Great comments and experiences up there.

Jnr is off to the World Scout Jamboree in July. He’s already done two UK jamborees, as has his younger Guiding sister. Last summer he had a week with the National Scout and Guide Symphony Orchestra, which is a fantastic week if you have any musical kids in your groups.

Apparently my next role is helping my wife’s Guide unit pitch their tents at Spring Bank….

Update

Well following the positive discussion on here, I’ve gone ahead and upgraded my role to Section Assistant.

I fear this is just one slip on a still slippery slope…

Good move!

Well done!
Was out last night assisting my son as his unit were making fires and cooking sossies. Made the end of a crap Monday better. Then Friday my unit have to build a water wheel to drive a rotisserie!

BBQ based Scouting? This I approve of. What’s next, some basic home brewing?

I was tired and showed too much enthusiasm and they hooked me in. It was supposed to be helping out last Friday night as they took the scouts into town to play monopoly but a casual comment about knowing the best fish and chips/ice cream places in Dorset for their camp this BH weekend got me an invite to help.
God knows how I’ll survive

I bet you love it @timbur – do report back.

Good for all of you, I hope you enjoy it as my lad and I both benefitted from cubs/scouts.

I have a good friend who runs the local Cub and Scout packs (and also setup the Beaver colony). I wish I could help him/them more, but I only tow trailers, fix camping kit, lend outdoor stuff and try to be generally supportive even though mini-me left a few years ago.

I am literally too scared to be an official helper as the thought of looking after someone else’s child in this modern litigious society makes me feel properly scared – shame really :-/

Aaaaaand I’ve just been roped in to the Appointments Advisory Committee. Cos I’m free on June 3rd!

The support team for the local camp site seem to end up in our village chippy on a Friday night, which was handy last week as my wife had been asking questions about the Spring Bank camp earlier in the evening and the organiser was there with them.

It’s a small and incestuous world!

Graham- funnily enough brewing and distilling have been discussed amongst the leaders. But apart from scouting activity before anyone asks!

Bentandbroken- if you’ve managed to raise your own kids then it’s not daunting. As long as you’ve done the risk assessments!!

What some people overlook safeguarding protocols protect the adults just as much as the kids.

I wish I could help him/them more, but I only tow trailers, fix camping kit, lend outdoor stuff and try to be generally supportive even though mini-me left a few years ago.

Which all needs doing and is just another way of contributing. It’s hard to camp without working equipment…

Uniformed leaders are what everyone sees and we do put in a lot of effort for meetings and camps, but there are plenty of adults involved that most people don’t see and that we couldn’t run without.

Scouts only works because someone does what you do. Same as for any volunteer.

It’s the kids I worry about.
On a side note I will be allowed a “decompression beer or two” over the weekend won’t I?

Dorset for their camp this BH weekend

SMAP!! We’re off to Dorset (Buddens campsite) this weekend for scout/cub camp as well, weather looks good and after last nights meeting the cubs know how to put up a tent 🙂

Got Cubs District Camp coming up at the end of June, which will be mayhem. Then two weeks later the Scouts are off back-woods camping, which will also be mayhem.

For the Scouts we are setting an all-day navigation exercise / hike from Giant’s Seat in Whitefield, which was the venue for the original HTN back in 2008. I have volunteered to take my bike and will spend the day riding up and down the valley to make sure that they are OK because I’m selfless like that 😉

On a side note I will be allowed a “decompression beer or two” over the weekend won’t I?

Green card applies:
https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/1862/alcohol-and-scouting?cat=419,299,303

TLDR: Probably not.

I used to help out with the explorer scouts pre kids, then I had kids and stopped

My son is now in cubs, was in beavers. Can’t manage to help out there but I go on the camps to help out. Cub camp this weekend!

Noted on the beer. I won’t mention it being a newbie. Thanks for the heads up.

Matrix- we’re off to monkey world on Monday which is across the road from Buddens. Brownsea island on Saturday and a water splash place on Sunday. Have fun.

I went through Cubs scouts and ventures , cranbrat is now just finishing beevers and was given his bronze award tonight I have my first camping trip as a DBA checked adult volunteer coming up in June. I am very very aware of the risk of being sucked in deeper!