Click here for the online version of this newsletter. To join or general enquiries contact Simon on 07850 337903 or simontheobald@compuserve.com. Send this on to anyone you think might be interested in joining the group.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY - 14th November 2009

The second Sunday in November is traditionally put aside to remember all those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today. On this day people across the nation pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave Service men and women.

Batchworth Sea Scouts will meet at the memorial in the grounds of St Mary's Church. Being Royal Navy recognised we have pride of place at the ceremony and ALL members of all ages are encouraged to attend.

It is an important day in our calendar and is especially important to members past and present. Attendance from all in full uniform is expected from 10.30am to 12 noon. Please be at the Batchworth HQ in plenty of time before 10:30am on November 14th.

CHIEF SCOUT SILVER AWARD

Cub Scout, David Shaw, received the Chief Scout Silver award at the recent inspection.

This badge is the highest award available in the Cub Scout Section. It is gained by completing the Outdoor Challenge, the Promise Challenge, the Creative Challenge, the Fitness Challenge, the Global Challenge and the Community Challenge.

Well done David, fantastic achievement.

PARTY PARTY

Quentin Webb

There are not many Scouting Days to Christmas, and even fewer to the Batchworth Christmas Party, on 11th December. We need plenty of Scouta's Little (adult) Helpers in exchange for some fun.

So far we have someone to coordinate the entertainment (which is a good start). We also need caterers (shopping, cooking, serving etc), bar staff, a quiz organiser, "decorators" ( artistic people who can "dress" the HQ festively), people to help with the entertainment, (simple props, costumes, music etc), ticket sales, people to man the door, organize the raffle etc..

If those who have helped before are happy to help again, please let us know as soon as possible. But we also need new faces and we'd like parents from Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers in the party working party.

There will be an initial meeting of not more than 45 mins at the Scout HQ on Wed 3rd November (the week after half term) 8.15pm to 9pm. Followed by a meeting in the pub for as many hours as people want to stay... Please put it in your diaries now and make every effort to come along. The more the Merrier.

If you’re interested in a particular role, please email Quentin Webb on quent.webb@gmail.com, ahead of the meeting. Otherwise we'll sort it out on the night.

We look forward to seeing you on 3rd November. Oh yes we do....

BEAVERS - NEWS

Jane Spurr

We were incredibly proud of the Beavers at the recent inspection, 14 were in attendance.  They made paper plate portholes, which impressed the inspecting officer.  After hanging them on the wall, he noticed that some were "authentically" wet - dripping in fact.  It turned out that one or two Beavers overdid the glue!  We had spent the previous nine months vigorously pursuing badges and the fact that several beavers have an armful did not go unnoticed!

The following week, as a "reward" the Beavers went on  a canal boat trip, working their way through 4 locks.  We expect that this reinforced the knowledge they gained from visiting the Little Union Canal in the summer, where they discovered the principles of how locks work.

When the HQ was out of action because of the Jumble Sale, we walked to the Three Rivers Museum and learnt some interesting facts about Rickmansworth. The historical walk around the town offered by the museum staff will be on our summer programme.

We're now planning for Halloween, Remembrance Sunday, and Christmas, with the Pantomime at Watersmeet to look forward to, as well as a unique performance at the Batchworth Christmas Party on 11th December.

BOAT HOUSE FLOOR PROGRESS

Emma Turner, Assistant Boatswain

As those who frequent Batchworth HQ may now have seen, we have a brand new Boat House Floor, which was painted in early October over the course of a few week day evenings by some volunteers.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that helped to organise, and paint- it could not have been done without you!

Now that we have a nice clean working space available to us, the Boatswains next task is to fill it with boats of exactly the same standard!

DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

Ben Taunt, Scout Leader

The annual National Youth Dragon Boat Championships are held each September at the Longridge Activity Centre on the River Thames in Marlow.  Dozens of teams from across the region fight it out in a series of heats in order to reach the finals and a chance to win prizes in three age categories. 

This year, Batchworth entered a crew in the “14 and under” category, the most hotly contested class with teams representing schools, youth groups and even established dragon boat clubs.  After storming through their heat with a winning margin of over 20 seconds, our valiant paddlers faced stiff opposition in the semi-final which proved to be their last race of the day.  Competing in an organised dragon boat event earns each paddler (and our drummer!) the Scout Dragon Boating Activity Badge.

JUMBLE SALE

A big thank you to all those who gave jumble, helped with leafleting, collecting, sorting, selling, moving the boats and kayaks and the clearing up afterwards..
We had a great day and made £2,000.85 profit.

Thank you to everyone who helped. We couldn't have done it without you!

SHIPSHAPE - WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Keith Wall, Chairman

You all know that shipshape days give us an opportunity to keep our HQ tidy and to put right what needs to be done. If there is anything that you have noticed, which needs to be done, please drop a line to the Chairman, Keith Wall, on batchworth.chairman@ntlworld.com or call him on 01923 777 340. That way, we can make a plan for the next shipshape event.

ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?

Ben Taunt, Scout Leader

Scouting encourages the best from all our members.  The young members of all the sections, plus the uniformed adults, make a promise that includes the adage “to do my best”.  Therefore, in the coming weeks the Leaders in the Scout Section will be asking each member to think up a challenge that they feel they can accomplish over the next few months.  It should be something fun but also rewarding.

However, it is not just the Scouts that we are extending this challenge towards.  Batchworth relies on fundraising activities to maintain our equipment and facilities.  Do you think you can challenge yourself and raise money for Batchworth Sea Scouts in the process?  How about entering the Ricky Road Run later this month and asking colleagues at work to sponsor you through a ‘Justgiving’ page?  Or complete the parachute jump that you’ve always wanted to tackle but never had the motivation?

If you have any fundraising ideas, please contact the Group to register your intentions before starting to collect money.

PLYMOUTH WARSHIP SAILS FOR ARABIAN GULF

Plymouth-based warship HMS Cumberland, a Royal Navy type 22 Frigate affiliated with Batchworth Sea Scouts, sailed for the Middle East for her third operational deployment in as many years.

Her next deployment includes maritime policing patrols as part of the wider international effort to deal with the problem of illegal use of maritime trade routes in the region.

Read more here.

DATES FOR THE DIARY