Sneak Preview of the Scout Section AGM Report

This is a romping good read. Ahem. If any of it reads strangely it's just so I can deliver it in a funny way. Yeah, I'm writing comedy these days:

Scout Section AGM Report 2009

While writing this report I referred back to my notes from the previous 2 Annual General Meetings for a little bit of inspiration and a reminder of what it is I am supposed to write. Surprisingly I found that I kept referring to what I had said in the previous year’s report, so I promise not to do that this year.

In last years report I said it was hard to choose activities that were solely run for the Scout section to report on because we do so much as Scout group. It’s the same again this time round, so I’ll just go with a list of my personal highlights:

• We took an active part in the Village Hall centenary celebrations, in particular we used a crack team of well-drilled Scouts to win a tent-pitching race against some very drunk men. If there are any drunk men in the audience tonight: You were rubbish.
• Also as part of the celebrations we dusted off a few campfire sketches for the old-time music hall evening in the hall.
• The older Scouts took part in a very wet survival weekend in June with the Explorers – I’m sure Anthony will tell you more about our well executed escape plan.
• Our first Family Camp went off without a hitch.
• We took part in the group trip to Lightwater Valley. I’d like to say that the Scouts had fun … I’d like to say it, but I spent a lot of the day on The Ultimate and I may have been a little dazed.
• Our annual PL and YL planning camp in York got bigger this year to the point where we are getting a bit big for site we go to.
• We have also packed bags, camped in the winter and been on more ice-skating trips than I can count

The serious business:

Numbers have evened out at around 30, which is close to our idea number of Scouts for venue capacity. We seem to have struck a reasonable balance between Cubs coming up to Scouts and Scouts moving up to Explorers. We will see more migration to Explorers this year due to a recent change in association rules which sets the upper age for a Scout as 14-and-a-half rather than the previously held 15 years old. Despite this I think it is likely that we will see another year where we take only take in Scouts that have come up through Barton Cubs, especially since the number of Cubs has grown so much this year. We retain a small waiting list of 3 or 4 children however we do encourage anyone making enquiries to try other groups in the district while remaining on our list.

The leadership team has consisted of Anthony and I for with the recent addition of Dan as a parent helper and then uniformed leader. We have regular support from Jane and Wiz on a Thursday night, although we sadly see much less of the Young Leaders because Explorers meet at the same time as Scouts and it offers the allure of hot chocolate.

For the future we have our eyes firmly fixed on NYJAM in July, which promises to be the camp of a lifetime for many of us and we are in the very advanced stages of planning Family camp, which will run from May 1st to May 4th 2009.

I look forward to the next 12 months being as successful as the last. Please read the website!