Old News


These are news items that have previously appeared on the homepage.

When is a Sandcastle not a Sandcastle....?

On 15th July Ruxley Explorers together with 2nd Cuddington descended on Camber Sands in Sussex a normally quiet beach for what will be an annual Sandcastle competition. The weather was perfect and competition fierce. A judge was found who announced that a Ruxley team was the winner special note was made of AP attempt but he was still disqualified due to the fact that a crocodile was not a sandcastle.

More Explorer Activities

1st Ruxley Explorers have been very active recently, participating in the Sun Run, climbing on high ropes and gliding.  See their click on Activity Reports in the left margin for more details.

Explorers in Malvern Challenge

30th June -1st July saw a small band of younger Explorers participate in the Malvern Challenge at Cleeve hill nr Cheltenham.  This weekend was one of the wettest, windiest periods in history, but nevertheless it was a great week end. All took part in the varied activities on offer and cannot wait to go again next year

Scouts challenge for top place in Cooking Comp

On Sunday 1st July, two teams of Scouts took part in the annual District Cooking Competition.  Each team is given a fixed set of main ingredients, plus a selection of basic culinary items, just like Ready Steady Cook. Unfortunately Ainsley Harriott was not available but our top team came a close second.  Well done to both teams.

Malvern Challenge

30th June -1st July saw a small band of younger Explorers participate in the Malvern Challenge at Cleeve hill nr Cheltenham.  This weekend was one of the wettest and windiest periods in History I think,  but nevertheless it was a great week end.  Everyone took part in the varied activities on offer and cannot wait to go again
next year.

Explorers in the Air (Again!)

On Wednesday 27th June a group of Explorers visited High Ashurst near Box Hill for a three hour session of teamworking high ropes activity.  They climbed 36ft poles (with safety harness) onto small platforms, reached the high trapeze and took part in the crate challenge.  They will be returning soon for the 87ft challenge!

Sainsbury's Vouchers Update

Active kids vouchers total was 1118, which allowed us to purchase a set of 5 compasses for older sections, a complete set of parachute games available for all plus several balls designed for Beaver type age thanks to everyone who collected.

Explorers in the Air

On 21st June ten Explorers visited the Kenley (Battle of Britain) airfield for their annual evening of gliding.  The excellent weather gave them the chance of two flights each.  Several parents also participated and an excellent night was had by all.

At the end of the evening four new members were invested into the unit.  We also met a veteran spitfire fighter pilot, a very young 87 yr old, who had wonderful stories to tell.

Tons of Fun Camp

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from 1st Ruxley turned out in Force on the Bank Holiday weekend in early May to enjoy the Tons of Fun Centenary camp at Blacklands Farm, East Grinstead.  Scouts and Cubs arrived on Friday and camped until Sunday, whilst the Beavers had an early start and travelled by coach on Saturday morning.  Camping with us were the recently-reformed 2nd Epsom (Christ Church) Cubs

Everyone enjoyed the wide range of activities on offer, ranging from canoeing, climbing and abseiling through backwoods cooking, rabbit trapping (not real ones!) and wood branding, to bead-badges and inflating rubber gloves.

As one of the Join in Centenary events, those who came along qualify for one of the badges for the centenary scarf.

A first-hand account of one of the Beavers can be seen here.

District Cubs Football Competition

On Saturday, May 19th, 1st Ruxley entered a team in each of the two age groups, and the younger team came a magnificent third place.  Well done to all the cubs who took part. This report is from one of the cubs:

I played in the football team it was great fun I was
mid-field we played 5 games we won 2 drew 2 and lost 1
I scored a penalty in a 1.0 win we came third in the
competition I can't wait to do it again

Once again, 1st Ruxley also provided the catering for the event.  Plenty of energy must have been expended as almost every scrap of food was sold!

Scouts on the Water this Summer

For the first time in many years, the 1st Ruxley scout troop are spending most of their Friday nights taking part in a range of water activities on the River Thames.  In recent years only a small number of young people at a time have been able to take part but a smaller troop and sufficient adult support mean that everyone can join in.

With the main objective being enjoyment, the scouts get the chance of a range of water activities including canoeing and pulling (rowing) in both dinghies and gigs.  Whilst fun is the main thing, the scouts also learn the importance of water safety and the factors which might pose dangers.  We expect many of the scouts to achieve their Nautical Skills or Basic Nautical Skills badges, as well as other more specific badges, as well as learning new skills and disciplines that they can use in later life.

Best Turn-Out at St. George's Day Parade

1st Ruxley were named as the best turned-out group at the St George's Day parade on Sunday, April 23.  Not only did the group have the largest number of beavers, cubs, scouts, explorers and leaders in the parade, but we were honoured to carry the Union Flag at the head of the parade, and one of our scouts did the Bible reading during the service.  Congratulations to all who attended.

Strong Start for New Colony

The new Riverview beaver colony is now up to nineteen regular members.

Females Triumph over Males in Easter Holidays

During the Easter break, 1st Ruxley Explorer Scouts visited Laser Quest in Guildford for a very competitive series of games, where the female team beat the male team by a very convincing margin.

Planned future activities include gliding, a high-wire activity centre, cooking and camps in Cheltenham and Wales.  Click on the Forthcoming events link for dates.

1st Ruxley Talk About Scouting Today

A party of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers from the 1st Ruxley Sea Scout group visited Hobkirk House Resource Centre in New Malden, a 44 bedded nursing home and 35 place day centre. The age range of the residents in the nursing home is from 43 to 103 years.

Residents had been discussing their time in the Scouts and Guides as part of the 100 year anniversary and invited 1st Ruxley in to talk about their experiences.  The residents and day centre attendees were extremely interested in the 'modern uniforms' the sections wore and spoke at length to the young people about their badges and how they had been attained. They were also extremely interested in the activities that the Scout Association now offers and were comparing them to their youth - most activities they spoke about would now be banned on Health and Safety grounds!!

There was also input from some residents whose scouting experience was in South Africa, a very good insight for the Scouts of today. The visit was so popular that the group has been invited back later in the year.

First Beavers Invested in New Colony

The first ten beavers have been invested into new 1st Ruxley (Riverview) colony.  District Commissioner, Nigel Bird was present at the last meeting of the term to see the investitures.  Another five beavers are due to be invested in the near future, which is testament to the success of the new colony.

Beavers Win District Handicrafts Competition

1st Ruxley beavers have been busy painting, sticking and being generally creative, ready for the District Beaver Handicraft Competition held at St. Joseph's Church on Saturday, 24th March.  Their efforts were rewarded by winning the overall competition and achieving an individual first place.  Well done! 

Second Beaver Colony Open

The 1st Ruxley (Riverview) beaver colony is now open and already has over a dozen members.  The existing colony is now known as 1st Ruxley (Tealing). Click on the Beavers link for more details.

District Cross Country

Teams from Beavers, Cubs and Scouts took part in the District cross country event at Horton Country Park on Sunday, 11th March.  Well done to all those who took part.

District Challenge Hike

Three 1st Ruxley scout teams entered the District Challenge Hike on Sunday, 4th March.  Based at Ranmore scout campsite, the teams used their navigational skills to locate checkpoints around Ranmore Common, a task made even more challenging by the extremely wet weather.  Well done to the teams who came second, third and fifth in their age groups.