Phoenix Independent Scouts Associa�on
Trustee Report 22/23
Whilst on the surface it seems another quiet year for Phoenix, underneath things have been progressing nicely. Individual groups have been busy. Thank you to everyone that have posted pictures etc. onto the Facebook group. It’s really good to see what you are ge�ng up to and is a great adver�sement for tradi�onal scou�ng. Please let me know about any events/camps that you have planned; we will try our best to visit (if you would like us to).
In January, we were accepted as prospec�ve members of the World Federa�on of Independent Scouts (WFIS) following a vote at their annual General Assembly. As you all know, our membership vote was originally postponed for 1 year following some concerns from another WFIS member, but the Steering Commitee have been very suppor�ve in helping us move forward. The vote to give us full membership will take place at the GA in 2025, which I hope we will be able to atend and that the vote will be in our favour.
Although we were unable to atend the GA in January, our prospec�ve membership did allow us to atend Eurocamp 2023 in Germany. My only other experience of Eurocamp was in 2018. Despite everything that has happened since, Euro18 is s�ll a highlight of my scou�ng “career”. Germany was a very different experience but that is what it is all about and it was s�ll amazing 10 days. Our plan to come 2[nd] in the Camp Gateway compe��on failed which meant we spent the first few days adap�ng our original design and building the gateway. It was located just outside the camp office, which meant that everyone arriving had to walk past it. We received so many posi�ve comments and I don’t think there was one group that le� the camp without taking a photo. Despite the wind and rain, it lasted un�l the last day! The gateway was also voted as the best gateway on camp so we came away with a cer�ficate and very impressive trophy which was presented during the closing ceremony.
Con�nuing on the WFIS theme, we were able to send a delega�on to the Workshop held in Prague. James C, Jay, Dorthe, Andrew, Ryan and James Ford represented 1st Mor�mer and Phoenix well.
The next WFIS event is the GA which takes please on 27th January. This year it’s being held in Portugal. So far, only Mor�mer have sent delegates, but it is open to all Phoenix groups. If you fancy a trip in January, you are more than welcome to join us.
Moving away from WFIS, in January, 1[st] Blackwater Valley organised a Safety in the Hills course which took place in Snowdon. James C, Jay and I made the 5hr trip (add on another 2 hours for me…) to Wales and enjoyed a very enjoyable weekend. Jay wasn’t able to walk to far following his knee opera�on but James and I took the opportunity to “summit” Snowdon and wild camped on the way back down. We did plan to try and meet up with Richard and his Rovers but it turns out the Watkin Path is quite steep and a but rocky towards the top so we decided to camp next to the lakes. It was a chilly night and made James and I realise that we needed to upgrade out sleeping mats. Thanks to Richard for organising and allowing us to atend.
The inaugural Skip Johnson Memorial Hike took place in April. I am pleased to say that from the 11 teams that entered, the majority managed to complete the course in what turned out to be very wet condi�ons. The hike was opened up to all scouts’ groups and I am pleased to say that we had representa�ves from other associa�ons - which is the way that scou�ng should be. The next hike is planned for 27[th] April 2024. I hope that we can grow the number of entries for the next hike and that
the weather is at least a litle bit drier. If you took part this year and have any sugges�on on how we can improve the weekend, please let me know.
Although we had planned to hold a Phoenix Associa�on camp this year, life seemed to take over so unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite being a scout for over 40 years now (!) I have never camped on Brownsea Island. It’s definitely an ambi�on of mine so I am going to try my hardest to make that happen. However, there are plans afoot for a 4/5 day expedi�on which will take place in the Brecon Beacons. JC already has a route planned and has some silly idea of checking the route by walking it over 48 hours. I might be busy that weekend! This will be open to all Scouts, Rovers, Leaders and I already have some interest from scout groups outside Phoenix, including the possibility of some travelling from Italy and Germany to take part. I think the proposed date is 3[rd] -10[th] August but that is
Although Phoenix is s�ll a very small Associa�on, I am in conversa�on with several exis�ng groups that are keen to stay in contact and partake in Phoenix events with a view to possibly becoming members in the future. Phoenix was set up to give a home to several groups that found themselves evolving into independent groups due to circumstances. Phoenix con�nues to be open to all groups, both exis�ng and new. If you know of any new groups opening in your area, please men�on Phoenix to them. We are happy to chat to anyone who has an interest in joining us.
Finally, both Neil and Steve have decided to step down as Phoenix Trustees at this mee�ng (although at the �me of wri�ng this I am s�ll one volunteer short so I may have to bribe one of them to stay on for a litle while). I would like to thank them both for stepping forward and volunteering for what turned out to be a 2-year s�nt., I am very grateful for their support and advice during the set up.
Phoenix Independent Scouts Association
Account 2022-23
Income £35.00 Expense £0.00 Surplus £35.00