Diary Dates

District Team
There have been a number of changes to the District Team as follows:

• ADC Cub Scouts, Michèle McNamara

• ADC Scouts, Liz Laverick

• ADC General Duties, Paul Atkins

• ADC Fellowship, Dave Gould

• ADC Band, John Smith

• District Leader - 2007 co-ordinator, Allan Woolsey

• District Leader - Store Manager, Brian Whalebone

The following remain

• ADC General Duties, Keith Daly

• ADC Beaver Scouts, Andy Elgar

• District Explorer Scout Commissioner, Neil McLauchlan

Andy Hayward will be standing down as District Cub Scout Leader.

Andy Edmonds has indicated that he will also be standing down as District Scout Leader by Christmas.

Further appointments of additional sectional District Leaders will follow.

The new District Chairman and Treasurer will be announced in the coming few weeks. 

Thanks to everyone who has taken on a new role and to all ADCs and District Leaders who work so hard to make Wimbledon and Wandle a success.

District Sports
Many thanks to everyone involved in running the sports, especially Dave Gould for putting the whole thing together - not an easy task!
Results are available by clicking on the running man.

Congratulations to the new Group, which will be officially inaugurated on 17 September.  Meetings and Leaders are as follows:

• Beaver Colony (Monday) led by Fay Kern

• Beaver Colony (Tuesday) led by Nicky Hayward

• Cubs on Tuesday led by Andrew Hayward & Mandi Smith

• Scouts on Monday led by Lisa Eales

Leader Training
The following training is available during the next few months.
Any one can do the modules and all are welcome.

Application forms are available from the Local Training Manager (Brian Beckley) or County Training Administrator. (Joan Condon.) (Except Module 10 where you need to contact the Course provider.)
The Application Form will need to be signed by

a) Your Training Adviser or Local Training Manager if you are working towards your Leaders or Commissioners Woodbadge.

b) Your Line Manager if you hold a Woodbadge and just wish to revisit this module of training. (Counts as ongoing training.)

Module 10   First Response/First Aid Certificate   

Saturday 15th October at Wimbledon Park. Contact Erica Bishop for places.

Various Sundays during September, October, November.  Contact Warden at Frylands Wood for places.

Child Protection Workshop

Monday September 12th, Bears Wood Campsite.

Module 12 Providing a Balanced Programme

Module 17 Activities Outdoors          

Both on  Sunday September 25 at  County Base, Bow Lane

Module 19 International

Module 7 Valuing Diversity            

Both on Sunday October 16  at County Base, Bow Lane

Module 20 Administration (Managers)

Module 21 Growing the Movement  (Managers)

Module 22 Section Support

Module 23 Safety for Managers & Supporters

Module 24 Managing Adults

Module 26 Supporting Adults           

Being run at various times and dates, November 5 & 6, 19 & 20, 26 & 27 at County Base, Bow Lane

Module 25 Assessing Learning (Management.)    

Sunday December 4 at County Base, Bow Lane

Further Modules available in the new year.

People who have completed part of the old style training should now have had a letter from Joan Condon, County Training Administrator, stating the modules needed to complete the Wood Badge. If you have not please contact Joan or Brian Beckley and we will check you out.

We hope you all had a pleasant summer and that those of you who went away on camp had a good time.

You should by now have received information regarding the proposed District Cub camp next June at Walton Firs to celebrate 90 years of Cubs. We would like to discuss this at the next CSL meeting and need to know how many Packs will be interested in attending the camp. If you are unable to attend the next CSL meeting therefore, please let us know your views, so that they can be included in the discussion.

Similarly it would be useful to know how many Packs intend entering the swimming gala to be held in November.

Finally with regard to the Cub diary dates, please note one change the CSL meeting proposed for July 12th 2006 has been changed to July 5th.

I hope that everybody's Summer camps and activities were successful and that you avoided the same week that I was away at Bushy Wood which coincided with a 5 day-long Monsoon season.

Thanks to all those who responded with comments on the Section Trophy, the suggested tweaks have been applied.

The next Scouters' Meeting is on Thursday 15th September and will be at the revised venue of the 7th Morden HQ, 320A Cannon Hill Lane, Morden.  Please make every effort to ensure that your Troop is represented as we will be discussing arrangements for the Incident Hike on 6th November and the Troop Quiz on 16th November. An Agenda will be circulated shortly.

This meeting will mark the handover of the ADC (Scouts) role to Liz and I wish her every success with the section.

I have enjoyed my seven years as ADC(S) and would like to record thanks for the support shown by all Troop Leaders during that time. In particular I will be sorry to break up the partnership with Andy Edmonds as DSL who has been the energy behind most of the section activities and will also be standing down from those responsibilities.

At the beginning of July we made our usual weekend trip to North Wales and the County Mountaineering Base at Bethesda. After a day walking in the Carnedds our main objective was to complete the MS Challenge and raise badly-needed funds for the Sutton & Croydon MS Therapy Centre. The 'Challenge' involves carrying someone with multiple sclerosis in a wheelchair around a 10 Km course through forestry plantation and peat bog, up and over rocky ground, and finishing with two river crossings, one chest-deep. The event, which attracts 60 teams from all over the UK, demands teamwork, stamina and a sense of humour in equal measure.

On 14 July 23 Network members, including some from Greater London South County, spent the day stewarding at a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. They had a fantastic time meeting the public, getting to go behind the scenes, and eating in the 'staff' restaurant. Many thanks to Hannah Watts, our new CSNL, for overseeing the arrangements and more importantly taking on responsibility for our growing involvement in State Duties.

The highlight of the year for 26 Network members was undoubtedly the expedition to Sweden towards the end of July. This started with a 4-day log-rafting adventure in Varmland followed by staffing at Edda, an International Camp for 3,200 Scouts further south in Skane. The team was involved in the programme for the various sections, from Minior Scouts (Cubs) right up to Seniors, and everyone was worked pretty hard throughout the pre-Camp as well as the camp itself. We are organising a report-back of the trip on September 13, and all are welcome. Details will appear on the County website.

Shortly after our return home several of us drove down to Broadstairs in Kent to hear the Okee Dokee band play at Bradstow Mill during the annual Folk Week. It was a most enjoyable and entertaining evening with a good cross-section of music, from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Lonnie Doneghan, Leonard Cohen, and the inimitable Keith Trussell ! Life in the Network is never dull.

Looking ahead, we have a full and varied programme during the coming months. In September we shall be out in force at the Gilwell Reunion, also running 'Moving On' sessions for older Explorers in all Districts, and taking part in Rugby 7's and Volleyball competitions at Twickenham RFC on the 11th of the month. There will also be a recce to Lithuania for the County Expolorer Belt expediton next July. The next 'Mystery Investiture' is on November 19, and we can let you into a little secret - we shall be spending the morning at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst to give the 'girlies' a possible glimpse of Prince Harry ! The rest of the programme will remain a mystery. Book now on www.glswscouts.org.uk.

Neil McLaughlan has asked the County Scout Network to provide help at the Explorer Scout Night Hike on October 16 - all offers to me please as soon as possible. Thanks

Recent Events: 

A big thank you to Jean and Dave Gould for the barbeque.  A good evening was had by all who attended.
Also thanks to all who helped at the District Sports Day.

Forthcoming Events:

Sunday, 4th September: Ten Pin Bowling cancelled due to lack of support.
Tuesday, 20th September at the Wandle DHQ, 7.30 for 8.00 p.m., a talk on 'Weather Lore'.  We hope to see as many members, and friends, as possible. Light refreshments will be available.

Dates for your Diary:

Sunday 9th October - an Autumn walk around the Richmond area, with perhaps a visit to Ham House.  If you are interested please contact Rob Brumwell after 20th September.
Wednesday 2nd November - Beetle Drive and Fish 'n' Chip supper.  Further details later.
Saturday 19th November - District Swimming Gala.

Best wishes to Bill Walden, recovering after a recent operation, and to June Waro. We hope it is not too long before we see you out and about.

EUROJAM 2005
Full of excitement and anticipation, and after two years of planning, we set off from a very sunny Motspur Park in the company of 30 Scouts and their leaders from Royal Kingston and headed around the M25 towards North Weald Airfield. We were met by a huge tented area where all the Jamboree registrations took place, our special jamboree scarves and information packs were issued and then followed by our kit van, we were back on the motorway heading for Hylands Park.

On arrival it was clear we were about to participate in something extraordinary. Coaches were being lined up and hundreds of Scouts from all over the world were being directed to their camp sites. Hylands Park is 900 acres of beautiful parkland, had nine separate subcamps ( of up to 1500 people each) and there were already large marquees in place.

We were escorted down a long path having said "goodbye" to the RK team and arrived at "Carpathians" sub camp which was to be our home for the next 12 days. We unloaded our kit and then pitched our tents and set up our camp area. Dinner was collected from the "Food Distribution Centre" and leaders were invited to attend a short welcome meeting later that evening. At that event we were asked if we would entertain a special guest for dinner on the second day. On accepting the invitation we were then told our guest was to be Peter Duncan, Chief Scout.

The evening was spent getting ourselves organised, even going so far as to help a Troop of Polish Scouts with tent pitching at 1 a.m. and making tea and biscuits for them. A Turkish Troop borrowed a spare dining shelter from us.

The Saturday morning was spent creating our own camp gateway (which we had practiced some weeks earlier at our training weekend) and one which attracted some interest from a French TV crew who interviewed some of the boys and leaders. On Saturday afternoon the first big subcamp activity took place with everyone getting to know each other and time was found to explore the site. The central plaza area was full of shops and food outlets and some of the Scouts even found the internet cafe and the main stage area which was a good twenty minutes walk from our site.

At six o'clock on the Saturday evening the heavens opened just as we were about to be visited by the Chief Scout. Frantic changes of plans took place and everything was moved inside for dinner. When the Chief arrived he was introduced to the leadership team and then spent the next hour or so with the Scouts. The Chief even phoned his family in India telling them he was with a Troop from Wimbledon and asked the boys to wish his family goodnight. After dinner the Chief led our Troop across the site to the main arena behind our Troop flag for the opening ceremony where we said our goodbyes. The next time the boys saw the Chief he was abseiling down the side of the main stage to the delight of the 10,000 Scouts in the arena.

A fantastic opening ceremony with flags of over 60 countries being paraded into the arena, singing and dancing and everyone joining in the Jamboree song. This was followed by a concert which went on late into the evening.

During the next 8 days we never stopped. We visited scouting and guiding exhibitions from across Europe, swapped badges with others, made new friends (especially a Troop from Brussels who we hope to visit next year) visited Gilwell for a huge range of activities including abseiling and caving and a chance to have a go on the Challenge Valley course (where some of the leaders offered to staff bases for the day), took part in a community project at a school for children with special needs, attempted water activities at Alton Water in Suffolk such as bellboating and sailing and on site visited a Global Development Village and investigated issues such as Health, Human Rights, Free Trade etc.... This activity also allowed us to spend time in an international environment where drumming became a means to communicate. We took part in an international camp fire, a couple of boys performed in a Karaoke evening and we participated in the Grand Carnival procession held one evening.

The central event of the Jamboree was the Celebrate Europe Day. Torrential rain meant the Big Breakfast in the arena had to be abandoned but 2 hours later the sun shone and 10,000 of us were back in the arena for a huge concert, a promise renewal and a mass signing of a special necker we had all been given. The afternoon comprised of a international food festival and a massive concert and firework display concluded the day.

Four particular moments in the Jamboree stick in my mind. There was a two minute silence across all the Jamboree sites to mark the death of King Fahed of Saudi Arabia. We were at Gilwell that day and the silence was quite eerie as thousands of Scouts stood in silent respect alongside Scouts from Saudi Arabia. The second was being invited to take part in a flagbreak ceremony and with over 60 flags to break it was quite an event. The boys looked great and made the leaders very proud of them. The third was undoubtedly the opening of the Celebrate Europe Day with a lone Scout piper being joined by Scottish and Irish pipers, then the orchestra and finally the choir and dancers. The final event was undoubtedly the saddest and this was the closing ceremonies when we realised it was nearly all over. But the sight of 10,000 Scouts waving their banners, singing, dancing and enjoying each others company was a wonderful end to a great adventure.

My thanks go to the boys themselves who represented their Group, their District, their County and their Country with distinction. I was very proud of them all. My thanks also go to the District and the Group Executive for their support and to parents, friends and many others who gave us the encouragement to attempt this venture. And finally I want to record my thanks to a fantastic leadership team from the 22nd for their love, encouragement and support to make the whole thing possible. Roll on 2007!!

Alan Maloney, Group Scout Leader, Leader of Wimbledon 

District Store
The Store will re-open on 15th September.  By then, Brian hopes to have some new leaflets printed, which he will distribute to all Sections for Leaders to hand out to new parents.

Wanted
Wanted for Bentley Copse -  one convex mirror for the entrance to Bentley, to prevent  accidents when leaving the site.  If you happen to have a spare, please notify the Warden.