• Fridays 25 November, 2 and 9 December – 6pm to 8pm
• Saturdays 26 November, 3 and 10 December – 10am to 8pm
• Sundays 27 November, 4 and 11 December -10am to 4pm

The Scouts delivery area includes:

Scout Christmas Post

All areas of Swindon including:

Badbury, Bishopstone, Blunsdon, Burderop, Chiseldon, Draycott Foliat, Elcombe, Hannington, Highworth, Hinton Parva, Hodson, Inglesham, Langton Park, Liddington, Overtown, Red Barn, South Leaze, South Marston, Stanton Fitzwarren, Stratton St Margaret, Thorney Park, Wanborough, West Leaze, Wroughton.

Other towns and villages:

Wootton Bassett, Purton, Lydiard Millicent, Bushton, Clyffe Pypard, Tockenham, Broad Town, Cricklade, Latton, Ashton Keynes, Shrivenham, Watchfield, Bourton, Idstone, Ashbury & Kingston Winslow.

A special green collection box will be located in Morrisons ready to receive your cards.

The last collection from the post box will be 4pm on Tuesday 13 December with Cards being delivered over the weekend of 17/18 December.

Since 1981, Scouts across the UK have been licensed to deliver Christmas cards as part of Scout Post. In Swindon this helps to raise funds for Groups and raises the profile of Scouting within the local community.

Entries are now closed.

2011 score sheet

Is given of the

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

of the

1st Swindon Sea Scouts Group Council Bowmoor Sailing Club – Friday 1 July 2011 @ 1845

Dear Parents / Carers

In order to ensure the continued good governance of the 1st Swindon Sea Scouts and to comply with Charity Commission Law and the requirements of the Scout Association, the Executive committee is serving notice of this year’s AGM.

We are inviting all parents and carers of young people who are members of the 1st Swindon to attend and hope that you will be able to support the event. We expect the formal business to last no more than three quarters of an hour.

Whilst the Chairman’s post is an appointment nominated by the Group Scout Leader (GSL), we are inviting nominations for the positions of Group Treasurer, Secretary and Grants Officer. Nomination forms are available from the GSL or Section Leader.

We look forward to seeing you there. Best wishes

David Renard Bryan McGaw

Chairman, Executive Committee Group Scout Leader

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1st Swindon Sea Scouts Group Council AGM AGENDA

1. Welcome by the Chairman – Chairman’s Report
2. Apologies
3. Approval of last years A.G.M. Minutes 11 June 2010
4. Presentation of Accounts – Treasurer’s Report
5. Approval of nomination of Group Chairman (this is the GSL who nominates)
6. Election of Group Secretary
7. Election of Group Treasurer
8. Confirm Section Leaders to be Trustees
9. Election of Group representative to serve on the District Executive
10. Election of Parents to serve on the Group Executive
11. Group Scout Leader (GSL) Report
12. Section Reports and Awards
13. Guests – District Commissioner (or representative) – Verbal Report

Trustees Report 2010 / 11 attached

NOTE:

Please read POR Rule 3.23 The Constitution of the Scout Group is a new rule, Item 8 on the Agenda. The new rule requests that Section Leaders have to signify either in writing prior to or verbally at the AGM that they are prepared to serve as members of the Exec. and as Trustees.

David Renard Bryan McGaw

Chairman, Executive Committee Group Scout Leader

Proposed Executive Meeting Dates for 2011/12 (Second Tuesday of each month September – June unless falls in school holidays or clashes with Valentine’s Day)

All regular meetings to be held at The Wick

13 September

11 October

8 November

13 December

10 January

21 February (avoids 14 Feb)

13 March

17 April (3rd Tuesday as 10th is in school holidays)

8 May

5 June (1st Tuesday to prepare for AGM if on 10 June)

AGM – 15 or 22 June 2012 – To be confirmed: Expected venue: Bowmoor Sailing Club

————————–

MINUTES FOR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

1ST SWINDON SEA SCOUTS

HELD AT BOWMOOR SAILING CLUB ON THE 11 JUNE 2010

The meeting was opened by Chairman – David Renard who welcomed Rex & Sandra Barnett the Mayor and Mayoress, Jane Harvey Assistant District Commissioner

Apologies

Tony Kilburn, District Commissioner

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Proposed: Katherine Smith

Seconded: Paul Hope

Matters Rising

None

Chairman’s Report

A full report is available for all those present to read within page 6 and 7 of the packs set out. In summary another successful year, similar bank balance to previous year with a large number of activities having been completed.

Funding of the Group is an on-going issue without much fund raising carried out this year the main fundraising activity was the Christmas Post and without the parental support and help this would not be successful. Chairman requested if anyone present was able to assist with fund-raising to suggest ideas the Group would be very grateful.

Treasurer’s Report

Financial report available within the pack – income for the Group is at a similar down level to previous year but this is mainly due to the efforts of Katherine Smith with the Gift Aid application on behalf of the Group bringing in £800 and a donation from Thames Water. As mentioned by the Chairman it is difficult to balance the figures and keep the Group running it is recommended that sufficient funds are held on account to cover one years running costs which in our case is approximately £8,000 which we currently have but any assistance with fund raising or grant applications would be appreciated.

Group Scout Leader Report

GSL Bryan McGaw thanked parents for attending and their continued support and also wished to pass on thanks to the Leaders and Group Executive for their hard work and dedication without whom the Group would not exist. This year we have seen the retirement of Derek Smith and there is the constant strain of Leaders leaving due to personal commitments and the need to recruit new Leaders and adult volunteers, any help not matter how

small is always very much appreciated and if anyone present can offer in a small amount of time it would be a great help.

Copy of full GSL Report available within pack.

Section Reports

Full sections reports available within packs provided – Group healthy in each section and looking forward to another successful year ahead.

The beavers performed for the assembled as Red Indians with totem poles.

Awards

Beaver of the Year – Naveen Navratna

Lodge of the Year – Blue

Cub of the Year – Jack Newton

Six of the Year – Red Six

Scout of the Year – William Renard

Watch of the Year – Merlin

District Commission Report

Assistant District Commission, Jane Harvey welcomed everyone to the AGM and please to attend along with the ADC Support Joanne and Dave. A pleasure to see so many present and such a successful Group. Jane Harvey then awarded the following certificates:

Paul Hague – 5 years in Scouting

Di Rodgers – Adult Training

Bryan McGaw – Adult Training

Group Executive Elections

Chair Person: David Renard

Treasurer: Keith & Denise Dabbs

Secretary: Julie Coombes resigned after 17 years replacement Elaine Turner

Annually requests are made for a Grants Officer if we could encourage someone to take on this role it may help further with fund raising – no volunteers came forward – left open for anyone to approach a committee member at the end of the meeting for more information if they wish.

The Group also require a District Representative to attend District meetings and look after the interests of 1st Swindon – Bryan McGaw has been filling this role as well as GSL – no volunteer BM happy to continue for the time being

Parent Representatives

As per list Sue Hunt to continue providing catering facilities.

Mike Estell absent from meeting however prepared to continue in co-opted position on Group Exec and there were no objections.

Additional nominations for Parent Representatives requested from the floor – none came forward however any wishing to was welcome to speak to existing Executive Members after the meeting for more information to perhaps to then put their name forward

Group Trustees Annual Report again included within the pack, this has been agreed as a true record for submission to Charity Commission – no objections received will be forwarded to the Charity Commission

Any Other Business

A thank you give was present to Julie Coombes who after 17 years of service to the Group has resigned as secretary. A further thank you gift was also presented to Sue Hunt for her long service and regular attendance on a Friday evening to provide a very welcome Tuck Shop for the Scouts.

Our sections also have the support of a small band of young people who turn up eve- ry week to help in running the section they are out Young Leaders who hopefully will become the Leaders of the future. We have four Young Leads that have supported the Group during 2009 and 2010 and they are Simon, Katie, Kaine and Lucy each was presented with a book as a thank you.

Meeting Closed at 7.30 pm

———————-

Chairman’s Annual Report

After four years as your Chairman and I am pleased to report that our Group continues to prosper. The last year has been busy, eventful and interesting with more members joining the Group and the Charity is well placed to meet the challenges of the future.

The annual Christmas stamps sales were a success and everyone worked hard to get them all delivered in time for Christmas. This event makes a massive contribution to our funds and I would like to thank everyone who gave up time to sell, sort or deliver to raise these funds. This is the key fund raising event of the year and the more volunteers we get to run it, the more income we receive to invest in activities for our young people.

Sue Hunt, who has run our ‘Tuck Shop’ for many years decided to ‘retire’ this year and we offer our profound thanks to her 17 years of service to Scouting. The ‘Tuck Shop’ continues to contribute to our funds and we are delighted to welcome Jan and Michaela as Sue’s successors. There was also the Water Triathlon that raised money for the Group.

We have submitted a number of grant applications in the last year, many of which have been successful. Much of this income has yet to be spent on equipment so our finances appear more favourable as we move from one financial year to the next. It is vital that all fees are paid up-to-date and most parents have set up a standing order to ensure this happens. This is our preferred method of receiving the fees and I would urge all parents to consider paying them in this way and then they will not be overlooked. If anyone is experiencing challenging financial circumstances, they should talk to their Section Leader or the GSL.

All of our sections are now full which is a tribute to the efforts put in by everyone. However, we also have a waiting list for all sections and the only way we can accommodate those young people is to open new sections. To do this, we need more people to come forward so I want to take this opportunity to ask all parents to consider giving up some time to build on our success. This could be by becoming a Leader but can also be as a helper, member of the Executive Committee or a volunteer supporting events such as the Christmas Scouts Post. Please do ask one of the Leaders or Executive Committee members how you can get involved. We continue to ‘grow our own’ with more young leaders stepping up to the plate and we thank them for their efforts to support the Scout movement in this way. We offer full training which is vital to ensure that everyone is appropriately qualified and equipped to keep our young people safe. Training does cost money but it is an essential overhead for the organisation. Training is paid for by the group if people want to become a leaders, Scouting does not cost leaders anything for training just time.

Whilst the Executive Committee is keen to keep subscriptions as low as possible, the Group cannot rule out an increase in fees given the falling income from fund raising. The Executive Committee will review the fee structure at its September meeting as our fees are often lower or comparable with other groups and yet our fleet means that our overheads are higher than most groups and still provide good value for money for both the young people and the parents but the Executive Committee does have a statutory duty to ensure that the organisation remains in a financially healthy position.

The Executive Committee has decided that The Wick should remain as our base for the foreseeable future and we will be looking for opportunities to improve its facilities. Our records held by the Charity Commission are up-to-date and they can be viewed on their web site at www.charity- commission.gov.uk by entering our number 305941.

We look forward to another successful year. Thank you for your support. David Renard – Chairman, 1st Swindon Sea Scouts.

——————-

Treasurer’s Report

The largest fund raiser again has been the selling of the Christmas stamps, without this the group wouldn’t be able to run, so a big thank you to all parents who gave up their time to sit in Morrison’s and sell stamps. If any one would like to take some stamps into their workplace this year please see the stamp coordinator who should be able to let you have some stamps.

The change in the way subs are being paid, with many parents making monthly payments by standing order/direct credit seems to be working better than the old monthly payments. If you would like to change from quarterly to monthly please speak to your section leader. As we are a Charity we are able to claim Gift Aid on your subs, a big thank you to Catharine Smith for sorting this. If you haven’t already signed up to Gift Aid your subs please see Catherine, who will be able to supply you with a Gift Aid form.

Keith and Denise Dabbs.

———————–

GSL REPORT

Over the last year, I am happy to report that we had an excellent year for the Group with the numbers of young people continuing to increase.

I would like to thank the Leaders, the Executive Committee and all the helpers for their continued support and commitment. However, we do need to increase the number of parents involved in scouting particularly, in the areas high lighted below and would like to ask for volunteers (remember the existing Leaders, Exec members and helpers are volunteers). One area is the requirement for parent representatives on the Exec Committee, it is not onerous and only requires a small amount of time for someone to attend the Exec meetings and look after the interests of their youngster’s section. Another area that requires to be addressed is Leaders and you will note that without a uniformed, warranted Leader, sections cannot run and it is your children that miss out.

The other area that needs to be considered is fund raising – although the Group has benefited from Grants and some fundraising event over the past year, this is below the fundraising activities of the past and this needs to be addressed over the coming year.

Beaver Colony –The section is running at full capacity and on occasions we have had a waiting list to join. Emma has joined the team and is now fully a warranted Leader. We have two Young Leaders, Katie and Lucy and their help and support is very welcome. Both are working towards gaining their Young Leaders awards. We have a number of regular parent helpers and our thanks go to them however, we need more help on a regular basis.

As indicated above we have at times a waiting list of young people who would like to join the section but unfortunately, it is difficult to accommodate them and at times we have to direct them to other Group however, if anyone is interested in helping to set up a second colony then even more youngsters could benefit from the facilities provided by 1st Swindon.

Cub Pack – This section is running at full capacity and on occasions we have had a waiting list to joint the section. Both the section leaders have gained their full warrants and our Young Leader, Simon, will be joining the team at the start of next year when he reaches his 18th birthday. The section also has a number of regular parent helpers but we will always accept more help from parents.

Like the Beaver Colony, at times we have young people interested in joining and again at times these youngsters are directed to other Groups.

Scouts – The Scout section has continued to grow and this section is also at full capacity even though some youngsters have moved onto Explorers. I have a team of three Leaders who are fully warranted and are now nearly at the stage of obtaining their wood beads. Also we have a team of adults who help us during the sailing season and my thanks go to them. However, it would be fantastic if more adults would consider coming into uniform and this time, I can offer the perk of getting wet in the name of scouting.

The Group has grown over the past year but we need adults to support the continued the growth so please help us to help your youngsters and continue ‘to develop young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals and as responsible citizens, and members of their local, national and international communities’. That’s what we do!

Finally, it is with sadness that Sue Hunt has decided to give up her role on the Executive Committee due to family commitments. She has been with the Group for 17 years and will be a great loss and impossible to replace. Part of her role was to provide a tuck shop at the lake during the summer and also at various other activities. She also, in conjunction with Terry, her husband, provided the BBQ at our AGM.

Bryan McGaw

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Beavers Report 2009/2010

Ontario Colony has had consistently 20 children through the last year.

Activities

The Beavers have earned several badges this year

Animal Friend, Hikers stage 1, Explore, Swimmers and Experiment.

Creative , Outdoor and Friendship challenge , 5 beavers went up to Cubs with Bronze awards this year – well done to all of them.

Fundraising for the year was for Children in Need where we had a good turn week, the Beavers were paid by their parents for any tasks they did at home.

In the Summer term we did some outdoor cooking and had a successful evening at the Oasis leisure centre. We practised our knots and made some tie dye t shirts in preparation for our day at Bowmoor lake sailing and enjoying wide games.

In the Autumn term we focussed on our Friendship and Global challenges creating posters of different scout countries, including their promise, number of scouts and the country flags.

In the Winter term we made edible fireworks, tasted and made food from around the world and focussed on decorating the Wick for Christmas.

Spring term has seen us look at fair trade, healthy eating and a couple of board game evenings.

Leaders

Alison Sanderson joined the leaders team in the Summer and Emma Amor in the Spring we said goodbye to Derek and thanked him with a large home made card and some gift vouchers.

Parents

A big thank you to our regular parents who without fail help us, a special mention to the parents who helped us at the Oasis Centre. THANK YOU.

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1st Swindon Sea Scouts, Drake Cub Pack Annual Report

We have had another really eventful and successful year this year, again with a new team at The Wick.

When we plan a programme for the Cubs to follow, we are really lucky to already have a structure in place. Not all packs use it, but we have, to great success. At the end of 2 years (or 6 terms), those Cubs that work hard, and attend Cubs on a regular basis, are able to work towards an award. This award is the Chief Scouts Silver Award. This being the only merit badge that the boys (and girls of course) can take forward when they move on up to Scouts. This year, we have had 4 boys that have achieved this award.

Each term over a 2 year rotation, we work on a Challenge badge. There are 6 Challenges that make up the Silver Award. This year, we have completed the Global Challenge, the Promise Challenge and are well on the way to completing the Creative Challenge. The subjects that we have looked into include, Hobbies, Road Safety, Entertainer and Collector to name a few. We have also had some fantastic fun in learning about being a Chef, and a First Aider.

This year, we finish the summer with 22 Cubs, including our first young lady cub for a few years. During the past 12 months we have already seen 1 boy move up to Scouts and at the end of the summer 2 more will be moving on to Scouts.

We have not spent all year inside. This year has seen several occasions when we have ventured out of the Wick. We had a night hike in the winter, a trip to look to look at recycling in Swindon and a very enjoyable evening at the Gang Show. We also have 2 camps planned for the future, 1 at Youlbury, another here at Bowmoor and our fun day out on the lake.

At the moment we have two warranted leaders, Helen and Simon. Sandra, the Assistant Cub Leader is leaving us at the end of this year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work over the last 12 months. I would also like to thank the parents that do support the pack on a regular basis. Again, without regular parental support, the pack would not be able to complete many of the activities that are essential to keep the Cubs motivated and working towards their badges. Please don’t make it the same parents that help all of the time this year. It really must be everyone’s responsibility to support the pack at least occasionally.

So here’s to more adventuring and learning next year.

Helen, Simon and Sandra .

————————

Scouts

This year we have been very busy and we have established a strong group of 24 scouts.

We packed lots in this year; to start with we introduced a new event the water triathlon. This enabled the scouts to fundraise and have a camping weekend at the lake, while participating in 3 events, sailing, kayaking and paddling on a surfboard. Their sailing skills are improving and they still surprise us with their determination.

We worked with all scouts and they have gained various badges, participated in a church parade and to challenge the scouts further, we introduced them back to hiking. We followed this by again being part of the Remembrance Service as the Guard of Honour and this year over half the section attended and they did us very proud. We entered the Trash Trophy Hike, Streetwise and archery competitions. They all enjoyed the end of year Christmas Disco. Ending with a Laserquest evening and this gave the scouts the chance to shoot the grownups. They tried their best to do this and a very enjoyable evening was had by all.

The New Year began back at The Wick. As usual the enthusiasm was bursting from the scouts to do more hikes and badge work, so to begin with we achieved the Heritage badge and followed this with IT stage two. We also worked on photographer and artist badges. We ran a photography competition and they presented some very impressive work. We set about challenging them further. After being tied up with bandages and giggles in various resuscitation positions, they achieved their emergency aid stage three badge. To add to their hiking skills we took them on a Barbury Castle hike in muddy conditions and not one of them gave up. They did the route in good time and, even though exhausted, they showed good spirit. They loved it so much we took them on more hikes.

Recently we entered 3 teams in our own annual event, the Les Barnes trophy, and had a very good turn out from other scout sections.

The scouts came up with a different request this year. They thought being a scout leader was easy, and asked to run an evening. After learning how to plan activities and put together an evening they got the chance to do so. The evening was a success and the watch leaders showed they have what it takes.

The year has been a very enjoyable one for both scouts and leaders and we would like to thank our Group Scout Leader and parents for giving up their spare time to be part of the Scout team.

Hopefully more volunteers and new scouts will join us for the 2011-2012 seasons as there is so much fun to be had.So come and join us!

Di Rodgers ASL

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the year to 31 March 2011

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity Name – 1st Swindon Sea Scouts

Charity Number – 305941

Charity’s principal address  – C/o Group Scout Leader 5 Catherine Wayte Close, Greenmeadow, Swindon SN25 3PG

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee Name                      Office                                              Dates acted if not for whole year

Ex Officio

David Renard                        Chair

Elaine Turner                         Secretary

Keith Dabbs                           Joint Treasurer

Denise Dabbs                       Joint Treasurer

Bryan McGaw                        Group Scout Leader

Elected

Catherine Smith                     Beaver Leader

Paul Hope                               Cub Leader                                  until July 2010

Helen Odell                             Cub Leader                                  from July 2010

Di Rodgers                              Scout Leader

Nominated

Sue Hunt                                  Parent Representative

Tony Kendall                           Parent Representative

Name and address of advisor

Type of advisor Name                          Address

Independent Examiner Donna Pearce           14 Coombe Road, Moredon, Swindon

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Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document

The Groups governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and The Policy Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association

How the charity is constituted

The Group is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts

Trustee selection methods

The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association

Additional governance issues The Group is managed by the Group Executive Commit- tee, the members of which are the “Charity Trustees” of the Scout Group, that is an educational charity. As charity trustees they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as applicable

The committee consist of 10 independent members who meet 8 – 10 times a year 5 Ex-officio, 2 nominated, and 3 elected

This Group Executive Committee exists to support the Group Leaders in meeting the responsibilities of their appointments and is responsible for:

The maintenance of Group property The raising of funds and the administration of Group finance The insurance of persons, property and equipment Group public occasions; Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support; Appointing any sub committees that may be required; Appointing Group Administrators and Advisors other than those who are elected.

The Group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include 2 signatories for all payments and a comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity as set out in its governing document

The objectives of the Group are as a unit of the Scout Association.

The Aim of The Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local national and international communities. The method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law and guided by adult leadership.

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects

Income is up on last year (£15034.60 v £10587.37) this is due to increased donations, subscriptions and fund raising activities.

Expenses are up (£9158.43 v 7409.10) with significant increases for activities, materials and equipment during the year.

Christmas stamps sales and deliveries have seen 11% decrease over last year.

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

See report by the Section Leaders

Section E Financial review

Policy on Reserves

The Group policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the Group should income and fund raising activities fall short. The Group Executive Committee considers that the Group should hold a sum equivalent to 12 months running costs, circa £8,000.

The Group held reserves of approximately £3,000 against this at year-end. This is below the level required for operating expenses. Further financial review details The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer-term investments. The Group has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies

Section E Strategy for 2010 -11

The year for the Group has been the most stable regarding Leaders for some time although we still require more adults both as Leaders, Executive Committee Members and Parent Helpers.

We must continue the work of replacing and improving our fleet as the dingy average age continues to grow. The Kayak fleet is stable with the average age at 6 years.

All sections are full and waiting lists are the norm.

Gift Aid continues to be developed and the main area of concern regarding finance is payment of fees and means of ensuring timeous payments are being developed.

Section F Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Wg Cdr Tom Whittingham, Chairman of the Defense Academy Sailing Club, recently arranged for 2 of the club’s Laser 2 dinghies to be donated to the local 1st Swindon Sea Scout Group.

The Scout Group, headed by Stephen Iles, sail at Bowmoor Sailing Club and were thrilled with the donation that will considerably boost their capacity to develop the sailing abilities of the 1st Swindon Sea Scouts, Swindon Explorer Sea Scouts and Black Pearl Network – indeed the boats were put to use immediately as part of a 24 hour sailing marathon.

The boats were handed over to Stephen Iles, Richard Iles and Richard King at the Defence Academy on 12 Jun2 by Wg Cdr Tom Whittingham, Cdr Sarah Johns (Athletics Union Secretary), Sqn Ldr Andy Mockford and Lt Col Steve Williams.

From Defense Academy News

A look at Swindon Sea Scouts Activities from 1978.

SWINDON Sea Scouts are celebrating after recruiting their first female members in their 37-year history.

Lucy King and Katie Ballard were enrolled at Bowmoor Sailing Club, between Lechlade and Fairford, on Friday night.

The 12-year-olds were invested in front of their troop by reciting the Sea Scout pledge and law.

It’s the first time girls have joined the club which was set up in 1970 despite being permitted to join since the early 1980s.

Katie, who lives in Penhill, decided she wanted to become a scout when older brother Jamie, 17, joined.

She said: “I wanted to go along one night and see what he got up to.

“They said I could join in and jump into the jetty and get wet like everyone else – it sounded fun so I asked my mum if I could come too.”

The Nova Hreod pupil plans to join Jamie at Adventure Scouts when she is 14-years-old.

Mum Ellen said: “It’s nice to see them doing something constructive with their time rather than parked in front of the telly.

“I am at the Scout hut with them too most nights but it’s good fun and something for the family to get involved in.”

And that’s exactly what Kingsdown pupil Lucy did.

Lucy, whose brother and dad are already part of Swindon Sea Scouts, joined up when she thought she was missing out on the fun. She said: “Dad’s a leader so he’ll get to boss me about here and at home too.”

To celebrate her enrolment, her fellow Scouts threw Lucy off the jetty and into the freezing cold water.

Dad Richard King, assistant scout leader, said: “It’s great to all be part of something, my wife isn’t part of it yet but no doubt it won’t be long – she’s our taxi.”

The Sea Scouts were established by Lord Robert Baden-Powell originally as a club designed to giving boys an education in seafaring and seamanship.

Sea Scouts follow the general Scouting programme but add a nautical twist to their programme and activities.

From Swindon Advertiser

First Swindon Sea Scouts has received a package of orange high visibility clothing, part of a project by Network Rail to donate over 1600 pieces of surplus kit to organisations such as scout groups, schools and railway heritage groups.

Robbie Burns, Network Rail’s Western Route Director, said, “This scheme will not only benefit the First Swindon Sea Scouts, but also other charities, and will avoid the needless waste of vital safety equipment.”

Rail workers across the West Country have been collecting their surplus kit, including high visibility vests, jackets, body warmers and coats that were no longer needed, as the company has gradually introduced its own branded equipment.

Bryan McGaw, Explorer Leader for First Swindon Sea Scouts, said, “It’s great that organisations such as Network Rail are able to put old kit to such good use. We have already used the donated jackets and vests as part of cycle training.”

From Railway People

SEA Scouts have raised a fantastic £700 for the Swindon Cancer Appeal.

The First Swindon Sea Scouts based at Haydon Wick marched and rowed under cloudy skies before putting on a spectacular fun-day at a sailing club in Lechlade.

For many of the Scouts, the day began at 8am outside Asda Wal-Mart in North Swindon where they prepared their canoes for the long march to the River Thames at Cricklade, which took two hours, before rowing their boats to Lechlade and then marching to a fun day at the Bowmoor Sailing Club.

Mike Godwin, assistant scout leader and one of the organisers of the event, said: “Despite the weather, everyone had a great time.”

The scouts raised £1,400 in total, half of which will go to the cancer appeal and half to the group’s own funds.

So far, the Swindon Cancer Appeal has raised just more than £132,000, in the past few months with the grand total close to £750,000. The Swindon Cancer Appeal is also hoping to provide a training post for a Macmillan specialist breast care cancer nurse. In addition we want to provide a training post for another nurse specialising in gastrointestinal cancer.

For more information about the Swindon Cancer Appeal call the appeal office on 01793 432252 or 01793 432253.

From HaydonWick in touch