Carnival 2016 - A Scout in Space

Top 3 lamp-post design

This weekend was the annual Whaley Bridge Carnival and, once again, it was a great success. The rain just about held off and the children had a great time.

Can we send out a quick, but huge, thank you to all those who contributed to the carnival float and lamppost this year. We achieved a 1st prize for the float and a 3rd for the lamppost, these are results to be proud of and it would not have happened if it were not for a lot of effort behind the scenes pulling everything together (quite literally up to the last minute!). It was really great to see so many parents coming down to help on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Finally, thanks to the kids who turned out brilliantly dressed for the occasion - there's no point having a float if there's nobody to fill it!

Already looking forward to next year! Here are a few more photos of the day.

A salute to a Scout in Space!

Crowds were lining the streets

The winning float in all its glory

Why have no children heard of the 'Men in Black'???

A Cub Scout Christmas

The Cub Scout section had a very busy run up to Christmas this year. Entering the Gingerbread Festival at the Uniting Church and decorating a Xmas Tree for the Festival at Holy Trinity.

The gingerbread house was themed on the 100 years of Cub Scouting celebrations this year (you will hear much more about this I am sure) but sadly we weren't winners. I am sure that we will enter again next year.

The Xmas tree was decorated by the section, with a bit of help producing decorations provided by our Beaver Scouts, and I think you'll agree that the final product was spectacular. Roll on Xmas 2016!

View round the back

Another view of the house

First Responders

Last Wednesday Beavers had a visit by Helen and Mark who are Whaley-Chapel Community First Responders.

These Volunteers assist the Ambulance Service by responding to life threatening emergencies.

 

They helped the Beavers towards their Stage 1 Emergency Aid badge by showing them:

• how to check if someone is breathing, 
• how to put a person into the recovery position,
• what to do if somebody is choking
• what to say when you dial 999 for help

A big thank you to Helen and Mark who came after busy days at work.

If you would like to find out more about Whaley-Chapel Community First Responders or become one yourself then follow the link below:

http://whaley-chapelcfr.org/

Memorial Day

Despite some horrible weather earlier in the morning we had a fantastic turn-out for the Memorial service in the park on Sunday. 

The group met at 10:30am by the Wheatsheaf Road entrance and we marched in formation up through the park to the cross. 

The service was, as always, very humbling as we listened to the long list of names of the fallen. Heartbreaking to hear the same surnames repeated over and over again, you cannot imagine the pain some families must have endured. 

I am glad to report that the children were impeccably behaved and we received many compliments at the end of the service. Thanks to all those who attended.

UPDATE: You can see more photos on the Whaley Bridge site:

http://www.whaleybridge.com/2015/11/the-young-honour-whaley-bridges-war-dead/

Bonfire night success

On Thursday night we held our annual Fireworks display and it was a great success. The weather held off after a particularly murky day and we had a great turn out. 

We've still got to tot-up everything but we will make a healthy profit for the group, with some £200 collected in the buckets and around £250 from the barbeque sales. That plus money from the raffle and refreshments/sweeties inside will make for a nice amount to invest back into the Group. 

The display was brilliant, and the night passed without incident, so I hope everyone feels they got great value for money and had a great night. Thanks to everyone who made it such a success.

Bonfire and Remembrance Sunday

Just a quick reminder that two big events in the Scout Group's calendar are happening this week, your support for both would be greatly appreciated.

Bonfire Night - 5th November 

We will be holding our bonfire and fireworks at the Scout hut on Thursday 5th November. Bonfire will be lit from 6:30pm with fireworks from 7:30pm. The event is open to all members of the group and their families, with entry by donation. We will have the usual burgers, hot dogs and drinks on sale.

Remembrance Day - 8th November

We will be joining the Royal British Legion for the remembrance service this year to be held at the cenotaph in Whaley. We will meet at the memorial park, below the cenotaph, at 10:30am and we should be finished by 11:15am, parents are welcome to stay for the service. Please remember to wear full uniform including smart trousers and shoes. 

Giving a bit

You may have heard about givingabit.com, they pass a portion of referral fees earned through purchase made via their site to a charity of your choice. 1st Taxal Scout Group are now a available to select as the charity you want to support.

Every time you shop online at one of the participating shops, by clicking through from www.givingabit.com it turns a donation for your chosen charity. With over 1,200 shops, including Amazon, Sainsbury's, Groupon & John Lewis, you can buy everything from music to car insurance and make a difference!

All you have to do is register on their website and access your favourite shops through them. In return the Scout group gets either a fixed fee or a percentage of your spend. It costs you nothing, and it costs the group nothing. In addition they often have deals and offers on the web site.

We are down as 1st Taxal (Whaley Bridge) Scout Group in the "find a good cause to support"  on the right hand side menu or follow this link: 

http://www.givingabit.com/communities/details/125437/1st-taxal-whaley-bridge-scout-group

Just choose to 'Join' our community. 

Many thanks

Beaver Scouts Daffodil Planting

1st Taxal Beavers have been busy in the Memorial Park once again, where we spent a pleasant

evening merrily helping Paul, the Park Manager, to plant Daffodil bulbs for next Spring.

We all got a little muddy but it was great fun and the display next year will make it all worthwhile.

Many thanks to Paul for letting us help, to some of the older Scouts who helped us dig some holes and to Tesco Whaley Bridge for assisting with the bulbs.

Keep an eye out for the results of our efforts next March!!!