As with almost every leisure activity, Scouting as we know and love it was suspended from mid-March in line with government advice to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Sleepovers, hikes, games, quizzes and badge presentations were all cancelled – but Scouting did not stop.
As with almost every leisure activity, Scouting as we know and love it was suspended from mid-March in line with government advice to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Sleepovers, hikes, games, quizzes and badge presentations were all cancelled – but Scouting did not stop.
Although members could not meet up, they were encouraged to continue doing activities towards their badges at home. This was obviously only if they and their parents and carers wanted to: there was absolutely no pressure. But many Beavers, Cubs and Scouts have risen to the challenge. There are many badge requirements that can be done at home: from cooking and home help activities to arts, music and computing. For example, Cub Scout William has been working toward his animal carer, artist and helper badges, while Beaver Scout Mackenzie built a space rocket as part of an experiment towards his creative challenge, craft and space badges. Leaders were on hand to help if needed via email, and are looking forward to awarding some very welldeserved badges when restrictions are lifted and meetings can resume.
The Scout group members were also encouraged to ‘hike to the moon’ on 23 April as part of the BBC’s Big Night In to raise money for those affected by the coronavirus. The children had to hike a mile at home, be that running round their garden, going up and down their stairs, bouncing on a trampoline, skipping on their patio or even walking on the spot. The idea was that if every Scout in the UK ‘hiked’ one mile, together they would complete the incredible 240,000 miles that it would take to reach the moon. There were also activities the children could do if ‘hiking’ wasn’t their thing, such as creating a ‘mission control thank-you’ paper-chain, or designing a rocket, with each action counting as a mile.
The Scouts had lots of fun finding novel ways to complete their miles. Bethany, Matthew, Thomas and Freyja connected via FaceTime to do their miles together – even if they were in different gardens! William and his sister (who was raising money for the Guides two-point-six challenge) went for a walk close to their home, and spotted a muntjac deer and butterflies.
The group also wore their uniforms on St George’s Day to join in the clap for carers to show how proud they were of all our heroes in this current time. Some children and leaders also renewed their promises with Scouts from across Cambridgeshire in an online St George’s Day celebration on 25 April, showing their commitment even when the going gets tough.
The leaders are all looking forward to seeing their groups as soon as it is safe and we feel able to go back to offering all the amazing activities our children love about Scouting. This has showed us all that even when apart, Scouting is one brilliant community that helps bring people together, in good times and more challenging ones. We’re so proud of all you.
If you would like to join the Scouting adventure, then please get in touch. New members, both children and adult volunteers, are always welcome.
We’d also like to say a big thank you to our current treasurer, Helen, who is stepping down after two years of doing a brilliant job looking after our finances. The commitment is to attend a meeting with the executive committee every two months and take care of the group’s accounts. Please, if you can help, we’d love to hear from you. Without a treasurer, we cannot continue to run Scouting in Littleport. If you’d like to know more about any of these opportunities, email info@1stlittleportscoutgroup.org.uk