Welcome back for the start of Autumn term – we hope that everyone had a great summer! The leaves starting to fall means that our next big fundraising event is just around the corner. On Saturday 4th November we will once again be hosting the Berrylands Fireworks. Please save the date to come and enjoy the fun but also help us out with the event. We will soon put a call out for volunteers to ensure we can run a successful event and raise much needed funds to keep the group going. We will need help with everything from launching fireworks to organising the raffle. All help greatly appreciated!
Beavers
Our term started with an exciting session from the South East Rivers Trust. The trust have started doing conservation work along the Hogsmill using money “voluntarily” donated by Thames Water after they discharged 79 million litres of sewage into the area in 2016. A part of this includes community engagement days. We have been lucky to be involved having hosted a session from the Scout Hut in August and then received river dipping sessions for both Beavers and Cubs in September. We learnt a lot about the river on our doorstep and had a great time examining the aquatic life.
Beavers on parade
14 Beavers came out to fly the Berrylands Colony flags at the Surbiton Festival Parade on Saturday 23rd September. We all had a great time parading through the crowds and then enjoying the fun afterwards.
Cubs
**Extra! Extra! Read All About It!**
**Autumn Arrives with Greetings and Goodbyes at Cubs**
*Byline: Your Friendly Berrylands Buzz Correspondent*
The leaves are turning and the Cubs of our fine Berrylands community are undergoing a transformation of their own. The autumn term brings with it a warm welcome to fresh faces and a fond farewell to those who’ve outgrown their cub days, joining the esteemed ranks of the Scouts or venturing forth into the wider world.
With a wave of our Berrylands green and white scarves, we bid adieu to Ayman, Sam, Leia, Max, and Faye. Their time as cubs has reached its end. But fear not, dear readers, for we extend a hearty hello to the newcomers in our midst—Freya, Maya, Sophia, Max (a new Max, mind you), Joshua, Imogen (a second Imogen), Jackson (another one, we now have two), Rowan, Amelie, Ethan and others whose names we’ve yet to commit to memory. A warm embrace to each and every one, and may your journey in the realm of scouting be filled with adventure and camaraderie.
Ah, but let us not forget the numbers that swell our cub ranks, for we now count approximately 36 eager youngsters among our spirited group. A rather sizable assembly, wouldn’t you say? Yet, to ensure the safety and enjoyment for all, we find ourselves in need of additional hands. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to those gallant souls who have volunteered for the esteemed parent rota. It is, you see, a requirement for all families to maintain the crucial 1:8 ratio of children to adults.
Our gratitude extends further to those who’ve taken on additional roles for the greater good of our cherished group. They’ve assumed responsibilities such as overseeing the parent rota, ensuring subscriptions are settled, diligently updating the online scout manager, and guiding our young ones toward exciting badge activities and games. These noble efforts ensure that our cubs remain innovative, relevant, and, most importantly, fun for all who partake. Moreover, our congratulations extend to our new senior sixer Benedict who takes on overall responsibility for helping leaders with badge ideas (especially working towards the Silver Chief Scout Award), new sixer Imogen who now heads Red Six, and Sophie who eschews the limelight but will be working with Imogen on devising new games for the Cubs as we move from outdoor games to inside the hall. Our thanks to these three cubs in particular for taking on these new challenges.
As we dive deeper into this enchanting month, we’re met with an explosive start! Robyn Shaw, education officer at the South East Rivers Trust graced our first gathering. Under her tutelage, our cubs embarked on a thrilling pond-dipping escapade in the Tolworth Stream, which gracefully meanders through the Berrylands Reserve where our humble hall stands. To everyone’s amazement, the intrepid cubs managed to capture fish, water scorpions, and an array of river denizens. It’s a testament to our neighbourhood’s dedication that our stream teems with life, including (briefly) 36 children.
Our naturalist badge work continues this week, as our youthful adventurers partook in a scavenger hunt and a spirited conker competition. The delight on their faces as they engaged in this quintessentially British pastime is simply infectious. One can’t help but marvel at the joy that traditional games like conkers bring to these young hearts.
Our journey through the natural world culminates next week with the creation of bird feeders, lovingly placed in our garden for the enjoyment of the wildlife that calls Berrylands nature reserve home. Perhaps this will deter the few remaining pumpkin invaders in our cubs’ patch, intent on gobbling them up before Halloween. In a most peculiar twist, upon close inspection, it was revealed that one of these orange orbs had become a feast for a legion of slugs, including a rather audacious leopard slug with a voracious appetite that extended beyond its fellow mollusks.
So, dear readers, as the autumn leaves fall and the cubs of yesteryears become Scouts, our journey through time and adventure continues. Watch for the next instalment of Berrylands Buzz for more tales of scouting spirit and youthful exuberance right here in the pages of your newsletter. Until then, keep those campfires burning and those lanterns shining bright!
Scouts
Hi everyone.
During the summer break the Scouts had their biggest event of the year and that is are one week summer camp. This was from the 19th to 26 th August at Wolferton about 8 miles north of King’s Lynn NW Norfolk. Apart from all the normal camp activities ( tent pitching, test work, cooking, games etc) we had a lot of off site activities (swimming, air rifle, archery, deer safari, kayaking, sea life sanctuary, Hunstanton beach, King’s Lynn). I am sure all had a good time.
Scouts started again on Friday 8th September. The Scouts who went on summer camp started work on their summer camp presentation (13 October 8pm, all welcome)
On Friday 15th September we had our Nerf Wars night run by Kris Smith an ex ASL at Berrylands. Always a good fun night. On Saturday 23rd some of the Scouts took part in the Surbiton parade, Luckly it was a nice day.
The district air rifle competition was on Sunday 24th but have not got the results yet. Please put the 13th October in your diary, 8pm. The Scouts summer camp presentation.
Thanks Eric Banks (SL)
Group T-Shirts
Our first batch of group t-shirts have arrived (as modelled below by our Beavers at the recent Walton Firs activity day). T-shirts have a fleur-de-lis and “Scouts Berrylands” embroidered on the front with the same printed larger on the back. They are available in green or purple.
T-shirts are being sold for £8.
>>> Order your group t-shirt here. <<<
We have some sizes already in stock but others will need to be ordered from the supplier which will take around a month.
