2nd Didsbury (88th Manchester) Scout Group AGM 30-5-2012
Annual Report
Chairman’sReport
We have also had the ongoing negotiations with Greater Manchester Public Transport Executive and their contractors about the Metrolink extension. The result has, I’m sure you’ll all agree, been very successful with a larger parking area at the front of the hut and high quality fencing on all our boundaries.
Finances
The subscriptions you pay and the fund raising activities we do, have ensured another stable year from a financial view point. Subscriptions have remained at £7 per month per child - which I think we can all agree is very good value.
These subscriptions pay for the equipment and resources used, plus the rent and other bills. A proportion also goes to the national Scout Association which helps pay for the resources they provide, which includes insurance.
I hope you will all be providing a cake for our stall at the Didsbury Festival on 16th June and will come along and try one of our delicious barbecued hot dogs or burgers.
I would like to ask all parents who haven’t already signed a Gift Aid application form to do so. These can be obtained through a Leader or by emailing me. The forms only take a minute or two to complete and all together could result in hundreds of pounds for our Scout Group.
Become involved
This Scout Group, like all others is run by volunteers. If you have a bit of time to help out there are various ways you can do so.
If you have any great ideas, or know anyone with particular talents, that would make for a great session for the Beavers, Cubs or Scouts we would love to hear from you. If you would like to help out on the occasional session do let a Leader know.
Finally I would like to thank all the Leaders, Assistant Leaders, the Executive members for all their valuable work throughout the year.
Chris Pearse
Chairman
GSL’s report
2011 was the groups 100th year and we celebrated it in style with an activity day and buffet to which a number of passed members were able to attend. Because of all the Metrolink work this was held at the TocH rugby club. The cub and beaver sections are in need of more leaders as is mentioned in their reports. We really could do with starting a second cub pack but can not do this until we have at least two more experienced leaders. So until we manage to achieve that state it is likely that the pack will remain closed to external entry.
Ivon Paul who was one of our scouts and now an active member of the Didsbury Viking Explorer unit was one of 4 Explorers from our district who went to the world Jamboree in Sweden last summer
This year we did not hold a family camp and had a family hike around Disley and New Mills instead, this was well attended. This coming September we will be holding a group activity day at the scout and guide facility at Abney Hall. On this day we will do a lot of the activities we would do at a family camp.
Our HQ continues to be used by the district for Explorer , Network and appointment meetings.
I would like to thank all leaders exec members for all their work over the year.
Keith Hampson
(Group scout leader)
BeaverReport
Beavers continue to have a long waiting list even though we have two colonies. Our current leaders on a Monday are Megan and Sally on a Wednesday we have Hannah and George and Helen Perez-Luna and have recently been joined by Paul. We have two young leaders who are James and Tom and they are doing their service for their D of E award. Sue is with us when she is in this country. We have a parent rota for both nights. Thanks go to all my helpers. I will be looking for leaders for next term as Hannah will be leaving us and George and Helen are finding it difficult to make it down on a regular basis.
This year we have concentrated on the challenge badges, which has resulted in most of the beavers gaining their Bronze Chief Scout Award before they head off to cubs. To gain the bronze award beavers need to gain 6 challenge badges, which is creative, promise, global, fitness, outdoor and friendship so we cover a lot of information and activities.
We have attended a number of district activities, the latest being the fun day, remembrance and St George’s day parades. At the moment we are concentrating on the jubilee and the Olympics probably along with all the schools! Next term we hope to be outside more, that is if the weather is kind to us. We will also be attending cub camp for the day at the end of June.
I am still looking for people who will become assistant leaders, as I would like to be able to have the occasional night off!! Unfortunately so is Kevin!
Thank you to all who assist me
Helen Hampson
BeaverLeader
Cubreport
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude too all the leaders and assistants who have helped in the running of the cub pack this year. Without their continued support the pack would not be the success that it currently is. The leaders are:-
Alan Robinson – Assistant District Commissioner and Assistant Cub scout leader
Richard Moss – Sectional Assistant
Michael Lowe – Young Explorer scout leader
Beth Alexander – Student Occasional Helper
Rebecca Saddler – Student Occasional Helper
The fact that all these helpers are able to give up their time on a regular basis despite their own personal commitments to family, work and studies says a great deal about the type of people they are. It has been a great privilege to work alongside them and I look forward to their continued support in the following year.
The Cub pack currently has an all-time high membership of 35 cubs which is proofing very challenging to manage on a Thursday evening and consequently we have had to shut the pack to all admissions outside of the group and are now only able to accept children who come up from our own Beaver Colonies.
The ideal situation would be to split the Cub pack into 2 separate groups however we simply do not have the number of experienced leaders to run 2 cub packs, this I feel is a great shame as there are children who would like to join cubs and would benefit from scouting and are currently not able to.
The annual cub camp for 2011 was held at Linnet Clough as part of the South Manchester Districts celebration of having been formed over 5 years ago. The camp was well attended and the weather was particularly good for an activity fun filled weekend.
The Cub pack entered 2 teams again this year into the Pike View Hike Challenge (Bolton), which is a difficult and demanding challenge for the older cubs. However they manage to accomplish it with a very respectable placing of 10th and 14th out of a total of 35 teams that participated. Well done!
There are quite a few parents who have volunteered to join a rota to help with the running of the cub pack and I am very grateful to those who have put their names forward. I expect to have a rota in place shortly, however I would like to encourage anyone who is able to take up a place as a leader then please consider it, there are so many ideas and activities we would like to run for the cubs but Alan and I simply do not have enough hours in a day to organise them all.
KindRegardsKevinLowe(CubScoutLeader)
Scout report
This year has been another fantastic year with the scout group growing following a number of older scouts leaving the section. We now have 24 scouts with a regular attendance of 20.
Since the last AGM we have had a number of successful activities including our annual camp which took place at Cornel Scout Campsite in Wales. During this camp we succeeded in climbing Snowden, a first for many of the troop and also took part in Coasteering. We also ran an activity to see if the scouts could cook a meal over a wood fire using ingredients won from a quiz, unfortunately the answers to the quiz were hard coming and so also were the tastier ingredients. Following this a huge bar-b-que was enjoyed by all on site. During this camp our leader Simon completed his Nights Away training and is now qualified to take scouts on overnight activities. Also during the camp Brian completed his Scout Leader training. Simon did an excellent job organising his first camp with assistance from Brian, Dawn, Keith and Helen.
Following a restart in September we had a busy programme including wide games in the park, climbing and in January we had our Annual Winter Camp. This years camp was well attended and although the skies were clear we had temperatures of minus 6 to contend with. We would like to thank all the leaders that helped out especially those from other sections, Dawn and Megan.
We had a number of scouts take part in the district swimming gala which was again organised by the Network section and held at the swimming baths at Stretford.
We entered a team this year to the Pike View Hike after a break last year, this years team came 16, a very well down job. We have also recently been canoeing in the mersey which was enjoyed by all and will shortly be spending 5 days on a climbing / expedition camp in the peak district.
Once again I would like to thank my fellow leaders Simon, Lucy, Claire and George for all their help throughout the year and and also thank the leaders of the other sections for all the help and support they have provided us this year.
Brian Cosgrove (Scout Leader)