News - Earlier News
- Grove Scouts host Distance Cyclists
On Saturday 6th February, on behalf of King Alfred’s District, Grove Scout Group played hosts to a team of cyclists from 37th Oxford (St. Francis) as they bid to cycle around all Oxford’s Scout Districts in one day!
Brendan a CSL and David an SL were both doing the challenge as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and as part of their Queen’s Scout Award Challenge. They were accompanied on the ride by Ian the GSL of 37th Oxford as moral support!
- 12/02/10 - 04:24pm
- Watchfield & Shrivenham Beavers celebrate Burns Night
"So that's what a haggis looks like?" The Watchfield & Shrivenham Beavers had great fun celebrating Burns Night (albeit the day after!) in their HQ at the end of January. The youngsters, some rather apprehensively, joined the queue for a traditional dish of haggis and "clapshot" - a variety of tatties and neeps, apparently.
However, almost all of them were brave enough to have a taste and there was soon a queue for seconds!
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The other high spot of the evening was the entry of a genuine Scottish piper, in the shape of Major Will Colquhoun, resplendent in his full tartan. He entertained the Beavers with some stirring Scottish bagpipe music.
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He allowed the youngsters to have a try on bagpipe chanters and drones as well as having a go at playing the pipes themselves! Perhapsthe result was noise rather than music, but it was great fun!
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Thanks to Caroline and the other Leaders for organising a super evening.
- 01/02/10 - 10:55pm
- Stuart Rae Challenge 2010
Calling all KA Scouts who will be aged between 14.0 and 16.0 years old this September. Check your notice board (or ask your Scout or Explorer Leader) for information about this prestigious Challenge.
The challenge is organised to provide an opportunity for Scouts in the King Alfred District to find the special enjoyment that is to found in outdoor ADVENTURE and the FUN that comes with that.
To meet the requirements of the ‘Challenge’ each Challenger must demonstrate perseverance, team work, high standards in navigation, hill-walking, camp-craft and relevant Scouting skills.
Successful challengers will have demonstrated they are able, by their own efforts, to undertake a difficult objective and working over an extended time scale to achieve a defined high standard. Challengers will be expected to be self-reliant, but be able and willing to play a full and constructive part in a team with a common objective.
Click on the logo to see the SRC 2010 flyer.
- 26/01/10 - 12:19am
- Beavers "Snakes and Ladders" evening
A private evening session was booked for Beaver Scouts from the District on Wednesday 2nd December at “Snakes and Ladders” in Abingdon.
Beaver Scouts came from 1st Cuckamsley, 1st Stanford in the Vale, Buffalo Beavers and Silver Beavers from Grove Scout Group. We numbered 70 in total and they all had a marvellous time clambering over obstacles, swinging on ropes, rolling over fit balls, leaping from a great height into the ball pool, and sliding down many of the different sorts of slides, all without a leader controlling them.
However, the leaders and parents kept a watchful eye on them from the safety of the coffee tables and spent time chatting to parents, discussing next term’s programme and putting next week’s craft activity together. Interspersed with red-cheeked Beavers requesting drinks of water.
Ten minutes before we were due to leave we amassed all the Beavers in front of the play frame for a group photo. A good evening was had by all, especially by the Beavers who all looked really tired and ready for a bath and bed when they left with their parents!
Many thanks to all the Leaders, and the attentive staff at Snakes and Ladders, the parents who brought their Beavers; and who took them away again afterwards! My thanks especially to the ABSLs of the Silver Beaver Leader team who ran the evening and sorted the paperwork.
Fiona Stovold, BSL
Silver Beaver Colony
Grove Scout Group
- 25/01/10 - 11:45pm
- District Swimming Gala 2010
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The District Swimming Gala is being held on Saturday 27th March at Wantage Leisure Centre and all of our Scout Groups are invited to enter teams. All on the same night there are separate Galas for the Beaver, Cub and Scout Sections and each Section in your Group can enter up to two teams.
- 21/01/10 - 02:16am
- District Beaver International Day
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The first District Beaver International Day held at the DHQ in Wantage on 16th Jan 2010 saw 36 intrepid Beavers jetting off around the world & meeting Beavers from other colonies.
After learning about Belgium and singing a song in Dutch we each received our Passport and set off in smaller groups to tour around the activities.
4th KA leaders created a large farmyard map of Africa, a 4-metre totem pole rose above Grove Silver and we built mini tipis on our visit to Canada. Moving on to Japan the Stanford team helped to fold paper hats and our newest leader from Watchfield & Shrivenham provided lots of European flags to colour and identify. We all enjoyed the sunshine in Australia where Grove Buffalo taught us cricket and Aussie Rules football whilst learning about German Christmas traditions and decorating lebkuchen with 1st KA finished off our world tour.
We closed by collecting a total of £8.59 by covering a Scout arrowhead with coins to go towards the Haiti earthquake relief fund. Finally our thanks go to all the leaders and helpers who made such a successful afternoon.
- 19/01/10 - 11:23am
- Jamboree Selection Weekend postponed
The Oxfordshire Contingent World Jamboree Selection Weekend has been postponed due to the dodgy weather and difficulty in accessing the venue.
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The Selection Weekend will now be held from 12th to 14th March 2010 a Youlbury. Scouts and Explorers who applied to go to the Jamboree in Sweden in 2011 will be notified of details nearer the time.
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- 17/01/10 - 11:50pm
- Grove and SITV Beavers Christmas Hike
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Grove "Silver" Beavers and Stanford in the Vale Beavers with their families enjoyed a wonderful Winter Hike on the downs near White Horse Hill just after Christmas.
- 14/01/10 - 01:58pm
- 38th Year of the Stuart Rae Challenge
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On 7th November, three King Alfred Scouts - Catherine Spilsbury and Joe Buck from 4th KA and Jacob Bunn from 1st KA Groups finally completed their "Stuart Rae Challenge" after nine months of preparation.
The Stuart Rae Challenge continues to be the “Jewel in the Crown” of the King Alfred District Scout Diary. It was initiated 38 years ago to celebrate the life of Stuart Rae (1947 – 1971), who had been a Scout with the District. In 1971 Captain Stuart Rae, of the Royal Marines was killed in action in the Arabian Desert whilst on special duty with the forces of Muscat and Oman. He was just 24 years old. During his Scouting years in Cheshire and Wantage and afterwards with the Marines in Norway, the Alps, New Zealand, Malaya and the Himalayas, Stuart had sought adventure on mountains and in jungles and deserts. The Stuart Rae challenge commemorates Stuarts’ personality, drive and example.
The challenge is organised to provide an opportunity for Scouts in the King Alfred District to experience the enjoyment that Stuart had in outdoor adventure.
In order to achieve the challenge, the Scouts took part in a Cycle Moot, and in May completed a navigational training exercise at Sparsholt Firs and an over night hike on the Downs locally. They gained 4 relevant Scout badges each. This year’s challengers used this as an opportunity to do some amazing things including attending a climbing course at The National Mountain Centre in Plas Y Brenin, learning single rope technique caving and hiking in the mountains of Snowdonia. They then passed a set of searching navigation and safety tests. These tasks were all training for the highlight of the Challenge, an expedition in Wales. On 3rd - 5th October, they back-packed for 2 days and over 35kms in remote and previously unvisited Mid-Wales.
The final part of the challenge was the Presentation Evening at District Headquarters which, for some, was the most challenging task. Local dignitaries, including Wantage Deputy Mayor, Jim Sibbald and Chair of Grove Parish Council, Frank Parnell and Scout officials including District Commissioner, Gill Sharpe joined parents, leaders and friends, congregated with Stuart Rae’s parents, Audrey and Duncan Rae and were entertained by the Scouts’ personal accounts of their challenge year.- 16/11/09 - 01:08am
- Pioneers brave the storms!
Twenty Scouts from across the District and visiting Scouts from Bourne Valley Troop near Salisbury took part in a Pioneer Badge Course at Shrivenham Scout HQ over the weekend 13-14 November! That was the stormy, wet and windy Saturday we were warned about on the TV forecasts! 
Although the youngsters did sleep indoors and practice their knots and lashings under cover, they braved the awful weather to construct towers, ballistas and a aerial walkway amongst the trees. A couple of times during the day we all fled indoors to avoid a torrential downpour for a tea break and to learn a few more skills. But then back outside to check the holdfasts and lashings (which go really tight when they get wet!) and complete the projects. 
A good time was had by all, the projects all worked OK and everyone survived. A score of tired Scouts disappeared homewards in the dark, still trying to remember how the sheet bend got its name and how to tie the handcuff knot in less than one second!
- 15/11/09 - 07:25pm
- Grove Beaver's Prize Poster
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Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards ran a Fireworks Safety
competition aimed at all primary school children, those in the Scouting and Girlguiding and youth groups and clubs in two categories, ages 4-7 and 8-11.
Jonathan Varley of Grove Beavers entered the competition with his picture and was one of the ten out of 700 entries shortlisted to attend this morning in Oxford at County Hall to see who actually won the competition. Although he didn’t win first prize, he received a £10 WH Smith voucher as a runner up.
Well done Jonathan!
- 15/11/09 - 06:36pm
- District Scout Cooking Competition
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Six teams from across the District took part in this year’s Scout Cooking Competition on 1st November. As usual, the two-course menus showed great imagination, making full use of the ingredients supplied. The food cooking filled the Scout Hall with wonderful aromas.
Congratulations to 1st Stanford In The Vale, “Red Hot Chillies” foursome for winning. They will be going forward to compete in the County Cooking Competition being held at The Oxford Belfry on the 22nd November and we wish them good luck.
Winners: “Red Hot Chillies”, 1st Stanford in the Vale with 96 points
Runners up: “Tantalising Tigers”, 1st King Alfred with 89 points
3rd place: “W & S Girlies”, Watchfield & Shrivenham with 87 points
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I would like to thank all the Scouts taking part for making it a great event.
Linda Greenfield
ADC Scouts
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- 06/11/09 - 10:50pm
- Grove Silver Beavers' Sleepover at Youlbury
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Twenty one eager Beavers, their parents and Leaders set off for their Autumn sleepover at Youlbury Scout Activity Centre. Their Canadian themed 'camp' was a great success - read all about it at this link.
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- 19/10/09 - 10:29pm
- Wye Valley Canoe Weekend
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Nineteen Scouts from Watchfield & Shrivenham, 1st King Alfred, Faringdon and Stanford in the Vale plus Leaders, Instructors and 'Ground Crew' converged on the River Wye over the first weekend in July for the annual District 'canoe cruise'. After a week of scorching sunshine and high humidity, the weather moderated to a perfect, pleasant English summer's day (honest!). The river was rather low but this did not prevent us on Saturday from seal launching into the slow flowing Wye, then paddling down from our campsite to Monmouth for a not very quick lunch stop by the town bridge. With us all refreshed and still in good spirits we paddled on down a picturesque stretch of the river through Redbrook to Whitebrook for an interesting egress up a steep bank through shoulder-high stinging nettles!
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Limbering up before the cruise
Canoeists on the River Wye
After being ferried back to the campsite and a quick shower, two carloads of chip suppers arrived and everyone settled down for a relaxing evening by the river. On Sunday morning, the heavens opened to ensure that our tents were all soaking wet before being taken down. Still, not to worry, the ground crew would sort things out. We canoeists were taken to Lower Lydbrook where we joined the queue behind what seemed to be hundreds of other canoeists and kayakers to eventually launch on an interesting and relatively fast flowing stretch of the Wye.
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Canoeists under way
Arriving at Monmouth
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As we approached Symonds Yat, there is a well-known rock by the river which you can - if you dare, drag your canoe up, then launch off the top vertically into the river. Some of us - the brave ones - did and it was an exhilerating, if damp, experience! The recently re-designed rapids at the Yat were not very rapid due to the low water level, but we joined the many other canoeists and had a great time going down the rapids, sometimes in our canoes and sometimes out of our boats!
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Looks like a good place to launch!
I'm sure I had a canoe just now!
Then all too soon time to paddle back to the campsite, load up and return home, tired but elated. Our thanks to our resident Instructors Daryl, Doug, Neil and Roger, guest instructors Chris and Lou, paddling Leaders Paul and Alan and the ground crew for giving us a teriffic weekend.
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- 10/07/09 - 12:32am
- Explorers go Laserquesting
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Laserquest 2009 results
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Thursday 2nd July saw members of the four Explorer Scout Units travel to Shaw Ridge in Swindon for what has become a favourite inter-Unit competition – the Laserquest challenge.
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For those of you that don’t know this activity it is essentially a team game where you try to ‘shoot’ the opposing team using harmless laser guns without being hit yourself. Once you are hit your weapon is disabled for a short time. It is a combination of teamwork, tactics and great fun plus with a lot of moving around it is quite sweaty and physical! The venue had also relocated and was able to provide better facilities and a new arena to get used to with a combination of low lighting, spotlights, smoke and noise – just what the doctor ordered to blow away those post-exam blues.
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Each Unit played each other Unit in a series of 15 minute games and the overall winner was Shackleton with an outstanding total of over 12 thousand, though they had admitted to some practise sessions! Well done to them.
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Rank
Points
Unit
1
12965
Shackleton
2
9176
White Horse
3
7676
Ridgeway
4
7162
Waylanders
- 07/07/09 - 08:20am
- District Beaver Scout Activities Afternoon
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You can see a brief account of this Beaver Scout event at Youlbury, with pictures, at this link.
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- 28/06/09 - 11:00pm
- St George's Parade and Service
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Sunday 26th April saw crowds of young - and not so young - people in Scout uniform from all across our District coming together to celebrate St George's Day at our annual Parade and Service in Wantage. An impressive number of Explorer Scouts, Scouts, Cubs and Beavers assembled at the District Head Quarters in Springfield Road, Wantage then paraded in bright sunshine to SS Peter and
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Once inside the church, which was full to near-overflowing, Father John got the service underway. He was joined by Canon Peter from St John Vianney Catholic Church and Revd Richard Hancock from Shrivenham. Revd Richard gave a lively sermon about fighting evil, illustrating the point using St George and Harry Potter slaying dragons – accompanied by a great deal of ‘audience participation’. Perhaps the best comment when asked what to do before going dragon slaying was “Do a risk assessment”! Youngsters from Cuckhamsley Group read the Beaver, Cub and Scout Laws and all invested members present renewed their Promise.
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Prayers were offered for the safe return of Gareth Koch, who is a Scout Leader in the district and has been missing in Nepal for the last five years. Laura Jones and Martin Burns gave a presentation on the Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield event which took place at Youlbury the previous day (see the news article below).
Colours returned to the flagbearers, and everyone assembled outside, the parade then marched back smartly – again in bright sunshine - to District Headquarters. There, the District Commissioner praised everyone for their excellent turnout and smartness (which even got us applause and flag-waving from the crowds in the Market Square) before we were dismissed to head off home to relax!
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- 29/04/09 - 06:35pm
- Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield
An unexpectedly sunny day, and 32 Scouts and Explorer Scouts descended on Youlbury for this year's Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield. The mixed teams, throwing together Scouts from the different Troops, tried their hand at a range of challenges ranging from pitching a tent upside down to backwoods firelighting, and from 'krazy croquet' to carrying a booby trapped crate over an obstacle course - very carefully!
This event marks five years since Gareth Koch, a Scout Leader in our District, went missing during a hiking trip to Mount Everest base camp in Nepal. His parents David and Gill were delighted with the enthusiastic attendance at this year's Challenge and presented shields to the winners (in the photograph) and runners up teams, and badges to everyone taking part.
- 25/04/09 - 06:24pm
- Grove Scouts refresh the Half-Marathon runners
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Grove Scouts once again ran a feeding station for the White Horse Half Marathon on Sunday 5th April. The Half Marathon, now in its 27th year, starts at Grove Rugby Club and goes in and around the surrounding villages before finishing back up in Grove.
A number of Grove Scouts (plus leaders and helpers) set-up shop at Asti Stud between Denchworth and Goosey and ensured all 500 runners were well watered as well as offering emergency first aid advice and lots of encouragement.
The feeding station was just shy of the 11 mile marker, so runners had just over 2 miles to go at that point.
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Thankfully good weather continued throughout the duration of the race and many Scouts took the opportunity to cycle the 2.5 miles from Grove to the feeding station. The reward – as much water as you could drink – Mars bars provide by the White Horse Harriers – and yes the obligatory water fight at the end after the last runners had gone past. Before you ask -yes – the leaders got wet too!
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Many thanks to the White Horse Harriers for giving a commemorative mug to each of the Scouts and congratulations to the runners, many of whom needed a well earned drink at the end!
Paul Steptoe
Assistant Scout Leader
Grove Scouts
- 13/04/09 - 12:28am
- Congratulations!
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Congratulations to Derek Hillbeck (District Explorer Scout Commissioner) and Andy Tombs (ASL, Watchfield and Shrivenham) on the award of their Silver Acorn medals "In recognition of specially distinguished service" in the St George's Day Award list. Greatly deserved and well done!
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Also our congrats to former District Commissioner Angela Cousins who has been awarded the highest honour for services to Scouting - the Silver Wolf.
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- 04/04/09 - 02:43pm
- St George's Parade 2009
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Details of the arrangements for our Scout Groups attending the St George's Parade and Service in Wantage on Sunday 26th April are available at this link. 
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- 30/03/09 - 11:35pm
- District Swimming Gala Results
Faringdon does the double!
Well done to Faringdon Pack and Troop for winning both the Cub and Scout swimming galas this year.
As always the competition was close and even noisier than last year. In all four Beaver Scout Teams, eight Cub Scout teams and four Scout teams competed for the trophies.
The results are shown below:-
The Beaver gala races resulted in a tie for first place.
Position
Team
Points
=1
Grove Tuesday (Silver Team 2)
20
=1
Grove Tuesday (Silver Team 1)
20
=2
Stanford in the Vale Blue
16
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Stanford in the Vale Red
16
The Cub gala was a very close run with only three points separating the first three places.
Position
Team
Points
1
Faringdon
33
2
1st King Alfred
32
3
4th King Alfred
30
4
Stanford in the Vale Dolphins
26
5
Watchfield and Shrivenham (White)
20
6
Grove Jaguars
19
7
Stanford in the Vale Sharks
16
8
Watchfield and Shrivenham (Green)
9
For the Scout Gala it was very close after the first few events but Faringdon managed
to build up an unassailable lead by the end.
Position
Team
Points
1
Faringdon
32
2
Watchfield and Shrivenham (Bravo)
26
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Watchfield and Shrivenham (Alpha)
25
=3
4th King Alfred
25
Well done to all who took part, we hope everyone enjoyed it and we hope to see you again next year. Don’t forget to put your Group names on the trophies!
Thanks must go to the intrepid Gala Crew who made it all run smoothly. It is quite a complex operation making sure that we know who is swimming; getting them into the right lanes, timing and scoring each event and finally making sure the certificates are available. This year they were over a dozen people carrying out various roles and we could not have done it without them. – Thank you. Derek
- 19/03/09 - 10:04am
- District Beaver Hike
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Beaver Scouts and their families from Cuckhamsley, Stanford-in-the-Vale and Grove’s Silver Beaver Colony, together with our District and Deputy District Commissioners Gill and Paul Sharpe gathered under the shelter between the two car parks in Snelsmore Common near Newbury,
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Firstly along the gravel path that took us deeper onto the Common. We then followed a restricted by-way to the edge of the Common where two houses stand. The path continued past the houses onto a track through the woods. At a kiss gate we turned right and walked down the hill to a village called Bagnor. Here we joined a small road and turned left to pass the Blackbird Inn. (I did notice some parents looking longingly at it as we passed!!)
Striding out on the hike!
I know it's a pub, keep going!
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Leaving the pub on our left, we passed some very nice houses and turned left through another kiss gate and then up a small hill to cross the A34 on a footbridge. After trying to pass quietly by a golfer teeing off, we turned right once more onto another short walk through some wood land and we emerged out onto the hill with the ruins of
So buttoned up against the weather we walked on heading for Snelsmore now and being warm once more. We crossed over the A34 for the last time and then headed for Snelsmore Common with the rain and horizontal hail behind us. We were relieved to reach the shelter of the trees on Snelsmore Common, and by the time we had reached the car park again, we could see the edge of the heavy shower cloud moving rapidly towards us with blue sky and sunshine behind it!
Once back in the car park, there were some rather wet Beavers and families, but with all smiling faces! We suggested that everyone went home to get changed out of their wet clothes and to get warm as soon as possible, so a group photo was missed yet again! Badges gained on the hike will be given out at the next Beaver Scout meeting!
True to form, we left Snelsmore Common in bright sunshine as if nothing had ever happened in the way of rain! But lurking out to the west was another huge ominous black cloud heading in our direction. I didn’t care now; we were going home, no more walking for today! This walk has been taken from the 1001 AA walks. No.192. It is 3 miles and uses paths and tracks through the woods. Grid reference: SU 463709
Up the hill to Donington Castle
A new Leader is invested
My thanks go to all the Leaders and Assistant Leaders of the Beaver Colonies attending, for supporting my mad idea of a District Beaver Hike. (Conceived I will admit, whilst nursing a high temperature before Christmas!!) And during the hike, our new Grove Assistant Beaver Scout Leader, Rachel, was invested by the DC - see the photo above. Thank you also to Gill and Paul Sharpe for supporting us all, coming on the walk, taking the photos and also getting a trifle damp!
Fiona Stovold, BSL
Silver Beaver Colony
Grove Scout Group
- 30/03/09 - 11:37pm
- Beaver honoured for rescuing infant in swimming pool
At a presentation Ceremony on 20th January at the Watchfield & Shrivenham Scout HQ, Beaver Scout Wilf Richardson was presented with the Chief Scout's Commendation for Meritorious Conduct by County Commissioner, Tarquin May. The citation on the certificate signed personally by the Chief Scout reads "In recognition of his quick thinking when his younger cousin fell head first into the swimming pool, his prompt actions to pull her to safety until the arrival of an adult was the major factor in saving her life. Wilmslow, Cheshire, July 2008"
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The presentation took place at the weekly meeting of the W&S Beavers in front of the Colony and guests including Wilf's parents and grandparents, the District Commissioner and Deputy DC Gill and Paul Sharpe, Mrs Sue Currie, Head Teacher of Shrivenham Primary School, Lt Col Willder from the Defence Academy together with Leaders and Committee members from the Group.
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These awards are only given for exceptional acts of service to others and Wilf's actions are something of which he and all of us can be proud. The District Commissioner also stressed how important it was for young people to learn to swim and be confident in the water.
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Chief Scout Peter Duncan said "I am delighted that Wilf's quick thinking helped save this young lady's life. Scouting is not only about giving young people adventure, but also about providing life long skills. Wilf's actions demontrated that he was able to use these skills to help his cousin"
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- 22/01/09 - 01:43am
- Cubs Have Got Talent
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CUBS HAVE GOT TALENT
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On the 20th December the Cubs of the 4th King Alfred Scout Group took part in ‘Cubs Got Talent’, a talent show based on the popular TV show of a similar name. The four Pack nights before the event were set aside for practicing and rehearsals.
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The night was attended by around 50 family and friends who were all treated to a fun packed night of music, magic, jokes and diablo juggling tricks.
Andy and Nick played Ant and Dec and our acts were all scrutinised by our judges on the night, District Commissioner Gill Sharpe, County Commissioner Tarquin May and local entertainer and magician Uncle Wiggy.
Each act had 3 minutes to impress the audience before the judges commented on the act. After about an hour of entertainment a short interval gave the audience time to grab some food from the bbq and a drink from the bar. It also gave time for those who weren’t jumped on on arrival to buy some raffle tickets.
After the interval the remaining acts took to the stage followed by a short run down of the acts. The audience were then asked to vote for their favourite and while they were being counted the raffle was drawn.
A total of £300 was raised for the charity Action Duchenne who help children and their families who suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
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We would like to thank all who helped with the evening, from those who donated raffle prizes to all those who helped on the night and to the three judges who gave up their time for the show.
- 12/01/09 - 10:58pm
- Swimming Gala 2009
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The District Swimming Gala will be held at the Wantage Leisure Centre on Saturday 14th March and we hope every Section in every Group will be able to enter a team (or two!)
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For details, click here for the Invitation letter, Information and Rules, Beaver entry form, Cub entry form and Scout entry form. Happy swimming!
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- 08/03/09 - 11:19pm
- King Alfred District News - December 2008
Hi everyone,
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To read the DC's Christmas edition of the District Newsletter - just click here!
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And a really Happy Christmas and a super Scouting New Year 2009 to you all!
- 16/12/08 - 05:57pm
- The Scouting Pioneers
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Late November, and time for the annual District Pioneer Badge Course held at Watchfield & Shrivenham Scout HQ. Although only eleven Scouts took part this year, they were soon enthusiastically getting into the basic skills of knots, lashings, whippings, splicings, levers, block and tackle, holdfasts and the like (yes, there is quite a bit to it!). And having discovered that about 3,800 knots have been invented, they were still not put off!
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On a rather chilly Saturday morning (after a warm sleepover in the HQ!) , the main projects got underway with the two teams electing to build a rope bridge and a signal tower.
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Yes, I know it's a square lashing!
Our tower!
The rope bridge ready to go!
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As well as building these outdoors constructions, the Scouts were briefed on safety (as ropes under tension can be rather dangerous if you are not careful) and learned about different types of rope and how to look after pioneering equipment. And there was a session on the history of knots, how they got their names, the proper use of the knots and how to teach knotting to younger Scouts in an interesting way.
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All in all a very successful course ending with everyone getting a certificate and (eventually!) a badge.
What do you mean? It's gonna be a knitted wigwam!##
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- 08/03/09 - 11:22pm
- Capital day out for Grove Beavers
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In the Dinosaur Hall
Natural History Museum
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The two Grove Beaver Colonies continue their adventurous exploits with a visit to London on Saturday 29th November.
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Beaver Leader Fiona Stovold has written up a fascinating account of the day out and you can read it in full if you ....
Outside Baden Powell House
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- 26/12/08 - 01:12am
- Beavers take to the Hills!
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On Sunday 12th October Cuckhamsley Beavers, Silver and Buffalo Beavers from Grove Scout Group enjoyed a family hike of 3½ miles on the
We all met in the car park of the Greyhound Pub and every family was given a copy of the planned route and each Beaver given an Alphabet Quiz to do along the way. The early morning fog was beginning to clear rapidly and made the scene very picturesque as the sun melted the mist gently into a long thin cloud, leaving the top of the downs visible and the grazing field of sheep in a slight haze.
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The walk took us along some field tracks to where the Downs begin to rise. We then took a small way-marked path across a field to enter into a small wooded area. After the stile out, we turned left to head straight up the hill, which is the steepest part of the whole walk. (This is where 2 bags of treat size Malteasers came in handy!)
We all regrouped again on the Ridgeway, having taken our own time to get up the hill, and then walked eastwards to Segsbury Farm, where we stopped to take a Group photograph. We then left the Ridgeway and followed a broad track northwards which eventually becomes tarmac and returned downhill to Letcombe Regis and the Greyhound for lunch.
This walk was taken from the No.15 Oxfordshire “Leisure walks for all ages”, published by Jarrold.
Three Beavers from Cuckhamsley and two from Silver Beavers managed to fill in all 26 letters for the Quiz, and were quite ingenious for the letters Q, Z and X! They received a Beaver Blanket Badge for their efforts. Fifteen Beavers were given their Staged Activity Badge Hikes Away 1 and 3 Beavers had their second hike logged and they are well on their way to gaining their Hikes Away 5, and all Beavers had one requirement ticked towards the Friendship Challenge Badge, ‘Joining in activities with another Colony’.
Whilst we were having lunch, Pete Dawson from 4th King Alfred arrived and was enjoying the warm autumn sunshine in the pub garden, and it transpired that he was waiting for some 4th KA Scouts , who were hosting Scouts from Seesen in
My thanks to Pauline Rogers for bringing her Beavers on the hike from Hendred and especially to Rachel Caudle, Silver Beavers’ new Assistant Leader, for organising the lunch and being a very able ‘lunch secretary’!
Fiona Stovold – BSL
Silver Beavers
Grove Scout Group
- 26/12/08 - 01:13am
- Welcome to our new District Commissioner
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As of 1st October, we have a new District Commissioner. Gill Sharpe, who has been Beaver Leader at Watchfield & Shrivenham "for many years" has agreed to take over the reins and she will be supported by the new Deputy District Commissioner - her husband Paul! 
We wish Gill and Paul all the best in their new and important venture and thank Angela Cousins for keeping the District in good shape as Acting DC for best part of a year.
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Gill and Paul have produced a newsletter to introduce themselves and this can be viewed at this link. The King Alfred "Way Forward - How can I help?" form referred to in Gill's newsletter is available here for you to complete and return.
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- 17/10/08 - 01:42pm
- AquaCamp 2008
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Scouts from Grove, Faringdon and Watchfield & Shrivenham took part in the annual County "AquaCamp held near Standlake over the weekend 13th - 15th June. On offer to the 250 young people attending was a range of water activities including kayaking and open canoes, sailing, raft building, .....
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- 17/10/08 - 01:56pm
- District Badge Secretary
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We now have a new District Badge Secretary, Sharon Evans. You can download a badge order form as a Word document - click here.
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When you are ready to order your badges, you can either post the form to Sharon at 11 Mowbray Road, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 8ST or email her at badges@kascouts.org.uk
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- 11/06/08 - 12:14am
- District Patrol Camping Competition
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Our annual District Patrol Camping Competition was held at Youlbury Scout Activity Centre over the Bank Holiday weekend 3rd – 5th May. Nine Patrols representing 5 of the Troops appeared on Saturday morning with their tents, dining shelters and boxes full of catering equipment, tools and food. Previous experience of the rough terrain was evident as several teams arrived with their wheelbarrows and sack trucks to haul the gear through the woods to their allotted campsites!oo
I'm sure it goes this way round!
Smoke gets in your eyes
ooThe Patrols soon set about the task of establishing a smart camping area with all mod cons – a sleeping tent, dining shelter, store tent, fire and cooking areas. During the weekend, the Patrols were judged for the excellence of camping skills – well-pitched tents, safe food storage, fires, gadgets, safety and teamwork.
Let the tree planting begin!
Fresh fruit chocolate fondu ... yummy!
ooIn between the chores of maintaining a smart campsite, the Scouts enjoyed a range of activities and sports, wide games, forays and quizzes, as well as the traditional camp fire and noisy entertainments.
The leaders are clearly a bit peckish! Take five! ooOn Sunday evening, each Patrol prepared a 3-course banquet from fresh (mainly!) ingredients using a wood fire for cooking. Some of mum’s best china, cutlery and table decorations were in evidence by the time the judges came around to sample the fare. There was a bit of panic in some quarters when someone realised the potatoes needed another 10 minutes or the chicken was still a bit pink, as the judges came into sight! However, a splendid variety of dishes emerged, from baked salmon steaks and colourful vegetarian stir fry to flash-fried rabbit and pigeon wraps, and from a huge home-made banoffee cheesecake and chocolate ginger surprise to fresh fruit chocolate fondue.
W&S 'Kingfishers' Banquet
SITV 'Fluffy Pink Tongs' Banquet
ooThe campers were lucky with the weather in that the rain which struck Youlbury on the Sunday night cleared up quite quickly, allowing the Scouts to break camp with reasonably dry tents.
Looking for inspiration?
"Having completed the risk assessment ....!"
ooAfter all the points had been totted up, honours in the Camping Competition went to the winners - Watchfield & Shrivenham “Kingfishers” with Stanford in the Vale “Fluffy Pink Tongs” as runners-up and W&S “Swifts” taking third place. The Camp Banquet was also won by W&S “Kingfishers” with W&S “Swifts in 2nd place and the SITV “Fluffy Pink Tongs in 3rd place.
Competition winners 1st W&S 'Kingfishers'
"... and thank you for a super camp!"
ooThen it was off home for a good bath and tales to tell parents about (some of!) their adventures. All in all it was a very successful and enjoyable weekend, with new skills learned and new friends made.oo- 17/10/08 - 02:06pm
- St George's Parade and Service
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In spite of a dire weather forecast, the sun actually came out to welcome Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorer Scouts from across the District when they gathered for the annual St George's Parade, held this year in Faringdon on 20th April.
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Around 300 youngsters and leaders met up at Faringdon Junior School (fancy going to school on a Sunday!) and Paraded through the town, ably accompanied by Wantage Silver Band.
(Photos courtesy of Andy Harper)
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The service at All Saints church (filled to capacity!) found the youngsters in good voice and the congregation were treated to a review of the World Scout Jamboree in 2007 by one of the Explorer Scouts and Leaders who attended as part of the Oxfordshire contingent.
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On the march back from the service, Scouting officials and local digntaries took the salute from the youngsters and leaders representing Grove, 1st and 4th King Alfred, Stanford in the Vale, Watchfield & Shrivenham and Faringdon Groups.
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- 17/10/08 - 01:47pm
- Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield 2008
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The second running of the Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield was held at Youlbury Scout Activity Centre on 19th April.
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A skipping rope with attitude!
The winning team with Gill Koch
Are you sure this is the right way up?
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Details and lots more photos of this event can be seen at http://www.garethkochlostinnepal.co.uk/
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- 17/10/08 - 01:55pm
- District Swimming Gala 2008
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What has two dozen legs and arms and makes a noise like a stampede of elephants? Judging by the ringing in my ears I would have to say a Scout swimming team! The Beavers and Cubs were not that much quieter.
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Saturday 15th March saw teams from every Group in the District descend on the pool at Wantage Leisure Centre for our annual District Swimming Gala.
The Beaver section started the proceedings with four teams from three Colonies taking part. This was a very close contest with each Beaver swimming their heart out and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The end result was a tie for first place so the Colonies will be able to share the brand new trophies for half a year each.
Position
Team
Points
=1
Grove Tuesday (Team 1)
17
=1
Watchfield and Shrivenham
17
3
Grove Tuesday (Team 2)
16
4
Stanford in the Vale
14
The Cub events were more numerous with a mixture of widths and lengths, though not in the same race! Seven teams took up the challenge and half way through we had a three way tie for the lead. Final positions were:
Position
Team
Points
1
Watchfield and Shrivenham (Green)
38
2
1st King Alfred
33
3
Faringdon
27
4
Stanford in the Vale
24
5
Watchfield and Shrivenham (White)
23
6
Grove
18
7
Cuckhamsley
13
Five teams from four Troops contested the Scout events, these events were often the most keenly fought with some incredible times being recorded. The marshals had a hard time keeping up with some of the swimmers and we were just walking the poolside.
Position
Team
Points
1
Faringdon
33
2
Grove Seagulls
28
3
Watchfield and Shrivenham (Alpha)
22
4
Watchfield and Shrivenham (Bravo)
19
5
4th King Alfred
18
All in all a successful and enjoyable night. As always, thanks must go to Derek and team Farr for their organisation and relatively smooth running of the event. Thanks also to the volunteer time keepers and the Leisure Centre support staff without whom it would not be possible.
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See you next year!
Derek Hillbeck
District Explore Scout Commissioner
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- 24/03/08 - 10:58pm
- Beavers Fun at Youlbury
The Silver Beavers from Grove Scout Group took part in an Activity Day at Youlbury Scout Activity Centre, Boar’s Hill,
The Beaver Scouts were delighted to be able to earn their Adventure and Explore Activity Badges, along with several elements towards their new Beaver Scout Challenge Badges. Also to go home with a certificate of attendance and a Youlbury Scout Activity Centre Badge, which were all presented to them by Janet Green, our Group Scout Leader.
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A few of the older Beaver Scouts stayed on for a sleepover overnight in the Gulf Building and also enjoyed some camp fire songs before bedtime and a scavenger hunt in the morning before leaving for home. They also went home with the Adventure and Explore Activity Badges, Staged Activity Badge Nights Away 1, Beaver Sleepover Badge, a certificate of attendance, a Youlbury Scout Activity Centre Badge and the Creative Challenge Badge.
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We all had a very busy energetic weekend and thanks go to Melanie McKean, ABSL, Caroline Smith, who managed the kitchen and cooked for us, Brian Stovold, adult helper and Fiona Stovold, BSL who organised the day and sleepover. Also thanks to Rob Lagden, Simon Atkin and Mark Thomas who came along for the day and helped out, and also the staff at the Scout Activity Centre who made things such fun!
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For more information about Beavers, Cubs and Scouts at Grove, please contact the Group Scout Leader, Janet Green, at gsl-grove@kascouts.org.ukThere's also more about the Grove Beavers at our new website at grovescoutgroup.org/beavers.aspx
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- 17/10/08 - 01:48pm
- What's cooking?
District Scout Cooking Competition
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Scouts may be famous (or infamous) for their twists and dampers, burned baked beans and plates of food with ash and bits of grass in, but they can in fact rise to the challenge and create some really gourmet dishes!
The King Alfred Scout Cooking Competition held in Wantage on 9th March attracted teams of young budding chefs from seven District Troops. On the day, they had a couple of hours to create a three course meal from a tray of ingredients provided – although most of them had been practicing for a while within their own Troops in the weeks leading up to the Competition.
Our distinguished judges – Angela Cousins, Liz Farr and Pam Hull – kept an eye on the teams during the preparations, taking note of teamwork, cleanliness, the written menus and use of ingredients, including their own allowed extra bits and pieces. A true restaurant kitchen aroma gradually filled the expansive District HQ as spectacular starters, magnificent mains and delicious desserts started to take shape. There was not much evidence of panic, and the teams seemed to have paced themselves well.oo
Serving-time and an array of risottos and salsas, pancakes and omelettes, salads and stir-frys, bruschettas and banoffees, apple fritters and meringues, even home-made toffee were expertly served on mum and dad’s best crockery against a backdrop of starched tablecloths, scented candles and floral table decorations – and in one case accompanied by atmospheric keyboard music!
This year’s Competition was the closest yet, with only seven points between the first 5 teams! Winners were the “Two of Each” team from Watchfield and Shrivenham with the 4th King Alfred’s “The Fourths” taking the runners’ up trophy and Cuckhamsley’s “Falcons” in third place.
- 17/10/08 - 01:49pm
- KA Scouts take part in Heathrow's Terminal 5 Trials
Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is a spectacular new air passenger complex and the British Airports Authority and British Airways have been holding a series of trials with volunteers from the public to test out the facilities before they officially open to the flying public on 27th March.
On the morning of Saturday 23rd February, some 200 Scouts were amongst the 2,000 volunteers who descended on hotels near the airport to register as ‘guinea pigs’ for the day. A party of 26 Cubs, Scouts and Leaders from Watchfield & Shrivenham Scout Group and Waylanders Explorer Scout Unit were amongst those lucky enough to be selected to take part. They report:
“On arrival, we were each given a travel folder containing our new passenger names, flight destinations and the roles we were being asked to play during the trials. It turned out we were destined to fly to Delhi - “Ooh, our first Cub Camp in India” one of the lads (who knew his geography) exclaimed! We were issued with ID security badges, “Whatever else, please don’t lose them!”, had our bags searched, given some nice refreshments, briefed on what to do, then transported to Terminal 5 main building by coach and let loose to follow our instructions. The departure area was huge, very spacious and light.
One of the Leaders (guess who?) looked admiringly up and down the huge concourse and said “Hmmm, this would make a really great Scout hut!”
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Some of us had instructions to pick up items of baggage, which saw one of the younger Scouts struggling with a huge suitcase bigger than he was!
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We soon found our rendezvous point, printed off boarding cards on the snazzy little machines and then handed over our bags and registered at the check-in desks in the ‘normal’ way.
Our Group arriving at the hotel
(sadly, no photography allowed in T5!)
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But the fun had only just begun - part of the trials of course needed to cover emergency and other non-normal aspects of running an airport. One of the Explorers lost his paperwork and was delayed, whilst a Cub had problems at security when the ‘small heavy metal object’ he found in the hotel car park triggered a security alert. On the brighter side, two of our Scouts were unexpectedly upgraded to Business Class!
We all enjoyed playing our roles, making our way through the huge building, exploring where to go next, through security and to the departure lounges and various check-ins. In fact, one of the Scouts declared that being head-to-toe searched after setting off the buzzer by the hand luggage X-ray machines was a high spot of his day!
Then for part 2 of the trials our party split up, as we were randomly given new documents and found we had two different transfer flights to catch. One group headed up by Andy, Fred, Jackie, Rob and Julie with 8 Scouts departed by coach for their pretend arrival from New York in transit to Hamburg. The coach appeared as if coming from Terminal 4 gave them a great view of the outside facilities and aircraft bays, not to mention seeing several real planes taking off and landing.
Our other group with only 2 Leaders (Jon and Bosun) and 11 youngsters was left in the main building with Nice as their next destination. But, catastrophe! It appears that Bagheera had false papers and was hauled away by security and not allowed to continue on his flight. Meanwhile, the sole remaining Leader tried to humour 11 youngsters for 20 minutes while they waited to see what would happen. Eventually, they took a vote and all decided to fly to France without Jon!
Another quick refreshment break and time to fill in one of their questionnaires about what we thought of the “passenger experience” so far. Then off to the next departure area. “These escalators are magic; can we go up and down them again?” one of the girls pleaded - unsuccessfully. We followed our instructions and soon arrived at the departure lounge. Whilst Bosun was apparently distracted, half a dozen Cubs and Scouts decided to declare independence and tried to board themselves through Gate A18. Luckily the lady at the gate thought this was probably unwise and escorted them back to their Leader gave him a ticking off for not keeping them all together - another successful handling of a potentially awkward incident. “I was only role playing” he muttered!
During the day, some lucky volunteers (not us, sadly) were actually able to board an aircraft, get seated, go through the safety routines and even enjoy an extremely brief ‘flight’ as the plane taxied along the apron and back.
At the end of the trial, we were all thankfully reunited safe and sound. There still seemed quite a bit of work to do to finish off the fixtures and fittings before the opening, but what we saw was really spectacular . We had all enjoyed playing our part in the trials, trying to keep to our passenger profiles, but inevitably spiced up by the reality of being a lively young Cub or Scout – or a harassed Leader! And everyone now had a much better appreciation of how complex running an airport terminal really is, and an idea of what goes on behind the scenes, especially when things don’t go exactly according to plan. There were lots of positive comments from the youngsters including “amazing”, “great fun”, “fantastic views from here (the lounges)”, “going through the security checks lots of times was really good, even though we had to take our shoes off” and “can we come again?”
We took a final head count, picked up our T5 goody bags and said our “thank you's” before returning to the hotel and the homeward journey to Shrivenham. Well done to all the staff who were extremely helpful throughout the day and handled those little problems thrown at them – and us – with courtesy and good humour. They made the youngsters and Leaders feel at ease and treated our group in a realistic and supportive way.
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On the way home (stop for a burger!)
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Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos during the visit (but lots of pictures can be seen on the official BAA website at http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/controller/dispatcher.jsp?ChPath=Heathrow^Terminal5
However, we departed with plenty of memories of a really interesting and exciting day, doing our bit, trying out one of the World’s newest airport passenger terminals (Beijing next week?). “Well, it was all still working OK when we left, honest!”
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- 17/10/08 - 01:54pm
- Only 25 miles to go!
The advantage of a strenuous Scouting event being held every two years is that you are likely to forgot how hard it was last time! This is probably true for the 48 Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and families from Watchfield & Shrivenham Scout Group who took part in this year's Winter Challenge on 2nd February. This 25 mile hike along the Ridgeway from Streatley to Wanborough is organised by Hanborough Freeland Scouts and this year attracted over 200 walkers of all ages from across Oxfordshire.
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A sunny if chilly morning saw the teams setting off in groups of four to six walkers, full of enthusiasm and assured they would stay the distance. Our support team set up their hiker-friendly bacon butty and tea "Breakfast Bar" at Checkpoint 3 and this was a welcome sight for the W&S teams who had covered the first 6 miles - mainly uphill! Then on along the famous ancient roadway in the general direction of West. Having reached the Wantage-Hungerford road, packed lunches emerged; this was half way. During the day, some serious rivalry was evident as teams of walkers subtly broke into a canter to overtake their friends before they reached the next checkpoint. A quick stop to show their number tag to the marshals, then off again - with gusto. Gradually, the teams spread out, with the more leisurely hikers happy to emphasise companionship, enjoyment and appreciation of the environment. After all, what's the rush?
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Nothing beats a bacon butty!oo
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The more enthusiastic walkers kept up a good pace and our first group arrived at the finishing line after 8 hours and 26 minutes. As evening drew in, our other teams headed for the setting sun, then into the mud and gloom. Several walkers decided to call it a day at strategic points along the course and headed off home for a nice shower, a hot meal and Saturday evening telly - very sensible! However, of our four dozen starters, 38 made it to the end, including all the Scouts and Explorers, most of the parents (including a mum and dad relay!) and, magnificently, several of the 9 year old Cubs - quite an achievement. A great job by the walkers, the supporters and the event organisers - thanks for your efforts!
ooHalf way - and still smiling!
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The tough guys
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Sponsorship raised by the Group will mainly go to help local children's charities, and the money is still rolling in. And the good news it is that we have 23 and a half months to recover - and prepare for Winter Challenge 2010!
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- 17/10/08 - 01:53pm
- Pioneer Course, November 2007
Getting knotted!
Two dozen Scouts from across the District converged on the Shrivenham Scout HQ for a Pioneer Badge Course over the weekend 23-24 November. After a series of intensive knots and lashings sessions on Friday evening - and a reasonably quiet night followed by a hearty breakfast - the mysteries of holdfasts, block and tackle (pulleys to you and me), whippings and splicings were unfolded.
The 'free-standing' flagpole
D'yer know what it is yet?
Then it was outdoors for the main projects, constructing towers, gateways, rope bridges and 'free-standing' flagpoles on a rather chilly but sunny day. The Scouts realised that tying a square lashing upside down with gloves on is not quite the same as indoors, in the warm, and with instructors helpfully looking over your shoulder.
The course was a great success, and obviously popular as several Scouts had done the course previously (and one was on his third course!)
- 17/10/08 - 02:11pm
- Oxfordshire Contingent to the World Scout Jamboree Return
We welcome back those from the district, both Young people and adults, who went to the World Jamboree as part of the Oxfordshire Contingent, knowing they will have had the most fantastic time.
‘You have come from all four corners of the world to make our dream of One World, One Promise a reality. That is something Baden-Powell would have been proud of.’
Jamboree Director Bill Cockcroft
The Closing Ceremony
The ceremony ended by echoing a line from Bill Cockroft's speech, ‘We have come together and made the dream of One World, One Promise a reality’. This got a massive roar from the now dried out (following earlier rain) crowd – a roar that continued into one final performance of the official song, Jambo, led by The Adventure.
As the music blared out, magnificent fireworks lit the arena and dazzled the crowd, who were passionately singing along. It was clear that, whilst the Jamboree dream may be over, for the Participants the passion and the memories will continue for much longer.
- 17/10/08 - 02:07pm
- Six-a-Side Football Competition
As usual, we had a nice sunny day for the annual District Cubs and Scouts Six-A-Side Football Competition at Ardington. Although not a large turnout this year, all those taking part had a great time and there was some stylish play (including a "nearly Beckham moment" - a great cross from right field but not quite headed into the goal!).
Go for the ball!
Scout Winners- Watchfield & Shrivenham "B"
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Six Cub teams took part - the winners were 4th King Alfred, with Faringdon Pack bringing up second place.
Winners in the Scout Competition were Watchfield & Shrivenham "B", with the W&S "A" team taking the runners-up honours.
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Thanks to Robin and Ashley for organising the Cub and Scout events and for the referees and all the others who helped make the day a success.
- 17/10/08 - 01:52pm
- Stuart Rae Challenge
Eight Scouts from across the District are taking up the Challenge this year, which commemorates Stuart Rae, a former Scout who was killed in action in 1971 when a member of the Royal Marines serving in the Arabian Desert. Reflecting Stuart's keen sense of adventure, the Challenge requires Scouts to train in a range of outdoor skills over a period of 9 months, culminating in an expedition in unfamiliar country in Wales in the autumn.
Stuart Rae Challenge Practice Hike 
The first practice navigation backpacking hike took place on the Lambourn Downs over a weekend in May, with a challenging 2-day cross-country route and an overnight camp near Wantage. Lots of rain and 'a few wrong turns' ensured the hike was no doddle, but the young people certainly had a great time and are now honing their mapreading skills and embarking on a programme of activities to earn the necessary badges before the next navigation and safety tests in September.
- 17/10/08 - 01:58pm
- Kayaking Course
How to spend your Wednesday evenings
This week saw 19 Scouts start their summer 2007 kayaking course on the River Thames.
Braving the swans and murky water, the Scouts from Watchfield & Shrivenham, Faringdon and Stanford In The Vale troops, started out on their 8 week course towards earning their BCU 1, 2 and (maybe!) 3 star awards.
The instructors - Pete, Ellie, Doug and Ray, soon had all the Scouts on the water, no mean feat given that the majority had never been in a kayak before.
- 17/10/08 - 01:58pm
- District Patrol Camping Competition
...
What a way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend!
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Possibly the high spot of the District calendar for the King Alfred Scout Troops is the annual Patrol Camping Competition, held this year at Youlbury Scout Activity Centre. This is a chance to put into practice all the skills learned (hopefully) throughout the past 12 months - pitching the traditional ridge tents, firelighting, cooking on wood fires, building useful(?) gadgets, making tidy and practical cooking and dining areas and so on, all on an allocated patch of ground amongst the trees - and sometimes on a bit of a slope. But most importantly, with the Scouts doing it all for themselves whilst the Leaders sit and drink coffee most of the day!
No smiling, please, this is a Scout Camp!
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Much of the first day saw the twelve teams setting up the Patrol areas and making sure the tents are properly pitched, that there is enought cut wood to cook dinner and checking that you remembered to bring the washing up liquid and matches. During the weekend there were activities and challenges including a sedan chair race. This involved rushing through the woods with home-made sedan chairs with the lightest member of the Patrol on board, stopping at bases to tackle challenges - knot tying, an adventure course, blindfold rope geometry (!), walking the plank, getting cups of water along a string trail to fill a tube and retrieve a cryptic message - and more besides.
Nuclear rods - a game of concentration and skill!
During the weekend, small bands of judges went arount to inspect the Patrol areas and mark them on all sorts of criteria - for example how well the tents were pitched, tidyness, dining area, fire site, storage of food and equipment, safety, gadgets and lack of litter.
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Enjoying the banquet, now that the judges have gone!
On the Sunday evening, the teams had to prepare and serve a 3-course Camp banquet, cooking on a wood fire, which was tasted and scored by a discerning team of judges. Cooking a nice meal is hard enough (see the article below) but doing this in the open air on wood fires with no hot and cold running water is quite an achievement. Some pretty impressive courses appeared on neatly set out and decorated tables. Luckily the weather was fine and dry, so there were no major disasters (apart, perhaps, from some very burned toast!
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Here come the sedan chairs!
If course, it did rain on the last morning, to ensure that someone had to dry out all the tents and shelters, but overall it was a teriffic weekend, very enjoyable and a great learning experience for the teams of young people. There were some very tired Scouts disappearing into the sunset that Monday evening, but they still managed a smile as they said 'goodbye'.
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Competition results
Watchfield & Shrivenham's "Falcons" (a.k.a. "Mad Hippies") Patrol receive the Camping Competition Winners Trophy from event organiser, Paul
In the competitions, Watchfield & Shrivenham Scouts scooped the pool in the main Camping Competition with three of their four teams taking the Winners and Runners-up trophies and sharing joint third place with the Cuckhamsley team. Cooking their way to glory in the Camp Banquet Competition were joint winners 1st King Alfred "Eggheads" and Watchfield & Shrivenham "Mad Hippies", with W&S Swifts in third place.
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The Sedan Chair Race saw Cuckhamsley stagger over the winning line in first place, with 4th King Alfred Runners-up and Watchfield & Shrivenham in third place. The Sedan Chair design honours went to Watchfield and Shrivenham for their three colourfully decorated chariots.
- 17/10/08 - 02:00pm
- District Cooking Competition 2007
No junk food for these youngsters!
Armed with their pots and pans, aprons and exotic menus, eight teams of Scouts from across the District descended on the District HQ on 21st April for our annual Cooking Competition. Using the skills and experience gained over several practice sessions, they set about creating a three course meal from the ingredients provided in an attempt to persuade the judges that they were the real gourmets on the day! The hall gradually filled with the aroma of stir fry, chilli con carne, meatballs and home made 'real' (pure beef) burgers with all the trimmings for the main course. Salads, dips and cheesy dishes, plus several bruchettas appeared as starters whilst melted chocolate, orange and ginger biscuits blended with fromage frais came together to create some rather colourful and imaginative desserts.
Peparing interesting and tasty meals to a strict deadline with a fixed list of ingredients (plus a few 'extras' they were allowed) was a challenging task, but all the teams came through with flying colours. The judges had a difficult job sorting out the teams, as the overall standard was very high, and all the teams were particularly careful about hygiene, tidyness and teamwork. Mum's best china and cutlery was in evidence, along with candlesticks, fancy folded serviettes and even a few flowery table decorations.
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The "Crazy Cooks" getting ready to serve their meal
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The judges emerged from their deliberations and, in a very tightly-scored competition declared the "Masterchef Munchies" team from Cuckhamsley as the winners, with Watchfield & Shrivenham "Champions" team as runners-up, and W&S "Crazy Cooks" third. This was Cuckhamsley's second win in succession, so several families were expecting their Scouting children to do the Sunday dinner the next day whilst the parents sat back and relaxed? Maybe!
- 17/10/08 - 02:11pm
- Explorer Scout on Radio 1's 'Sunday Surgery'
A recording of one of our Explorer Scouts talking about his views on Scouting will be included in the "Sunday Surgery" show on BBC Radio 1 this Sunday evening.
The programme starts at 10.00 so sometime between then and midnight I guess.- 20/04/07
- Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield
Scouts and Explorer Scouts from across King Alfred District took part in an exciting day of challenges and activities at Youlbury Scout Activity Centre on 15th April. This event was organised in collaboration with the parents of Gareth Koch, a young Scout Leader from Wantage who sadly went missing during a backpacking trip to Nepal three years ago.
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The "Gareth Koch Endeavour Shield" reflects the enthusiasm and commitment of Gareth to Scouting and his quest for adventure and outdoor pursuits. The 22 participants had a great time tackling the 10 challenges, firelighting, pioneering, puzzles, water trails and more besided. Further information and photos can be found at the website www.garethkochlostinnepal.co.uk The event attracted media attention, with camera crews from regional BBC and ITV, together with an article on the front page of the Wantage and Grove Herald.
Shown above is the winning team together with Gareth's parents, David and Gill Koch.
- 17/10/08 - 02:01pm
- King Alfred District Scouts Website on Google
This website is now accessable via Google!
Other search engine are now listing this site. Please search for us on Google. (Search Term: king alfred scouts)
- 03/03/07
- Patrol Leaders’ Training Course, March 2006
Being a Patrol Leader is both a privilege and a responsibility, especially for a youngster aged 12 or 13. So, a short training course was held to explain what the job entails ..... Nineteen Patrol Leaders, Assistant PLS, and several ‘hopefuls’ from across the District attended a short course in Shrivenham to learn some of the tools of the trade. The Scouts took part in team building and management exercises, “why do kids join Scouts and what do they expect”?, the theory of games (make sure not only the big’uns win every time!), communication skills, programme planning and more besides. A busy couple of days but the general view being it was helpful. So now they have gone back to tell the Leaders what’s what!- 17/10/08 - 02:02pm