16th Bermondsey Scout Group

Having  just recently said goodbye to so many leaders and helpers it is good to welcome a whole new gang of  volunteers….

Dave first came to Scout  Summer camp, has  also been with Eddie on a hike camp and is taking over helping scouts with their badges from his sister Lin while she is off having a baby.

Giles  is a real adventurerer having been climbing and camping all over the world . He has already been sharing his skills and enthusiasm with the younger scouts at Westerham and with the older members in the New Forest.

Jonathan is a doctor at a major London Hospital. Eddie asked him to share his medical skills with the  scouts, only to find  he is a psychiatrist!

Scott is helping our Cubs, he brings skills and stories from his home country of the USA and his time as a scout.

Beavers bounce up at last! After nearly 2 years of advertising and school visiting, with no visible effect, we suddenly have an increase from a consistent 3 members to 15 on some nights. Leader Sue and Sandy are blessed by 3 Young Leaders, Kweku, Lydia and Kirsten.  They work on badge after badge, firing rockets, cooking sweets, making and messing with all kinds of stuff!  Attending district Beaver activities has been a great support to us while we were a small struggling colony. Thanks to Sab and her District Beaver Scout  team.

Since Sept the scouts have have been concentrating on training for our half term New Forest Hiking camp for older scouts and YLs. Friday nights have been spent cooking on lightweight stoves, menu planning, map reading, first aid and pitching hike tents. Everyone wanting to go on the New Forest camp had to undertake a training hike camp with full rucacs along the North Downs 2 weeks before.  The weeks of training paid-off as we found ourselves pitching tents late at night in the dark and pouring rain. ( Decathlon tents beat the Vango’s for speed every time!) We spent 2 days hiking through the forest in lovely weather and an even better day visiting Brownsea island. We took 4 YLs and 6 older scouts who all managed to hike about 22 miles with full camping kit during a 2 day hike, mostly through some very rough and boggy forest paths.