A very big thank you and well done goes to Lyn Johnson who has retired from her role as ADC Beavers after many years of service. I am sure you will join me in saying thank you to Lyn. She is joining our active support unit so she will continue to support us with our scouting.
The Beaver section is now being overseen by a task force of Leaders; Thelma Young will be heading that section up with the help and support of Gail Langton, Elaine Buckland and Eve Willett. They I am sure will take the section forward with great enthusiasm.
Congratulations to George Longhurst, who has received a service award for 50 years. A very big well done and congratulations from us all.
Thank you to all of those that went to the Remembrance Service at Southampton Cenotaph. And well done to all those groups that attended local parades. It was a great way for us to remember those that gave their lives for us. We gave just two hours of our time to remember them.
Our aim was for you to send a beaver and a cub and a scout to join us at Southampton Cenotaph with a representative from the Explorers and the active support unit. That would have given us a much larger contingent with representation from all of our groups rather than just some. A big thank you to George and Harry Price from the 2nd Cubs who laid the wreath on our behalf
Thank you to you all for joining us for our annual swimming gala a big thank you to Graham Meering who organised the event and to all of those that helped out on the day with marshalling and scoring the competition. I hope you and the young people enjoyed yourself.
Wilverley District Camp Site New Generator
A very big thank you to Tony Bradley who project managed the work of providing the new LPG generator at Wilverley and to the service team and the contractors involved for their help during the project. It is just so easy to use and clean and safe. Just flick the switch to turn it on.
Compass and this year’s Annual Census
The Scout Association will be introducing this year a new date base for recording the membership details of all adults and more importantly all young people. You can find information about Compass here.
Richard has sent out requests for the Census information; as part of this process, and to “clean-up” data for the move to the new Compass system, If anyone needs a reminder, it is a legal requirement under the Data Protection Act to keep personal data up to date! This includes keeping contact details, including email addresses, up to date. As part of this check, please ensure that all Executive Members, including any leaders who are voting members, have that Executive role included on their membership record. Similarly Districts should ensure that membership of Appointments Advisory Committees is included in members records. To help us it is best that we start to prepare for the big switch over now. We are asking you to forward to Richard an up to date list of all your young people giving the main details of name, address postal code and date of births and contact details of the Parents and Guardians. We will then enter that information for you into the present scout data base so it is transferred to the Compass system later on in the year. This will of course need to be updated just prior to the switch over but will get most of our information in a good place and recorded well in advance. For those groups and sections that use OSM please check your details are up to date and notify me please that you have completed that task. Please remember that OSM has lots of ways that it can help you manage your sections information and is free to Southampton Groups.
District Web Site
Please rember to tell everyone about your good news, if you have been to camp recently or are planning a event SHOUT LOUD about it. The web site is a great way to promote our district and tell everyone how good we are. Everyone loves a good news story. Please send all your articles to Tony and Val Kench by the 25th of every month.
Minibuses
The district now has two district permits these are held by me. Every group that uses a minibus from time to time must get the “section 19” permit from HQ. One certificate for each minibus being used. Information here.
I Challenge you all
All of us in Southampton Scouting are working far too hard and we need to share the load much more. Notionally 47% of adult members are Parents. Please ask your self what is your group’s average is it at that level? In Winchester District they have just recruited 60 new parents to help them expand the beaver scout sections in all of their groups. If they can do that so can we.
I would like many more Parents to be asked to get involved the more we have the more fun it would be for us. I challenge all of you to ask one person to get involved. I often get told that Parents would help if they were asked. So lets make this our new Years pledge to ask more Parents to join our leadership teams and just as important to join the groups executive supporting committee. Far too many groups are light on the supporting side of the group and we still have a number of key uniformed vacancies in all our groups. I suggest you all agree between yourselves who you would like to invite to get more involved. Scouting has a job for everyone and it can easily fit around all of the other commitments that Parents have, and as we have ourselves.
District Diary and Directory 2014
Graham has completed the task of producing this year’s diary which is now available in hard copy and also on the district web site. The district directory is also on the district website in the member’s area. Please make sure you notify Graham of any changes to your details such as a move of house and changes to your contact numbers and email addresses.
District Camp 2014
The plans for District camp are ongoing and we hope to set up a camp which will be the best one yet. A big ask but we can do it. Ian Budd is the main contact for the camp so if you have a queries please contact him. We will be holding a Site Visit to Lyons Copse on Sunday 26th January 2014 at 10am to look at the site and what it offers and allocating camp sites to groups. Please tell Ian if you have any special requests with the site allocations. Don’t forget the theme is “space” Please get this message out to the groups Leaders and encourage them to think about how to they might exploit this theme. All sections are asked if they can come up with some cool and exciting ideas for activities that we might buy in for the camp. And of course ideas for activities for the groups to run themselves. There will be a camp badge competition. Ian will provide info. We are organising just one blue-card swimming sessions in advance of camp, to give cubs and scouts the chance to participate in water activities further details to follow.
Adult Training
This District has a great record of improving its training management and support to its leaders. A special mention is due to Nico for taking this work forward and greatly improving the training scheme with some wonderful work by the training advisers. And some great commitment from our leaders. If you have now completed your Wood Badge well done but how about this year looking for opportunities to strengthen your knowledge with some on going training? For those of you that are close to finishing your training requirements lets get the job done this year.
Scheduled training courses for the spring term 2014 can be found here.
New Alternative Promise Wording
With effect from now you may wish to use an alternative scout promise the alternative wording for the promise, gives YOU an alternative to saying duty to God. Please note: It is your personal choice
The existing Scout Promise:
On my honour, I promise that I will do my best
To do my duty to God and to the Queen,
To help other people
And to keep the Scout Law.
New alternative wording of the Promise:
On my honour, I promise that I will do my best
To uphold our Scout values, to do my duty to the Queen,
To help other people
And to keep the Scout Law.
For Cub Scout section (ages 8 to 10½):
I promise that I will do my best
To uphold our Scout values, to do my duty to the Queen,
To help other people
And to keep the Cub Scout Law.
For Beaver Scout section (ages 6 to 8):
I promise to do my best
To be kind and helpful and to love our world.
It has been a very busy Scouting build up to Christmas, I have been to the following events.
• Visit to the 7th Scouts
• Remembrance Day at Southampton Cenotaph
• Meet with SSAGO
• Meeting with Dc’s of Itchen North
• Visit Appointments Committee Meeting
• Pre Visit to Lyons Copse
• District Swimming Gala at the Quays
• Visit to the 22nd Exec Committee Meeting
• Visit Training session Module 1
• Turn on Wilverley Generator!!
• Visit to 7th Cub Camp
• 13th Senior Citizens Party
• Cub Carol Service
• Visit 11th Scouts
• Beaver Christingle
• ADC GSL Christmas Gathering
If anyone wishes to talk to me and clarify anything, I am always pleased for you to contact me by email or by phone or in person just ask away.
Yours in Scouting, Colin Floyd, District Commissioner,
Mob Tel 07770364711 or colin.floyd@ntlworld.com
please visit our district web site: southamptoncityscouts.co.uk