A new shooting range at the South Woodford Scout Hut is just one of many activities members of the 52nd Epping Forest South Scout Group can look forward to, says Stephanie Woodley in the second of two articles
Since the article in the last edition of the Gazette, the Mayor of Redbridge officially opened our new shooting range. It was a great evening and an opportunity to catch up with scouting volunteers (past and present). The mayor demonstrated amazing marksmanship, opening the range by shooting a balloon which unfurled our flag (a surprising touch set up by a couple of our scouts).
Our fundraising bingo evening (to subsidise transport costs for our Brownsea Island camp) was a great success. We raised £600, after fund-matching, this will reduce costs by £1,200. We were incredibly grateful to some non-scouting volunteers who helped run the evening. Brownsea Island is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, providing an opportunity for our group to see many birds, deer, and hopefully, red squirrels. We are looking forward to various activities whilst there, learning about the island, trying out meditation, and some brave souls may even try cold-water swimming!
All our sections have a number of exciting activities planned in the coming months, with shooting commencing on a Thursday. Gardening club takes place on Saturdays to keep the area around our hut tidy, improving biodiversity (we have a bug hotel) and providing an opportunity for everyone to plant some seeds (from flowers through to vegetables), which the group are then encouraged to continue growing at home.
Our Beavers’ section is planning an overnight camp in the hut. For many, this will be their first experience of a camp and is a good way to try it out before venturing further afield. The Cubs are working towards their Home Help badge (many parents are very grateful to Akela for planning this!). And the Scouts have been working on their Trangia skills, cooking a meal from scratch and then clearing up afterwards.
We also recently joined the South Woodford Society on their community litter pick and look forward to participating in more of these. Some of our members are very keen to use a litter picker!
Later in the year, we will be holding our annual circus skills day, attending a firework display and participating in the poppy collection and Remembrance parade.
We would love more of the local community to get involved in our activities and welcome any enquiries from individuals who feel they could offer time to complete any of the following tasks: treasurer, updating our website, implementing technology in our hut, providing online administration support, supporting recruitment and training or coordinating fundraising.
The 52nd Epping Forest South Scout Group meets in the Scout Hut behind South Woodford Library. For more information, email Exco.52ndefs@Gmail.com
