Remembrance Sunday Parade Video (opens in a new tab)
I thought I'd put all the photos I took from the Remembrance Sunday parade into a video. Enjoy!
The Bloggers
Nick's Ramblings UK
- Active 2006–2020
- Posts 308
- Words 75,895
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Remembrance Sunday Parade (opens in a new tab)
Our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts along with the Brownies and Guides, today paid respect to those who have been killed in wars, by parading round Porthill, led by our drum band and then by joining the congregation of St. Andrew's Church for a service of Remembrance.
11-11-11 Rememberance Day (opens in a new tab)
Today at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year it is 93 years since the end of the First World War and 97 years since its beginning. Did the War to End All War's do so?
An Apology! (opens in a new tab)
For those of you who wander by here from time to time, you'll have noticed I've been a bit quiet recently. My Scouting has taken a bit of a back seat as we've been preparing for the arrival of our second daughter.
Canvas Versus Modern Tents (opens in a new tab)
For our first discussion, Chris and I talk about the merits (or otherwise) of traditional canvas tents versus modern synthetic ones. Traditional Canvas Tents – Nick Canvas tents have been around since the dawn of Scouting, so much so that when people think of Scouts camping, the mental image is of Scouts standing round a green…
Discussions (opens in a new tab)
After I'd had a chat last week with Chris Meadows (see his blog here or follow him on Twitter here ), he came up with a rather interesting proposal. We would pick a topic and one of us would argue one side and the other one the opposite.
A New Video From The SA (opens in a new tab)
The Scout Association have released a new video about the impact Scouting has on local communities. Very good it is too. Take a look.
September (opens in a new tab)
The holidays are over, the nights are drawing in and life begins to get busy again on the Scouting front. The Scouts are camping this weekend, it's Harvest at church next weekend and the Cubs are camping next month to name but a few things we have on.
First Class Scout (opens in a new tab)
My uncle recently sent me a box of stuff which included a couple of Scouting related books – 'Gilcraft's First Class Book' and 'How to Pass First Class Tests'. These books were written in 1945 and 1959 respectively (these were actually printed in 1960) and are to help the Scout pass his First Class Badge.
World Scout Jamboree (opens in a new tab)
I've been meaning to write about a few things over the last few days, but haven't got round to it. However, if you're interested in the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden, please take a look at my Group's site where one of our Young Leaders is posting updates and pictures from the WSJ!
Busy, Busy, Busy! (opens in a new tab)
Although if you've been looking here recently, you wouldn't have thought so! The last couple of weeks have had me smoothing a lot of ruffled feathers in the Group and sorting a big problem out due to some 'misunderstandings' with another party.
Group Annual General Meeting (opens in a new tab)
Friday saw my group's Annual General Meeting. This is where everyone connected with the Group gets to see what each section has been up to over the last year and also to do the 'formal' stuff, approve the year's accounts and elect the members of the Group's Executive.
Beaver 'Camp' (opens in a new tab)
Last weekend I went to camp for my first full weekend with our Beavers. I've visited them while at camp before, but never stayed for the whole time. Now I have to mention here that I wasn't in 'full Leader' mode as such while we were there, as Carol and Rachael (wife & daughter) were there…
Twitter (opens in a new tab)
This week I've participated in two different uses of Twitter . First of all I was blamed by Scouter Jeff for his recent higher than normal tea consumption! My English influence reaching all the way to California apparently! This then descended into national stereotypes of me preferring tea and more of my American friends preferring coffee…
A Monkey Emails (opens in a new tab)
Seriously! Last night I got an email from Augustus Clibbon who is a monkey and the mascot of the 3rd Ware Scout Group from Hertfordshire. This is the Group whose Scouts produced the video on how to tie a friendship knot which is very popular on my Group's site.
Burgled (opens in a new tab)
I was saddened and annoyed to hear that one of the Groups in our District had their Scout hut broken into just before the weekend and had some tents and lamps stolen. Luckily for the Group, this is more of an inconvenience than anything else, but that is not point.
Return to Scouting (opens in a new tab)
Tonight I've been to meet a potential new Assistant Scout Leader. He got in touch, out of the blue, to say he was interested in helping us, so I invited him for a chat. The interesting thing was that he had been a Leader (and Cub, Scout etc.)
Red is the Colour (opens in a new tab)
What is one of the defining things about the look of a Scout? Their neckerchief / necker / scarf, call it what you will. It shows everyone what Troop / Group / Pack / District etc. we belong to. They can be a single colour or multiple colours, in fact there are many combinations available.
Domesday (opens in a new tab)
Back in 1986, the BBC set out to make a modern version of the Domesday Book . They got the public to submit articles and photos and they used, for the time, the cutting edge BBC Master computers and analogue laser discs to allow people to store and access the information.
St. George's Day Parade & Drums (opens in a new tab)
Today I went to our District's St. George's Day Parade in Newcastle . We had our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts there, but this year we had something extra to add. Drums! Our Scout Troop used to have a Scout band in the 1930's to 1950's, but not a lot is known about it.
Royal Wedding Party (opens in a new tab)
So what did you do for the Royal Wedding? My Group held a special indoor street party for all the members of the Group. The Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Young Leaders and Leaders came dressed up as princes, princesses or in their best party outfits and played silly games and had a party tea.
My Badges App (opens in a new tab)
The Scout Association has launched the My Badges app which contains all the information and requirements for each badge and award from Beavers through to Network. This is an excellent idea which means we can have all the badge requirements available in our pockets on our mobile devices.
Some Thoughts from the Launch of 'My Body, My Choice' (opens in a new tab)
Following on from the launch of the My Body, My Choice sexual health programme last week, a few thoughts come to mind. I have been reading a lot of the press coverage and the vast majority has been extremely positive.
Libyan Scouts (opens in a new tab)
From the WOSM's website - The Boy Scouts of Libya, around 3,500 in the town of Benghazi, are organized, and able. They find themselves called upon to take on tasks that many would expect of the state – or at least more professional, trained volunteers. That kind of puts all our little 'problems' and 'grumbles' into perspective!
An Interesting Initiative (opens in a new tab)
Yesterday, the Scout Association launched the My Body, My Choice programme which is about sexual health. This does not mean that Beavers will be coming home with handfuls of condoms! This programme is aimed at the Explorer Scouts, and it's worth pointing out that it's not a compulsory part of the programme, but is there…
Scout's Photo Gallery (opens in a new tab)
Ever since my Scout Group has had its own website, we've put photos on it to show what we get up to. This is a great way to show potential new members what activities we do and, of course, the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts like to see pictures of themselves doing stuff.
Camping in London! (opens in a new tab)
Scouts are well know for their eagerness to camp in odd places, so as I sit on the train returning home from a weekend in London, let me give you four interesting places where Scouts can stay, and indeed, camp in London.
An Old Scouting Postcard (opens in a new tab)
A while back I borrowed an album of old postcards from my Uncle He has some postcards of the area where I (and he used to) live, as I wanted to copy them. Amongst these I found a postcard that I'd actually found for him many years ago.
Don't Raise Our Rents (opens in a new tab)
The Scout Association has just launched a campaign regarding the raising of the rent paid by Scout Groups for the land that their Scout Huts are built upon. Many Group's own their own building, and have done for many years, but the land they are built upon is often owned by their local council (County…
Responsible Internet Providers (opens in a new tab)
A couple of weeks ago I went to do the CEOP Ambassador training as a follow on to the Think U Know internet safety training I did in January . Over lunch, we had the usual time to 'network' and I got chatting to a lady from the mobile phone and broadband company O2 (quite what…
Shelterbox and Scouting (opens in a new tab)
I was reading this post by Scouter Doug in which he talks about donating to Shelterbox . This is an organisation that "provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most".
The Beaver's 25th Birthday (opens in a new tab)
This year marks the 25th Birthday of the Beaver section. Beavers have been official members of the Scout Association since 1986, but had in fact been around for some time before that. A younger section than Cubs was seen to be needed for some time and was done so in a similar way to which…
Scoutbase (opens in a new tab)
The Scout Association has closed down the Scoutbase website this last week and transferred its content to the Member Resources section of the main SA site . Scoutbase was the SA's first presence on the internet and was started way back in 1996!
Scouts in New Zealand Help the Earthquake Relief Effort (opens in a new tab)
Since the awful earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday, the New Zealand Scout Association have launched a 'Sponsor a Blanket' initiative. The NZ emergency services have stated there is a lack of blankets available and people can sponsor one for a donation of NZ$10 (just over £4).
Founder's Day (opens in a new tab)
Today is Founder's Day where Scouts and Guides (and all variations there of) celebrate the births of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. To celebrate the WOSM and the SA are encouraging Scouts to wear their neckers (scarf) at work, school etc.
Web Sites (opens in a new tab)
Over the past 15 years or so, a lot of Scout Groups / Districts etc. will have set up their own websites. Some will still be going and some will have long since vanished. These websites provide useful information about what is going on in that Group / District but also what has gone on.
2011 Census (opens in a new tab)
The yearly census of all Scouts in the UK is now complete and while the national results don't get released for a while yet, locally the figures are looking good. For my Group we actually have one less member than last year, but I'm not too worried for a couple of reasons.
Keeping Safe on the Internet (opens in a new tab)
On Wednesday, I had a nice day out from work to go to a Think U Know training course in Cardiff. Think U Know is a website run by The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) which has information for children aged 5 – 7, 8 – 10 & 11 – 16 on how to stay safe on…
Games in the Dark (opens in a new tab)
Since I wrote my 'Elf 'n' Safety post, the Scout Association have issued some guidelines about playing games in the dark (see the bit about the bloke who sued for a shoulder injury). The advice reads – Games advice 19/01/2011 A recent judgement on a Scouting accident which occurred in 2001 relates to a game run…
A Change in the Rules (opens in a new tab)
Every year or so, the Scout Association updates the rules by which the organisation is run. These rules, Policy, Organisation & Rules (PO&R) have just been updated. There are many changes reflecting the the way Scouting needs to be run in 2011.
'Elf 'n' Safety (opens in a new tab)
Back in September I wrote about the health and safety culture that is creeping into Scouting (well all aspects of everyday life really) and how it is being taken to the extremes. The main problem being the 'where there's blame there's a claim' type culture.
Bob a Job (opens in a new tab)
First of all, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and Santa brought you what you asked for! Looking through the business section of Sunday's Telegraph , I saw this article (it is also in Monday's Independent ) about the revival of Bob a Job week or Scout Job week.
Happy Christmas (opens in a new tab)
I'd like to wish everyone who visits my site, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Many thanks to those of you who have taken the time and effort to comment on my posts and I hope to see you all in 2011. Alternatively, please have a Merry Non-Denominational Winter Festive Period
Chief Scout Visit in 1963 (opens in a new tab)
As many of you will know, one of the things I'm interested in is the history of my Group. So the other week this letter in the local newspaper caught my eye. It was about the filming of the then Chief Scout's (Sir Charles Maclean) visit to Kibblestone Camp site in 1963.
Radio (opens in a new tab)
Today I came across a new online radio station I'd not heard of before called Red Shift Radio . It's based just up the road from me in Crewe and they have a show on Saturday lunchtime called 'Scout and About'.
Arson (opens in a new tab)
It was very sad to read today that our close neighbours, 1st Kidsgrove Scout Group , had suffered an arson attack. It seems someone had set fire to one of their outbuildings which was used to store archery and air rifle shooting equipment amongst others.
The Woodcraft Folk (opens in a new tab)
I read an article this morning about the Woodcraft Folk taking young people aged 11 / 13 (depending where you read) to the demonstrations about the proposed rises in university tuition fees. The article I read was in the Daily Telegraph (but I can't find it online – p16 of the paper though!)
Community (opens in a new tab)
A lot is said today about the need for people to do stuff for their local communities. The idea being that by doing things in the community, people are giving back. Of course, Scouts (and other youth organisations to be fair) have been doing this for well over 100 years, from the traditional image of…
Snow (opens in a new tab)
With the UK (and various parts of Europe as well, by all accounts) getting snow unseasonably early, the country is slowly grinding to a halt! However, should this mean that Scouting activities should stop as well? No! At the beginning of the year, it snowed quite badly, but our Scouts went ahead with the camp…
Scouts to Stop Camping? (opens in a new tab)
Not really! But if you read this article in the Sunday Telegraph , you might get that idea. Now, I was going to write a comprehensive and witty repost, but then I noticed that Chris Hawes had already written about it on his Be Prepared blog .