FRIGATE TO JOIN NAVY DAYS LINE-UP

HMS Cumberland, a Royal Navy type 22 Frigate affiliated with Batchworth Sea Scouts, who last year undertook a successful anti-piracy patrol in the Indian Ocean, has joined the growing list of top attractions at Portsmouth Navy Days.

HMS Cumberland, which is based at Devonport, will be opened up to the public for the three-day event which starts on July 30 at Portsmouth Naval Base. It will be a rare chance for people to see a Type 22 frigate as there are just four left in service and all are based in Plymouth.

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SCOUT MEETINGS OVER THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

A reminder to all that the Scout Troop does not stop once the schools have broken up! There are Scout meetings planned for the Saturdays of 24th July, 31st July & 7th August. Troop Camp is 17th - 22nd August and the first Scout meeting after camp will be the 4th September.

CERTIFICATES ALL ROUND!

During the Whitsun Summer Half Term, three of our youth members and four leaders attended the Herts County Sailing Week at Mersea, Essex. This camp is a huge logistical effort by volunteers from across Hertfordshire and entails the establishment of a temporary sailing centre on a sandy spit at the mouth of the River Colne where it enters the North Sea. Dozens of powerboats and a wide range of sailing boats are transported to the site just for the week of the camp, where around 100 participants are taught to RYA approved standards by around 40 instructors.

We are delighted to say that two Scouts completed RYA Youth Beginner stages and one Explorer ticked off several modules of the Advanced RYA courses on offer. From the leadership team, Ben, Bryony and Donell were estastic to pass as RYA Dinghy Instructors after a gruelling week of tests and coaching. After expecting an easy time simply catering for the team, Dave found himself jumping off waves for a week as the driver of the Batchworth Safety Boat, Mike2. Our fleet of high performance dinghies was also used extensively during the week.

SCOUTS TAKE ON THE RIVER THAMES

Recently, 18 members of the rapidly expanding Scout Troop, supported by several Young Leaders and dedicated instructors, took on the challenge of navigating along a 5 mile section of the Upper River Thames in kayaks and open 'Canadian' canoes. Starting to the East of Henley, the group were carried by the current and some gentle paddling past Hurley and Bisham before recovering at the Longridge Activity Centre in Marlow. As well as enjoying a drift along a beautiful section of the River, the trip counts as the half-day waterborne expedition required for the Basic Nautical Skills award. It proved to be a popular outing, possibly because of the ice-creams on offer, and certainly a trip that we hope to repeat again in the future.

MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS!

Over 130 Batchworth family members and their friends enjoyed a perfect summer's afternoon on the water last Sunday 19th July at the Batchworth Sea Scout Family Sailing Day. Organised as a social event to bring our family members closer to the Group and each other, the day focused on providing fun water activities for all ages, from 18 months to 80! In addition to the ever popular kayaking and sailing on offer, the groups unique half-sized Dragon Boat was brought into service with teams of 10 racing around the Rickmansworth Aquadrome to the amusement of the watching geese.

Many members of the Cub Pack were able to gain their Water Activities Badge and several parents relived childhood memories as they were reintroduced to sailing by the experienced instructor team. Our thanks go to all those involved in making the day a great success, which we aim to repeat next year!

CUBS AT DISTRICT CAMP

A contingent of eight Cubs from Batchworth were part of a group Fifty Six Cubs from across the District that joined together for a camp at Chalfont Heights Scout Camp that took place between the 2nd and 4th July.

Although our other Cubs would like to have attended the camp was limited to Cubs aged 9 1/2 and older. Over the weekend the Cubs enjoyed many activities such as Rifle Shooting, Climbing, Archery and T-shirt making just to name a few, ending with the District tug-o-war competition. The camp presented the opportunity for the Cubs to mix with their peers and for the Cub Leaders and helpers across the District to get to know one another better and share ideas. The weather was brilliant although presented a challenge pegging the tents to rock hard ground. I'd like to say a big thank you to Jamie Mitchell, one of our Group's Assistant Scout Leaders, for helping me with the Cubs over the weekend and who was without doubt the most popular Leader with the Children across the District. - Brian Hansford

THE SNAKE MAN

Nick Bessant, an expert on snakes came along to show the Beavers and Cubs some of his pet snakes on Thursday 15th July.

He brought along a number of live exhibits to thrill the audience these including a corn snake, a milk snake, male and female Indian sand snakes (the female is 10 times the size of the male), a Brazilian rainbow snake and a Royal Python. The exhibits were in travelling cages kept inside black bags. They were introduced one at a time from their travelling boxes. The colours were brilliant!

There was a really good turn out for this event from the beavers and cubs. There were some beavers whose parents thought they wouldn't enjoy the session, but they were wrong! Some of the more adventurous children even draped the snakes round their necks!

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SHIPSHAPE DAY

Shipshape Days have been scheduled for 10am on Saturday 24th July, Saturday 4th September and Sunday 12th September. This is when we look after our building and the surrounding areas ready for the Royal Navy Inspection on Wednesday 15th September.

All are welcome, just turn up at HQ on the day and lend a helping hand. Please bring a few tools or cleaning accessories to help with your chosen task. There are many things at HQ already, but the items might not suit everyone and aren’t always easy to find. We spend a couple of hours clearing up, sorting out, tidying away and generally getting our HQ “Shipshape”. Its great fun and a good opportunity to meet people and make new friends.

Main tasks, if the weather is good, will be to tidy up outside in car park and around building (bring spades, pruning cutters, etc. to help). Inside, we will be sorting out various cupboards, cleaning and tidying up.

All members parents are encouraged to come down even if its just for a short while to help please. For more information contact our Group Chairman, Keith Wall, on batchworth.chairman@ntlworld.com or 01923 777340.

GROUP PREPARES FOR ROYAL NAVY INSPECTION

Batchworth Sea Scouts have been honoured to be recognised by the Royal Navy as one of the top 100 Sea Scout Groups in the Country since 1945.

Originally granted this 'Royal Navy Recognised' status for the efforts of our members in supporting the war effort during the early 1940's, Batchworth are reassessed every 18 months to ensure we still meet the required criteria to maintain the standard.

Our next inspection in on Wednesday 15th September and attendance is required by all members to support this important event in our calendar.