make a personal donation by sending a cheque made payable to "Walton Firs" to Walton Firs Foundation c/o Rob Woolford at Hillbrow House, Hillbrow Road, Esher KT10 9NW. Please ensure you include your name, address.

• Organise a fundraising event and send the proceeds to the above address

• Join the committees setting up the charity and its larger fundraising events.

The team establishing the Walton Firs Foundation would really appreciate your assistance in making sure that current and future generations of young people can continue to enjoy one of the country's best loved campsites.

The first Wimbledon and Wandle District Cub Quiz will be held on Wednesday 8th February from 6.30pm - 8.15pm at 22nd Wimbledon HQ, Arthur Road, Motspur Park.
Teams of 4 Cubs £5 per team.  Rounds will include 'Quick Fire', Photo Quizzes, Music Round and much more!  If your Pack would like to enter, then please let Graham know.  Closing date to enter a team is Friday 3rd February.

District Cub Camp

All Packs should by now have received information about the District Cub Camp from 16th-18th June at Walton Firs.   Places will be limited, so book early to avoid disappointment! £10 non returnable deposit required per place.   We hope to see you and your Pack there!  Again, if you have any questions about the camp, then please contact Graham.

We have now had the 1st meeting for hike training and the plans are going well for future training and hike weekends. We hope to help many Explorers to complete the hike parts of their Chief Scouts Awards & Duke of Edinburgh Awards before Easter.

I now have a new supply of scarves (adult length) @ £4.00 each. I would like to see all Explorers in the correct colour scarf before St. George's day parade.

Ian Newbery presented the position of the Young Leader provision at the all Leaders' meeting last Wednesday. The contacts are listed here and GSLs can contact Mark or Geoff directly to organise what they need to do.

The contact for Sutton is Mark Sherry, 

The contact for Royal Kingston is Geoff Oakshett

We are still looking for a person to undertake the role of Young Leader Leader. Please contact me with any suggestions. 

The run-up to Christmas was a very busy time for the Scout Network. On 9 December  we held our first County Presentation of Queen's Scout and Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Awards at the Carshalton Water Tower, a most prestigious venue. Kate Hoey, MP, was our Principal Guest and presented the awards. I still have some certificates for those who were unable to attend - we will be arranging another ceremony in the Spring.

A large contingent of Network members from all parts of GLSW went to see 'Cinderella' at the Wimbledon Theatre on December 13. Afterwards we repaired to 'Nandos' to be joined by Peter Duncan, the Chief Scout, who  starred as 'Buttons' and also produced the pantomime.

An altogether more sombre occasion took place on December 18 when we met at Bow Lane, Morden to view the dvd, 'Chernobyl Heart'. This award-winning film very graphically illustrated the continuing health problems associated with the Chernobyl nuclear accident which occurred 20 years ago this April. The Network will be undertaking new initiatives to support humanitarian aid projects in Belarus - watch this space for details.

2006 got off to a great start with the launch of the Centenary Jamboree IST Scout Network, and more than 50 people attended the meeting on January 3. I shall be making an announcement shortly about the 'leadership' of this new 'specialist' Network. The annual 'Away Meet' was held at Liphook this year, and was thoroughly enjoyed - the Scout HQ is most impressive and comes with a fully-equipped indoor climbing wall and a firing range in the 'attic'.

During February we shall be traveling to Bethesda in North Wales for a weekend of hill walking while towards the end of the month there will be a training weekend for those who are participating in the County Explorer Belt Expedition this Summer. Three Lithuanian Leaders will be part of the briefing team.

Operation Red Flare takes place in the Box Hill area on March 4, and there are still a few places left for Explorer and Network teams. Our next big social event is a Barn Dance in South Croydon on April 22. We shall be dancing to the Bonabrill Band, and tickets cost £6 or 4 for £20, which includes a buffet supper. A week later we shall be at the Middlesex Sevens playing in the preliminary rounds. If you are aged 18 and upwards and would like to be in the squad please let me know.

The County will have 24 Queen's Scouts at the Windsor Parade on April 30, which is some achievement. Incidentally, Hannah Watts, our new County Queen's Scout Award Registrar, has recently announced her engagement to James Gordon, another Network member.  Congratulations to them both !

Unfortunately, the Queen's Scout and Gold DofE expedition in South Wales this April has been cancelled due to a lack of participants. However, the late-Summer expedition week will go ahead as planned. The dates are August 27-September 2, and application can be made online via the County website - www.glswscouts.org.uk/network

Best wishes to everyone for the New Year.

RECENT EVENTS:
Christmas Party - Saturday 3rd December.  Thank you to all who attended.  Bill Walden came up with his usual brainteaser of a quiz!

Thank you also to Betty, John and Peter for such 'enlightening' entertainment.

Carol Concert, Saturday 10th December.  Thanks to Bill, Betty & Jean for assisting Brian at this event.

New Year Meal was held at the Topo Gigio Restaurant;  23 members attended, it was nice to see so many there. All agreed it was a very good meal. Thanks to Betty for finding the venue and Dave for doing the booking.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

A fairly quiet period coming up except for the following:

Sunday, 5th February - 10 pin bowling.  Please contact David Gould for further details.

Saturday, 11th February - if you can help with the Swimming Gala, in any way, please contact Michèle McNamara, as soon as possible.

If you can help out at the Beaver Activity Day on Sunday 5th March, during the afternoon, please let me know on 8542 6200.  Another date for you to bear in mind is Sunday, 2nd July - Beaver/Cub Celebration Event at Walton Firs.  Please let me know if you can help out here - I'm sure you'll have a day to remember!

REMINDER:

Sunday, 19th March is our A.G.M. to be held at the Morden Hall DHQ.  We look forward to seeing you all then.

London International Experience

Sunday 24th June at Gilwell Park from 10am to 4pm

Camp overnight at Gilwell Park or just visit for the day.  Contact Peter James at 24 Minard Road, Catford SE6 1NS for a booking form.

This event will give you lots of new ideas and resources for International activities and provide the opportunity for you to meet people who have already run International trips and Explorer Belt expeditions.