16 June 07 - 16:41Scouts Salute New HQ In Bath

Taken From Bath Chronicle 08 June 2007

When Peter Rouse and Brian Abel joined the Cubs 70 years ago, they had to get used to cold and draughty huts.

Health and safety regulations were almost unheard of - and girls were definitely not invited.

But this week both men came along to marvel at the plush new facilities in the revamped headquarters of the Bath and District Scout Association.

And although the refurbishment of the building in Grove Street has been ten years in the making, they concluded that the £350,000 investment had paid off.

"It's very nice and modern," said Mr Rouse, 77. "When I joined the Cubs it was a very different thing, it was always cold but you just got on with the activities."

Mr Rouse and Mr Abel, 76, attended the event as members of Bath's Scout Fellowship for former Scouts and both were impressed by the modern airy feel of the building.

Wooden parquet floors and the high-pitched ceiling of the main hall add to the open-plan effect, while radiators are now suspended above child head height to avoid injury.

The chairman of the district association, Howard Burgess, said he was delighted with the standard of the refit.

"We have owned the building since the 1960s and started a plan ten years ago to do work with a view to improving the Scouting facilities on the ground floor and in the basement and providing accommodation on the upper floors.

"We now have three flats upstairs which we've let, one three-bedroom and two two-bedroom, which provide income and extra money to plough back into Scouting in Bath."

The building will provide a meeting place for committees and groups across the Bath area.

Mr Burgess said the group had been able to raise the money needed for the revamp through sale of land near Cleveland Bridge and through money left in the will of lifelong Bath Scouter Jack Pugh.

Avon County Commissioner Neil Salter said he was impressed with the finished result - which was put on show as the movement celebrates its 100th anniversary.

"It's been refurbished up to the required modern standard that young people now expect.

"It looks very professional and will be very conducive to learning.

"I think it's great it's been done in our centenary year as it highlights what Scouting gives to local communities and how we work with young boys and girls to help them take a constructive place in society and learn about citizenship."

Mr Salter said membership of Scout groups had increased by about two per cent this year and was expected to rise further.

"But it also involves about 1,600 adults in the Avon area and they get a lot out of working with children and providing them with challenges and adventures in a safe environment."

The new building is also used by other groups such as the Royal British Legion and Scouts are looking for more groups to rent facilities during the daytime.

To enquire about bookings contact Sylvia Ayers on 463976.

For more information on Scouting in the region ring 0845 300 1818, or go to www.avonscouts.org.uk .

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16 June 07 - 16:40Trevor Honoured for 15 Years Scout Service

Taken From Bath Chronicle 13 June 2007

Fifteen years ago, Trevor Cook began helping with football games at his son's Cub pack.

Over the years, Trevor has become increasingly involved in the Scout movement.

And he has now been presented with a special commendation for his decade and a half of service to the organisation.

Now Group Scout Leader at the 13th Bath (Oldfield Park Baptist) Group, he was presented with the Chief Scout's commendation for good service by Avon County Commissioner Neil Salter.

The accolade - which is in the name of Chief Scout Peter Duncan - was in recognition of his involvement within the City of Bath District Scout Association over the past 15 years.

He first became involved with the 13th Bath as a parent, organising football games on a Saturday morning back in the early 90s.

In 1993 he was asked to organise the group's first Gang Show, which became a regular event, staged every 18 months.

The event was then expanded with the relaunch of the Bath and District Scout and Guide Gang Show, and in 2004 he was asked to take on the role of assistant producer.

The shows involve all age groups in the movement - with the famous Riding Along On The Crest of A Wave as the anthem.

The latest such show took place at the Kingswood Theatre in Bath in April.

In 1995 Trevor was asked to take on the role of Group Scout Leader, a position he has held ever since.

This is unusual as very few parents go straight into the role without taking charge of a Scouting section as a trained leader first.

People have to be nominated for the award and Trevor said: "I am certainly very pleased to be recognised for the amount of work I have put in over the years and I have really enjoyed it."

This year is the centenary of Scouting, the 75th anniversary of the first Gang Show and the tenth anniversary of the relaunch of the Bath and District Scout and Guide Gang Show.

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16 June 07 - 16:38Triumph of Scouting in Modern Era

Taken from Western Daily Press 13th June 2007

Read the latest from our columnist Ed Campbell. They no longer execute kids for getting the flag upside down

THE cheapest way to raise a wry smile in a column on family life is to mention any of the countless stupid things that teenagers do.

One never has to look far: our school, for example, last week had a "non-uniform" day, for which the children spent hours planning so that they could turn up looking their hippest. In fact, the girls mostly dressed like tarts and the boys like little gangsters.

Tormented by an overwhelming concern about their appearance, this was adolescents at their worst: self-obsessed, shallow, pathetic victims of the latest fashion diktats. You know they have to go through it, but it still hurts.

There are, however, 3,002 reasons for thinking differently this week. The 3,000 is the number of local Scouts - including my own two - who turned up woggled and ironed for a weekend jamboree camp at Woodhouse Park, in South Gloucestershire, at the weekend to celebrate the centenary of their movement.

I dare say that among them were a few geeky misfits who would otherwise be at The Mall sending inane text messages, if they had any friends to do it with.

But the triumph of Scouting is that it still persuades great swathes of ordinary children to make the right choice between what they want and what they need.

They want to be cool but they have a competing and primeval need to light fires, bash things, work in a team, spend time with wholesome adult role models, and be outdoors.

Given the pressures on today's children to conform to the worst possible standards, the Scout movement's achievement in not just surviving but thriving is little short of a miracle. True, Scouting has moved with the times - girls can now join, there are badges for things that would make Baden-Powell's ging gang go gooley, and they no longer execute kids for getting the flag upside down.

But it's the enduring values rooted in outdoor adventure that keeps the kids coming back for more.

Those other two reasons to be cheerful are my younger brothers. Sharp-suited executives in their late 30s, they are seldom to be seen without a glass of good wine in one hand and a mobile phone in the other.

Their idea of being prepared is filling up their Porsches and having a laptop on the passenger seat.

But they divided their teenage years between some serious partying and Venture Scouts, and I have often wondered which of these contrasting lifestyles left the most lasting impression.

The answer became clear when their old Scoutmaster died recently. This week, they are taking his ashes up England's highest mountain to scatter them to the wind.

I hope they don't expect to make any business calls while they are up there, for Scafell Pike in the rain is not always the best place to get a signal.

But, thanks to Scouting, they - and countless others since 1907 - got the most important messages a long time ago anyway.

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16 June 07 - 16:30Family Camp For Combe Down Scouts

Taken from Bath Chronicle 14th May 2007

Youngsters from Combe Down got a lesson in the great outdoors as part of a camping trip to celebrate 100 years of Scouting.

Around 118 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers from the 10th Bath (Combe Down) Scout Group spent a weekend at Potterne Wick campsite in Devizes.

It was the first time the four separate sections had held a joint camp, and the youngsters got the chance to try archery and crafts, as well as cooking on an open fire.

For many of the Beavers, the group for youngsters aged six to eight, it was their first trip away from home.

This year is the 100th anniversary of scouting, which was founded by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907.

Combe Down cub scout leader Steve Atkinson said: "It was a great experience. We had lots going on for the different groups. For some it was there first trip away from home or their first experience of camping.

"We try and give them a lot of freedom, within safety limits. They have to look after themselves. Obviously the younger ones got more help. We feed the Cubs but they had to set up camp themselves and the Scouts had to do all their own cooking."

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16 June 07 - 16:17Bath Uni Cheerleaders Support Scout Funday

Taken from Bath University Cheerleaders Website 1st June 2007

'We were asked to help at the scout day in Victoria part as part of their celebrations for St Georges day. We performed in the opening ceremony, took workshops throughout the day and helped them with some fundraising!'

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