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These are news items that have previously appeared on the homepage.
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When is a Sandcastle not a Sandcastle....? |
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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. |
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More Explorer Activities |
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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. |
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Explorers in Malvern Challenge |
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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 |
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Scouts
challenge for top place in Cooking Comp |
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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. |
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Malvern
Challenge |
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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. |
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Explorers in
the Air (Again!) |
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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! |
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Sainsbury's
Vouchers Update |
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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. |
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Explorers in
the Air |
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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. |
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Tons of Fun
Camp |
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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. |
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District Cubs
Football Competition |
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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! |
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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. |
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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. |
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Strong Start
for New Colony |
| The new Riverview beaver colony is now up
to nineteen regular members. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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