Flysheet

The Sutton District Scouting Newsletter – November 2005

Contents

  1. Contents
  2. Notes from the District Commissioner
  3. Cubs
  4. Scouts
  5. Cub Scientist Badge
  6. New National Shooting Champion
  7. County Cyclo-Cross
  8. County Explorer Night Hike
  9. Swimming Gala
  10. Cub Swimmers Wanted
  11. World Scout Centenary Uniform Badge
  12. District Directory
  13. Canoe Club
  14. Flysheet
  15. Diary 2005–2006

Notes from the District Commissioner

Congratulations to Catherine Keen who has gained her Queen’s Scout Award.

As you will know by now the MDU came to Sutton on 8th October. We had got permission to place it at the top of the High Street near to Waterstones Bookshop. But despite very careful measuring of the space the Unit when it turned up would not fit. After a lot of frantic phone calling we managed to get it parked in the Magnet Car Park near to Sutton Green. This was not ideal and as a consequence we did not get the response from the public we had expected.

I would like to thank all who came and helped, specially the set up team. Everyone pitched in with enthusiasm and tried their best to get the public to come and visit us. I have heard from the County Development Team that they were very impressed by the calm way everybody took the disappointment of the change of location and just got on with the job.

We are well into the first year of our District and the Sections are putting on full programmes of competitions and other events. I am a little disappointed that Groups are not always supporting events that did not come from their old District. The best way of getting to know each other is by joining together in District events. The teams of Leaders who put on the events work very hard to do so and deserve our thanks and support. So, come on, do try the events.

We are coming up to the Christmas season and many Groups will be putting on shows. I would like to attend as many as I can to meet the members, please send me an invitation.

As this is the last issue of the FLYSHEET before Christmas, I would like to wish every member of the District a Happy Christmas and I hope you get the presents you want!

John Perkins, District Commissioner

Cubs

Cub programmes have taken on an autumnal theme this month, as is to be expected. As well as this some Cubs did astronomy and several Packs have visited swimming pools in preparation for the gala. I understand that lots of Packs are warming up for the Challenge Trophy in November as well as recovering from summer camps.

Catherine Keen, Assistant District Commissioner Cubs

Scouts

Since the start of the new Scouting year I have heard nothing but great news from the Scout section, including the story about three Troops that, unbeknown, all booked up for the same camp site and on the same week – what a surprise they all had. The programmes put together by the Troops are really exciting and are sure to offer all the Scouts taking part a great time. I would like to say well done and a very big thank you to all of those involved with this. My thanks also go to three of my DSLs, Simon, Neil and Richard, who have all been working very hard organising the District programme of events for the coming year, featuring the very best of our former Districts. The first of these events is looming up very fast: the Tate Shield, a very exciting event that gives our young Scouts the opportunity to show us all that they do sometimes listen to what we are saying.

My congratulations go to one of our Scout leaders – Andrew Gorley – Scout Leader of 1st North Sutton Gurkha Troop, who recently took the top honours at the National Scout Air Rifle Championships.

EuroJam 2005

The tents have all been packed away, the clothes washed and dried and the photos developed, and so the memories linger on.

We would like to invite you to come and join us to relive those memories, hear about what we did there, who we met, the sights we saw and the treasures that we returned with.

We will be holding a presentation evening on Thursday 8th December 2005 at the District HQ, 8:00pm for 8:15pm. So, if you would like to join us for the evening we would love to see you there.

If you would like to join us could you please let us know, so that we can make catering arrangements. Replies by e-mail to shawrayathome@supanet.com or by phone to 020 8647 9182.

District Camp 2007

It is with great pleasure that I can announce to you all that our DC, John Perkins, has once again asked me to head up a team to organise this event.

This will be no ordinary District Camp (if there is such a thing), but something extra-special as it will be part of a national celebration weekend, where everyone is being encouraged to take part in a weekend camp to mark 100 years of Scouting. It would be fantastic if every Group in the District was represented at this event (so mark it in your diaries as soon as you get them) as this will be a once in a lifetime event for us all.

Dates: 26th to 28th May 2007
Venue: Walton Firs Scout Camp Site

If you would like to play a part in the organisation of this event then please do get in touch with me very soon as we need to set this ball rolling. Hope to see you all there in 2007.

Ray Shaw, Assistant District Commissioner Scouts

Cub Scientist Badge

Early on Saturday 17th September around 100 Cubs arrived at St Philomena’s School in Carshalton to perform experiments as part of the Cub scientist badge. The Cubs came from Packs all around Sutton District: 3rd Carshalton, 5th Carshalton, 1st Cheam, 9th Cheam, 1st/16th Sutton, 8th Sutton Trinity, 1st Wallington, 11th Wallington, 14th Wallington and 4th Worcester Park.

[Picture of Cubs at St Philomena's]
Cubs using the microscopes at St Philomena’s School

The Cubs visited various bases to investigate salt and sand, circuits and magnetism, breathing, chromatography, light, microscopes, and to handle some really big bugs including cockroaches, giant millipedes and a tarantula.

New National Shooting Champion

A team of shooters from the two Scout Troops of 1st North Sutton took part in the 29th National Scout Air Rifle Championships. This took place at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley – the home of shooting in the UK and the worldwide home of target shooting as a sport.

Everyone involved really enjoyed themselves at the event and there was some very good shooting recorded by many of the team. However, the real highlight of the results is that Andrew Gorley, Scout Leader of Gurkha Troop, won the Senior Field Target Shooting competition and is now National Scout Champion – Senior Field Target Shooting for 2005.

[Picture of Andrew Gorley holding the trophy]
Andrew Gorley – National Shooting Champion (Senior Field Target Shooting)

At the end of the competition, Andrew held joint first place (which he achieved as part of the last detail of the competition). Andrew was tied with the shooter who had won this event for the past three years and was part of the national Scout shooting squad (Andrew had only ever shot field targets once before, at last year’s event). The two went head-to-head in a final shoot-out to decide the winner and Andrew won with a score of 10 hits out of 12 versus 6 hits out of 12 for his opponent.

Please join us all in congratulating Andrew on his achievement, which not only shows his skill and dedication at target shooting, but underlines the commitment to high quality target shooting and training at 1st North Sutton.

Shooting as an activity is available to any Scout Troop, Explorer Scout Unit or Scout Fellowship in the District. If you would like to find out more or to book a session, please contact Leslie Button (leslie.button@suttonscouts.org.uk), Assistant Group Scout Leader, for more details.

County Cyclo-Cross

[Picture of Cyclists at the Cyclo-Cross]
Riders line up at the start of the under-12 race

The County Cyclo-Cross is an annual cycling competition held at Frylands Wood Scout Campsite. On Sunday 9th October the weather was warm and sunny and the mile-long course around the campsite tracks was unusually dry. Forty-seven cyclists took part, representing fifteen Troops and Units from all over Greater London South West. Teams from three Sutton Troops and Units took part: 3rd Carshalton Scout Troop, 14th Wallington Scout Troop and Double Dragon Explorer Scout Unit. The results were:

Race Team Place
Under-12 14th Wallington Scout Troop 5th
Under-14 3rd Carshalton Scout Troop 1st
Under-16 14th Wallington Scout Troop 2nd
Over-16 Double Dragon Explorer Scout Unit 1st

County Explorer Night Hike

The second Greater London South West Explorer Scout night hike took place in the area around North Holmwood in Surrey on Saturday 15th October. From 7:30pm onwards twenty-two teams from all parts of the County were set off from the village hall at five-minute intervals.

The teams had the option of completing either a bronze, silver or gold hike, a choice that the teams made en-route. The gold route was approximately 12½ miles long and ended back at the village hall. The silver and bronze routes were shorter and ended at checkpoints on the gold route. Sixteen teams completed the gold hike, two completed the silver and two opted for the bronze hike.

When they returned to the hall the teams were offered a hot snack and were able to follow the progress of the rest of the competitors on a big screen, which displayed the teams times between check points and their relative positions in each category. At the end of the evening everyone bedded down for an hour or two of well needed sleep, only to be abruptly woken shortly after 6:00am for bacon sandwiches and the final presentations.

Two Sutton District teams entered: the Belmont Explorer Scout Unit team finished the gold hike in second place in four hours and twenty minutes (only five minutes behind the winners) while the Double Dragon Explorer Unit team finished the bronze route also in second place in five hours and fifty-four minutes.

[Picture of Belmont Explorer Scouts]
The Belmont Explorer Scout Unit team

Swimming Gala

This year’s District Swimming Gala, held at Cheam Baths on Saturday 29th October, attracted thirteen Scout Groups and one Explorer Scout Unit. The swimmers were encouraged by loud support from parents and friends in the viewing gallery.

For Beaver Scouts the races were one-width float, back stroke and front stroke and one-length “dash”, while for Cub Scouts and Scouts the races were one-length breast stroke, back stroke, front crawl, medley relay and freestyle relay. Explorer Scouts took part in two-length breast stroke, back stroke and front crawl races. The results were:

Group Beavers Cubs Scouts Overall
3rd Beddington — 8th 6th 7th
1st Belmont — 9th 10th 12th
2nd Carshalton — 2nd 1st 2nd
3rd Carshalton 1st 5th 2nd 1st
5th Carshalton 3rd 3rd 4th 3rd
6th Carshalton 2nd 7th 9th 5th
1st North Sutton 5th 5th 7th 5th
5th Sutton — 13th 3rd 8th
8th Sutton Trinity — 12th 10th 13th
1st Wallington — 4th 12th 8th
11th Wallington 4th 11th — 11th
14th Wallington — 1st 5th 4th
5th Worcester Park 6th 10th 7th 8th
Double Dragon Explorer Scout Unit 1st

Cub Swimmers Wanted

We would like to assemble a team to compete in the Cub County Swimming Gala to be held on Saturday 26th November at Trinity Pool. If there are any fast swimmers in your Cub Pack who would like to take part, please let Ann Morley know. There will be a session to select the team at Westcroft Leisure Centre on Tuesday 22nd November.

World Scout Centenary Uniform Badge

[Picture of the Scout Centenary Uniform Badge]

The uniform badge to celebrate the World Scout Centenary is now available from Scout Shops online and from badge secretaries. This badge may be worn on uniform by all members (and not just by UK members but by Scouts all around the world – there are several different language versions). This is an officially authorised uniform badge which may be worn from 2005 until the end of 2007.

District Directory

Maureen Taylor, the District Badge Secretary, now has printed A5 District Directory booklets available at the cost price of £1.50 each.

Canoe Club

If you or your Cubs, Scouts or Explorers would like to attend one of the Canoe Club’s pool sessions at Wimbledon College (see diary) then please give Shirley Quemby (020 8642 3720) at least one week’s notice so that instructors and boats can be arranged. Leaders are welcome to accompany Scouts but this is not essential.

Flysheet

Flysheet is the Sutton District Scouting newsletter. Please send material to the editor, Chris Sowden, preferably by e-mail to flysheet@suttonscouts.org.uk.

Submissions for the January issue should be sent to reach the editor by 6th January 2006.

Diary 2005–2006

November 2005
16th Wed Network Indoor Climbing
19th Sat Cub Challenge Trophy
Scout Tate Shield
20th Sun Canoe Club Pool Session
22nd Tue Network Ten Pin Bowling
24th Thu PAGGS Camp 2006 Meeting at Sutton Guide HQ
26th Sat County Cub Swimming Gala
27th Sun County Scout/Explorer Orienteering Competition (book by 21st November)
December 2005
8th Thu EuroJam Report-back Presentation at DHQ
9th Fri County Duke of Edinburgh’s/Queen’s Scout Award Presentation
16th Fri Network Christmas Meal (provisional)
18th Sun Canoe Club Pool Session
January 2006
12th Thu Cub Leaders Meeting
15th Sun Canoe Club Pool Session
22nd Sun District Scout Cooking Competition
24th Tue Scout Leaders Meeting
February 2006
TBA Cub Chess Tournament
5th Sun County Scout Cooking Competition
16th–19th Thu–Sun County Network Winter Mountaineering Trip to Bethesda
19th Sun Canoe Club Pool Session
26th Sun Scout Five-a-Side Football Tournament
March 2006
TBA Cub Swimmer Badge
4th–5th Sat–Sun County Explorer/Network Operation Red Flare Night Hike
11th–12th Sat–Sun County Scout Night Exercise
17th Fri Scout Handball Competition
18th Sat County-wide “Join the adventure” Day
19th Sun Canoe Club Pool Session
April 2006
TBA Cub First Aid Competition
8th–14th Sat–Fri County Duke of Edinburgh’s/Queen’s Scout Award Expedition to South Wales
13th–17th Thu–Mon Explorer Estrek Expedition to Derbyshire
22nd Sat Scout Indoor Climbing Day
23rd Sun St George’s Day Parade
May 2006
6th–7th Sat–Sun Cub Camping Weekend
19th–21st Fri–Sun Scout Water Activities Weekend
June 2006
TBA Cub Mat Ball Competition
July 2006
TBA Cub Sports Day
14th–16th Fri–Sun Scout How Cup Camping Competition (provisional)