17 December 08 - 17:00Hippo Sinks Scout Leader Canoe

Taken from BBC Online 15 December 2008

Three scout leaders from Cornwall are back home after their canoe was sunk by a hippopotamus in west Africa.

Brian Sheen, 66, Geoff Ryder, 59, and Michael Dillworth, 23, had to abandon their dugout canoe after the hippo attacked four days into the trip.
They had to trek through the jungle for five days to reach a small village where they received help.

Mr Sheen said, despite training for the dangers of hippos, nothing could have prepared them for the surprise attack.

The three adventurers had planned to paddle 2,500 miles (4,000km) down the river from Faranah in Guinea to promote the scouting movement.

Mr Sheen said: "We were on full hippo watch and all of a sudden we came to an abrupt halt.

"I thought we had hit a rock. Then the front went up and the middle went up.

"Then the back flew in the air and Geoff, who is 16 stone [102kg], was suddenly airborne and landed in the water beside the boat."

Mr Sheen said there was "not the slightest inkling" that there were hippos about on the stretch of river where they were attacked.

Brian Sheen it burst on us like a submarine-launched missile" "It happened so quickly we didn't have time to be scared."

After dragging Geoff Ryder back on board, the trio managed to get their semi-submerged boat to a mud bank.

"The canoe was going down fast," said Mr Sheen.

"The hippo was about 20 yards away looking at us."

His concerns were raised when the animal was heard running through the undergrowth nearby.

"We hoped he wouldn't come back for a second bite," said Mr Sheen who was relieved to see the beast heading inland.

The three then ditched most of their gear, apart from satellite navigation systems, and started a trek through head-high elephant grass and bamboo.

Geoff Ryder, Michael Billworth and Brian Sheen. The three get their first proper meal after their ordeal

It took five days and nights.

"Every few yards there were crevasses where the rainwater had run down to the river.

"We had seen a village before the attack. It was our only hope," said Mr Sheen.

"We were pretty whacked. The temperature was 100F [38C] during the day."

The villagers, who were initially wary, fed the adventurers before giving them all a lift 60 miles (96km) on motorcycles back to Faranah, where they had begun.

The men, who have all returned to Cornwall, now hope to revisit the area next year, but said they would be taking a ferry next time.

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11 December 08 - 16:57Scouts Tackle Railway Crime

taken from Scout Base 11/12/08

Geoff Hoon MP met Cub Scouts in London yesterday for the launch of a new Scout programme of activities tackling railway safety.

The Secretary of State for Transport was at St Pancras Station with 30 Cub Scouts to launch the new Cub Scout Personal Safety Badge.

Sponsored by Serco Integrated Transport, the new badge looks at how to travel safely on the railways and the dangers of trespassing and vandalism.

Geoff said, "I am delighted that the Scouts are spearheading this brilliant initiative to show over 100,000 young people how to travel safely by train, and to act in a responsible way when they visit their local train station."

The announcement comes as it is revealed that railway crime adds a staggering twenty two pence to every journey made on UK railways. Rail crime includes trespassing, vandalism, stone throwing, obstructing the railway and endangering safety.

The rail industry spends over £260m every year on tackling rail crime including repairing damaged trains and tracks, replacing staff who have been injured, and in delays to trains.

Over 42,000 Personal Safety Badge resource packs have been requested so far, making it the most popular Scout programme available.

Jade, a nine year old Cub Scout from London said, "It has been brilliant doing our Personal Safety badge. We have learnt loads of things about how to act safely on a train and about how to help other people. My favourite bit was when we went to see our local station and met the train driver!"

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11 December 08 - 16:55Bathampton Scouts in Model Car Competition

Taken From Bath Chronicle 11/12/08

All members of 28th Bathampton Scout Group

A team of boys from a Bath school have taken their design skills out of the classroom and onto the race track.
Pupils from Beechen Cliff School have scooped a top award in the regional finals of an F1 challenge, where they had to design, build and test a model car.
The four Year 8 boys impressed the judges with their design and were named best "first time challengers", winning a place in the national final in Birmingham.
Teacher Paul Johnson said: "They have committed a great deal of time and energy in creating the vehicle and testing it.
"We can only hope they achieve the same success in the nationals."
winning pupils, Ethan Rose, said the team had enjoyed the experience.
"It was a fun experience, developing teamwork skills to manufacture the car and test it," he said.
"We really enjoyed the chance to test ourselves against teams from schools across the West; even more so the fact that we managed to win through to the national finals."
A member of staff at Beechen Cliff has also been named as an award winner. Personal assistant to the headteacher, Helen Bletso, has been highly commended at a national annual award ceremony in London.
She was recognised as one of the 34 best assistants in the country at the third annual SecEd Headteacher's PA of the Year awards.
Ms Bletso said: "I really enjoy my role at Beechen Cliff School, and I am proud to have been a finalist at this prestigious event."
Headteacher Andrew Davies described her as a "dependable colleague who has excellent organisational skills".
He added: "She is fully involved in the life of the school and is a huge asset."

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