Flysheet

The Sutton District Scouting Newsletter – May 2007

Contents

  1. Contents
  2. Awards
  3. Chairman’s Notes
  4. Notes from the District Commissioner
  5. Cubs
  6. Scouts
  7. From the Sutton District Badge Secretary
  8. Adult Training
  9. PAGGS Young (18–25) Leaders Camp in the Czech Republic in 2008
  10. Orienteering
  11. New and Updated Fact Sheets
  12. Diary 2007
  13. Flysheet

Awards

Congratulations to the following members of our District on the award of the Silver Acorn for specially distinguished services to Scouting in the St George’s Day list:

Fred Fletcher – 4th Worcester Park
Pat Jacobs – 4th Worcester Park

Chairman’s Notes

St George, the Patron Saint of England and of Scouting. He was a man of great courage who stood by his principles. Robert Baden-Powell the founder of Scouting gave us a Promise and Law to set the standards for all those who become “Scouts”. At the time of St George’s Day, April 23rd, we are encouraged to remember this and renew our Promises to strengthen our resolve to do our best to keep the Scout Law. All those who attended the District Parade on Sunday 22nd April did this and the many onlookers were given some understanding of the principles we try to uphold. It is not easy to have the courage of St George but think of all those throughout the world who are endeavouring to live up to the same standards. We are not alone.

It was good to have the 1st Wallington (Sutton District) Scout Band leading the Parade and that always draws attention to Scouting, especially young people. Congratulations to the Band as following their recent Annual Inspection by the Scout County Band Advisor, David Gould, and the Deputy County Commissioner, Nigel Steward, they have been awarded a Certificate of Competence for another year.

Congratulations and best wishes to Fred Fletcher, GSL of 4th Worcester Park, and to Patrick Jacobs, Assistant Explorer Scout Leader, on their awards of the Silver Acorn. We thank them for all that they have done and continue to do for Scouting in our Sutton District. Congratulations also to Janet Drinkall, the former District Commissioner of Wallington and Carshalton, on her award also of the “Silver Acorn”.

The Annual General Meeting Season is soon upon us and it is a time to let all those in our Groups, including parents, friends and supporters, know all that we do and how good we are. Scouting has been going for 100 years and we must be proud of that.

The District Annual General Meeting is to be held at Park Farm Scout Campsite, Holly Lane, Banstead, SM7 2BY on Saturday 16th June. It is to commence with a reception at 11:30am and the meeting at noon, which will then be followed by a BBQ. This special event is part of celebrating 100 years of the Movement. All leaders are welcome together with Group members. Please reply to the invitations being circulated through Groups so that catering can be organised accordingly.

Notes from the District Commissioner

Jack Petchy Foundation

The Jack Petchy Foundation exists to provide funding to youth groups and has recently said that it will be making funds available to Scout Groups in Greater London South West. Full details are awaited but we have been told that there will be two or three awards to Scouts or Explorer Scouts per month for an outstanding achievement and up to three awards to Leaders per year. The value of the awards will be £200 and £1,000 respectively and will go to the Group to which the person belongs for use for purchase of equipment. There will also be the possibility of 50% funding for major projects and help with funding costs of special expeditions or camps. David Jones, former secretary of Sutton and Cheam District, has agreed to be our District coordinator. Full details are awaited and I hope to be able to give more information at the Group Scouters meeting next month. The scheme is expected to start later this year and I have to tell everybody that it is not retrospective. This will give a boost to Scouting in our District by not only recognising the achievements of our members but proving funds for the Groups.

St George’s Day

Unlike last year the weather was fine and warm and there was a very good turnout. At the latest count 948 members of our District took part along with many parents who came to watch or walk alongside the Parade to act as marshals. Many people were involved with the planning of the day and on the day itself and my thanks go to all of them for making it so successful.

Annual General Meetings

We are entering the AGM season and I am looking forward to visiting as many of the Groups as possible. Where that is not possible the ADCs will more than ably stand in for me. Paul Richardson ran an “AGM Workshop” for GSLs and Group Chairs earlier this year and I hope that some of the ideas put forward will be incorporated into the plans for the AGMs. Our District AGM will be held at Park Farm on 16th June with a BBQ as part of the entertainment. I hope to see as many members of the District there as possible.

District Camp

The District Camp is getting very near and the planning is going ahead at a tremendous rate. The range of activities available to the campers is enormous and should keep everyone busy for the whole camp.

Cubs

Peggy Charman First Aid Competition

The Peggy Charman Cub First Aid Competition was held on Saturday 24th March 2007 at Carew Manor School in Wallington. The competition was for teams of four Cubs and was based on the topics of the Emergency Aid Stage 3 badge. Teams from eleven Cub Packs took part and spent 10 minutes at each of 12 bases where they were tested on:

  1. When and how to contact the emergency services
  2. How to treat major bleeding
  3. How to recognise and treat broken bones
  4. How to treat burns and scalds
  5. How to deal with choking
  6. How to recognise and treat heat exhaustion
  7. How to recognise and treat hypothermia
  8. What to do at the scene of an accident
  9. How to treat an unconscious patient, give CPR and place in the recovery position
  10. How to recognise the symptoms of shock and how to treat a casualty
  11. Safety in the home – recognising potential trouble-spots
  12. How to deal with strangers

Marks were awarded for teamwork and achievement. The results were as follows:

Position Cub Pack Points
1st 14th Wallington 182
2nd 6th Carshalton 176
3rd 3rd Beddington (Milton) 166
4th 5th Carshalton (Floyd) 162
5th 1st Wallington 160
5th Carshalton (Arthern)
7th 11th Wallington 155
8th 1st North Wallington 154
9th 9th Carshalton 145
10th 9th Cheam 136
11th 1st North Sutton (Hilary) 129

Raksha Craft Competition

The Raksha Cub Craft Competition was held on Saturday 28th April 2007 at Overton Grange School in Sutton. There were over 100 entries from Cub Packs including 3rd Beddington Milton, 5th Carshalton Arthern and Floyd, 9th Carshalton, 1st Cheam ‘B’, 9th Cheam, 1st North Wallington Bren, 5th Sutton and 1st Wallington.

[Picture taken at the Raksha Competition]
Three 1st Cheam ‘B’ Cubs with Lorraine Allport, the competition organiser, and the Mayoress of Sutton, Mrs Susan Bailey, looking at some of the cake entries

The judging was by District Commissioner John Perkins with a team including Caroline Dyer (Assistant County Commissioner Cubs) and Chris Dean (County Scout Network Commissioner). The Mayoress of Sutton, Mrs Susan Bailey, presented trophies and medals to the winners. The results were:

First place overall
5th Sutton Cub Pack jointly with 1st Cheam ‘B’ Cub Pack
Best 100 years of Scouting collage (Pack entry)
1st Cheam ‘B’ Cub Pack
Best campsite model (Six entry)
5th Carshalton Arthern Cub Pack
Best poster created using a computer
Nathaniel Smith
Best hand drawn Jungle Book character
Travis Harrison Gadsby
Best hand written Cub Handbook passage
Max Haining
Best 100th birthday Victoria sponge cake
Daniel Whitehead

Scouts

Chief Scout’s Gold Award

Congratulations to Alex McGuigan of the 9th Carshalton Scout Troop who was awarded the Chief Scout’s Gold Award on 16th April 2007.

From the Sutton District Badge Secretary

Please note that on Tuesdays 15th and 22nd May (7:30pm until 9:00pm) and 5th June (7:30pm until 8:00pm) badges will be available from the 1st Wallington Scout Group Headquarters, 30 Ruskin Road, Wallington.

From Tuesday 12th June badges will be available from Acre Lane again as usual.

Adult Training

There are financial grants available to support the training of leaders in Sutton District. Grants will be made to reimburse 50% of the course fees for Scout Association modular training courses provided within Greater London South West and 50% of the course fees for the basic first aid course provided by Greater London South West. Grants to help fund other training course fees may also be made subject to prior approval by the Sutton District Executive Committee.

Applications for reimbursement of modular training, basic first aid and other approved course fees should be made using the Leadership Training Funding Form available from the resources section of the district web site. The form should be completed after the courses have taken place and should be sent to the District Treasurer. Forms will be processed twice yearly (the application deadlines are 30th June and 31st December). All payments will be made by cheque to the Scout Group or Explorer Scout Unit bank account.

Applications for approval of grants towards the cost of other courses should be made in writing before the courses take place and will be considered at the following District Executive Committee meeting (normally within 3 months of application).

Local Training Manager

Please note that David Pattison has stepped down from his role as Sutton’s Local Training Manager. For the time being training enquiries should be directed to Joan Condon, the County Training Administrator, who can be contacted by phone at 020 8540 5115 or by e-mail at joan.condon@glswscouts.org.uk.

PAGGS Young (18–25) Leaders Camp in the Czech Republic in 2008

The Brigades Guides Scouts (BGS) Committee representing Scout and Guide units in the London Borough of Sutton invite all warranted leaders aged 18–25 to attend a camp in Horní Jelení in the Czech Republic.

[Image of the Young Leaders Camp flyer]

This camp is part of the PAGGS program of activities – the international twin-town co-operation involving Guides, Scouts, Boys and Girls Brigades from Paisley (Scotland), Apeldoorn (The Netherlands), Gagny (France), Gladsaxe (Denmark), Sutton (England), Minden and Wilmersdorf (Germany) and Pardubice and Horní Jelení (Czech Republic).

The cost of the camp will be €95 (approximately £75) plus expenses, preparation costs and flights (cheap flights are available). Places are limited at present to six per country but could increase. This is an ideal opportunity for any 18–25 leaders who have not been on a twin-town camp or conference before to meet others from Holland, Denmark, France and Scotland.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact Madeleine Baldwin by 31st October 2007 at the latest (phone 020 8680 5467 or e-mail madeleine.baldwin@man-roland-gb.com).

Orienteering

There are two permanent orienteering courses in the London Borough of Sutton, both consisting of 19 numbered wooden posts each inscribed with a letter of the alphabet. The challenge is to find all (or some) of the posts using a map and so find the letters that correspond to the post numbers.

The Beddington Park course was renewed in 2005 and, including all posts, is about 3.6km long while the Oaks Park course was created in 2006 and, including all posts, is about 1.8km long. Maps for both courses are available by mail order from the Mole Valley Orienteering Club – details on the web site at www.mvoc.org.

New and Updated Fact Sheets

FS250016 Clumsiness (Apr/07 [5] 31KBytes)
FS250025 Autism and Asperger Syndrome (Apr/07 [5] 58KBytes)
FS155061 Adventurous Activities for Beaver Scouts (Apr/07 [1] 54KBytes)
Application for an Adventurous Activity Permit (47KBytes)
FS295303 The First Troops (Apr/07 [1] 50KBytes)
FS250061 Successfully Including Scouts With Special Needs (Apr/07 [1] 87KBytes)

Diary 2007

May 2007
15th Tue District Centenary Camp Open Evening at DHQ
17th Thu District Patrol Leaders’ Forum
20th Sun District Canoe Club River Trip
25th–28th
Fri–Mon
District Centenary Camp at Walton Firs
28th–1st Jun
Mon–Fri
Sutton LEA Half-Term
June 2007
5th Tue District Beaver Leaders’ Meeting
16th Sat District Annual General Meeting and Barbecue
16th/17th
Sat/Sun
Gilwell Beaver/Cub Fun Days
17th Sun District Canoe Club River Trip
30th Sat District Cub Mat Ball Competition and Athletics Badge Day
30th–1st Jul
Sat–Sun
District Scout How Cup Camping Competition
July 2007
3rd Tue District Cub Leaders’ Meeting
7th–8th
Sat–Sun
Gilwell 24 Explorer Camp
20th Fri Sutton LEA Summer Term ends
26th Thu Centenary Royal Mail Scouting stamps issued
27th–8th Aug
Fri–Wed
Centenary 21st World Scout Jamboree
August 2007
1st Wed Centenary Scouting’s Sunrise – the dawn of a new century for Scouting
31st–2nd Sep
Fri–Sun
District Canoe Club River Wye Weekend
September 2007
3rd Mon Sutton LEA Autumn Term starts
7th–9th
Fri–Sun
District Scout Water Activities Camp
Gilwell Reunion
22nd Sat District Cub Sports Day
27th Thu District Scout Leaders’ Meeting
October 2007
7th Sun County Scout/Explorer Cyclo-Cross
13th Sat District Cub Challenge Trophy Competition
20th–21st
Sat–Sun
Centenary Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTI) and Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA)
22nd–26th
Mon–Fri
Sutton LEA Half-Term
28th Sun District Beaver Sports Afternoon at Westcroft
November 2007
17th Sat District Scout Tate Shield Competition
24th Sat Centenary Festival of Scouting in the O2 Arena
25th Sun District Beaver 100th Celebration Birthday Party, Phoenix Centre, Roundshaw, 3:30pm–5:30pm
December 2007
2nd Sun County Scout/Explorer/Network/Leader Orienteering Competition
6th Thu District Beavers St Nicholas Service
19th Wed Sutton LEA Autumn Term ends

Flysheet

Flysheet is the Sutton District Scouting newsletter. Please send items (with pictures if you have them) to the editor, Chris Sowden, preferably by e-mail to flysheet@suttonscouts.org.uk (almost any format would be acceptable). Articles for the July issue should be sent by 29th June 2007.