Fantastic February Newsletter

As Bryan is off on holiday I get the dubious pleasure of jotting something for you this month. Hopefully he’ll be careful abseiling off Table Mountain in South Africa so he can resume his duties next time!

I’ve been told to make sure you all know about “Dovedale” our annual backpacking weekend, summer camp and that there will be no meeting on 14^th February (we’ve noticed it’s half term but it’s got more to do with the fact we’ll all be pursuing other interests!)

Hopefully you’ll all agree with us that the new approach to Thursday night meetings is working out – we think that having younger and older Scout training means we can make sure it’s interesting and applicable for everyone.

Jon

Backpacking Weekend (4^th – 6^th April)

This year we thought that we might aim to make this weekend more of a backpacking weekend by using Youth Hostels or camping barns to avoid younger Scouts carrying heavier tents. The older Scouts may use tents so they can work towards their expedition challenge. As always there are the traditional elements of the weekend which we will uphold; fish and chip supper on Friday in Ashbourne, Pasties from the hatch in Milldale (we haven’t quite figured that part out yet!). You won’t need any specialist equipment for this weekend and it will be suitable for all of the Troop. It might reassure you that the leaders have a lot of experience at this sort of thing, for instance I first had authorisation to lead parties at the age of 14 (which really was a long time ago now!) and have trained lots of Scouts to compete expeditions all over the UK. The cost is £50 per Scout and a £10 deposit secures your place.

Summer Camp (26^th July – 2^nd August)

Early on a cold December Saturday we went to check that Birch Hall was still standing. It should be enough of a recommendation that we are going back. Bryan doesn’t generally allow such things but for Birch Hall he makes an exception. I’ve seen photos of your current leaders aged about 10 riding bikes in streams, clambering on bridges and having all sorts of fun. We’ve got some new ideas to mix in and the whole thing will be unmissable. Bryan forgot to tell me the overall price as he packed his bags but £120 – £150 sounds like the sort of figure he could live with. We could use expressions of interest and a £20 deposit (we have to book the site which is quite expensive) as soon as possible please.

Summary of the Scout Troop Calendar as at 7^th February

A full colour planner is available from the website | A few more items to add yet, check for updates

Note; we can’t accept signups from the website as we really need to have a deposit.