The first week of the summer holidays saw the 1st Little Stoke Scouts and Cubs set off for camp at Cranham Scout Camp in Gloucester. Despite arriving at camp in the rain, the Scouts and Cubs were all in high spirits setting up camp, showing brilliant organisational and leadership skills to ensure all the tents, equipment and food were stored safely.

Once camp was set up, the children all enjoyed playing team games, including the Scouting favourite the ‘stick game’. This involves standing in a circle passing upright sticks around by moving in the correct direction. A simple but tricky game, which resulted in bonds forming between the Scouts and Cubs and laughter from all. An epic ‘wide game’ of French versus British spies, which translated into the Scouts chasing the Cubs was also a highlight for many.

The cooking on the camp was of Masterchef standards, from bread making, to Dutch ovens full of pork and apple casserole, roast gammon in coke and caramel apples.
Lots of new experiences and skills developed for the Cubs and Scouts – from pioneering, which involved them building see-saws, A-frames, and washing-up stands to dam building to control a water flow.

The Cubs may have only stayed for a long weekend, but they certainly packed a lot in; tunnelling, dam building, mini boat building and racing, wide games and obstacle courses. Rocco, a new Cub on his first official camp as a Cub said: “Thank you for an awesome weekend, although at times I wasn’t sure of all the activities, I absolutely loved it. It was a wonderful experience.”

After the Cubs left, the Scouts and leaders commented that everything seemed a little quieter, but they had no time to stop as there were plenty more activities still to enjoy. The Scouts enjoyed a day out in Gloucester, enjoying the steam train ride and were lucky to have a whole carriage to themselves.

More: Beaver camp planned for the start of October &raquo

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Are you afraid of the Gruffalo? Well, the 1st Little Stoke Beaver Scouts certainly aren’t!

The weekend of 23rd and 24th March saw a group of sixteen excited Beavers spend just over 24 hours at Woodhouse Park campsite near Almondsbury, staying in the Lovell Centre.

On arrival the Beavers all enjoyed their packed lunches before one group enjoyed facing their fears and conquering the ‘low ropes’ course.

Group leader Tony Edmonds, was very impressed with the Beavers, saying:

“All of the leaders were extremely proud of the behaviour and teamwork of all of the Beavers. Many of them were worried about the low ropes course, but with the support of their fellow Beavers, they faced their fears and didn’t give up.”

The remaining Beavers went on a Gruffalo and bug hunt in the large expanse of woods around Woodhouse Park. The Beavers were challenged to try to fill a small box with one item to represent each letter of the alphabet. Some excellent suggestions were made, and the Beavers quickly realised that the smaller the item, the better. Unfortunately, no one managed to squeeze a Gruffalo in, and the unicorn was clearly exploring elsewhere!

More: Singing around the campfire and toasting marshmallows »

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As part of their Shrove Tuesday celebrations, the Beaver and Scout sections enjoyed learning about Shrove Tuesday then making and eating pancakes.

The Scout section measured and weighed ingredients and then used the gas camping stoves to cook their pancakes. They then worked hard to see how many times they could flip the pancake. Finally, the Scouts all enjoyed eating their pancakes with chocolate spread.

The evening ended with new leader Jon Owen being invested into the group.

The Beavers went to Christ the King Church to learn all about the religious aspects of Shrove Tuesday as part of their Faith badges. They started the evening by trying to get a biscuit into their mouths while sitting on their hands. This was to teach the children about how difficult it is to find food in some countries. Next, the children watched a video about the reason pancakes were made (to get rid of all the bad food that was being given up for Lent), and the 40 days and nights which Lent lasts for. Finally, the Beavers were asked questions about what they had learnt. The evening finished with the children enjoying pancakes.

If you would like any more information on getting involved with 1st Little Stoke Scout Group, please contact Group Scout Leader Tony Edmonds on 07957880503 or email tonyedmonds108@yahoo.com

This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 21). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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This term, the Beaver section at 1st Little Stoke Scout Group has been extremely busy. The Beavers are currently working towards several badges, including their Faith badge, which will involve a visit to local church Christ the King, the Outdoor Challenge badge and their Emergency Aid badge levels 1 and 2.

As part of the Emergency Aid badge, the Beavers had a visit from the St John Ambulance Cadet group. They learnt about the importance of understanding what to do in an emergency, who to contact, how to put someone in the recovery position and how to use bandages. All the Beavers had the opportunity to ask questions and then act out scenarios.

Currently, the Beaver leaders are busily preparing for their first-ever 1st Little Stoke Beaver sleepover at the end of March. For the first time in the group’s history, the Beavers section will sleep over at the Lovell Centre at Woodhouse. This camp will allow the Beaver leader to gain her overnight camping warrant, which will allow the Beaver section to plan more exciting overnight adventures.

Around 15 excitable Beavers will spend 24 hours at a Gruffalo-themed camp. During the day, the Beavers, a mix of boys and girls, will be enjoying a range of activities from wide games, treasure hunts, outdoor cooking and craft activities. Then, after a delicious dinner the children will settle down to listen to the Gruffalo story while drinking hot chocolate, before heading off to bed in the centre’s bunk beds.

If you would like any more information on getting involved with any of the 1st Little Stoke Scout Group sections, please contact Group Scout Leader Tony Edmonds on 07957 880503 or tonyedmonds108@yahoo.com

This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 28). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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