2020 Programme

Spring 2020

Visiting The Hive (10th January 2020)
We are visiting the Hive (Worcester Library) twice this term to complete some of our Challenge Awards and hopefully gain a few Scouts their Gold Chief Scout Award. We will be completing badge requirements for the Adventure Challenge Award and World Challenge Award. Plus making a start on the Librarian Activity Badge. Please sign up via the Event in the Parent Portal

Health (17th January 2020)
A rare night indoors at the Countryside Centre tonight while the Cubs are away. Working towards the Skills Challenge Award, Emily will be covering health topics such as healthy eating, sleep, smoking, alcohol and drugs.

Geocaching (24th January 2020)
Tom and Emily will be running a Geocaching night around the Countryside Centre. Don’t forget to dress appropriately! They will let you know nearer the time if you need to bring any special equipment.

Visiting The Hive (31st January 2020)
Our second Hive visit to finish off the work we did earlier in the month. Please sign up on Parent Portal.

Escape Room (7th February 2020)
After our last amazing Escape Room night, can the leaders possibly up their game!?

Climbing only £2!! at Vertical Limit (14th February 2020)
Don’t forget to sign up on Parent Portal for this subsidised night of climbing. Always a fun night at Vertical Limit!

HALF TERM

Ice Skating only £2.50! at Malvern IceQuest (28th February 2020 8:15pm start)
A later start and finish tonight at Malvern IceQuest. Just the Scouts tonight, we have booked exclusive use of the Ice Rink, subsidised by the Group. No need to dodge the Beavers and Cubs and we get full custody of the seals and penguins!! Don’t forget to sign up on Parent Portal!

Nautical Navigation (6th March 2020)
Run by our very own mariner Emily, the Scouts will be introduced to the fascinating differences between nautical navigation and land navigation. Plus some menu planning for our Cook Off night in a few weeks!

Chip Shop Treasure Hunt (13th March 2020)
Step 1: Drop your Scouts off at the Chip Shop
Step 2: They buy chips and eat them.
HANG ON A MINUTE!!! That’s far too easy.
Step 1.5: Scouts have to hike around the area visiting different locations and answering questions. Each correct answer will give them points, and what do points mean? CHIPS!!

Cook-Off Practice Night (20th March 2020)

At the Countryside Centre we will be putting the Scouts into teams to create a starter, main or pudding on a fire or camp stove. This will be a practise for those who are attending the County Cook-Off the following weekend, or just some fun for those that aren’t. Fingers crossed for some edible snacks by the end of the night!

CAMP: Kinver Cook-Off Camp only £16!!! (27th to 29th March 2020)
Hereford and Worcester County Scouts are holding a Scout Cook-off Competition at Kinver Scout Campsite on the Saturday. In groups, the Scouts will compete against the rest of the County by cooking a three course meal for the judges. We will be camping on the Friday and Saturday night to make a weekend camp out of it. We will be celebrating their hard work with a trip to the chip shop for our Saturday night dinner.
There are day options for those who don’t want to camp so get in touch with Helen to discuss the details.

Mindfulness (3rd April 2020)
A Scout-led night run by a group of Scouts who would like to help the Troop understand more about Autism. We will also be running bases on mindfulness, tips on reducing stress and anxiety and probably a bit of paracord crafting because, you know, paracord!!

2019 Programme

Autumn/Winter 2019

6th September Backwoods Cooking (Later finish of 8:30pm)
We don’t seem to be able to start a term without getting out the fires and doing some cooking. I haven’t done the shopping yet but the Scouts can expect to use tin foil and their creativity. If they have their own fire steel then they can bring it along but if not, don’t worry, we have plenty. You will need a water bottle, all long hair must be tied back and no loose clothing.

13th September GROUP CAMP: Blackwell Adventure
Our 2019 Group Camp will be at Blackwell Adventure. The camp will be just for 20th Worcester Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, and all the leaders there will be familiar faces from within the group. We hope and expect around 100 young people to attend, so whilst this will be a big camp, it will be much smaller than ShireJam in July, and will make a perfect first camp for new members, as well as being enjoyable and exciting for more experienced members. Scouts can choose which set of activities they would like to do. Group A: Crate Stacking, Grass Sledging and Tree Climbing. Group B: Archery, Abseiling and Caving. Group C: 3G Swing, Zip Wire and Giant’s Ladder.

20th September Farm Visit Group 1 (The Farm at 5:30pm) or Hedgehog Houses and Feeders (Countryside Centre at 6:30pm)
This is week one of our Farm visits, with our younger Scouts visiting Helen Hill’s farm
and the older Scouts meeting as usual at the Countryside Centre. The farm visit is part of our World Challenge Award. Make sure you’ve accepted your invitation on Parent Portal.

27th September Farm Visit Group 2 (The Farm at 5:30pm) or Hedgehog Houses and Feeders (Countryside Centre at 6:30pm)
Week 2 of our Farm visits with our older Scouts visiting the farm and our younger ones meeting at the Countryside Centre. Make sure you’ve accepted your invitation on Parent Portal.

4th October Navigation
A week where we develop our Navigation skills with fun games and activities, working towards our Navigator Staged Activity Badge. If Scouts have their own compass then they can bring it along but if not, don’t worry, we have plenty.

11th October PJs & Popcorn at Care Home
Another visit to see our favourite residents at Perry Manor Care Home. This time, a shorter visit than usual. We’re all going to dress in our PJs and onesies and eat popcorn and candy floss while watching some funny films with the residents.

11^th -13^th October SCOUT CAMP: Kinver YouShape Camp
The Senior Scouts have planned a great weekend involving chip shop hikes, doing their own shopping in the village, fire cooking, and a night hike up onto Kinver Edge.

18th October Pride (Late finish of 8:30pm)
I’m excited to welcome visitors from the LGBTQ+ community to talk to us about Pride. There will also be skittles (the sweets) and paracord bracelets. This is part of our World Challenge Award.

25th October Halloween
In an attempt to outdo their amazing Halloween night last year, Alex, Charlotte and Tom will be pulling out al the stops again. I can’t imagine anything that can top H2018 so make sure you don’t miss it!

8th November Knives
To prepare for our firelighting challenge next week we’ll be developing our knife skills and preparing the wood to burn. There will be a variety of challenges suitable for the variety of experiences in our Scout troop. From total beginners to experienced and confident Scouts. Remember please don’t bring your own equipment, we have our own safe knives for the Scouts to use.

15th November Firelighting (Late finish of 8:30pm)
And here they get to burn what they made last week. That is if the Scouts can remember how to set fire to stuff! What am I saying! It’s their favourite Scouting skill! If they have their own fire steel then they can bring it along but if not, don’t worry, we have plenty. You will need a water bottle, all long hair must be tied back and no loose clothing.

22nd November Astronomy
I’ve checked the lunar calendar and chosen the best week to do some star gazing. Fingers crossed for a cloudless night! This will be the start of our Astronomer Activity Badge that we will continue at the Thinktank next week and then if any Scouts are interested we can continue into December

29th November GROUP CAMP: Thinktank Sleepover (Sat)
We are excited to announce our Group Sleepover at the ThinkTank in Birmingham on Saturday 30th November 2019. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity where the young people will have the freedom to explore the whole museum, visit the planetarium and attend workshops and shows. Plus they can pick where to sleep within the exhibits! (They can’t sleep in the double decker bus in the play area because Lee’s already bagsied that!) We will making it into a mini expedition by travelling to Birmingham by train so we’ll send more details later about packing light!!

6th December Rogue GSL: Scouts vs Spooks
We have had a tip off from the spooks at MI5 that our beloved GSL Lee has gone rogue! The spooks are chasing him down but there’s a chance, with our superior tracking and navigating skills, that we will be able to find him first and help clear his name. We heard a rumour that he’s hiding in the woods and fields around the Countryside Centre. Each patrol will take a radio transmitter and our HQ Team will transmit the grid references of locations where Lee has been spotted. I can only hope that at least one of our patrols will catch up with him before it’s too late!

13th December Santa’s Helpers (Nunnery)
Helping the Worcester Lions fundraise with their Santa’s Sleigh around Nunnery Wood

17th December (Tuesday) Santa’s Helpers (Warndon)
A second chance to help the Worcester Lions fundraise with their Santa’s Sleigh around Warndon Villages

20th December Group Party and Disco
We asked, you answered and we will deliver. Disco and party night to get us all into the holiday mood!

Summer 2019

3rd May: Backwoods Cooking Comp (Finish at 8:30pm)
We’re kicking off the term with a cooking challenge on the fires. Each patrol will be given a bag of ingredients and they’ll have to design their meals, light a fire and cook them! Simple! They will be marked on fire lighting, cooking and hygiene.

17th May: “Build Your Own Camp” Planning
On 14th June we’re camping, but each patrol is planning their own sub-camp. It would really help your Scout if you have replied to the Camp invitation before this planning session.

24th May: Pioneering Camp Gadgets (Finish at 8:30pm)
Our new GSL Lee will be taking the Scouts’ through their knots and lashings to create some fun and useful camp gadgets

Sunday 26th May: Water Adventure 2019 (Lower Moor)
Raft Building and Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) at Lower Moor

Wednesday 29th May: Perry Manor Care Home Volunteering
For their World Challenge Award the Scouts must do a day’s volunteering. Plus of course it’s extremely rewarding. On the Wednesday in half term I’ve arranged for some of the Scouts to join the residents of Perry Manor Care Home for National Biscuit Day. If all goes well then there will be more opportunities later in the year.

7th June: Scout Takeover Night
The patrols are in charge!!! I know they will come up with something fun and exciting!!

14th-16th June: SCOUT CAMP: Build Your Own Camp at Rhydd Covert
Who knows what’s happening? The patrols are planning it themselves!! Some of their ideas range from Backwoods cooking camp and First aid camp to Eco camp and Sports camp. They will be developing their ideas in the Scout session on 17th May. They will be responsible for deciding their programme plan, equipment, site layout, menu and budget. Older Scouts that have proved their responsibility and trustworthiness, may be permitted to camp on a site further away but still within the campsite. This will be a stepping stone towards totally independent camping in the future. We will of course keep an eye on them, be there if they need us, and ensure they continue to deserve our trust. I imagine we will be constantly “wandering past” but I’m hoping they will be a credit to us, and use this freedom to develop their skills and confidence.

21st June: Hike Night (Finish at 8:30pm)
We are challenging the Scouts to earn their Local Knowledge Activity Badge tonight. They will need to do some homework beforehand, finding lots of locations in the area (Hospitals, Doctors, Shops, Take-aways, Bus Stops etc). Then during the session they’ll locate them on the maps, plan a route to visit a few and then hike between them. Knowing them, I suspect they will include a Chippy or shop, so they might like to bring a few pounds to purchase some “fuel”. (If you have an AtoZ of Worcester we can borrow, please let me know)

28th June: Great British Scout Off (Finish at 8:30pm)
A night of traditional Scouting challenges for our Scouts at “Helen’s Farm” (not me, a different Helen!). Including an Axe Throwing session!!

5th to 7th July: JAMBOREE: ShireJam
This is Hereford and Worcester County Scout’s Jamboree at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. It’s open to all sections in the county so it’s going to be absolutely huge! Our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts will be attending. An amazing programme has been drafted including survival skills, bouncy assault courses, water slides and water obstacle courses, water zorbing, rafting, canoeing, adventurous activities such as abseiling, climbing, caving, quad bikes and also crafts, circus skills etc. Of course every child won’t be able to take part in every activity so don’t promise your child anything in particular. After all, there will be 8000 people attending!

12th July: Water Fight Night
Hopefully we’ll have a sunny evening for our crazy water fight night! Expect some soggy Scouts!

19th July: Family BBQ and AGM
Our traditional end of year celebration and BBQ. Your family is invited to join us. Please bring sunshine.

Thursday 8th August: Volunteering at Perry Manor Care Home
For their World Challenge Award the Scouts must do a day’s volunteering. Plus of course it’s extremely rewarding. Some of our older Scouts spent an extremely fun and rewarding day with the residents of Perry Manor Care Home for National Biscuit Day in May and all of them are keen to return. In August we have arranged to return to the home for Pizza Making and Balloon Tennis.

Spring 2019

Fire (Fri 11th Jan)
The first week back we’ll be having a fire (with Marshmallows of course) to welcome in the New Year and each patrol will be getting to know each other and exploring which badges they want to aim for.

The Hive (Fri 18th Jan and Fri 1st Feb)
We are visiting the Hive (Worcester Library) twice this term with a number of different objectives. All the Scouts will find out more about the badges that interest them and be able to tick off the research based requirements they need for their Gold Chief Scout Award. In addition to this, our Senior Scouts will be planning our April Expedition Camp and there will also be activities run by the library staff, tailored to our Scouts.

Junk Modelling (Fri 25th Jan)
How creative can we be on a shoestring budget? Start collecting good junk now for our junk modelling night – the only rule is they’ve got to create a model for their Creative Challenge Award. After that they can be as creative as they like. If they manage to use their models in a short performance then that’s two ticks for their Creative Challenge!

Climbing (Fri 8th Feb)
We’re taking over Vertical Limit Climbing Centre on 8th February for a fantastic evening of climbing. Not only will this be lots of fun, it also fulfils my favourite motto “Challenge by Choice”. which allows Scouts to choose whether or not to push themselves out of their comfort zone without pressure. This will also count towards the Scouts’ Adventure Challenge Award. We are also pleased to say that although there is a cost for this activity, we have been able to subsidise it to keep the cost lower.

Hygge (Fri 15th Feb)
Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of cosiness and comfort with feelings of wellness and contentment. So we’re going to translate that into onesies, blankets, hot chocolate and blanket forts! Indoors this week. It’s all about the cosy!

Escape from HQ (Fri 1st Mar)
Who needs to spend a fortune to go to an Escape room when we have an expert cryptographer on our team! Charlotte will be creating our very own escape rooms at the Countryside Centre to provide challenge, problem solving, teamwork and fun!

Adventure Camp (9th-10th March – Youlbury)
A weekend of adventurous activities – lots more opportunities for “Challenge by Choice” with the Zip Wire, Leap of Faith, Shooting, Crate Stacking and Wide Games. Plus of course FIRE!! Camps are a great way to become independent. Skills for life. Plus the Scouts can earn Nights Away Badges and for their Gold Chief Scout Award they need to do at least 8 nights away as a Scout.

Ice Skating (Thu 14th Mar)
20th Worcester are taking over Malvern IceQuest on Thursday 14th March with the whole group taking to the ice. Another adventurous activity for the Adventure Challenge Award. The Beavers and younger Cubs will be on the ice first and the older Cubs and Scouts will be following after.

Final Expedition Planning and Games Night (Fri 22^nd Mar)
Our Senior Scouts will be finishing the Expedition Planning while the rest of you will see how many new games we can learn.

Fire Challenge (Fri 29th Mar)
Tom is running the Fire Challenge. Right now it’s TOP SECRET!! But make sure you have water bottle, long hair is tied back and if you have a fire stick you can bring it along!

Expedition Camp (6th-7th April)
Planned by our Senior Scouts for their Expedition Challenge Award. Plus for the rest of the Scouts, a great practice for their Expedition Camps in the future. I can’t really give much information because the Senior Scouts haven’t planned it yet, but it promises to be an exciting adventure and the first camp we have done where the Scouts are responsible for the planning and implementation. Planning will take place at the Hive sessions and also on Friday 22nd March.

Eggstravaganza (Fri 12th April)
Our last session before Easter will be run by Alex, Charlotte and Tom. It’s going to be eggscellent, eggstreme and potentially eggsplosive! Yes I’m a bit worried but also eggscitied! It’s no yolk!

28th April: St George’s Day Parade
St. George’s Day Parade is when we honour scouting at home and worldwide and so all sections of the Scouting movement in Worcester will attend this event. It’s one of the highlights of our year as we proudly parade our groups through the city centre. Hundreds of people gather on the streets to watch the parade and it’s a very exciting experience. This year our group is one of the largest in the District so we are really excited to show the District how much we’ve grown. We really hope that as many young people as possible attend the parade.