Cranham Scout Group

There’s no cubs next week, as it’s half term!

However, the week after, we’re having a bonfire at Cranham Scout HQ. So come there rather than the hall, and dress up warm.

Sadly, the village hall has been double-booked, so we’re having to cancel next week (the 15th of October).

However, we’ll be back on the 22nd as usual!

Our apologies for the short notice.

Well, we’re all getting ready to start again next Wednesday, the 10th of September - the usual time and place!

The family fun day at the County Scouting Centre has been postponed to the 24th, so go to the hall as usual.

Some more leaders have joined us in the Cub section, so we are looking forward to a good year!

The Cranham Scout Group re-started in the middle of winter term last year, so soon we will have been in operation for a whole year!

Sadly, the floods at the start of the Summer have set Skip and Akela back a bit - they had to evacuate to London for the Summer so that Akela could get his work done, and the client liked him so much they keep wanting him back. So now more than ever, we could do with more adults to help out in the Cub and Scout sections (Beavers seem to be doing OK)!

This Sunday is the Cranham Village Paper Boat Race!

In particular, members of the Cranham Group are welcome. If you can come, we’d like you to come in your uniforms, because we are having a small recruitment drive to see if we can find some assistant leaders, and would therefore like the Group to make a good impression upon the village!

We have a letter about the event and instructions on how to make a traditional paper boat .

I’ve had a lot of questions from parents, so here are some answers:

1) Will there be an information meeting for parents?

Yes. This coming Wednesday, 7:15pm onwards, in the Village Hall. We have one of the Camp organisers coming, and he should be able to answer any question you might have.

2) What will the sleeping arrangements be?

As per regulations, there will be separate boys and girls tents. There won’t be any adults in the tents with the children (that’s prohibited under child protection rules). The Cranham Cubs will have their own set of tents, so they’ll be together. Sarah and I will be in an adjacent tent, and the children instructed to feel free to awaken us in the night if they so desire. We will therefore have familiar adults of both genders to hand.

3) What will the general supervision be during the day?

I will be with the pack, ideally accompanied by two parent helpers. If we don’t get enough parent helpers agreeing to come, I’ll be borrowing leaders from the camp administration team as required, which will be less good. So please volunteer to come and help!

4) What is the general timetable?

The precise timings will only be laid down once the consent forms are all in so the final numbers can be worked out.

However, they’ll be roused from bed around 7:30am, and sent to bed around 10pm, with silence on camp from 11pm onwards.

The Pack arrive Friday night, where there will be an opening ceremony and general settling in.

Then Saturday and Sunday consist of activities. There will be all sorts of activities laid out, and the pack will (as a unit) follow a timetable set out for them, visiting the activities in turn. They and I will have copies of this, which means there should be no timetable confusions as we had with St. George’s Day!

5) What is there for parent helpers to do?

Well, for a start, I’d like one at least, ideally two, to help supervise the Pack when they’re not on camp activities. This will mean helping to organise getting them up / washed / fed in the mornings, lunchtime, dinnertime, and keeping them entertained in free periods. I will be OK supervising them during the activities since there will be activity staff at each station and I really just need to keep an eye on them, so during this time, parent helpers will be most welcome helping with the activities.

6) What will the ratio of adults to children be?

Even if no parent helpers come along from Cranham, I’m told the ratio for the entire camp will still be within regulations, but I would like to have one Cranham adult per six Cranham Cubs as a minimum.

7) What will they be fed?

We had a run-through of the proposed menu at the Leader’s Meeting, but we didn’t copy it down into our notes in detail - it was generally traditional hearty camp food, with vegetarian options, and any dietary intolerances the team are informed of via the medical forms will be catered for. It was particularly noted that fresh fruit would be made generally available, and there would be drinks stations for refreshment throughout the days.

What if my child is nervous about sleeping over, can they just come for the day?

I think this should be acceptable. I will check with the organisers, but the rush to get medical/consent forms in is to make sure the caterign team can handly any intolerances and so that overall numbers are known, so I suspect that Cubs opting to stay at home and be ferried in for the days won’t be a problem (even at the eleventh hour).

9) I’m worried that I can’t come on site to settle my child in

Please understand, that’s a security measure - all the enlisted adult helpers will be issued with camp neck scarves and wristbands as identification, and the camp wardens will rapidly approach anybody not so adorned and question what they’re doing there. So the best way to be around to help your child settle in is to enlist as an adult helper - then you can be on hand for them, you won’t be worrying about them, and we’ll have a helper. Which is a win all round!

10) Is there an emergency contact number?

From what I understand of normal camp regulations there will be a camp emergency contact number issued to you all, but just in case, I will give you all my mobile number. I’ll be keeping it charged and switched on, and I hope there will be reception at the site.

Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts all commence next Wednesday (the 25th of April). We have lots of fun outdoors events planned across the group, to take advantage of the summery weather! As the name suggests, Scouting is traditionally a very outdoor activity, which we have hardly been able to give a representative sample of since starting due to dark evenings and cold weather, but we hope to make up for it now!

Since we don’t have the use of the village hall, we’re going on a night hike, so meet at the usual time at the Cranham Scout HQ car park rather than at the hall.

Bring sensible outdoor shoes, coats, and torches!

We sent out a consent form last week, but for those who didn’t get it, we’ll have ones that parents can sign on the night.

I’ve heard back from the county council waste management education folks - as predicted, we WILL NOT be able to arrange a visit in the evening next week. As promised, I’m trying to organise something during half term, but it turns out the education person has wisely chosen the Easter holiday to take her annual leave. We’re seeing if one of her colleagues could take us.

Apparently her usual trip is to the Grundon landfill site and the adjacent household recycling centre.

If we can’t get that organised during the Easter holiday, I’ll see if I can arrange something else fun instead… I’m sad that we’ve had to miss two meetings this term due to not having the use of the Village Hall, so am keen to make up for it!

…it’s school half term, so us leaders get a break!