Smiles all around!
All About Cubs
Cub Scouts is all about learning new skills, becoming more responsible, and also about making friends and having fun. In Littleport we are lucky enough to have two Packs – called Sandhill and Larks – and they welcome children aged 8-10 1/2.
Larks Pack meets on a Tuesday evening at 6.30pm–8pm and the leader is Clare Bass, whose Scouting name is Kaa (Cub Scout leader names are taken from The Jungle Book). Jodie Bass, aka Bagheera, and Stuart Porter, aka Cheel, also help run the group.
Clare has been involved with Scouting since 2013 and has been a leader of both the Beaver Scout and Cub Scout sections. Her favourite thing about Scouting is watching the children go from being nervous or unsure of themselves to blossoming as they progress and become more confident with their new skills. “My most memorable Scouting moment is on a camp listening to the children singing a song aimed at the leaders, which was made up by the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. Lots of laughter was had by all,” she says.
Sandhill Pack meets on a Wednesday from 6.30pm-8pm and Dan Seaman, aka Akela, has been the leader since 2016. He is assisted by Jodie (Bagheera) and Baptiste Guittet Carriere, aka Maple. “I love seeing the Cubs applying the skills they’ve learned, usually while solving a problem in a totally unexpected way,” Dan says.
Clare and Dan plan their meetings together, and sometimes the packs will join together for hikes or special events. The Cubs take part in a range of weekly activities ranging from sailing to crafting, knot tying to litter picking, animal care to outdoor games. There are usually camps to attend and activity days, plus badges to be earned. The top badge is the Chief Scout’s Silver Award: to achieve this the Cubs have to have earned six activity badges and seven challenge badges so it usually takes some time to work towards.
Littleport also has Scouts for young people aged 10 1/2-14; Beavers for children aged 6-8; and our new section, Squirrels, for those aged 4-6. And adults don’t have to miss out: we are always delighted to hear from people who can help out either in meetings or behind the scenes on our executive committee. We can also support young people working towards their Duke of Edinburgh awards by providing opportunities for them to complete the volunteering part of the programme.
To join any of the sections, please contact For general enquiries, please email info@1stlittleportscoutgroup.org.uk
Challenge day at Copley
On Sunday 3 October, 26 Littleport Cub Scouts and seven leaders joined others from across the Cambridgeshire for a Challenge Day at Copley Scout Centre in St Ives. After the torrential rain marred the experience for other groups booked on the previous day, 1st Littleport were blessed with warm sunshine and a stiff breeze.
The day’s activities were designed to help as many Cubs as possible to complete their Adventure Challenge Badge, required to earn the highest award available to Cubs – The Chief Scout’s Silver Award.
From 9am until 5.30pm, dozens of leaders and volunteers kept 150 Cubs busy with a wide range of activities including an assault course, sensory trail, fire lighting, campfire cooking, catapults, axe throwing, caving, an aerial runway, problem solving activities and a climbing wall. “Not only did all our Cubs complete every activity, fulfilling many more badge requirements than anticipated, but many of them overcame their own personal challenges including fear of heights, the dark, and fire,” says Cub leader, Dan Seaman.
“When it was finally time to go home, the Cubs were tired but full of stories of their experience and their smiles made us leaders forget our aching legs and feet for a while.”
Louise Parfit
