3[rd] Hayling Scouts Annual Report 2023 - 2024
www.haylingscouts.org.uk
Youth Membership at 31st March 2024 2tx) 19J ICM) 50 8 8 8 8 8 8 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Squi rrels Beavers • Cubs ll 5cCt5 • Explorers
Chairmans Report
As we reach our 95th year of Scouting on Hayling Island, it is an opportunity to reflect on why our group has seen, and continues to see the success it does. We are fortunate to have had generations of adults who have freely volunteered their time to provide great experiences for young people – and also many who work behind the scenes to make the Scouting ecosystem function – whether that be looking after our building, equipment, money, administration, trailers, communications or fundraising events.
There are many young people involved today whose parents and grandparents have played a part in this ongoing success story, and it is great to see new adult volunteers coming forward with their children to join the team. It is sometimes considered a problem that once you join Scouting, you don’t leave – but the mix of experience and new leaders we have at 3rd Hayling means that we can introduce new ideas knowing that the backbone of volunteer support will carry on performing their roles each week without fail.
I am reflecting on 40 years since I started as a Cub Scout at 3rd Hayling alongside our GSL James – Beavers and Squirrels hadn’t been invented then. We have seen so many changes during that time, but our focus remains on providing great experiences for young people – and our adult volunteers having fun at the same time. It is this combination of the traditional with the new that makes for our dynamic programme, and I am very grateful to all our section leaders who provide such a varied and challenging programme of weekly meetings and camps.
As I introduced at last year’s AGM, the structure of governance in Scouting is changing, ensuring that we adopt best practice from the Charity Commission and learn from problems that have occurred in other places and organisations. We are completing the move to having a Board of Trustees who ensure our group is meeting its legal and Scouting obligations, and is effectively managing our resources for the good of our charity. There will be separate meetings that deal with the operational matters that are the responsibility of the Group Scout Leader. This separation will, I am sure, have teething troubles – but I’m confident we will make it work and deliver Scouting that is safe for young people and adult volunteers who are appropriately vetted, trained and supported.
I would like to thank all our adult volunteers who contribute to our success – our uniformed leaders who work with young people, and our Group Development Team and other volunteers who carry out the operational tasks behind the scenes to keep our building and equipment in good order. There is always something to do, but the team are always up for the next project – and many of the tasks are done before I get round to asking someone.
All of these people make my role as Chairman relatively easy, and it is a huge pleasure to work alongside them in ensuring Scouting on Hayling remains safe and vibrant. We now embark on our journey towards our centenary with very firm foundations, and knowing that we have the resources needed to secure Scouting on Hayling for many years to come.
Tim Pike Group Chair of Trustees
Grou Scout Leaders Review p
Welcome back to another review of a Scouting year and what a year it has been,
We started off in April by starting a trial of Squirrels these are the youngest & newest of our sections they start at 4 years old before moving up to Beavers at 6 years old. The trial went very well all the children loved it the parents were also involved in the trial too; I think the parents had as much if not more fun than the children. The trial was so successful that in September Squirrels started full time with Rosemary taking the lead, they meet once a week for an hour and it’s safe to say that everyone involved has lots of fun and have all made new friends.
On a nice warm sunny day in June 2023 we had our group fun day, this was held at Copse Meadow Farm on Hayling this was attended by most of the group with many activities taking place from pizza making, Branding, Areial runway and for the first time we had cross bows these were provided by the district and proved very popular.
September, we had a group visit to the Mary Rose exhibition in Portsmouth this was organised by Sarah and Pippa a massive thank you to them for a fantastic day out and enjoyed by everyone even those who had been before found it interesting and discovered more.
February, May and October saw the return of our half term book sales again all massive success thank you to Mark & Andrew and rest of our book team for their countless hours of work with this and all that helped.
November was going to be our annual fireworks unfortunately due to the amount of rain and floods it had to be called off the fields were more like boating lakes than anything else. Good old English weather!
As we headed into December preparations were well under way for our Christmas post service again, we successfully sorted and delivered around 4000 cards. Thank you to all the local business and scouts that support us with this each year.
December saw the partial retirement of Fiona one of our Beaver leaders. Fiona has been running Aspen Beavers since 2008 and before that she was running cubs from 1995 so after almost 30 years, I think she deserves a break although it’s not quite a full retirement as Fiona is still around to help out when she is needed. Thank you for all your support over the last 30 years.
Clementyne also stepped down from being a Beaver leader having been with Maple since 2020, moving on to running Explorers in Havant. Thank you for all you work with Hayling and I am sure the explorers will bring exciting new challenges.
During the Autumn of 2023 we welcomed 10 new leaders to the group all these need to be DBS checked and have formal training including first aid a massive thank you to Sarah for organising all of this.
Jamie Bray former leader of Lion Troop Scouts and more recently leader for active support and running Air gun club activities. He has taken on the role of Group Scout Leader for Rowlands Castle. We will miss him at Hayling with all his support he has given over the years, but I am sure this will lead to better opportunities for the young people as we now have another HQ we can use for nights away or days out.
So, what about the next 12 months?
Our number one priority will continue to provide safe exciting Scouting that offers a good balance of fun and achievement to the Squirrels Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers in the group.
We have and amazing 95[th] Birthday celebration family camp planned for June at Lyons Copse a whole weekend of fun activities planned with lots of surprises.
We also have lots of events and new adventures already in the pipeline leading up to our 100[Th] Anniversary in 2029
So, to all the GDT leaders and supporters – a huge thank you for everything you bring to make 3[rd] Hayling Scouts great!
James and Sarah (GSL)
Treasurer’s Re ort p
2023-2024 was another busy financial year with money going through the accounts for camps, events and trips, alongside our continued spending on equipment and HQ improvements.
From an income perspective, during the year we moved to taking subscriptions through OSM which has led to greater subs coming in and is also much easier for parents, leaders and to myself to manage.
Outside of this we had another strong year of fundraising through the book sales and also a number of donations including two very generous bequests left to the group. We also managed to catch up on another couple of years of gift aid bringing in welcome extra funding to the group.
From the expenditure side, we have continued to invest in our HQ with money spent on woodwork treatment and the rear HQ doors. Expenditure on badges was also higher than previous years but goes to show all the good work the leaders put in to complete these with their sections.
Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Nigel Valette for his support again this year in scrutinizing our accounts.
Matt Pike, Treasurer
Inde he3°Ha ndent Examinerfs R ort to the Trustees of cout Grou Chari No=3 136 for the ri12023 to 31" March 2024 eriod I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trust.) for the year ended 31. March 2024. Responslblllti&s and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (°the Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trusfs accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charrty Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent examiners, ststement I have completed my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the fom and content of accounts sel out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fairf view whith is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Nigel N Valette ACIB Harting, Manor Road, Hayling Island. Hampshire P011 OQR Date: 14° June 2024
3rf HAYLING SCOUT GROUP (Charity No: 308136) Accounts for the period 1" April 2023 to 3181 March 2024 Balance Forward: 4WB167 Bank Accounts £43.681.82 Income: 1557&00 subscfiptlons 299 Donatlons 2x61 Bank Interat 0. Gift Ald- S•• Ilot• 1 fAOO Grants 1160174 Fundralsing- See Nol• 2 441L53 Worfd Jamboree 22L42 Suls8e Adventurg 0.1 HQ Rent (Explorers) 0. Explorers Refund of Expn48 994L05 Camps. Activi1Ses ele £17,460.00 £5.819.66 £626.67 £2,208.79 £5.915.00 £9.520.89 £138.00 £1,765.00 £342.67 £8,9%.69 £52.783.37 fffj2.783.37 Expenditur•: 7696m Mèmbership Fee 3U6 Sectlon Allowanc•• 82630 Badges 467.63 Leader Uniforni and Tralnlng 162&6s Photocopier 2UU7 Insurance 53&57 Gen¢ral Expenses 226&68 HQ: Services 87SQ98 HQ: Maintenance 376*0B Equipment 225&78 Suisse AdVeThre 2724 Fundr4ising Costs Gamps, Acbvibes etc 5mA8 World Jambore• £8.195.00 .668.08 £1,617.12 £500.26 £2,173.22 £2,120.59 £944.84 £3.560.33 £3,182.61 £6.$39.22 £43.73 £8A66.55 £541.78 £39W33 £39.543.33 Balance represented by.. 436BiA2 Bank Accounts- see Notes 3 and 4 £56,921.86 £66,921.86 £96,465.19 £96,465.19 I conflmi that I have examined th• accounts of the 3nl Hayling sCt Group and found them to be correct against th8 evidence providod. Nlgel aletto ACIB Date: 14th June 2024
NOTES Gfft Ald claims httve yet to be sulmnitted to for the fdl¢Ming estimated amounts: Ygar ended 31.03.2022 £1.114.63 Year ended 31.032023 £1.114.63 £2,229.26 Fund Raising 8reakdovm: hristina$ Post Book Falr Mlscellaneous Inc( £1.162.20 £8.301.30 £57.39 £9.520.89 D8slgnat•d Funds included In Bonk Balancqs: Suisse Advenknrn £306.19 £816.32 £1.122.51 Bank Account Balan. COIF Oeposlt Account Natwost Current Account Charlty Bank 1 Year Fixed Terni Dèposlt TSB Depostt A¢¢ount £13.506.61 £26.370.16 £17.000.00 £45.20 £56.921.96
S uirrels q
Who rules the world?
Squirrels!!!
After a successful 6 week trial of squirrels, scouting newest and youngest section, I took over the running from Linda. Along with support from Pam and Lucy we have found our feet and are loving running the Thursday fun. With squirrels we have found the messier the better, they love nothing more than getting covered in mud, paint and glitter glue. Its impressive how things so small can make quite so much mess.
Our programme has consisted of badge work, games, crafting, food and trips out. And every week the much coverted Squirrel Nutkin goes home with a Squirrel who’s worked extra hard.
The local hero’s badge that we worked towards managed to incorporate all of these ee = things, with multiple evening at the hut t (= ie learning what to do in an emergency, racing toy police cars and creating their own emergency vehicles, and ended in a trip ’eSogo?\ aa4 to the fire station which everyone loved especially to torches ‘q and horn.
For world book day we went on an interactive bear hunt, splashing through the river (buckets of water), squelching in the mud (getting covered in brown paint), battling the snow storm (throwing ice at a wall), ending in Pam jumping out of a cupboard dressed as a bear to screams of terror and delight
from the squirrels.
We have done a number of walks, collecting blackberries, treasure hunting and the walk of the torrential rain. Most of the hour was spent rolling in puddles and flying off the end of the slide with impressive speed all children returned to parents soaking wet but very happy.
In the hut highlights have been investing Squires the first Squirrels and very prestigious » ceremony including the promise, a special squirrel salute and going down the slide! Making and decorating biscuits the squirrels adopt a more is more approach when it comes to toppings. Potion making, the more glitter the better. And any game involving unicorns, dragons, bean bags and a ramp.
Looking forward to another year of activities
Rosemary
As en Beavers p
We started the year with Fiona as leader with adult helpers Andrew, Jackie & Jessica and young leader Daniel.
Some highlights of 2023 were:
The Coronation, we had a party and 2 Beavers acted the parts of King and Queen.
Big Beaver Little Beaver is bring an adult evening, an opportunity to join in the fun of Aspen Beavers. Beavers work with the adults to produce the best aqueduct running the length of the main hall.
It’s always fun to see the different solutions and the amount of Sellotape consumed.
=
We took a tractor ride (thank you Farmer Tom) to see the maize growing to make a maze. This was arranged by Max as part of his for Bronze award. It was followed by Northney ice cream.
Fiona attended her final preparation camp as she was representing Aspen Beavers, 3[rd] Hayling, Hawk District, Hampshire Scouts, England at the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea.
In September we started a parent rota to provide more adult support. We hope the parents enjoyed this, they certainly contributed to our evenings.
We returned to see the maize at full height and to explore the maze – thank you Farmer Sam.
We collected food for the food banks run by the Trussell trust. We learnt about what the food banks do to help people.
The Hawk District Teddy organised by the Aspen Mengham Junior School. across the playing field all usual the Go Karts proved see Jackie showing her
Bears Picnic was Leaders and held at 300 teddies scattered had to be rehomed. As popular – it was good to leadership potential.
We had a young leader evening run by Daniel. He planned, organised and delivered a Duplo bridge building challenge. 3 teams all building ambitious bridges spanning between patrol boxes.
We had evenings mixing ingredients and then decorating miniature Christmas cakes.
Hayling Scouts take part in the Remembrance Day Parade – Aspen Beavers had an excellent turnout and looked very smart in their uniforms. The first Beaver to arrive carried the flag – well done William. The supporting crowds love to see our young people at these events. It was a great atmosphere walking with them to the memorial. Our young people understood the importance of the occasion.
The autumn sleepover is always something to look forward to. Parents get a night off and the Beavers get a badge. The challenge is to complete the craft enjoy the fellowship of fun and friends go to sleep and wake up not too early! An achievement for Beavers and Leaders alike. This is one of our favourite activities on the programme because so much is achieved by all.
The final evening of the year for Aspen Beavers is the Christmas party. Traditional party games, food to share and disco music a good time was had by all.
For last time Fiona asked Aspen Beavers to get in their river banks to for the last time to finish off Fionas time as leader. This was the last time they would say their beaver promise with Fiona.
It’s a goodbye to Aspen Beavers (though not to Hayling Scouts) from Fiona and Andrew. It has been an Honour – thank you Aspen.
2024 started with an evening making calendars followed by cooking marsh mellows on a fire, making bird feeders and craft animals. We have played wide games and made catapults. Created a Maze in the HQ and played traditional games.
Beavers have completed many badges Science Experiment, Gardener Musician, Swimmer, Safety, Builder plus Challenge Badges: Adventure, Outdoor, Personal and Skills.
Four Beavers, Michael Logan, Flyn Berry, Kit Griffiths and Christopher Pilkington have completed the top Beaver Award, the Chief Scout’s Bronze. Well done to all four.
Pam, Jackie, Jess and Dom
Ma le / Redwood Colon p y
Late last year, Maple and Redwood colonies merged under a new leadership team, and in only a few short months we have grown into a thriving, exciting, adventurous group of Beavers and leaders ready to take on the world!
I joined Redwood as co-leader in January, so I will be detailing all our activities starting in the new year. Although our group is much bigger after the merger, we have such a robust and dedicated leadership team that we didn’t even need a parent rota!
Our first outing as a team was a chilly stream walk starting at the Ship Inn and following the Hermitage Stream towards Havant. Some parents were a bit worried about the cold and the wet, but Redwood proved they are the hardiest Beavers in the land! Of course, they were helped at the end with a hot chocolate and a biscuit kindly provided by Linda and Leigh.
We also celebrated Burns Night together, where the Beavers tried haggis, neeps, tatties (mixed opinions) and Irn Bru (almost universally loved). We had our own version of Highland Games; the Beavers particularly loved the Caber Toss!
January also saw the Beavers exploring the topic of disabilities: we learned to finger-spell our names and had a go playing games without using our hands or feet.
In February we marked New Zealand day by watching a women’s rugby Haka and making marzipan volcano cakes. Apologies to the parents who collected sugar-buzzed, chocolatestained, Haka-charged children.
We also had a wildly popular board games night and also celebrated Chinese New Year by constructing an enormous dragon that was then hoisted and hung from the ceiling of the hut where it rained glitter on everyone for several weeks.
In March we made lovely Mother’s Day flowers using cups of rice “soil” and planting colourful paper flowers on chopstick stems. We also had an exciting trip to the Hayling Ferry where the captain showed us the control room and explained how to navigate the strong tides. Some Beavers were a little scared of the short trip over to Eastney, but all enjoyed running riot on the beach and throwing stones in the sea. Sometimes the best entertainment is totally free!
For Easter, we made some lovely wreaths with stickers and cut out shapes, and on another evening we completed Jonny’s Super Secret Mill Rythe Undercover Easter Mission. Split into groups, the Beavers used maps to explore the holiday village and search for clues. It was pouring with rain and quite cold, but once again Redwood proved their tenacity and courage by racing round the course and finding all of the hidden Beavers. I think the speedy completion was less about the rain and more about the hot chocolate at the end!
We’ve had a wonderful year so far and are very excited about what’s to come in the rest of 2024.
Ju iter Cub Pack p
The winning formula for writing an annual report appears again. Jupiter Cubs wouldn't be the best Pack in the universe without our Cubs, families and of course our leaders. So I will hand back over to them to share with you their highs of Cubbing this year!
Alex
We walked up Butser Hill even though it was hard we had fun running down the hill and playing games down at the hill. At Cub camp we had a midnight feast and got breakfast lunch and dinner. There was a train that we loved.
Lillian
I like Cubs because last year we went to Rowlands Castle for camp. A couple of weeks ago we did fire lighting and we went to Marwell Zoo. We went to the gift shop! The most best bit of Cubs is going outside to do outside games.
Harry
This year Cubs has been good because of the activities badges and awards and I became a seconder. Because of this I'll definitely go to Scouts.
Ollie & Louis We have only done Cubs for 3 months. We are about to get our sports enthusiast badge because we play rugby.
Connor
The part I liked was a trip to Marwell.
Owen
We did fire lighting and toasting marshmallows. We went to Marwell Zoo. I like going on night walks it's fun. The best bit I'm looking forward to is going to camp.
This year we have presented 4 Chief Scout Silver Awards to Harry, Tristan, Edward and Henry. They all worked so hard to complete all the components especially their personal challenges! I have presented over 30 challenge badges and over 100 activity badges. A special mention to Jacob who has worked hard at home and at Cubs with the intent to earn every activity badge Cubs have to offer!
Summer term included the usual bike rides, crabbing and our weekend camp at Rowlands Castle. We enjoyed a back to basics weekend with den building, bug hunting, pioneering, backwoods cooking and a night hike. We also visited the Guinea Pig rescue and learnt how to care for them, gave them some treats and even got to hold them.
Autumn term had wide games, cooking, air rifle shooting and of course x-file donuts.
Spring term was finishing some badgework, archery, pioneering with the Scouts and a disco.
I look forward to what this next year brings. With lots of Cubs signed up to Group Camp I am excited to see them learn and challenge themselves whether it's their first nights away or getting to the top of climbing.
Thank you to Ian, Jan and Tolly for their enthusiasm, time and efforts each week. Thank you to all our parents and families for your support and thank you to Jupiter Cubs for being THE BEST PACK IN THE UNIVERSE!
Abi, Ian, Jan & Tolly
Saturn Cub Pack
Each year when I write Saturn’s annual report, I am always in shock at how quickly another year has passed. Leading Saturn Pack and being part of 3rd Hayling makes me proud to be part of such a fantastic group of people particularly as we celebrate 95 years of Scouting on Hayling Island!
I would like to begin by saying a massive thank you to my leadership team Rebecca, Pippa, Seb and my Young Leaders, James and Freddie - you have all been amazing and I really could not run Saturn Pack without you. Kate has moved on to help with Scouts we are sorry to see her leave Saturn but I know she will be a fantastic asset to Lion Troop.
We have had a busy year full of adventure, and these yearly reports always seem to just give a snippet of what Saturn pack have been up to.
During the last 12 months we have celebrated many important and notable dates such as The King's Coronation, St George's day, Burns Night, Easter, Christmas and Pancake Day. I was very proud that almost all our Cubs marched with the rest of 3rd Hayling Scouts at the Remembrance Sunday parade. One of the most memorable celebrations was Chinese New Year when we made our own stir fry, wrote our names on Chinese bookmarks, played a few games of tangrams and made some impressive origami hopping frogs! We also took part in the annual Horticultural Show again this year and I’m pleased to say the Cubs won lots of prizes for their efforts of a seascape painting.
Spring 2023 we visited Marwell Zoo this was brilliant day trip we visited with 1000s of other Scouts from around Hampshire. We saw a huge variety of animals and walked what seemed like miles. Marwell had lots of extra activities planned for this day and we all had lots of fun.
Summer 2023 Saturn Pack had their summer camp at Ferny Crofts in the New Forest - it was a fun packed weekend full of activities. We made our own rafts that we successfully sailed around the pond, took part in some epic Go-Kart races, navigated the very high ropes on the gladiator course, played Frisbee Golf and Aeroball and took part in a spooky nature trail night hike.
All the cubs and leaders also braved a 60 ft high 300 ft long zip line, lots of encouragement was required but everyone managed it - a very proud moment.
We spent our evenings around the campfire eating smores, drinking hot chocolate and singing camp songs.
The Cubs visited Gosport Lake for an evening of Kayaking, this was an accomplished evening working towards their paddle sports award. I was very impressed how brave everyone was walking across the Kayaks during the team games!
We had a Swimming party and BBQ at the Oven campsite - we took part in lots of team games and challenges; it was a nice way to cool off and end the summer term.
In September the Cubs visited the Maize maze at Sam's Sunflowers – the Cubs got lost a few times, but had lots of fun practicing their navigation skills. Thank you Sam (Sunflowers) for allowing this to happen.
Autumn 2023, along with the whole of 3rd Hayling, we visited the Mary Rose, this was an amazing day. We had the opportunity to look and touch real artefacts, have a tour of the museum and take part in a Tudor gun drill. It was lovely to unite and do something together as a whole group. Watch this space for other days like this in the future! Thank you to the Mary Rose for allowing this to happen.
Christmas 2023 we did something that I’ve never done with Saturn Pack before, we had a Christmas treat and visited the Kings Theatre to see the Panto, Hook. 3rd Hayling got a mention from Captain Hook, it was a very funny evening with excitement and lots of giggles. I am in the planning stages to make this annual outing a joint Cubs venture with Jupiter Pack for 2024.
Our annual sleepover was at the HQ and Harry Potter themed. The cubs all made their own wizard light up wands, drinking goblets, flying broomsticks, and chocolate frogs. The evening meal was a roast dinner feast served on a grand table with floating candles from the ceiling. The Cubs were impressed!
In our section evenings we like to partake in traditional scouting skills including pioneering, communication skills, cooking, making camp gadgets, taskmaster challenge evenings and backwoods cooking. We also have had some not so traditional evenings such as a Nerf gun evening, this was enjoyed by everyone, one of the Cubs highlights.
Hampshire Astronomical group visited to help complete their astronomy badge. The cubs took part in lots of activities and even got to hold real meteors!
We like to try and have presence in the local community, and we are very grateful for the time they have all given to us. We have done litter picks on the beach, taken part in chip shop challenges, visited Northney Farm, the Lifeboat Station and the Fire Station. Seb organised to bring in his police car, the Cubs all had a chance to sit inside and look at the controls. The Cubs were also delighted seeing the leaders in handcuffs – it was a very informative and fun evening.
I would like to finish this report by saying a massive thank you to all parents for your continued support this year. Also, to all the Cubs in Saturn Pack for being awesome and making each week so much fun.
I am looking forward to another fun filled year with lots to look forward to.
Sarah Bailey – Akela Saturn Pack
Ea le Troo g p
We appear to have arrived at my 20[th] section report! When it comes to scout evenings and camps, this year has had the right mix of Eagle troop favourites and new ideas. Some of those new ideas are sure to have made it onto the favourites’ list for the future.
The last section report finished with the summer term ahead of us. The first half was focused on getting ready for the camping season with tent pitching, camping skills and patrol cooking. This paid off when we entered two patrols into Gunnel. Combined with the skills they learned at summer camp, both patrols did us proud. Elliot led his patrol to victory and bought home the trophy.
In the second half of the term, we were looking ahead to summer camp by practicing fire lighting, axe work and pioneering. The pioneering evening involved setting up a low ropes course that wound through the trees at Copse Meadow Farm. This was then left up for all the other sections to use at the Group Fun day.
After the success of the previous year, we returned to Broadstone Warren for our Summer Camp. This year we went with 5 patrols. We knew that the central toilet block was being rebuilt so we booked one of our favourite sites far away from the main centre (10/10-new toilet block design!). We had a full programme of forest and adventure activities planned. The weather was very
much against us, with rain through most of the week. The only things this stopped us doing was building bivis (wet bracken is not fun). We replaced this with a trip to an indoor climbing centre. Laser quest, muddy pot holing and swimming went ahead as planned. With careful planning around the bands of rain, we still managed plenty of fires, wide games and set up an awesome site. During the camp we managed to lose the patrol leaders one morning (and suspiciously one leader). They returned 24 hours
later with tales of their adventure that took them across the lands.
They had to fend for themselves with nothing but a tarpaulin and enough money to visit a fish and chip shop. By chance, this expedition was the final requirement needed for Boyd White, Samuel Kelly, Eddie Kester and Samuel Hughes to achieve their Chief Scouts Gold Award. All four achieved a lot in scouts and were great patrol leaders. We returned to the hut with a trailer full of wet tents. Thanks to parent help, we made light work of getting it all hung up to dry!
The wet summer led into a wet winter. This did not put us off planning lots of outdoor evenings: completing the maise maze at Sam’s sunflowers, a spooky hike and night mountain biking. We paired some evenings up. Mini construction using skewers led on to mega construction, building by floodlight to leave a structure for JOTA. A fire-skills evening at the start of the term meant our skills were hot for Flame Grilled Christmas Dinner cooking in December.
The spring term had mostly traditional evenings. Notable exceptions included Apocalypse Skills and Micro Orienteering. The first included important skills that could be needed during any of the classic apocalypse situations – including changing car tyres and drilling holes in things. The second meant following a map of the hut to find tiny orienteering sticks. This was made slightly harder by the existence of similar stickers still in place from when we ran this activities some 10 years previous.
Our Spring sleepover included our annual hut maintenance. This made a huge difference to the condition of our headquarters. Another notable evening was setting up ANOTHER pioneering project to be used the following night by the cubs. 4 of our older scouts used
these to teach the younger section square lashings.
The summer term is upon us, and we are preparing for our summer camp in France, cycling the Normandy beaches. I’m fairly sure next year’s report might mention something about it.
Pete, Mitch, Paul and I have been leading Eagle troop for 20 years (Pete quite a bit longer). We have been joined by many over the years. Barnabas, Ed, Dom and Tolly now lead with us having been through the troop as past scouts. In this time, we have run approximately 800 troop
nights and 280 nights away. My huge thanks to leaders past and present as we reach this milestone. My bigger thanks to the scouts who make every year just as memorable as the last.
Edd Harrison – Section Leader of Eagle Troop
Lion Troo p
I took over running Lion troop after Dom moved away, he left the troop in good shape for me thanks to his leadership skills and the team of leaders. We were also joined by Kate she has been a leader at cubs for 8 years previously.
The Summer term of 2023 was mostly spent outdoors as Scouting should be we spent a evening at the Ship Inn catching crabs there was a bit of friendly competition to see who could get the most crabs & of course the largest crab afterwards they were all released back in to the water. We also had a evening branding using the branding irons and as we had a fire going the evening was finished up with some hot dogs. We also spent a evening at the pitch and put on Hayling this again was a entertaining evening some of our Scouts were really good at golf and some had never tried it before, There were a few interesting shots with a few balls ending up in the gorse bushes. We also spent a evening learning how to sew a badge on & iron a shirt and fist aid being taught hopefully these skills will be useful for years to come.
Finally, we finished with a BBQ and games down at the Gunn emplacements on Ferry Road again it was a warm sunny evening and a great end to the term.
We started back in September after the holidays with a visit to Sams Sunflowers and a trip round the maze in the dark, the evening was beautiful summer evening with a amazing sunset and was enjoyed by all.
Throughout the term we continued our scouting skills with varied evenings we even had flood lit tomahawk throwing, Cooking over open fires, as the winter nights drew in we still managed to get outside occasionally we went out on the land behind the houses in Northney Road it was a great night playing games in the dark we were also lucky with the weather it was cloud free and very little moon light so we spent some time looking at the stars and talking about the different constellations this was a first for some of the scouts. We had evenings playing with Lego creating stop motion films I was very pleased to see how creative our Scouts are. We spent a evening building bird & bug boxes using different tools such as hand saws, hammers, power screwdrivers, Squares, Tape measures, some of these skills we may as adults take for granted but again the Scouts had a great time making things and learning new skills. Evenings were also
spent looking a food and our diet healthy and unhealthy foods, how many calories we should eat per day this was helped by some sampling of some ration packs. The scouts were amazed to learn these contain anything up to 3500 calories per pack for a 24hr period per person for such a small amount of food. Christmas cards were also made by hand one evening I was worried how a crafting evening would run and if there would be enough interest but to my delight everyone enjoyed the evening and went home with homemade Christmas cards. A joint Christmas party was had with the Cubs for our final night in December again a great success.
We had 2 sleepovers during the winter using hammocks inside the scout hut, structures were built using pioneering poles to support the hammocks again a massive success with most of the scouts not having put up of slept in a hammock before.
2024 Saw us welcome Gary into Lion troop as a leader he is new to scouting having only been helping at Cubs for a few months prior to this but already he is part of our family and has some fantastic new ideas for us. Over the last year Lion Troop Scouts have earned over 100 badges between them.
This year is also the year that 3[rd] Hayling Scouts celebrate our 95[th] birthday as we wright this report we are looking forward to our family camp in June.
Thank you to all my Scout leaders Michelle, Merv, Kate, Gary, Chris all of this would not be possible without your help.
James Perfett
Lion Troop Leader
Nexus Ex lorers p
2023 was another exciting year for the Nexus Explorers, filled with a variety of activities and adventures that brought us closer together as a group. We continued our tradition of engaging, youth-led programs that offer unique experiences and learning opportunities. Here’s a look back at our year:
Spring Term 2023 (January to April) The spring term kicked off with an exhilarating Nerf war, where Explorers showcased their tactics and teamwork in friendly competition. Air rifle shooting followed, offering a fun and engaging experience that also taught important lessons in safety, precision, and concentration. We also had sessions on fire-building, knife sharpening, and a thrilling game of "Hunted." Additionally, we embarked on a unique adventure to find the best chips from non-chip shops, leading us to various Chinese and takeaway shops for a tasty comparison.
Summer Term 2023 (April to June) Our summer term was highlighted by the annual round the harbour cycle ride, a favourite tradition that brought together Explorers for a scenic and challenging ride around the harbour. After a refreshing ferry ride, we stopped for some delicious fish and chips, making the experience even more enjoyable. We also engaged in wide game and Rich/Poor cooking evening, where Explorers learned to cook with limited resources, and a fun egg hunt.
Autumn Term 2023 (September to December) The
autumn term was packed with a variety of engaging activities that kept our Explorers excited and involved. We visited a maize maze at Sam's Sunflowers and later toured RAF Odiham, gaining valuable insights into the operations of the Royal Air Force. Highlights included the Silly Olympics, Chinese cooking night, and the construction of gingerbread houses. We also had a thrilling Casino Royal night and a fun Treasure Hunt & Christmas party. The term ended on a high note with a session of air pistols in collaboration with the Pheonix group.
Spring Term 2024 (January to March) We started the new year with a bang by attending Ferny Fest, a soon-to-be biannual event that brought together over 400 Explorers from Hampshire. The festival was a fantastic opportunity to meet new friends, exchange ideas, and participate in a
wide range of activities. The enthusiasm and energy at Ferny Fest were contagious, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. The term also included a swimming session at Havant Leisure Centre, a pancake evening where Explorers showcased their culinary skills and enjoyed delicious pancakes, and various other engaging activities such as fire-building and cycling.
Summer Term 2024 (April to Present) Our current summer term has continued to be filled with exciting and varied activities. We had another exhilarating Nerf war, participated in pioneering activities, and honed our skills in fires and knife sharpening. A particular highlight was our Pizza - Investiture & Awards evening, where we celebrated the achievements of our Explorers.
Youth-Led Program Our program is youth-led, with Explorers taking the initiative to propose and plan activities. The leadership team, including Leigh, Terry, Colin, and myself, helps facilitate these ideas and supports the Explorers in bringing their plans to life. This approach not only makes the program more engaging, but also helps develop valuable leadership and planning skills among the Explorers.
Acknowledgments As always, our success is due in large part to the dedication and support of our leaders and volunteers. I would like to extend a massive thank you to Leigh, Terry, and Colin for their unwavering support and guidance. Their contributions have been invaluable in making each event a success and providing our Explorers with unforgettable experiences.
We look forward to another year of adventure, learning, and growth. Here’s to the continued success of the Hayling Explorers!
Tom
3[rd] Hayling Scouts
Thank you to all our supporters.
www.haylingscouts.org.uk