3rd Hampton Hill Scout Group

All the Sections have enjoyed yet another fantastic and varied programme. There have also been successes and achievements in District, County and National Events - well done all. As well as personal awards and recognition for service and commitment. 2008 has been a great and very memorable year for the Group and we continue to live up to our Motto of ‘Moving On, Moving Up!’ Just take a trawl back through some of the earlier web posts to see how much we have achieved this term and for the whole year.

I would like to say a very Big THANKS to ALL The Section Leadership Teams, Group Executive Committee and everyone that has supported us both this term and for the year. Everyone at 3rd Hampton Hill are volunteers who freely give up their time to help Young People enjoy Scouting and develop skills for life.

Our two highest priorities for early in the New Year are;

1. The Recruitment of Assistant Beaver Scout Leaders - please see the earlier post for details;
3HH Assistant Beaver Scout Leaders

2. The Recruitment of a Booking Secretary - please see the earlier post for details;
3HH Booking Secretary

Planning is underway for a couple of big camps next year; CubJam in May at Gilwell Park and Twickeree at Marble Hill Park in June.

We are also in the early stages of planning an International Trip in 2011! There is an initial interest sign up sheet posted up at the Scout HQ.

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous and healthy 2009. I am certain that 2009 will be another fantastic year for Scouting at 3rd Hampton Hill.

I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Kindest regards and very best wishes

Yours in Scouting and friendship

Rich M
Group Scout Leader

We need your help. The Mayor of London is offering to invest 2 million pounds into the 10 most needy parks in the London area; One of the parks on the list of potential winners is Crane Park.

As you will be aware the Richmond upon Thames District Scout Air Rifle Association uses the premises of the Twickenham Rifle and Pistol Club. The Twickenham Rifle and Pistol Club are members of FORCE (Friends of the River Crane Environment). If Crane Park were to win the 2 million pounds it would safeguard the Twickenham Rifle and Pistol Club, which would mean a continuing local venue for shooting activities.

Please encourage all members of your families to vote at this link. Everybody who lives in London has the right to one vote.

The voting started on 25 November 2008 and will close at 5pm on 30 January 2009. Postal votes must be received no later than 30 January 2009. Votes received after this date / time will not be counted.

Many thanks for helping to safeguard this local asset for the Scouting community.

Ian Hardy
Assistant District Commissioner (Scouts)
Richmond Upon Thames District Scouts

In what is most Scout’s favourite church service of the year, we celebrated the Christingle and lit candles together while lined up around the church.

Young members from both the Scouts and the Sunday School delivered a first class reminder of what Christingle represents as well as a powerful reminder of the generousity demonstrated by others despite their modest backgrounds.

A volunteer working party from 3HH’s scouts had great fun helping out with the annual leaf sweep at St. James’s church today.

After lots of clambering over the building and hooking out of leaves from the guttering, there were some pretty empty stomachs and rather dry throats. Luckily Kirtsie was as ever on hand with bread pudding, heaps of chocolate brownies and a gallon of hot tea that slipped down very nicely!

(Thanks to John O for the photos - click on the collage above to see more)

Following the team and individual successes at the recent national scout shooting event at Bisley, 3HH have made the Richmond and Twickenham Times. Thanks to Sheila L for writing and submitting the Article.

3HH also grabbed a second feature in the same edition when there was a major splash on the Christmas celebrations at the Hampton Hill parade.

Well done guys!

Many of you will have known Sue Blay. She was a great friend to 3HH, led the Hampton Hill Duke of Edinburgh Award group and for many years was the Guide Leader at 3rd Hampton Hill. Sue recently lost her long courageous battle against cancer on 11 November 2008. Her funeral service was held at St James on 26 November 2008.

3rd Hampton Hill Scout Group will be hosting a memorial service for Sue in the spring of 2009. Those youth groups and adults that Sue worked with will be very welcome to come along and celebrate what she stood for and achieved. The intention is to plant a tree and place a plaque in recognition of all that Sue did for young people in Hampton and Hampton Hill including: 3rd Hampton Hill Guides, 3rd Hampton Hill Scouts and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Group. Details of the memorial are being worked out with Sue’s family and will be published once finalised.

3rd Hampton Hill have begun a memorial collection which will be used to buy the tree and plaque. The remaining money will then be divided equally between Sue’s two nominated charities: Christian Aid and ‘Maggie’s’ (cancer charity). Any contributions will be gratefully received. Cheques should payable to 3rd Hampton Hill Scout Group with the words Sue Blay Memorial Collection on the reverse please.

Our thoughts and wishes are with all of Sue’s family and friends at this time.

Regards,

Rich M
Group Scout Leader

Do you ever shop on-line with Amazon - perhaps you’ve even started your Xmas shop already?

If so, you could really help us by earning money for our Scout group by accessing the Amazon.co.uk website via the special link in the sidebar menu to the right.

No catches - it’s free money for the group!

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3HH’s three sections got together to mark the beginning of Hampton Hill’s Christmas season and to strut their stuff! Well done everyone for pitching up and supporting the group; at least it was dry this year

Click on the photo montage above to see more of what we got up to…

(Thanks to John O for the photos)

Hi all, as we approach Christmas, our amended programme is as follows:

* This Friday 28 Nov, lighting up parade, details already sent out but in summary meet 6.15pm on Friday night behind City Plumbing at the far end of the High Street. Full Uniform please.
* Friday 5 Dec, joint 7:30pm Friday meet - PARTY! At the HQ, with investments, leap ups, celebrations of the year’s achievement and PLs to run games. Troop will provide drinks, each Scout to bring a food contribution for all to share. No Tuesday meeting!
* Saturday 6 Dec leaf sweep at St James Church towards community challenge and faith badges. Meet at 9:30am at the church - good turn out expected!
* Sunday 7 Dec - Christingle Church Parade 9.15am St James
* Tuesday 9th Dec Final week - joint 7pm Tuesday meeting - quiz night against the Guides at our HQ. No Friday meeting
* Wednesday 10 Dec - Voluntary Care Group Christmas Concert at St James from 6pm. Scouts required for hymn book and collection duties along with serving mince pies (which you will get a choice of too!) afterwards. Goes towards service aspect of Community Challenge badge again.

Scouts restarts Tuesday 13th and Friday 16th January.

Paul, Jon and Simon

The Scouts excelled themselves again at the annual ‘Ready Steady Cook’ evening.

Random ingredients are assigned to each team and they must then create a dish for the judges to taste. There are also marks for cleanliness. The standard of cooking was high with a range of interesting and quite tasty dishes created. Well done.

Thanks to all those adults and young leaders that provided assistance on the night.

Our Beaver Scouts need YOU!

We have a fantastic opportunity for some Adults to join in the fun and assist us with the continued running of our two Beaver Scout Colonies on a Friday.

In order to keep running such a fantastic programme we do need some additional help and support. We are actively seeking two Assistant Beaver Scout Leaders to provide valuable support to our Beaver Scout Leader.

What would you be doing?

• Helping at the Beaver Colony meetings each week (Fridays); setting up activities, running games and helping the Beavers to have fun (living up to their motto of ‘Fun and Friends’).
• Helping to plan each terms programme
• Occasionally taking responsibility for an activity: for example buying the ingredients for a cooking evening.

We need your help and support and it is vital that we recruit two Assistant Beaver Scout Leaders ready to help run the Beaver Colonies in January 2009. This is absolutely vital if we are to continue the successful running of both Beaver Scout Colonies!

If you are interested, please take a look at the attached letter.

Thank You.

Rich
Group Scout Leader

Please see the attached letter detailing next spring’s National Smallbore Rifle Association’s Youth Proficiency Scheme which teaches Scouts all about the safe use of rifles (and pistols if you’re lucky).

3rd Hampton Hill excel at target shooting and this course will give your Scout or newly joined cub all they need to know about this sport. All students will then be eligible for direct entry into the tournaments we compete in throughout the year, including the Nationals where we did so well this autumn. Places fill fast so get your application in now.

update 28 Nov - just 2 places remaining now!

In an exciting evening’s swimming with 12 troops competing 3rd Hampton Hill’s valiant swimmers retained the gala trophy making three wins in the last four years after never having excelled at all in previous years.

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It only seems 5 minutes since we were all away for the 2008 camps, but just a quick note to advise you of the planned 2009 Scout Camp dates in case you want to get them in your diary:

Easter Camp. 14 - 18 April 2009. Hopefully at Bentley Copse near Shere in Surrey.

Summer Camp. 25 July - 1 August 2009. Hopefully at Tolmers in Hertfordshire.

(In the unlikely event that we can’t secure places at the sites during these weeks there is a slight chance that we might have to adjust the dates - but we’re pretty confident that they should be OK)

In addition there will of course be a range of other opportunities to get away under canvas during the year. In particular, the Richmond Upon Thames District’s tri-annual Twickeree event has come around again and will be held from Friday evening 19th through to Sunday 21st June 2009 at Marble Hill Park.

More details to follow…

Regards Paul, John and Simon