Jerusalem
As with the female wing of the uniformed organisations, the male section is equally strong and flourishing. The Scout movement has an integrated programme for boys from the ages of 6 to young men of 25. At Fulwood there are three groups: Beavers, Cub Scouts and Scouts which operate under the overall leadership of Dave Ridout, the Group Scout Leader. Dave also wears another hat: that of Assistant County Commissioner (Activities). In this second role he has an overview of physical activities e.g. camping, canoeing, caving, hill walking etc., for all Scouts within the county.
The
youngest group is the Beaver Colony. Beavers, like the Rainbows, came into
being to fulfil a need for scouting activities for
boys aged
6 to 8. Beavers originated in Canada (hence the name) in the mid-eighties.
Our colony was set up in 1986 and the present leader is Amy Curtis (Ahmeek)
and Ian
Fenton, the assistant leader, is called Malak. There are 18 Beavers at the
moment and their activities include games, working for badges and generally
enjoying themselves. In June there was the first ever sleep-over at Broughton
Scout hut for the older Beavers. I think that Amy and Ian have recovered
from it
by now! Enjoying themselves included a fun day with the rest of the District's
Beavers at Waddecar Scout Camp in July.
At the age of eight, the Beavers become Cub Scouts and
stay in the pack until the age of ten and a half. There are 24 boys in the pack
at the moment. The leader
(Akela) is Richard Garrett and the Assistant Cub Leader is Peter Newton. Cubs
get involved in various activities and they are extremely successful in
competitions. During the last year they have won the First Aid, Chess, Cross
Country and Football trophies. They also have badges to work for which cover a
wide range of subjects, and they go camping and enjoy outdoor activities.
Our Scout group is led jointly by Lesley Thomas and Ed Trafford, and very soon Craig Curtis will become fully warranted as well. There are 31 scouts on the list and their activities include badge work but with more emphasis on outdoor activities than in the younger groups.
At
the age of fourteen the scouts have the opportunity to transfer to a local
Explorer Scout unit which is operated by the District.
Fulwood is officially linked to a unit which meets in Lytham Road. At this
stage there is no longer allegiance to old groups, and scouts can join any
Explorer
Scout Unit in the district including a Young Leaders' Group. At eighteen, until
the age of twenty-five, Explorer Scouts can transfer to the County run Scout
Network. This is a much more independent group. There
are no local leaders but the County Network Commissioner plus two County
Scouters keep a watching brief.
Next year there will be quite a fundamental change afoot! From 1st January, the Fulwood Methodist Scout Group will be in a position to accept girls into all the wings of the Scouting movement. Dave tells me that he is not expecting an avalanche but possibly one or two brave souls will wish to enrol in some or all of the groups.
At the church parade on Remembrance Sunday, Dave and some of the Scouts were missing. A party of Scouters and a few Scouts travelled to Ypres to attend the Remembrance Service which is held every year at the site of one of the most terrible battles of the First World War. This was an experience that I'm sure they will never forget.
In 2007, the Scout Movement will be one hundred years old and, therefore, the World Jamboree (when scouts come together from all corners of the globe) will be celebrated in England. The Scout movement exists to encourage the social development of young people. It aims to help them become self reliant and self disciplined so that they will take their place in society as well-rounded individuals who serve the community in which they live. It is pleasing that, here at Fulwood, the Group is flourishing and helping to foster and develop these ideals. In this rather sophisticated world, it is very gratifying that young people of both sexes are still drawn to the ideals of Scouting and Guiding.
© Fulwood Methodist Church
15:15:47 Wednesday, 26 October 2005
No part of this site may be reproduced without prior permission.
Contributions to the site are always welcome. Email: webmaster@fulwood.org.uk
This site uses 1.09MB