The war memorial in Whickham after the Remembrance Day Parade.

The church our group attends, St. Mary's of Whickham.

1st Whickham go back soon...

We hope you've all had a fantastic summer and, very soon, we will be back at cubs, scouts and beavers!

Beavers and Gibside Cubs start at their usual times on Monday the 8th September.

Chase Cubs and the Scouts start again on Friday 5th September.

We look forward to seeing you all again and hearing about the great summer you've had!

Standard Kit List

If you're going on a camp or a even a few nights in a youth hostel you're going to need some kit and this is what we think you'll need most of the time. Make sure you have enough stuff to change each day and a few spares in case you get wet or dirty. If an event needs different kit your section leader will let you know and if you're unsure, just ask!

Uniform
Group Scarf
Section Jumper or Shirt
Smart trousers normally aren't needed at camp but it depends on the programme.

Rucksack or Holdall (no suitcases)
Old trousers or joggers
Old shirts or T shirts
Jumpers
Shorts
Wet activity clothes
Swimwear
Waterproof coat (essential) and waterproof over trousers (if available)
Trainers
Walking boots (or other stout shoes/trainers which can get wet)
Hat or cap & Gloves
Underclothes
Socks
Nightwear
Sleeping bag
Roll mat
Torch and spare batteries
Day sack and drinks bottle
Wash kit and towel (soap, flannel, toothbrush, tooth paste, shampoo)
Small first aid kit (if available)
Sun cream and insect repellent
Plastic bags for wet and dirty clothes

Please make sure everything is marked with your name.

CAKE Preferably home made!!,

Do Not Bring:
Mobile phones
Aerosol sprays
Jeans

Wellies

Chase Cubs Backwoods Cooking night - Friday 27th June

Friday night saw the Chase Cub pack practicing their backwoods cooking skills in the garden behind Heron House.  

Burning marshmallows over an open fire

Cooking twists on the BBQ - both cheese and chocolate chip varieties!

Hand rolling the twists

Before it is wrapped around a stick

District Scout Camp is on the 11th to 13th July

If you're going to district camp then we expect the cost will be £35 and permission too camp forms need to be in as soon as possible. We hope to see you there!

Gibside Cubs make chocolate and bananas on the BBQ - fire lighting too!

Monday the 9th of June (Bladyon Races Day!) saw Gibside Cub pack making chocolate bananas on the BBQ as the ground was too wet to light a proper fire. 

The preparation

The cooking

The fire we lit just to say we'd had a proper fire too!

Church Parade this Sunday 15th June - Father's Day

As usual we're meeting at 09.15 in the Rectory Hall (opposite St Mary's Centre) in Church Chare and we should dismiss from the same place around 10.45. Please make sure you're in full uniform and you may want to bring a small donation for the collection too. Families are welcome to join us in the church service too!

Here is a map showing Church Chare https://goo.gl/maps/5lVh4 which is Cul-de-sac and where parking is very limited, so we'd ask you park near by and walk to the Rectory Hall.

If you'd like to know more about St Mary's Church please visit their website on  http://www.stmaryswhickham.org.uk/

District Cub Camp is on Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June 2014

Both our Cub Packs will be away on the annual district Cub Camp from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd of June. Each pack will communicate their plans shortly but make sure you're packed and ready! Here the kit list and if you have any questions please see your section leader.

Uniform
Group Scarf
Cub Jumper

Rucksack or Holdall (no suitcases)
Old trousers or joggers
Old shirts or T shirts
Jumpers
Shorts
Wet activity clothes
Swimwear
Waterproof coat (essential) and waterproof over trousers (if available)
Trainers
Walking boots (or other stout shoes/trainers which can get wet)
Hat or cap & Gloves
Underclothes
Socks
Nightwear
Sleeping bag
Roll mat
Torch and spare batteries
Day sack and drinks bottle
Wash kit and towel
Small first aid kit (if available)
Sun cream and insect repellent
Plastic bags for wet and dirty clothes

Please make sure everything is marked with your name.

CAKE Preferably home made!!,

Do Not Bring:
Mobile phones
Aerosol sprays
Jeans
Wellies

It's half term 24th May to the 1st June

Regular meetings will be canceled for the half term holiday so unless your section has arranged something special, like the Scouts camping trip, we'll not be seeing you again until June!

Scouts are away to camp on Friday 23rd May

The Scouts will not be meeting on Friday 23rd May add they are away for the weekend!

We are not meeting on Monday 5th of May - it's a bank holiday!

The Early May Bank Holiday is nearly upon us and we will not be meeting on Monday 5th May. On Friday the 9th we're heading back to normal with Chase Cubs going away and the Scouts holding their usual meeting.

For a full list of UK Holidays please see https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays

What do the Scout Promise, Law and Motto mean to you?

Did you know that every Scout takes makes their Promise before they are given their Membership Award, the familiar purple badge worn over the left pocket and common to all sections. As well as the fun and adventure there is a serious side to Scouting and it is embodied by the Promise, Law and Motto. These are not static: the law has changed in recent years and the promise can be adapted to suit those of different faiths. Let us know what they mean to you or if they have effected your life beyond Scouts; we'll see about putting some of the best answers or stories on this blog, and remember to ask your section leader if you have any questions!

The Scout Membership Award - worn by all Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network and Leaders.

The Scout Promise

On my honour, I promise that I will do my best
To do my duty to God and to the Queen,
To help other people
And to keep the Scout Law

The Scout Law

1. A Scout is to be trusted.
2. A Scout is loyal.
3. A Scout is friendly and considerate.
4. A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts.
5. A Scout has courage in all difficulties.
6. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.
7. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.

The Scout Motto

Be Prepared

Duke of Edinburgh's Award training for one of 1st Whickham's leaders

One of our Scout Leaders, Jonathan Green, has recently begun his training to become an Expedition Supervisor and Assessor for the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme. This will make it much easier for Scouts in Whickham and the rest of Gateshead district to complete their DofE expeditions.

The DofE Bronze award can be used as part of the Chief Scout's Platinum Award in the Explorer (ages 14-18) section and the Gold award may be used towards the Queen's Scout Award in the Scout Network (18 to 25.) Being able to earn both DofE and the Scout awards at the same time can make a considerable difference to the recognition of our young people's achievements.

If you want to know more about how you can join in the adventure and earn one of these awards then talk to your section leader or see Jonathan one Friday night at Scouts!

Chief Scout's Platinum Award

Duke of Edinburgh's Award Bronze, Silver and Gold badges

You can find more information on the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme here https://www.dofe.org/

The school holidays finish soon and we'll be back from this Friday!

We will be returning to regular meetings from Friday 25th April for Chase Cubs and the Scouts, and from Monday 28th April for Beavers and Gibside Cubs. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

We have a PayPal Giving fund account!

Did you know 1st Whickham has an account with the PayPal giving fun and is also registered with ebay for charity? This means, not only can you list items on ebay and donate some or all of the proceeds to 1st Whickham using our profile at http://www.ebay.co.uk/egw/ebay-for-charity/charity-profile/?NP_ID=37195 you can also donate money HERE using a credit or debit card AND reclaim the gift aid too!

Coffee Morning - 11 til 1 on the 3rd of May

The leader of our Gibside Cub Pack, Susan Reece, is holding a coffee morning on the 3rd of May to raise money for her part in the 23rd World Scout Jamboree - Japan 2015 you don't need to bring anything other than yourself and a readiness to buy coffee and raffle tickets. Phoenix cards will also be on hand to supply a range of small gifts, cards and wrapping, a share of which sales will go towards Susan's costs for Japan.

Gibside Cubs are hosting a pampered chef evening on Monday 28th of April!

Fiona Joseph, the local representative of the Pampered Chef company will be giving a cooking demonstration with the help of the cubs. Refreshments will be available and parents are welcome to attend.

A donation is requested to help send Gibside Cub's leader, Susan Reece, to the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan. You can find out more about the Jamboree scouts.org.uk/wsj‎ and we'll be posting more on this blog, so do check back with us!

St George's Day Parade - Friday 25th of April 2014

The district's annual St. George's Day parade will be held on Friday 25th April in St. Nicholas' Church, Dunston. You may find a map and other information here http://www.achurchnearyou.com/dunston-st-nicholas/. Please be aware parking is limited so you may need to arrive early to get there on time!

We will be meeting at the church on Ellison Road at 6.30 pm and the service should finish around 8.00 pm. Arrangements will be confirmed by your section leaders so please keep a look out for a letter!

St. George's Cross 

Did you know that St. George is the Patron Saint of Scouting? Baden-Powell felt that the Saint George of legend set a good example of faith, courage and perseverance for future generations.

Where do I put my badges?

If you're sewing badges onto your uniform, how do you know you've got them in the right place? Each section has a guide on the http://scouts.org.uk/home/ website. To make it easier here are the links for each section. If you have any trouble, don't worry, just make sure you ask your section leader for advice.

Beaver Scout badges

Cub Scout Badges

Scout Badges

These external links open Acrobat PDF files from the members area on http://scouts.org.uk/, if you'd like to know more about PDF files and how to open them please visit Adobe.

The Membership Award - the first badge we sew on our uniforms.

 

Have you got a story about 1st Whickham you'd like told?

If you've had a great weekend camping with the Scouts, were able to use your Scouting skills at school or at home or just wanted to share something about your Scouting experiences with 1st Whickham then please get in touch as I'd love to put a few stories and photographs on this blog and on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stwhickham. 

End of term is approaching - nearly time for Easter!

Schools in Gateshead are breaking up for Easter on Friday 4th April and returning on Tuesday 22nd April (source Gateshead Council checked 24th March 2014) and, as a result, there will be no regular section meetings at Heron House.

• Beavers and Gibside Cubs. The last meeting before Easter will be Monday 31st March and the first meeting after Easter will be Monday 28th April. 

• Chase Cubs and Scouts. The last meeting before Easter will be Friday 4th April and the first after Easter will be Friday 25th April. 

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday. Don't forget your Scouting promise while you're away! If you have any questions please see your section leaders.

The Family Quiz and 50/50 raffle has raised £500!

Thank you to everyone who supported the family quiz on Saturday (22nd March) with your help and support we have raised £500 to help us continue to provide a fun and exciting programme throughout the year.

Did you know we need volunteers?

Everything we do is done by a volunteer, whether it's writing a letter, mending a tent or cooking dinner for a score of hungry children and we'd really like to know if you can help us with any of the things we do? You don't have to commit to every week: we have helpers who can only come once or twice a month and we still value what they do for us. You don't even have to work with children, there are loads of tasks like administration, fund raising or general repairs and maintenance which you can help with. If you want to help all you need to do is get in touch and we'll get the ball rolling. 

Subs are paid monthly by standing order

Subscriptions are £8.50 per month per member and are paid, by standing order, directly to the group's bank account. Please see your section leader for the account number and a standing order mandate which you can either present to your bank or use the details to set up the mandate by either telephone or online banking. When setting up your standing order please ensure you give your child's full name (first name and surname) as the reference, else we will not know who you're paying for!

Scout Family Quiz - 22nd March 2014

We are having a family quiz on Saturday the 22nd of March, starting at 7 pm. Tickets are £5 per adult and £1 per child and are available from your section leaders.

To make the night even more exciting the annual 50:50 raffle is back, tickets are £1 each and the winner will take home 50% of the total sold: in previous years this has been as much as £500! Come along on the night of the 22nd to see the result of draw.

Parking around Heron House

We have recently been contacted by the police about parking on Park Drive by users of Heron House. I'm sorry to say there have been complaints from a number of residents over a long period of time and we, again, have to ask those using Heron House to park with consideration for other road users, even if you're only going to be a few minutes. Please be aware the police are intending to monitor the road and issue tickets to those not parking within the law.

Guidance on parking may be found at The Highway Code - Waiting and parking (238 to 252) and information on Gateshead Council's parking fines policy may be found here.