On Sunday 13th March a small group of 10 of us had the special privilege of going to watch the “Changing of the Guard” ceremony from inside Buckingham Palace grounds.

 

Making sure everybody’s uniform was perfect, we travelled into London on the tube, sat in Green Park for a hot drink before reporting to the senior police officer at the palace gates with our invitation.  He escorted us across the parade ground to the front of the Palace, where we could watch the ceremony.

 

The pipes and drums from the old guard marched from their barracks into the parade ground and formed up with the guards on duty.  Then in the distance the band of the new guard could be heard leading the new guard into the parade ground.  With the two companies formed up at either end of the parade ground, the officers in charge of each guard marched to meet each other in the centre.

 

The two officers then march back and forth across the front of the palace, for the old guard officer to prove that everything was alright to hand over to the new guard officer.  They did this a couple of times but on the last time they marched past they marched straight up to us.  We thought we were in trouble, but he was asking where we were from.  We told him we were from Harrow to which he said that he knew Harrow well as he had attended Harrow School and still lives in Harrow.

 

The two officers returned to their companies and the bands started to play again.  The new guards on duty took their positions, those not on duty marched back out of the parade ground following their band.  The old guards’ pipes and drums started and played as the old guard marched out of the parade ground.

 

The senior police officer then came to escort us back to the palace gates, but before leaving we managed to take a couple of photos.

 

My thanks to Kate (Pegasus ESU Leader) for organising this very interesting and memorable trip.

 

Finally, after months and months of no camping, 9th Kenton Scouts enjoyed a freezing, wet, weekend away at Southall Activity Centre from 11th to 13th Feb.  This was an indoor camp with the Explorers joining us for an outdoor sleep out Saturday night.

 

We started our camp with an opening ceremony and some indoor games and quizzes, followed by a film night.

 

After breakfast on Saturday, we started with some team building exercises on the assault course.  The Scouts had to get their complete team from one end to the other without touching the ground, then they had to complete the course again carrying a couple of beakers of water with them.  The same exercise was then repeated on the vertical tyre climbing tower.  After various other team building challenges, it was time for lunch.

 

In the afternoon we continued with practising putting up and taking down tents.  This was followed by a hike along the canal path.  We were joined in the evening by Pegasus Explorers.

 

After supper, the Explorers, who have been discussing homelessness were given cardboard boxes, some plastic sheets, etc to build their own outdoor shelters for the night.  Once the Explorers had completed their shelters, they joined the Scouts at a campfire.

 

Hot chocolate was a nice warming treat, before the Scouts went to their bunk rooms, and the Explorers took their sleeping bags out to their shanty town of cardboard boxes outside.

 

Sunday morning started with a full hot breakfast for everybody.  We invested Jayshree, a new Leader into our group.

 

The Explorers cleared up their “shanty town” while the Scouts packed their things.  In groups the Scouts produced a “Scout code of conduct”, which they then presented to the leaders and the rest of the scouts.

 

The Scouts and Explorers joined together in a pioneering activity.  The objective to make a rope bridge, but due to torrential rain this exercise was cut short, and so after packing the equipment away we all went inside.

 

After lunch Scouts and Explorers enjoyed rifle shooting, before a final clear up and completion of our camp.

 

Comments from our young people

“great fun”, “freezing cold”, “missed my mum”, “made me wash up”, “good food”, “kept awake all night by the girls talking”, “veggie bacon !?!”

 

As face-to-face Scouting is currently suspended the 9th Kenton Beavers, Cubs & Scouts have been busy by taking the opportunity to draw pictures to send off to brighten the walls of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCeL Arena. 

They have also been colouring thank you posters to display in their front windows to thank local NHS & Key Workers for all that they are doing to keep the UK going during this uncertain time. We have already seen some lovely drawings & look forward to receiving many more.

 

Click here to see some pictures in the gallery

 

This camp was planned well over a year ago.  It is the first time that we have camped at PACCAR Chalfont St Peter and we wanted to make sure that everything was just right for the young people to have a thoroughly enjoyable time at camp. PACCAR have spent a lot of money on new activities in the past couple of years and we wanted to take advantage of those exciting activities for our young people.  We had 25 young people at camp with us with nine Adult Leaders. 

 

The weather in the week preceding the camp with horrendous and even on the Thursday before camp contingency plans were being made just in case the weather remained wet and dismal.  As it turned out, apart from some rain on Saturday afternoon and again very early on Sunday morning, the camp was dry and everybody enjoying the sunshine when the sun shone. 

 

Those young people that attended had exciting and adventurous activities and a thoroughly enjoyable time from start to finish -  they started on the Friday evening with the Adventure Trail through to them zooming down a 180m twin zip wire, abseiling down from the top of a high tower and facing the Gladiator Challenge on the Saturday to rifle shooting, archery and crate stacking which took place on the Saturday evening and Sunday morning.  As you can see from the photos the young people had a fantastic time. 

 

The young people were all thoroughly well-behaved and helped to put away the tents, which luckily dried after the rain on Sunday morning, in bright, sunny, warm weather.  The campsite was cleared of all rubbish and everybody went home exhausted but exhilarated by another exciting 9th Kenton Cub and Scout camp. 

 

A camp like this doesn’t come together by itself and I would like to thank all of my fellow Leaders for their help in the numerous planning meetings, reccy visit, shopping trips, food order placement, cooking, cleaning, tidying up and looking after all of the young people over the weekend.  We really couldn't run a camp like this without the help and support the whole give and I would like to thank each and every one of them for making this a truly unforgettable camp for the young people.  

 

Click here to see some pictures in the gallery

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