50 Beaver Scouts (girls and boys aged 6-8) enjoyed a sunny afternoon at The Brambles Campsite, Sarratt last weekend.

The first half of the afternoon saw the Beaver Scouts taking part in team challenges, exploring the woods on-site, an obstacle course and making a woggle (the thing that holds the scarf together) out of beads. After much-needed refreshments the young people learnt some more traditional Scouting skills – using a map and pitching a tent.

A lively sing-along rounded off the afternoon, with each Beaver Scouts receiving a certificate and badge to add to their uniform. Scout leader, Simon Fancourt said: “this is one of our most popular activities of the year and a great way to round off the Summer term – outdoors, making the most of the sunshine”.

The popular and active Scout Group – based in Durrants Hill Road, Apsley, have space for new members. To join, visit www.scouts.org.uk/join or call 0844 414 2318.

Over the weekend 25th – 27th June, over 120 Cub Scouts from Apsley, Leverstock Green and Bennetts End camped in the sunshine at Braidwood Campsite, Asheridge.

Activities on offer throughout the weekend included a day trip to Wicksteed Park where the cubs had a great time enjoying the funfair, water and motorised rides. Saturday evening saw the boys and girls, aged 8-10, enjoy a raucous sing-along around the campfire.

On Sunday morning they joined together with children from other Scout Groups to compete in a series of team-based challenges – from completing an obstacle course while holding a tray of drinks, moving a giant ball around a course and various running relay tasks.

While many of the children have been away with the Scouts before, it was a first camp for recently recruited volunteer Sam King, who said:

“Although its been hard work, I have had a fantastic time here at camp and the smiles on the children’s faces make it all worth it”.

Following on from a letter written by one of the Explorer Scouts, Georgie Brandon, to Mike Penning congratulating him on his re-appointment as our MP, Explorer Scouts from Hemel Hempstead received an invitation to tour the Houses of Parliament as his Guest.

24 Explorers and 5 Leaders spent a fascinating hour and a half touring the House of Lords and House of Commons and Chambers, being taken where normal tour parties do not go and receiving a fascinating dialogue from Mike, full of anecdotes and interesting facts and historical data along the way.

Having stood at the Dispatch Boxes , they were then taken onto the Members Terraces where they were able to hear Big Ben strike 16 times, courtesy of St Thomas’s Hospital opposite bouncing back the Chimes.

Cub Scouts from 1st Apsley and 4th Hemel Hempstead Scout Groups joined in the Hertfordshire County Cub Scout Water Activities day, held at fairlands valley lakes in Stevenage on Sunday 13th June. Activities included canoeing, kayaking dragon boat racing and bell boat racing.

Each Cub Scout had a passport quiz book to fill in before they arrived containing water safety questions to answer in order to complete part of their badge. After a full safety talk the youngsters hit the water, completing all the challenge activities.

Cub Scout, Hadyn Sayers said:

“I had a fantastic time – the best bit was beating the drum at the front of the Dragon Boat”.

The youngsters taking part completed their Water Activities badge and gain BCU (British Canon Union) “Paddle Power Start” certificate. Simon Fancourt, Cub Scout Leader said:

“it’s another example of the fantastic opportunities available through Scouting to young people in Hertfordshire”.

A team of scouts from across Herts, including Jordan Bullock and Vicky Williams from Hemel Hempstead, were named runners-up at the Young People of the Year (YOPEY) awards on April 23.

The youngsters scooped £100 for their work in a poverty stricken community in Swaziland last year.

During a two week trip they distributed gifts of computers, clothes, sports equipment, and tools, and also constructed a BMX track and a play area for local children.

They have agreed to use their prize money to build a sustainable bee sanctuary on their next trip to the poor southern African country.

More than 40 young people received prizes totalling £3,000 at the YOPEY awards in County Hall, Hertford.

The scheme was founded in Hertfordshire by former journalist Tony Gearing who wanted to highlight positive stories about under 25s.

For more information visit www.yopey.org.

Source: www.hemeltoday.co.uk

At 3 PM on Saturday the 3rd of July, 10 teams from Hemel Hempstead District Scouts arrived at Phasels Wood Scout Camp for Nimod 2010. Nimrod is an incident night hike competition run by Hemel Hempstead Explorers for the Scouts in the district. The organisation and the running of the event is done by the explorers themselves – with some guidance from their leaders.

The scouts are scored on everything they do over the course of the event. This ranges from presentation of their uniform on arrival, their skill and communication throughout the event, right up to the way they break camp and leave their site at the end.

This year we had great support from the district, with 6 troops entering 8 competitive teams and 2 Training teams. The competition was very close and the scout skills and team work demonstrated by all of the teams was of a very high calibre.

The top three teams were:

1st Place: 1st Bennets End Team B with 337 points.

2nd Place: 1st Bennets End Team A with 333 points

3rd Place: 1st Apsley Team B with 332 points

The top placed training team was:

1st Bennets End/2nd Hemel with 272 points.

The full results table can be downloaded here.

Hemel Hempstead Explorers would like to thank the GSL’s and SL’s for supporting the event and the various Leaders and Network members that attended the weekend to help. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves and look forward to seeing everyone next year.

95 new members in Hemel Hempstead have helped the UK Scout Movement achieve its biggest growth spurt since 1972 according to statistics for the last year released today.

Scouting in Hemel Hempstead has grown 9% since 31 January 2009 helping total UK membership reach 499,323. This impressive surge in membership – the fifth consecutive year of expansion – has helped cement Scouting’s position as the largest co-educational youth Movement in the country.

And a large part of this growth is due to record numbers of teenagers in Hertfordshire joining, particularly girls! This is the fastest-growing age group with 59 new members since 2001, when such detailed data was first collected.

Scouting is all about adventure. In the UK Members can enjoy more than 200 activities including zorbing, water skiing, abseiling and adventure glider flights. So it’s easy to see why more and more teenagers are signing up. But that’s not all. Scouting helps young people achieve their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential as individuals, as responsible citizens and as Members of their local, national and international communities.

Adults can get just as much out of Scouting as young people. Not only through enjoying the same activities but also by developing skills that can be transferred into other areas of their lives. For the second year running, The Scout Association has seen a rise in adult Leaders in Hemel Hempstead with growth up from 164 in 2009 to 184 this year.

But despite this growth, overall waiting lists to join Scouting remain at an all-time high due to the need of more adult volunteers. While Hemel Hempstead has been able to open new groups during 2009, demand for places is high and more volunteers joining the fun will ensure children won’t be put onto waiting lists during 2010.

Chief Scout  Bear Grylls said:

“It’s fantastic to witness such a huge surge in Scouting – the biggest growth for thirty eight years – and it is proof that Scouting is appealing more and more to teenagers. Scouting is empowering, wild and fun, and offers so many adventure-based activities for young people and adults alike. My goal is for every young person that wants to be involved in Scouting to be able to be. So I hope to inspire even more adults to volunteer and help this happen.”

Scouts from 1st Leverstock Green Scout Group finished the term with their annual Christmas party last night (18th December) – with a slightly unusual twist!

During the last half of the term, the Scouts have worked in their patrols to design and construct one hole to form part of an 8 hole crazy golf course, which they put to the test during their last activity before the Christmas break.

Over the past three weeks the Scouts each learnt how to use the necessary power tools by making themselves a coat hook before confidently tackling the task of creating a fun, colourful and challenging crazy golf hole supervised by a mix of leaders and parents.


Click here to see photographs of their crazy golf course.

Over 200 youngsters ended a milestone year in style to celebrate 75 years of 1st Apsley Scouts.The group rounded off a year of action and adventure with a show performed to hundreds of mums, dads and friends in December.

Scout leaders also arranged for the youngsters to take over laser centre Quasar in Hemel Hempstead as a pre-Christmas treat.

The 1st Apsley Scouts celebrated 75 years in 2009 and is one of 12 groups to make up the 1,000-strong Hemel Hempstead scouting community.

Find out more about 1st Apsley Scout Group at their website: www.1st-apsley-scout-group.org

Photograph courtesy of Hemeltoday (www.hemeltoday.co.uk)