WOODSMOKE - fse-scouts.eu · Scouts, British Boy Scouts, Guide Association and other independents). The FSE is not in opposition or rival to the other Scout Organisations in Great

WOODSMOKE

Federation du Scoutisme Europeen (F.S.E)

EUROPEAN SCOUT FEDERATION (British Association)

Issue 116 VOL 1/16

Issue 116 VOL 1/16

Founder member of the Confederation of European Scouts (C.E.S.)

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The European Scout Federation (British Association) The European Scout Federation (FSE) is a Scout organisation for males and females and is composed of the following sections: Otters, Wolf Cubs, Scouts, Rovers and Rangers. Our organisation keeps to the traditional methods of scouting that the founder Robert Baden-Powell set out in “SCOUTING for BOYS”.

We are completely independent of the other British Scouts, (Scout Association, B-P Scouts, British Boy Scouts, Guide Association and other independents). The FSE is not in opposition or rival to the other Scout Organisations in Great Britain or Europe. It is a medium for those who prefer its methods. The Patrol system for example is used for its original purposes, to teach leadership, resourcefulness and obedience. We retain Baden-Powell’s progressive training system of Tenderfoot, Second class and First class badges.

It is out opinion that the original tests and uniform provide a unique appeal because they do not favour those youngsters with academic intelligence, sporting skills or plenty of money. The ‘old’ ideas of wood smoke are not necessarily “old hat”. If you would like to know more about the European Scout Federation please go to the FSE Website www.fse-scouts.eu or write to:

Or contact your nearest Province Commissioner:

The F.S.E. (B.A.) is a member of the Confederation of European Scouts (C.E.S.). For more information about the C.E.S. log onto www.ces-scout.org

OUR SECTIONS:

OTTERS (boys or girls) - 5 years to 7 years WOLF CUBs (boys or girls) - 7 years to 11 years SCOUTS (boys or girls) - 11 years to 16 years ROVERS AND RANGERS (boys or girls) - 16 years with no upper limit

European Scout Federation (British Association),

Registered office: c/o Nigel Wright Accounting,

Branwell House,

Park Lane,

KEIGHLEY.

East Pennine Province – Yorkshire and Tyneside Joanna Ward, Province Commissioner, Tel: 01924 525152 or 07833490442

West Pennine Province – Lancashire and Cumbria Chris. Woods, Province Commissioner, Tel: 0161 661 3068 or 07432290138

Iceni Province – Cambridgeshire Fran. Alsop, Province Commissioner, Tel: 01353 741269 or 07757223626

Central Province – Derbyshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire

Alex. Doyle, Province Commissioner, Tel: 01226 893006 or 07432274842

http://www.fse-scouts.eu/https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://stpaulsmacclesfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/baden-powell19291.jpg&imgrefurl=http://stpaulsmacclesfield.org/scouts&h=337&w=236&tbnid=0Ub_ykUuWswwbM:&docid=EPmfkyRxJG-OdM&ei=7kJ1VpXJLoS2UdrYoYgH&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwiV-L6k7OfJAhUEWxQKHVpsCHEQMwghKAAwAA

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Page Contents 1. Front Page

2. F.S.E. introduction and contacts

3. Contents

4. YOUR photo’ page

5. That’s My Boy!

6. 1st/2nd Cambridgeshire First Class hike

7. 6th Lancs. Otters Strike Silver and Gold! – A Grand Tour of Europe – Derbyshire style!

8. Seminole 60

9. Puzzle page

10. All Hands to the Pumps! – WPP Otter Scavenger Hunt

11. Rover/Ranger Reunion - 2016

12. Rover/Ranger Reunion (cont.) – R/R Winter Projects

13. R/R Winter Projects (cont.) – The Recovery Position

14. WPP Star Competition – 1st Cumberland Scouts hike

15. Special Occasions and Events

16. Puzzle page answers

17. ScoutNet 2016 … Visaginas, Lithuania

18. ScoutNet (cont.)

19. ScoutNet (cont.)

20. Bits and Bobs

21. Dinner Dance - 2016

22. West Pennine Province Wolf Cub Hike

23. 6th/15th Lancs. Otter Colony

24. 80th Anniversary of a National Icon

25. Seminoles v Navajos – Ten Pin Bowling Night

26. St. George’s Day Parade - 2016

27. Young Leaders CES Wolf Cub Centenary Scrap Book

28. Back Cover

Issue 115 - Vol 3/15 - is now available on the FSE Website: www.fse-scouts.eu

What’s in store?

Send your articles & photo’s to:

Kevin Smith,

49 Marlfield Street,

MANCHESTER,

M9 4BA.

[email protected]

See page 12

Town Trail

Hatching out a brilliant new

activity? Why not share it?

… Send your articles and

photo’s to “Woodsmoke”

NOW!

Beginning to flag? …

… Get refreshed – look inside

your latest “Woodsmoke”!

See page 8

http://www.fse-scouts.eu/

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Y0UR Photo Page

Send in your photo’s from your Colony, Pack, Troop or Crew night, or events you have

organized or attended, and we will try to print them in a future issue of “Woodsmoke”

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That’s my Boy!

They say “like father, like son”. Well, here at the

1st. Lancs. Mohawks we do it double time! Two

of our leaders – Jason Millin (Jase) and Graham

Richardson (Sniffer) – who have come through

our ranks as Cubs, Scouts and Rovers, both have

sons aged 10 who have been in Cubs for some

years. It was time for them to progress into

Scouts, and where better to do this than at our

indoor “camp” at Hebden Hey last November

(remember? … the coldest weekend of the year

… oh yes, and the snow!)

Normally we have a “swinging over” ceremony but, as the stream/river was running somewhat fast, we

decided not to risk the rope and go to plan B (news to me that we actually had any plan!). So, as we were

doing pioneering and making “chariots”, we thought “let’s use one of those”. Originally we were going to

hurl round the adjoining field, but the warden wasn’t that keen (something to do with mud, and a thing

called “safety”!) so it was down to plan C. Did we have a plan C? – ‘course we did! The Cubs and Rovers

lined up on one side of the imaginary river (a.k.a. car park!) and the Scouts and leaders lined up on the

opposite “bank”. The Rovers then carried Dylan (Pickey) Richardson and Kaiden (Keto) Millin across on a

chariot, one at a time, to be received by yours truly on the other side. At that point they said the Scout

Promise and, as well, received their Leaping Wolf badges and more importantly their Wolf Cub Awards –

both well deserved. After an enthusiastic B.R.A.V.O. we then carried on packing up. It was a bit chilly but a

big plus was the fact that the warden, who had a few years of Scouting under his belt, had watched the

ceremony and was somewhat impressed – even more so at how I had managed to stay on my feet in the

wind (that was plan D!) ... another good advert for the F.S.E.

Anyway … back to our father and son teams. Let’s hope the lads follow in their dads footsteps and in time become

Rovers and, hopefully, leaders.

Badger “The Planner”

************************************************************************************

Special F.S.E. badges commemorating landmarks in the history of Scouting

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1st/2nd Cambridgeshire Scouts First Class (25k.) Winter Hike

We set off with our backpacks on a Saturday, taking a ‘bus

into central Cambridge, and then a train to Ely station, where

we began our hike. The walk was mostly along a ridge by the

river Cam, called The Fen Rivers Way. We saw a number

of birds, including grey herons and a black swan (native to

Australia).

Fortunately we arrived at the “Five Miles from Anywhere –

No Hurry Inn” still dry. Unfortunately, when we set off

again it was heavily raining! Luckily we kept up a steady

pace and reached the campsite (Wicken Fen Wild Camping)

not long after darkness had fallen.

The site was a collection of four raised, open fronted,

wooden “huts”, a fire pit and an “eco-friendly” composting

latrine.

The evening was spent exchanging banter

over hot dogs and playing card games. Finally

we donned our “jim jams” and “hit the sack”.

In the morning we had a quick breakfast and made our way back, taking a train from Waterbeach to

Cambridge, whilst there were persistent strong winds blowing!

Report compiled by Thomas Thorogood, Edward Shellard, William Shellard and Julian Shellard.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Did you know … ?

Fens are low, marshy tracts of land found mainly in East Anglia, and

Wicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve. It is situated near the

Cambridgeshire village of Wicken. It is one of Britain’s oldest nature

reserves and, in 1899, became the first reserve to be cared for by the

National Trust.

Wicken Fen is one of only four surviving wild fens in the enormous

Great Fen Basin of East Anglia, where 99.9% of former fens have

been converted to arable cultivation. It is one of Europe’s most

important wetlands and is the home to over nine thousand recorded

wild life species, including many species of rare plants, dragonflies

and birds (such as Bitterns an Hen Harriers). This National Trust

nature reserve is open to the public.

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6th Lancs. Otters Strike Silver and Gold!

Silver Paw: Congratulations to Ava Morby on being awarded the Silver Paw for completing all the Otter proficiency badges. A magnificent achievement; well done Ava!

Gold Paw: Congratulations also to Ella May Teasdale, Isabella Pyne and Millie Leigh Mclone on being awarded the Gold Paw; the highest award in the Otter Section. Well done girls!

Farmer Brown (Liz. Wood – H.Q. Commissioner [Otters])

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A Grand Tour of Europe – Derbyshire style!

One Wednesday our Group held a joint Cub/Scout meeting. Also

invited were Cubs from 5th/6th Derbyshire (Edale) and Otters from

Central Colony.

The Scouts had prepared seven bases. Each represented a European

country, with a short briefing, a display poster and samples of food

for tasting. Eight Scouts and four Leaders manned the “countries”.

So, with the Scouts/Leaders manning the countries, thirty Cubs were put onto four “planes” from different

airlines and then flown from “Heathrow” around the room twice before landing at their destination. After

they had the briefing, tasted the goodies and asked questions, they re-boarded their planes and flew back to

Heathrow. The whole sequence was repeated until each plane had visited each country.

Another Eight Leaders were generally organising and getting in the way (guess what I was doing!)

What a meeting - noisy, energetic, and frenzied - but the Otters, Cubs and Scouts loved it! BRAVO to Akela

and all 3rd/4th Derbyshire Cub Leaders for organising such a brilliant night.

Linnet (A.S.M. 3rd/4th Derbyshire)

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwi63P_so8XLAhUGRg8KHQgTCucQjRwIBw&url=http://www.fotosearch.com/clip-art/european-flag.html&psig=AFQjCNFzEsRYmAtR41OlMODL94ShhklMMg&ust=1458220217377187

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Seminole 60!

This year the Seminole Rover crew is 60 years old! …

… and to celebrate, we hosted our “60th” event at St Andrew’s church hall, Blackley, which was packed to

the brim with old Rovers from far and wide, who had come to help commemorate our anniversary.

I would also like to thank

all the other Crews that

attended, to help make the

night a bigger success … I

hope that you all had a

great night! The night itself

was a hit. Our Crew was

presented with an amazing

hand carved plaque, gifted

by the Thane Rover Crew

which, if you did not see it

on the night, is definitely

worth a visit to our Crew’s

hut to get a peek at. The

Seminoles’ founder, Pete

Noblett, who started our

crew off 60 years ago, came

along and gave us all a

heart-warming speech, and

I’m glad to say he was

thrilled with where our

crew is today.

Our crew decided that we

would also use this event to

help one of our scouts to

raise some money for a trip

to Borneo. I am glad to say

that we were able to raise a

whopping £425.00 for Neve

Wood. From all of us at the

Seminole Rover Crew, we

wish her best of luck for her

trip, and we look forward to

hearing everything about

her adventure.

Finally, but certainly not

least, “congratulations!”

to Bob Downing, who was

presented with a very

special brand new award, The Red Bear Award, for exceptional service to the Seminole Rover Crew. Bob

has been part of the Crew since the very beginning, and has been with it all this time. He was even the Rover

leader for some time, and has helped the Crew in so many ways that we felt it was about time that we

showed our appreciation! So, once again, congrats Bob, you really do deserve it!

For more information and more pictures please visit our Crew’s website. www.Seminolerovercrew.co.uk

Andrew Berry - Rover Leader

http://www.seminolerovercrew.co.uk/

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????? PUZZLE PAGE ?????

Can you name, in order of length,

the five longest British rivers?

Answers on page 16

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All hands to the pumps!

For a Pack night with a difference, the Wolf Cubs of the

5th. Lancs. recently paid a visit to Blackley Community

Fire Station.

The boys had a great evening

exploring the fire engine, and

they were even given the

chance to have a go on the

hose!

Bagheera had to dress up as a

firefighter and, just before we

left, to round things off we

even had the opportunity to

witness a real live call-out!

Raksha – 5th Lancs. Cub Pack.

--------------------------------------

Too many cooks … ?

Cubs from 1st/2nd Derbyshire Pack have been busy in the kitchen, sweating over a hot stove in order to gain

the newly introduced Cook proficiency badge. As the pictures below show, they clearly enjoyed the fruits

of their labour!

___________________________________________________________________________________

WPP Otter Scavenger Hunt

On Sunday, March 22nd, 27 Otters, 1 Cub and 3 Scouts attended

the Otter Scavenger Hunt in Heaton Park, Manchester. We all

followed the clues around the park and learned about *‘phone

boxes, bee hives and different types of leaves. To round off, we

found Chris, (our Province Commissioner), who rewarded us

with chocolate chicks! On top of all that, the first day of spring

also brought us sunshine! This was the best attended scavenger

hunt yet! Farmer Brown (Otter Commissioner)

*How many Otters fit in a ‘phone box? (See page 16)

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Rover/Ranger Reunion – 2016

This year’s Rover/Ranger Reunion was held by the Inca Ranger Crew at Langdale Youth Hostel, near

Ambleside, in the Lake District. The theme was the Wolf Cub Centenary (quite apt when the National

Commissioner for Wolf Cubs is one of our own!)

It started with the usual Friday night activities – catching

up with friends old and new, followed by a quiz and

supper. And what reunion wouldn’t be complete without

the Incas dressing up? We were each assigned a Jungle

Book character and, of course, dressed to impress!

Saturday morning saw various workshops being held,

before the teams set out for Ambleside, despite the

miserable cold, wet

weather, to take part

in their *murder-

mystery town trail

challenge. Upon

their return the conference element of the weekend took part, with

discussions around Eurojam 2017 and the Winter Projects, to name but

a few!

On Saturday evening, each Crew came wearing their “Cub caps” in

their team’s colour - Navajos/pink, Seminoles/yellow,

Tomahawks/green, Buccaneers/orange, Knights of Ni/blue, Impeesa

Pynots/Red, White Rose/pink and Black Heron/grey – ready for some

fun activities including dancing “a la Linda” and Zumba with our very

own Keri.

But first a wedding … we congregated, awaiting the

arrival into the room of the newest married couple to

enter the F.S.E. “Isle of Love”! CONGRATULATIONS

to our Dutch friends, Wilko and Astrid! In the words of

Wilko … “We did it - after 20 years it was time!” We

wish them both good health and every happiness their

married life together!

Over the course of the weekend the teams had their

opportunities to gain points for their Crews by collecting

tokens from the Incas, which they did by successfully

completing various given tasks. Well done to the Navajo

Rover Crew, who were this year’s winners!

Despite the bad weather, the Reunion had a brilliant turnout, and we were particularly pleased to welcome

three Rovers from The British Boy Scouts Association (not to be confused with The Scout Association!)

into our midst. Our special thanks go to Sam and Charlotte for being our kitchen helpers for the weekend.

We hope you all enjoyed yourselves … Sarah (Inca Ranger Crew)

*Did you know … ?

Colonel Mustard – in the library – with the candle stick? No! The world famous murder-mystery

game, Cluedo, was invented by retired solicitors clerk Anthony Pratt – in Birmingham – in 1944

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Rover/Ranger Reunion (cont.)

Rover/Ranger Winter Projects – 2015/16

Well done to everyone who took part in this year’s Winter Projects. Whilst very different, (and not perhaps

everybody’s cup of tea!), there were some great entries. The results were as follows:-

Crew Service World Affairs Culture

Impeesa Pynot 35 39 53

Buccaneer 35 6 46

Navajo 35 46 51

The Rover/Ranger Winter Projects were thought up by Bob Downing. He presented the idea at the 1978

Reunion, where it was accepted as a useful part of Rovering in the F.S.E. Their aim was to give Crews

something to build their winter programme around.

There are now nine categories, ranging from Scoutcraft to International Affairs. Interestingly, I have been

researching the history of the Winter Projects (thanks to Liz!), and the extract below is from the one of the

first pieces to feature in “Woodsmoke” on the subject, which may provide some interesting reading.

“ … The title of each category has been clearly specified, but the way each is tackled is up to the Crews

themselves. Taken as a whole, they should provide considerable scope for Crews, or individual members, to

bring out their artistic or literary talents. Not that you have to be a wizard with a pen, or a master of form

and perspective, to take part. The projects can be done in almost any form: spoken onto tapes, stuck in

scrapbooks, made out of wood, metal or clay. (cont.)

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Rover/Ranger Winter Projects (cont.)

… In the Scoutcraft category, a leaflet is to be produced describing a nature trail (devised by the Crew) ; it should contain a map, and notes on plants, animals, buildings, rocks and any other articles of interest along

the way. The National Affairs section is concerned with striking, and the relative power of different sections

of society. Hobbies involves several things, including making a boomerang. Under Culture, at least half the

Crew have to go to a symphony concert, opera or ballet, and for International Affairs the subject is the

politics of a named European country.”

Winter Projects are open to all. That includes individual members as well as full Crews. As discussed at this

year’s Reunion, I will be reviewing the projects with Rover/Ranger leaders. The aim of this is to have more

Crews/individuals taking part, so I would encourage you all to discuss with your leaders what you would

like to see, and get out of, the Winter Projects, so they can have a full understanding of your views, prior to

when we meet at Yorkshire Rally.

AJ (Rover/Ranger Commissioner)

*****************************************************************

The Recovery position – Scout Second Class test 3 (First Aid)

If a person is unconscious but is breathing, and has no other life-threatening conditions,

they should be placed in the recovery position.

Putting someone in the recovery position will keep their airway clear and open. It also ensures that

any vomit or fluid won't cause them to choke.

Follow these steps:

with the person lying on their back, kneel on the floor at their side

place the arm nearest you at a right angle to their body with their hand upwards, towards the head

tuck their other hand under the side of their head, so that the back of their hand is touching their cheek

bend the knee farthest from you to a right angle

carefully roll the person onto their side by pulling on the bent knee

the top arm should be supporting the head and the bottom arm will stop you rolling them too far

open their airway by gently tilting their head back and lifting their chin, and check that nothing is blocking their airway

stay with the person and monitor their condition until help arrives

************************************************************************************

http://gacpr.com/cpr-classes-include-recovery-position/

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West Pennine Province Wolf Cubs Star Competition

It was good to see this competition return, after an eighteen months gap since September, 2014.

This year six Sixes took part, and we had eight bases for

them to get around, as well as a couple of games here and

there. We also provided the usual hotdogs, juice and

biscuits at the end! All the Sixes were enthusiastic, and it

was great to see such a good turnout of well-mannered and

smart looking Cubs.

We have a new Province Commissioner, Chris. Woods,

since the last competition, and it gave me great pleasure to

see him

present the trophy to our very own 5th Lancs. boys, who

actually won by a massive 20.5 points, making then clear

and worthy winners!

Many thanks to Amanda who, as Wolf Cub

Commissioner, took the Grand Howl, and also to all the

leaders who joined in, whether manning a base, playing

games, in the kitchen or just generally helping out.

All in all it was a good day which everyone enjoyed.

Jackie (2nd Lancs. Wolf Cub Pack)

1st Cumberland Scouts weekend hike

The 1st Cumberland Scout Group is luckier than most other F.S.E. Groups – it has the magnificent Lake

District in its back yard! Taking full advantage of this, the Scout Troop recently enjoyed a weekend hike in

the national park. A seven miles walk on the first day took them to their overnight accommodation –

Skiddaw House Youth Hostel. Next day, suitably refreshed, they walked the six miles to Keswick, where

they were rewarded with fish and chips for lunch!

5th Lancs. – worthy winners

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Special Occasions and Events

On 22nd February, to commemorate B-P’s birthday, members

of the 6th/15th Lancashire Group attended St. John Fisher’s

school in uniform.

Wolf Cub

Centenary Camp

James Watkinson’s investiture into the

Impeesa Pynot Rover Crew

Jimmy’s investiture as a rover was the first I’ve attended.

After arriving at Magpie Mine in

the pitch black and sitting for

ages waiting for everyone to

arrive in the bus, the beautiful

ceremony took place on the

windiest hill in the world

surrounded by fire torchlight

and Jimmy’s friends and family.

It was all very atmospheric and

there was only one incident of a

shoe on fire! One of the lads

dropped a torch down an open

mine shaft so we could see how

far it went - we didn’t actually

see it hit the bottom- and then

we went for a few drinks in the

Cock and Pullet, as tradition

dictates I believe. We were all

very proud of Jimmy and it

really inspired me to work more

determinedly towards getting

invested myself.

Laura Symonds

Happy First Birthday to 1st. Lancashire

Otter Colony!

August 26th – 29th

2016 For details, contact

Amanda Clayton

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Puzzle Page Answers – (from page 9)

Did you know … ?

How many Otters fit in a

‘phone box? (from page 10)

Nine!

Which four pieces form the perfect

square?

A, C, D & E

River Length

(Miles)

Length

(Kilometres) 1 Severn 220 354

2 Thames 215 346

3 Trent 185 297

4 Great Ouse 143 230

5 Wye 135 217

6 Tay 117 188

7 Spey 107 172

8 Clyde 106 170

9 Tweed 96 154

10 Nene 91 146

11 Eden (Cumbria) 90 144

12 Dee (Aberdeenshire) 85 137

13 Avon

(Warwickshire)

84 135

14 Don (Aberdeenshire) 80 129

15 Bann 76 122

16 Ribble 75 119

17 Tyne 73 117

18 Tees 70 113

19 Dee (Gwynedd) 70 113

20 Mersey 69 111

In the seventeenth century, the

inhabitants of Edinburgh had a

novel way of treating baldness.

They rubbed the burned ashes

of dove droppings into their

scalps!

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9th ScoutNet (2016) – Visaginas (Lithuania)

This year’s ScoutNet was once again held in Lithuania, and was staged in and

around the city of Visaginas, close to the border with Latvia. About seventy

percent of the population of Visaginas is Russian or of Russian decent, and

Russian is the first language of the area. Hosts, and main organisers of the

event, were members of the Visaginas Scout Organisation (Russian Scouts

in exile), and what a fantastic job they did of it!

About sixty Rovers/Rangers and (mainly!) young leaders attended this year,

representing six European countries. Sadly, F.S.E (U.K.) was once again the

smallest (and by far the oldest!) contingent, consisting of Karen Alsop, Brian

Cockburn, Kevin Smith and Tony Ward. Virtually all the other participants were in their late teens/early

twenties and, as well as us and the VSO, representatives from F.S.E. Nederland (The Netherlands),

Pfadfinderbund Weltenbummler e. V. (Germany), and the Lithuanian Scout Association were also

present, with Poland being represented by ZHR and one member of the Polish Scouts in Lithuania

organisation.

Most participants arrived by train from Vilnius, with Visaginas station being the meeting point. We certainly

hit the ground running! As soon as we had we alighted from the train, partaken in mugs of hot tea and

toasted sandwiches, and stashed our luggage in the waiting room, than we were split into six multi-national

teams, given a map and instructions, and sent off to walk into Visaginas on a town trail, which included

carrying out several tasks involving interaction with a somewhat bemused section of the local community!

We all met back at the station by 1800hrs, where a coach was waiting to take us to the ScoutNet venue.

The venue, about half an hour’s drive from Visaginas, was

a magnificent, three-story, wooden hunting lodge on the

bank of a (frozen) lake and set amid woodland on a flat

outcrop known as Bird Island. The “icing on the cake” was

the accommodation, consisting of twin bedded, on-suite

rooms, with central heating! Definitely a first (and possibly

a last) for ScoutNet! The lodge staff catered the event, and

we didn’t even have to clear the dining room tables, let

alone do any washing up! And to top things off, at a balmy

-1c, the outside temperature was ten degrees warmer than

our previous visit to Lithuania!

On arrival, we barely had time to get our luggage into our

rooms before the evening meal was served, after which we had a further half hour to get to know each other

better. Then came the official opening ceremony of ScoutNet 2016, followed by a performance of songs and

dances, given by a local folk group. The first day was rounded off with tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cakes,

and most people getting to know each other even better ‘til the wee small hours of the morning! Due to our

tremendous age disadvantage, the U.K. contingent was the first to go to bed! Mind you, we were also the

first to get up next morning!

Most activities (indoors and out) were carried out in our multi- national teams and the next three days were

absolutely jam packed with activities, both in and outdoors. Far too numerous and varied to go into full in

detail, the daytime indoor activities included each country facilitating a workshop on a subject given to it

prior to ScoutNet (including discussions on “How to improve Scouting in Europe”, “How to “grow” active

citizens” and “The importance of traditions in Scouting”), each country having a one hour slot in which to

introduce to the rest new games and training methods (including one game where the entire team had to

negotiate an obstacle course whilst bound together with cling film!), and competitions to find the best

improvised remote controlled balloon popper, and the best decorated and longest flying space rocket, made

from empty drink bottles and a variety of other materials!

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The evenings were taken up with a musical campfire, national songs and dances, a “food festival” for which

each country had to provide samples of their national specialities for everyone else to sample (our

contribution was Victoria sponge, Chorley and Eccles cakes, Bakewell tarts and Yorkshire parkin), and a

“Contest of acting skills”. For this latter item each team was given the same script (a short version of the

fairy tale about the gingerbread man and the fox), randomly told the manner it was to be presented in, and an

hour in which to prepare a fifteen minutes performance of the story as either a TV serial, a wildlife

documentary, a detective thriller, an opera or a ballet! The resulting “show” was fantastic, with every team

giving brilliant renditions, providing the audience with a great deal of laughter and enjoyment.

Outside, apart from the rocket launching, several games and activities took place on the lakeside, just at the

rear of the lodge. There was also a circular incident hike, following a map and instuctions along the lake and

through the nearby village of Salakas, with lunch, again provided by the lodge staff, around a welcome fire

in a designated clearing in the forest. One morning we also, quite literally, went back to school! - a Russian

school in Visaginas to be precise. The object of the exercise was “to bring Scouting to a school”. Each

country’s contingent was split in two, and each half had to teach four classes of pupils an active Scouting

game. We arrived early, before school began, and were shown to our allocated classrooms. The bell rang,

and we were off! Each “lesson” lasted twenty minutes, with two ten minute breaks and one twenty minute

break in between, to allow the children, aged from nine years to fourteen years old, to move between

classrooms. The children (for the most part!) were well behaved, and tackled each session with rewarding

enthusiasm! Fortunately the perceived language difficulty did not materialise – even the youngest had

enough English to understand what was going on – and they all had a great time. Lunch was provided by the

school in its canteen. We were also allowed to hold a volley ball game in the school gym before returning to

Bird Island. Later feedback, from both the Headmaster and the pupils, was very positive.

After breakfast, on the last day, the final session, a reflection on this year’s ScoutNet, was held, with each

attendee giving her/his personal account of their experience. It was evident that everyone had been greatly

impressed by the spirit of fun and friendship generated by this event, with several of the younger leaders

saying that it was the best Scouting event they had ever attended! A short closing ceremony then brought to

end ScoutNet 2016, along with the announcement that next year’s ScoutNet, the tenth, was to be held in the

country which hosted the first one – The Netherlands. A massive “BRAVO” goes to the Vasaginas Scout

Organisation, especially Pavel, Olga and Vlad, for the incredible amount of hard work they have put into

preparing and running ScoutNet, both before, during and no doubt, after the event. Also to Laura, from

Germany, for once again securing the EU funding, which meant the whole trip, including all transport

(flights, trains, etc.), even in the U.K. (to and from the airport), food and accommodation, was FREE!

19

ScoutNet (cont.)

20

Bits and Bobs

Borneo expedition update

Just to keep you updated with my

expedition to Borneo next year, I

have been doing many things to

fundraise. I have:

Got myself a job as a cleaner

Been carol singing

Received the proceeds from the Inca’s OAP Christmas

Warmer

Had a table at a car boot sale

Done five bake sales (so far)

Done a sponsored swim

Tutored a boy for his SATS

Saved money from Christmas and my birthday

Run a tuck shop for Otters, Cubs and Scouts (with the

help of Carl at 5th Lancs. –

thanks, Carl!)

Had a stall at the Mothers Union Christmas and Spring

fairs

Sold unwanted books and games

Received the proceeds from Seminole 60 – A great big

THANK YOU to the

Seminoles for all their hard

work and support

Received donations from businesses and other

organisations

All this has helped me to raise the

big total of £3146.59!

Thank you all for your continued

support – Neve (2nd Lancs. Scouts)

Emily, from 1st/2nd Derbyshire,

has been working on part 5 of the

Second Class badge, which states

“Know the Federal badge and its

meaning, a short history of the

F.S.E. and the rank indications of

its leaders” She is pictured here

working on creating an interactive

time line, which she will use as a

tool to help her remember the

history more easily.

Patrol Leaders – try your hand at making a knot board or frame.

In order to keep the Tenderfoot knots constantly in front of

your Patrol members, you will find that making a knot board

or frame (similar to that depicted) is well worth the effort.

If making a knot board, you will find it useful to those who

may later refer to it, if you show the various stages of the

tying of each knot and, especially in the case of the Reef

knot and Sheet bend, if you use ropes of two different

colours. A knot frame is a more ambitious project, but an

excellent way of showing what each finished knot should

look like.

One test of ingenuity is to give each member of your Patrol

a single length of rope and to ask him/her to produce all the

Tenderfoot knots on just that one piece.

21

Dinner Dance, 2016 – Around Europe in an Evening

On the 2nd April 2016 the Buccaneer Rover Crew held the 3rd FSE Dinner Dance at Slepe Hall Hotel in St

Ives, Cambridgeshire. It was an amazing turnout of one hundred and eleven people, with many FSE

members, friends and family.

We based the theme of the

event on “Around Europe”,

as this reflected our Scouting

Organisation.

Throughout the evening we

held a “heads and tails” game

and a raffle, and raised the

amazing sum of £980! This

was kindly topped up to

£1000 by two lovely Rovers,

Ben and Rachel. (Thank

you!)

The Money that was raised

has been split between two worthy charities, with half going to Children’s Liver Disease, following a local

19 year old girl from St Ives, who unfortunately lost her battle in 2015, and the other half going towards

“project lake”; a toilet block and running water for our HQ. Both causes are very grateful. The raffle was

very kindly sponsored by Steinhoff UK Beds, Euroffice, The Saloon and Jones’ Boat Yard.

Once again, the Buccaneers would like to say a massive “THANK YOU!” to everyone who attended and

supported us with this event.

22

West Pennine Province Wolf Cub Hike The annual WPP Wolf Cub hike took place on Saturday the 9th April, with over 30 Cubs attending the walk along the Rochdale canal to Lancaster Park and Animal Farm. It helped that the sun was beaming down, which added to the lovely atmosphere throughout the day. When we arrived at the park, all of the Wolf Cubs had the opportunity to hold either a rabbit or a mouse and have a look at all of the other animals in the first barn, which

included Guinea pigs, mice, rats, a big tortoise and more.

We then all had a picnic on the benches in the park, before setting off for a walk around the huge farm. Each Wolf Cub had a bucket of either carrots or bread to feed the animals with as they walked around. We saw a big horse called Mr.

Mustachio (famous for his huge moustache!), massive pigs with tiny piglets, and loads of goats with the cutest little kids ever. I was very tempted to take one home with me! There were also lots of geese, swans, ducks, turkeys and other animals at the farm.

After walking around the farm, and the Wolf Cubs feed buckets were empty, we went on to the play- ground and had fun on the swings and slides. It was so lovely to see the children from the different groups mingling and making friends, or rekindling friendships they have made on previous events. With over thirty Wolf Cubs attending, I can honestly say not a single

one misbehaved. A big BRAVO to all of them, as they all represented the FSE in such a fabulous way. They are all a credit to their Cub Packs. And a thank you to Jean for organising such a lovely event. Raksha (6th Lancs. Wolf Cubs)

Did you know ... ?

As well as the most commonly seen House mouse, there are five other species of mice found in

Britain. They are the Field mouse, the Wood mouse, the Yellow Necked mouse (which differs

from the Wood mouse by having a ring of yellow fur around its neck, and is mainly found along

the Welsh borders and S.E. England), the Harvest mouse and the Dormouse. A female Wood

mouse can produce up to eighty young in one breeding season, whilst a harvest mouse can

consume up to thirty percent of its’ body weight each day! The Dormouse is the largest species, as

well as being the only one to hibernate over winter.

23

6/15th Lancs. Otters Activity Day On the 10th April, our Otter Colony had an activity day which included a walk around Boarshaw Fishing Lodge, an assault course, games and a picnic. We had beautiful weather, but it had rained the day before so there were enough muddy puddles to be jumped in to grantee a mud covered Otter came home!

Whilst walking around the Lodges, we all closed our eyes and listened for as many different noises as we could hear, whilst stood at the water side. There were lots of different noises, such as ducks, geese and other birds, and the stream trickling down from one lodge to the other. We also looked out for different trees and plants, or anything interesting we could find on our way round. The Otters noticed the trees had blossoms and buds and told the leaders that must mean we’re in spring. We looked on the floor and saw some footprints in mud. The Otters decided it must have been someone walking their dog and that it was a big dog because of the big paw prints next to a big foot print.

Once we walked all around the Lodge, it took us to a big playing field where we played lots of games and did an obstacle course. The speed and agility of some of our Otters really surprised the leaders, especially Shere Khan, from Cubs, who was at the staff jumping section. We then all had a picnic together on a big tarpaulin on the field. When we had finished our picnic, we went for a walk up to the Canal and spoke about what the canals used to be used for and what they are for now. On our way back to Head Quarters, we took a little detour into the Cemetery where we said the Otter Prayer by Lee Rigby’s memorial bench for all of the Soldiers.

All of the 13 Otters who attended had huge grins on their faces all the way round and behaviour as always was impeccable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6th/15th Lancs. Otters Trip to the Convent

Our Colony has currently been working on the Otter Faith Badge and has

been learning about Christianity and Buddhism.

Leading up to Easter, we were unable to use our church hall and The Sisters

of the Cross and Passion were kind enough to let us hold our meetings in

their dining room.

It was a very odd experience, learning about Buddhism and Easter in a

convent – but the Otters were very well behaved (a big Bravo to them all)

The Sisters were overjoyed they could help.

Jumper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

24

80th Anniversary of a National Icon.

On 18 April 1936, a group of surveyors gathered around a white concrete pillar in a field in Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, and began the retriangulation (mapping) of Great Britain.

Ordnance Survey (OS) is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the triangulation pillar, most often known as a "trig pillar" or "trig point" and a welcome sight to many a walker as they reach the peak of their walk.

The pillar was devised by Brig. Martin Hotine to provide a solid base for the theodolites used by the survey teams and to improve the accuracy of the reading. They still act as a beacon for many an outdoors lover, but they no longer help shape our maps.The

modern equivalent is the OS Net network of 110 Global Navigation

Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Surveyors use OS Net and GNSS

technology every day to instantly position new map details to within a few centimetres. What took many

hours at Cold Ashby in 1936 can now be done in seconds, and to a far greater degree of accuracy.

Trig trivia

1. The survey control network of trig pillars was accurate to 20 metres over the entire length of Great

Britain. Today the receivers that make up the OS Net network are coordinated to an accuracy of just

3mm over the same area.

2. Over 6,500 trig pillars were built for the retriangulation, of which it is thought somewhere in the

region of 6,000 are still standing. In total the retriangulation had in excess of 30,000 coordinated

points. The modern OS Net network performs the same function with just 110 points.

3. Measuring angles by eye from a trig pillar meant the retriangulation was reliant on good weather –

perhaps part of the reason it took until 1962 to complete! Modern GNSS surveying works in all

weathers and is available 24 hours a day.

4. Trig pillars are mostly made of cast concrete but a few are

built from local stone cemented together.

5. Like an iceberg, there is a large part of the trig pillar below

the surface.

6. There are many dedicated trigbaggers out there and even a

website called trigpointing.co.uk. Rob Woodall bagged all

the trigs still standing on 17 April 2016, a task which has

taken 14 years to complete!

7. While the OS no longer uses the trig pillars, they are still its

responsibility to maintain. If you do spot a trig pillar looking

unsafe, let them know, so that they can take a look and

decide on the best way to remedy it.

8. The highest trig pillar, unsurprisingly, sits atop Ben Nevis.

The lowest trig pillar is at Little Ouse, sited at -1m!

9. The vast majority of trig pillars follow the standard Hotine

design, but there are some ‘Vanessas’ which are taller, cylindrical concrete pillars.

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/os-net/index.htmlhttp://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/os-net/index.html

25

Seminoles Vs Navajos – Ten Pin Bowling Night

One meeting night, the Seminole Rover Crew invited the Navajo Rover Crew to a friendly game of bowling.

It was a great night, having a laugh and bowling, and with, I dare say, a bit of competition!

It was every man for themselves, so we all put on our stylish shoes and took to the alley for a night of weird

dancing, some skilled moves and every

member hoping to strike it lucky!

After two games there was only one

winner - here are the results:-

1st place Andrew (1st game 126, 2nd game

107) Total 233

2nd place Chris Woods (1st game 103, 2nd

game 103) Total 206

3rd place Jelly (1st game 115, 2nd game 83)

Total 198

4th place Teapot (1st game 80, 2nd game

103) Total 183

4th place Jean (1st game 111, 2nd game 72)

Total 183

4th place Nick Waite (1st game 79, 2nd game

104) Total 183

7th place Ann (1st game 89, 2nd game 85)

Total 174

8th place Alex (1st game 77, 2nd game 95)

Total 172

8th place Charlotte (1st game 92, 2nd game

80) Total 172

9th place Nick Brabiner (1st game 71, 2nd

game 100) Total 171

10th place Jo Ward (1st game 73, 2nd game

97) Total 170

10th place Jordon (1st game 91, 2nd game

79) Total 170

Thanks to the Navajo (and extra guests) for a great night! Look forward to doing it again! – Blue Whale

1st Cumberland Otters’ Sponsored Walk We held a sponsored walk around a tarn, followed by an

Easter egg hunt. The event was used to raise money for

“Guide Dogs for the Blind”, who recently visited us.

The boys took turns to be blindfolded and to act as guides,

giving them the experience of what it would be like to not

be able to see, and to trust each other to lead them safely.

Together with the Cubs, we should raise enough to sponsor

a puppy class, and we will receive feedback on its progress.

26

St. George’s Day Parade, 2016

This year’s parade, which was hosted by East

Pennine Province, started and finished in the

grounds of Thornhill Trojans Rugby Club. Although

the turnout was lower than usual, the smatness of

everyone was extremely high. It was strange not

having a band, but, despite this, and a dull and cold

day, the parade was well ordered and an excellant

advertisement for our organisation.

The service was held at St. Michael’s and All

Angels church, and led by the Rev. Jeff. Heaton,

who kept the congregation amused with his fun

enactment of the story of St. George, assisted by

volunteer “actors” from our ranks, and some rather

dodgy props! During the service, Amanda Clayton,

(HQ Com.Wolf Cubs) , presented Wolf Cub Awards

to Kaiden Millin and Dylan Richardson, both of

the 1st. Lancs, whilst Karen Alsop and Liz. Wood

both received their third Wood Badge beads from

Tony Ward (HQ Com. Training), in recognition of

their work with the Training Team.

After an extremely difficult task, the National

Leadership team awarded the trophy for the smartest

Group on parade to the 2nd. Lancashire Group.

Congratulations to 2nd. Lancs, - Winners of

the St. George’s Day Trophy

27

Young Leaders CES Wolf Cub Centenary Scrap Book

You may have heard about, or been pestered by me recently asking you to do, a scrap book to commemorate

the Wolf Cub Centenary. This idea came from the CES meeting which was held in England last October.

The Young Leaders thought we would all celebrate the centenary in some way, but that it would be nice to

produce scrap books, to show the Cubs how different Groups/ Countries celebrated.

If you are already a Cub Leader then please could you put together a scrap book of a few pictures and a few

notes from your Pack? It can be a paper version or you can email it to me and I can put together a digital

version, whatever is easiest for you. If you are not actively involved in the Cub Centenary, please speak to

the Akela, and the other Cub leaders, of your Pack, and find out what they are doing to celebrate the Cub

Centenary, and ask them for pictures and a few comments on any programmes they may be running. I’m

sure there will be nothing stopping you from attending as well. If you can’t, I’m sure Akelas will be happy

to get let you have photo’s for your scrap books. It would be really nice if we could get every Group

involved!

If you need more information or ideas, or have any questions, contact me on Facebook, email or by text.

Charlotte Martin (Young Leaders Rep.)

Wood Badge PTC

(all sections)

3rd – 4th September

2016

Venue: T. B.A. but will be in Gloucestershire

Start: O900hrs.

Finish: 1600hrs.

(both days)

For further details, or to

register, contact:

Tony Ward

Wet Camps - 2016

Cubs: 10th/12th June

Scouts: 1st/3rd July

For more details,

contact Hazel

28

Congratulations!