24th Dorking Scouts

Front cover of the June July Scout magazine

The Scouts Association is looking for feedback on their online Scouting magazine by asking you to complete a 5 minute survey.

Your answers will give them vital information about the articles produced and the decisions made about the magazine and supplements in the future.

The Scout magazine survery link is here and if you haven’t yet read the magazine, please follow this link to the Scout Association website or click on the image to go directly to the June/July issue.

There are also supplements for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and much more and back issues are available from October/November 2007 onwards.

Ben Spratling took 2 years to acieve all the badges

A 10-year-old boy has gained all 33 cub scout badges in what the Scout Association says is a first for the UK

Ben Spratling, from Norwich, in Norfolk, completed activities including canoeing, hiking and horse riding to gain the badges.

“It took me nearly two years, it was very difficult to accomplish but I feel quite proud,” he said.

The number of badges on offer to cub scouts was increased this year to 33.

Ben said the most important badge that he had gained was emergency aid, as he now felt confident to help friends in an accident.

But he enjoyed his adventure badge the most because it taught him how to camp out with his friends.

Ben’s mother, Debs Spratling, said she was thrilled that he had been awarded his final badge in time for Christmas.

“Ben has had a fantastic time trying out all the different activities and he’s learned so much in the process.”

“Joining the scouts has given Ben the chance to experience a huge range of activities.”

“There is simply no other organisation in our area that provides eight to 10-year-olds with the opportunity to try activities ranging from canoeing and climbing to hiking and DIY.”

A Scout Association spokesman said Ben was the first cub scout they were aware of who had achieved all 33 badges.

But it seems that another 10-year-old, Leon Johnson from Stockport, Greater Manchester, has also achieved all 33 on offer.

And back in 1997 two boys Tom O’Connell and Thomas Allen achieved the then maximum number of cub scout badges on offer at the time – 40 badges in total.

The Scout Association says it reviews the programmes it offers to members regularly to ensure that they are relevant.

The badges reflect their changing demands and interests while encouraging a healthy lifestyle, the association says.

“Many of the scouts up and down the country experience these activities already, the only difference being now they can be rewarded with a badge for their efforts,” the spokesman added.

Starts at 5.30pm for Beavers & Scouts. Parents & Siblings are encouraged to stay and join in the activities as it is a long way to go home and come back again.

At 7pm we will hold our Group Annual General Meeting. This is simply to report on all that has happened over the year, you will enjoy it! It doesn’t last long so don’t worry about having to hang around for hours!

Scouts will arrive at 7pm for their Scout meeting. 10 year old Cubs are invited to stay to the Scout meeting

Due to requests we have produced a map detailing where the Ranmore Common Scout Camp is located. Please click on the image for a bigger version. The camp is basically off Ranmore Common Road map grid reference: TQ133502

Although after having difficulty trying to find it despite producing this map   I can now advise that it is a small un-signposted turning to the left between the two National Trust car parks!

Location of Ranmore Common Scout Camp

The adventurer and former SAS reservist Bear Grylls, most commonly seen on television jumping from helicopters, plunging over waterfalls, climbing inside dead camels and eating anything that still wriggles, has been appointed the chief scout.

In its boldest move for some years, the Scout Association handed the daredevil presenter a remit to help attract the 6,000 volunteer adult leaders it urgently needs to clear the waiting lists of 33,000 children – including Grylls’s own.

“It’s the proudest appointment I’ve ever had,” Grylls said yesterday, explaining that he first learnt survival techniques as a scout. “Scouting is where it all began. It gave me a lot of confidence. Sitting round the camp fire, I would have laughed – as would the leader – if I had known I would one day become chief scout.”

The District Cub camp at Walton Firs Scout campsite is fast approaching.

Parents must have returned the Permission to Camp: Medical Form & paid £36 by the 11th of June

Here is a list of what to pack (all items to be named please):

• Holdall bag – a rucsac is not neccessary (no suitcases please)
• Full Cub uniform to be worn on arrival
• Sleeping bag (plus one small blanket if wished)
• Pillow case and small pillow
• Pyjamas
• Small cuddly toy
• Soap, flannel, toothbrush, brush and/or comb
• Towel
• Waterproof anorak
• Activity kit: T shirts (2), shorts (1), long play trousers (1), play shoes or trainers
• Very old shoes to be worn during the water fight
• Long sleeved pullover
• Socks, underclothes, handkerchiefs
• Hat (Baseball cap?) – to protect from sun
• Knife, fork and spoon
• Dinner plate, dessert bowl, mug – all plastic and a tea towel
• Small torch
• Small cake for sharing (please put your name on the tin if you would like it returned)
• Any medications to be clearly marked (please see medical Form)

Items not allowed

• Knives
• Valuables
• Money
• Shell suits
• Radios & tape recorders
• Electronic games
• Mobile phones

Whilst all care will be taken, we regret that neither the Group nor its Leaders can be held responsible for items of personal property.

An attempt to steal £1.2million from a bank was foiled after police used a Scouting handbook to crack the thieves’ intricate code.

An employee of Cater Allen Private Bank (CAPB) in Sheffield, accessed customer details on its computer system before passing them on to his accomplices.

To disguise what he was doing, 22-year-old Ansir Khan wrote down customers’ details in code substituting letters in their names for symbols and numbers.

His partners in crime then rang up the bank pretending to be legitimate customers, before transferring large sums of money in to their own accounts.

Khan was finally caught out when police raided his home and found the codes jotted down on pieces of paper.

Detective Constable Chris Stephens, who has been involved in Scouting for over 40 years, used the Scoutmaster’s A to Z, which was first published in 1958, to decipher the code.

‘It was like a light bulb came on when one of the lads in the office said it looked like a code from the Scouts,’ said the Detective.

He then paired the symbols up with the details of customers who had been defrauded.

The thieves managed to steal £707,000 but another £500,000 didn’t go through.

Of the money stolen, £315,000 was retrieved and refunded.

Thankfully our tents are a little more modern than this!

No Cub meeting – 18th June

There will not be a Cub meeting onThursday the 18th of June as we will be putting up tents at Walton Firs in preparation for the District Cub camp (19th – 21st June).