Author: Stephen

For more information and to join the teams email Steve

New campfire seating installed for a better campfire experience or for use as an outside classroom. Many thanks to Craig for the help with the installation.

If anyone wants to volunteer a small amount of time we always have a list of things that need doing 🙂
from painting to cleaning and external maintenance jobs.

Contact chair@1stroyalforest.org.uk if you can spare some time to help.

Hopefully everyone has had a great summer break! Over the summer we have still been scouting, our young people have been to Belgium for a week, and sailing with the Tall Ships Youth Trust also for a week among other activities.

You can read their sailing blog at https://www.tallships.org/challenger-2-gloucestershire-scouts-2/

We now look forward to returning to the lodge for the Autumn term, return dates for sections are below:

Monday Scouts	12th September
Tuesday Cubs	13th September
Tuesday Scouts	13th September
Wednesday Beavers	14th September
Wednesday Scouts	7th September
Thursday Cubs	15th September

Monday Scouts spent a great weekend at PGL Tregoyd House in the Brecon Beacons.

We did archery, fencing, zip wire, climbing, orienteering and the sensory trail.  The Scouts showed great courage and determination to overcome their fears and meet their personal challenges which made the leaders were very proud. 

Some superb teamwork and communication skills were shown, and, most importantly,  great fun was had by all!

Well done to everyone from 1st Royal Forest that turned out for the St Georges Day parade!

The parade is run by the town council to celebrate the youth movements in and around Coleford and the Forest. Scouting uses the parade as an opportunity to showcase the movement and to renew our Promise.

12^th March 2022 saw 1st Royal Forest Wednesday Scouts return to overnight camps after a long break due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Based at Beaver Lodge the 11 Scouts enjoyed a morning of adventurous and challenging activities, making use of the Dean Field Study Centre, thanks Reuben for being a fab instructor. The afternoon saw us hiking and den building, lots of teamwork involved.  The evening weather meant the plan for a large camp fire was adapted and Scouts enjoyed toasting marshmallows and smores around a fire pit instead.

As leaders, we were really pleased how all the Scouts worked together cooking the meals, washing up and keeping the camp tidy.

We look forward to many more camps.

Test your general and music knowledge and help the kids going to Haarlem raise funds for their trip.
The bar may even be open to help lubricate those brain cells!

Wow!!
Our team from Tuesday Scouts on their first go at the Cotswold Marathon came 6th out of 51 teams on the Bronze 10 mile Route!!
Outstanding teamwork taking over an hour off their full practise hike on the route.

The night started at the Beaver lodge where we met up and then drove to Murray Hall in Gloucester for registration and the start. Registration involved each team member being signed in, given wrist bands with our walker numbers on, a race tracker for the team and a strict kit check of the emergency items and kit list.
Then after waiting in the tents each team jostled forward to get their cards marked with their start time and then set off. Over Robinswood Hill, thankfully at that point not too wet so not a complete mudfest as it was on their first practise walk. CP1 at the top of the hill, down past the ski centre to CP2, then the climb up to Painswick Beacon CP3, half way, they stormed up this climb! Great view of the lights of Gloucester and beyond, but by then the weather was starting to close in and a constant drizzle accompanied the wind.
Onwards to Cranham Scout Centre for CP4 then another sharp climb out of Cranham to CP5 at the top of the hill, nearly there. Race across the top when they realized they may get under 4 hours to CP6 and Bronze finish at Birdlip dead on 4 hours, medals all round from the County Commissioner Mark Spiller.
Hot chocolate and short wait for the bus back to the start and our transport home again with some very damp, tired, sleepy but happy young people.
A great event, well organized and run, thanks to all that take the time to volunteer to run it and man the checkpoints etc.
Onwards to the Silver 20 mile route hopefully for this team next year, and looking forward to putting in some more teams from the group hopefully.

Visual memory to take away? Looking back from Painswick Beacon at Robinswood Hill and seeing the chain of torches in the distance as teams further back were making their way down.

Monday and Wednesday Scouts had a great morning at BattleSports on the 12th February.  It was a great exercise in teamwork!  The blue team won overall, but the reds were worthy opponents!
Thanks to all who organized and took part.