Diary Dates


New Committee Members - John Smith (District Chairman)
You may be aware that Keith Angliss and Ted Aslett have decided to stand down from their roles on the Property and Finance Sub-Committee.  I am sorry to see them go and would like to thank them once again for all their help, particularly throughout the process of the merger of the two Districts.

I am pleased to report however, that Cliff Condon has agreed to take on the role of Chairman of the Property and Finance Sub-Committee, and Jean Gould the position of Assistant District Treasurer.  Thank you both for agreeing to fill these important positions.

Appointments committee - Joan Burgess

Following the Committee's meeting on June 15th,  we would like to welcome two new Leaders to the District:

New District Warrants have now been sent to GSLs for distribution. However, Explorer Scout warrants will not be issued until a completed CRB form has been received. This is a Scout HQ requirement so prompt action would be appreciated.

A Big Thank You to all Groups who have been helping me to keep on top of all the additional paperwork of late.

Dinner Dance

The newly formed 'Friends of Souwest' (supporting the County Gang Show) invite all of you to their first Dinner Dance to be held on the evening of Friday 17 September at the Hotel Antoinette, Kingston upon Thames. Tickets are £25 per person - contact Karl Bromley or Andrew Hayward of the 7th Morden. Details & contact information here.

Group Accounts

When the annual accounts for your Group have been finalised and audited, would you please send them to the District Treasurer:

May I, through the pages of "Links", express my sincere thanks to all the Scout friends who have sent to me Cards, Messages, and Prayers of support following my surgery in April.

I am certain that the love and support of my family and also my friends in the wider family of Scouting has greatly helped my recovery and also given me great encouragement.  My sincere thanks to you all.

Jack.

District Store

The last night that the Store will be open this term is 22 July.  It will re-open on 9 September.  If you need anything urgently during the holiday period, contact Brian Whalebone who, I know, will try and help you if he can.

Lost Property

Two coats left behind after the National Trust Fayre are now at the Morden Hall DHQ.

Best wishes

. . . to Bill Vaudrey and his family.  We are sorry to hear that he is not too well at the moment and look forward to seeing him around the District again soon.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Bill.

Scouts - Paul Atkins

Our Patrol Camping Weekend took place in ideal weather at Bears Wood and a very relaxing weekend was enjoyed by Patrols from 5 Troops, assessed and coached by a top team of Leaders and Explorers.  It was a shame that only a quarter of our Troops took advantage of this camping opportunity and hopefully more will give it a try next year.

All of the Patrols were successful in gaining a Camping Standard and, as well as gaining a certificate, each member has an extra badge to wear on their uniform.  Congratulations to the 14th Wimbledon Hawks & 20th Mitcham who gained Bronze,  8th Morden Bulldogs, 8th Morden Cobras, 11th Mitcham & 14th Wimbledon Panthers who gained Silver and to the 8th Morden Hawks and 1st Morden for achieving Gold.

The Camp Challenge was won by the 1st Morden. The top winners of the weekend were the 1st Morden who took home the Camp Cooking Trophy and the 8th Morden Hawks who retained the Camping Trophy for the second year running. All the results are on the web site.

Thanks to the team of Leaders, adults & Explorers who ran the event and to Vince Burns and his catering team for keeping us fed.

Plans for Troop Summer Camps must be well under way by now so please keep copies of your programmes, menus, accounts & risk analysis to assist you with your future application for a Nights Away Permit.

The section diary dates for 2005 were agreed at the recent Troop Scouters' meeting and are available on the web site to assist you with planning your activities for next year.

Explorer Scouts - Gareth Beynon

Congratulations to the Merton Park Unit in a very successful barn dance on the 19th June in aid of their trip to Kenya and thank you to all of the other units who supported this event last weekend which was great to see. Particular thanks go to Catriona who spent the evening leading people through the dances.

The District also came together on the 26th June for a watersports afternoon at Wimbledon Park.  My thanks to Neil McLauchlan for organising this.

Units are busy planning their summer ventures.  Edge Hill are off to Nicaragua with Raynes Park heading to the International Scout Centre at Kandersteg in Switzerland. Various units also have Duke of Edinburgh hikes coming up so despite the exam period it is busy!

Finally, on a personal note, I am relinquishing my role as District Explorer Scout Commissioner as I am moving down to Bristol to start a new job at the end of August.  I would just like to say thank you to all of those people who have supported me in my time in Wimbledon.

Network - Tom Griffin

Nicaragua expedition 10k sponsored run - Members of the Wimbledon & Wandle Network were amongst 4,000 runners completing a 10k run in Richmond Park this month - the only difference being they were dressed as naughty school boys! The team, although very much overdressed (especially for a sunny June afternoon), made a great time and raised a lot of sponsorship money in the process.
Photos here
All money raised will go to towards their month long expedition to Nicaragua this summer, where the group of 14 will team up with a local Explorer Unit to re-building a community centre devastated by Hurricane Mitch in the Barrio Sandino, Ocotal.

Fellowship - Bill Vaudrey

Recent Events:    

Saturday 12th June - Summer Meal - a very enjoyable evening at The Compass.

Forthcoming Events:
Saturday, 17th July - BBQ at Wandle DHQ.  7.00 for 7.30 pm.  Please bring own tipple!  Names to David Gould by 10th July please.  Help will be required in setting up on the Saturday morning;  if you can help David please contact him.


Sunday, 5th September - We hope to visit Kew Gardens for the day.  A group discount, together with priority booking for the restaurant, is available, providing the number in the party is at least 25, and 14 days notice is given.  If you are interested in going please contact John Smith as soon as possible, or by Friday, 20th August at the latest.

Wednesday, 22nd September, Fellowship Formal Meeting at Wandle DHQ.   Joan Williams, Staff Photographer from the BBC will present an evening of slides and anecdotes on 'Stars in Close Up' (not the Patrick Moore type!).  8.00 p.m. start, followed by light refreshments.  Names to Bill Walden please.

We hope all members have a good summer.

Copy Date

There will not be an issue of Links in August as everyone will be busy with their summer camps and holidays.  We wish you all a very happy and safe time, especially with your camps.
Whether you are staying on a site down the road, a farm many miles away or venturing abroad, it will all be an adventure to your members and hopefully there will be many of those magic moments which will stay in their memories for years to come.
Enjoy!