News...!

 

Woking Explorers 'Chilled Out' Camp!

In icy and frosty conditions with temperatures below minus five degrees, the first camp of the year for Woking Explorer Scouts took place over the weekend  of the 30th and 31st January, where over 46 Explorer Scouts  aged 14 to 18 and Leaders from four units within Woking camped at their Districts’ own campsite in Wisley.

On the Saturday morning they carried out a 4-hour navigation exercise, walking from south of Guildford carrying all their equipment arriving at the site in time for a pioneering exercise, where in teams they had to construct an obstacle course and challenge the various explorer units to complete in the fastest time. This was followed in the evening with a glow in the dark Ultimate Frisbee tournament and ending the day with a blazing campfire.

Sunday had the scouts taking part in navigational skills such as ‘spiral searches’ which they would possibly use when hiking in wild country.

The scouts had to cater for themselves, and on the menu were succulent dishes such as chorizo sausages cooked in a pesto sauce, with olives and mushrooms and pasta, followed with a dried fruit stew and custard. All cooked on methylated spirit Tragia stoves.

The weekend was the part of their on going training for the 2 and 3 day Expedition section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. After completing the course the scouts will carry out their ‘Qualifying ‘expeditions in the Black Mountains in Wales in May.

 

Woking Explorer Scouts – Fun on a Bouncy castle !

Over 45 Explorer Scouts aged 14 to 18 from the Borough together with their leaders spent the last weekend of the summer term at Woking Scout’s own campsite, Birchmere in Wisley for their last camp of the school year.

During the weekend Explorer scouts representing ; Challenger unit from Knaphill,  Martian unit from Horsell,  the Wey Ahead unit from Pyrford  the Maverick unit based in Westfield and Woking’s Young Leader unit, enjoyed a fun packed weekend of activities,  including challenges involving sticky jelly and runny custard on a massive 75 feet bouncy assault course; cooking a continental style bbq; taking part in silly and fun games including giant twister, and other old style garden games.

Brian Pinto, District Explorer Scout Commissioner said “The weekend was aimed as a chill out and relaxing camp for the Explorers, after a full term of school and college exams and an opportunity for some of the new scouts joining us next term to meet the Explorers from the five units in Woking.” He went onto say "My thanks must go to our hard working Leaders, camp staff and the Explorer Scouts themselves more making this a great weekend".

 

Challenge for Woking Scouts and Explorer Scouts.

After a series of training sessions which began last October covering subjects such as navigation, cooking skills and emergency aid, 18 Explorer Scouts, and 17 Scouts from Woking District, together with their adult volunteerLeaders made their way along the M4 to Brecon, for some fun and challenging hikes over the bank holiday weekend.

Arriving at their campsite in Llangorse around 11 p.m. on Friday night, the Scouts pitched camp and bedded down after the long journey, ready for an early start on the Saturday.

Scouts in teams of 4 or 5 scouts, completed high level walks Including Sugar Loaf and Fan Y Big peaks with qualified and experienced walking leaders in the Brecon Beacons. Two teams of Explorer Scouts completed their 3-day expedition covering a distance of about 50 kilometres walking from the Taf Fechan Forest on the edge of the Pentwyn Resevoir to Brecon via Sugar Loaf in the east.

During the weekend 1 other team of younger Explorers completed a 2-day 25 kilometre expedition walking from Abergavenny following part of the Beacon way to Cwmdu and back to Llangorse. En route the Scouts had to complete their chosen projects, on subjects such as the effect of tourism on the paths, historic buildings and the effects the resevoirs have on the community. The expeditions were the final part of their Chief Scout Gold Award and the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme's expedition section. The younger 13yr old scouts carried out both high and low level hikes and were also able to appreciate how maps looked in three dimensions by seeing the features of mountain and valleys and picking out land marks.

Brian Pinto, the Explorer Scout Commissioner for Woking said " This is the culmination of 7 months training and it was a fantastic weekend for both the young people and the Leadership team, not only to experience the outdoors, but also to learn new skills and put them into practise".

During the weekend some of the Scouts were also able to make use of an impressive climbing and abseiling centre attached to the campsite at Gilfach.

 

Woking Explorer Scouts Annual Lightweight Hike Competition 2009

 

Over the weekend of 28th and 29th March, more than 30 Explorer Scouts aged 14 to 18 from around the District took part in the Woking's annual hiking competition. The route, which was organised by District Explorer Scout leader, Martin Fleetwood saw teams of 4 to 5 scouts on a 38 kilometre hike, carrying all their equipment including food and cooking gear for the two days.

In bright sunshine the second day's hike took the scouts across to Farley Heath and Blackheath and then up to Newlands Corner via St Martha's.

During the expedition the Scouts had to complete a historical and environmental based project, on the Wey and Arun Canal and the Ewhurst Windmill and give a humorous account of their findings. A team led by Aaron Gauntlet from The Maverick Unit in Westfield won the competition. The route for the first day started at Rudgwick early on the Saturday morning. The teams had to navigate across the Surrey Hills to Shalford and then to Pitch Hill ending the first day at Surrey Scouts campsite near Shere, where the teams spent a night under canvas, in temperatures below -3 degrees centigrade.

The winning team of Aaron Gauntlett, James Masser, Craig Ellis and Matt Pike

Woking Explorer Scouts - Win Again!

Saturday evening, the 7th March, saw nearly 200 Explorer Scouts aged 14 to 18 converged on the Surrey Hills, south of Dorking for Surrey County Explorer scouts annual Night Incident Hike. They were joined by two teams from the Challenger Unit in Knaphill, two from the Weyahead Unit in Pyrford and two teams from the Martian unit in Horsell who all represented Woking. Over a nine hour period and in cold, wet and extremely muddy conditions 33 teams from Surrey had to complete a gruelling 23km hike, visiting checkpoints and manned bases, where the teams had to complete activities such as assault courses, blindfold archery, survival skills and mystery puzzles. One of the teams led by Nick Daniell, together with Will Smith, Elliot Francis and Alex Pain from The Challenger unit in Knaphill won the competition for the third time in four years., and were presented with the Bruce Wood Trophy by Phil Currie, Deputy County Commissioner for Surrey. Anita Hardcastle, Explorer Scout Leader of the Challenger unit said "It was brilliant news, when I heard that our team had won again especially as three of the team had only joined the unit in October"

The winning team, Nick Daniell, Elliot Francis, Alex Pain, Will Smith being presented with the trophy by

Phil Currie Deputy County Commissioner for Surrey

Nick Daniell and Robert Taylor receive their Queen's Scout Awards

Woking District Scout Leaders, past and present, were proud to attend the presentation of Nick Daniell & Robert Taylor's Queen Scout Award on Friday 23rd January 2009 at The Lightbox in Woking.

Nick, formally a member if the 1st Knaphill Scout Group and Rob, formally of the 1st St. John's Scout Group have now both moved onto the Challenger Explorer Unit. Nick and Robert gave an animated presentation of their achievements whilst working towards the Queen's Scout Award, and then were presented their awards by the High Sheriff of Surrey, Mrs.Sally Varah.


They have both worked for their Queen's Scout Award alongside their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and have completed expeditions in wild country on Exmoor and the North York Moors, undertaken service by being Young Leaders to Beaver colonies, learnt skills such as classical guitar and driving, completed physical activity such as weight training and swimming and taken part in a conservation project in Epping Forest.


Brian Pinto, District Explorer Scout Commissioner said ' We have had a wonderful evening listening to the adventures of both Nick and Rob. I am really proud of their achievements and hope that Woking produce many more Queens Scouts in years to come'.

Well done to both Nick and Rob.


Explorer Scout First Aid


 

Saturday 10th January 2009 saw one of the coldest days this year,  when the temperature outside was -3 deg, over twenty one Explorer Scouts aged 14 to 18 from the Woking Explorer Scout Young Leader Unit, completed the Emergency Aid module from the Scout Associations Young leader training scheme.
All the Young leaders assist at Beaver Scout colonies, Cub Scout packs and Scout Troops in the Borough, as part of their service and volunteering section of the Chief Scout Diamond, Plantinum and Duke of Edinburgh awards.
A number of Explorers also took the opportunity to brush up on their first aid skills in preparation for the two to five day expeditions in Wales later on this year.
Instructed by Stephen Smith from the St Johns Ambulance training team, the young people were put through their paces on how to deal with domestic injuries and symptoms, including Meningitis and adventurous activity situations such as hypothermia and limb injuries. The scouts also went through a number of scenarios, to put their theory to the test.
Nicola Pinto, the Unit leader for the Young Leaders commented "Emergency aid is an important part of Scouting and it's great to see the Explorer scouts taking their responsibility as leaders seriously" and added "whilst at the same time enjoying the challenges"
The Maverick Martians are Weyahead at Sainsburys on 21st December 2008
On the Sunday before Christmas, Explorer Scouts aged 14 to 18 yrs old from the Martian Explorer Scout Unit in Horsell, Maverick Explorer Scout unit in Westfield and the WeyAhead Explorer unit based in Pyrford, descended on an unexpecting public at the Sainsbury's supermarket in Brookwood. Their aim was to assist shoppers in packing their purchases and to elivate them of their loose change raising vital funds for the units.
Ouyside the store there was the succulent aroma of bacon being fried on Trangia stoves as more Scouts and Leaders were on hand to promote Scouting in Woking to both youngsters and adults. " We hope that our presence at Sainsburys may have inspired, not only more young people to join, but also adults to help at their local Scout group or Explorer Unit " said Sue Moore, Woking newly appointed District Commissioner ng and added " with a membership of over eleven hundred in the Woking area, we need as much help as possible".

There are five Explorer scout units around the borough, together with 14 Scout Groups catering for children aged 6 to 14 years old.