Latest News

AGM and annual reporting, FY25

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:32:18 GMT

Minutes now available

We held our Group AGM on Thursday 5 March at Caythorpe Village Hall.

Please click here to read the minutes and financial reporting from that meeting.

Grantham District Scouts Incident Hike 2026

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:26:36 GMT

Mud, maps, donoughts and teamwork

On Saturday evening our Scouts headed out to take part in the Grantham District Night Incident Hike , joining teams from across the district for an evening of navigation, teamwork and the sort of mud that seems to have a personality of its own.

We entered three teams , who set off at staggered times to tackle a 10 km route in the dark , navigating using only map and compass. Considering the reputation Scouts sometimes have for enthusiastic but creative navigation, we’re pleased to report that nobody got properly lost . A few “strategic route reassessments” may have taken place (one of these as they left the village hall starting point!), but everyone made it round.

Along the route the teams encountered a series of incident bases where they had to put their skills and teamwork to the test. Activities included:

Cooking campfire doughnuts

Demonstrating some proper knot tying skills

Working together to cross a “ lava stream ”

Untangling themselves from a human knot challenge

Tackling a map quiz

The weather was kind , staying dry all evening, although it was definitely on the chilly side once darkness settled in.

What the weather didn’t provide, the fields certainly did. The route offered an impressive selection of mud, puddles and slippery patches , all of which were investigated with great enthusiasm. Several Scouts appeared to make it their personal mission to find every muddy spot possible , with varying levels of success at staying upright.

After several hours of hiking, navigating and sliding around in fields, the teams returned to the finish to the welcome sight of hot dogs, hot soup and warm drinks , which disappeared very quickly.

Our teams finished in:

Team 1 – 2nd place
Team 2 – 9th place
Team 3 – 4th place

Most importantly, all three teams had a brilliant night , showing great teamwork, resilience and good humour throughout.

A huge thank you goes to the Grantham District volunteers who organised the event and ran all of the activities along the route.

Mud, maps, doughnuts and teamwork… a pretty good night of Scouting.

Some closing stats for you:

· 11 Teams

· 54 Scouts

· 10 Explorers

· 21 Volunteer Leaders

Scores on the doors

A hike in the night in the Spring

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:00:31 GMT

Mud, slides, daffodils and snacks

Last Friday saw some of our intrepid Cub Scouts (plus a number of very brave parents!) set out on a night hike. Starting at the Grantham Manufacturing https://www.gmluk.com/ carpark just off Alma Park Road in Grantham, we started up the hill via the Reconnecting Grantham cyclepath that was a joint initiative between the Woodland Trust and National Trust.

Soon however, we ran out of paved paths and slid along the footpath before turning left and investigating the Machine Gun Training Corps firing range and statue, which remembers the people who lived and trained in this area during World War I.

Following this theme, we continued upwards to Alma Wood proper, where the first thing we found was a grenade store used for supplying the defenders of the local airfields in World War II. Fortunately, that was our final martial reference, instead we enjoyed the walk along the permissive bridleway, dodging the debris left by the high winds the previous day, until we arrived in Londonthorpe.

We then enjoyed the lovely daffodils, and a few remaining snowdrops, in the windbreak. The highlight of many of the Cubs’ evening then followed, because we stopped for a snackbreak!

That infusion of sugar may have been a mistake, because on the walk down the hill, and then along through Londonthorpe Woods, several Cubs found it amusing to slide rather than walk, and sing whilst sliding (if your child has been doing a call and repeat of “baby steps” then I’m sorry – it wasn’t my idea!).

Despite the slips, and mud, we were able to arrive back at the road safely, together and on time! A big thank you to all the leaders who gave up their Friday evening to create memories for the Cubs!

Monopoly Run 2026: Another Joint Venture with our local friends

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:47:52 GMT

Just getting hold of tickets was an achievement!

For the fifth consecutive year for Caythorpe Scouts, last Saturday we headed up to London to take part in ‘Monopoly Run Live’ with almost 9,000 Scouts, Explorers and Guides from across the country.

This came months after valiant efforts by our volunteer Leaders to secure tickets for this amazingly popular event; in fact on the event’s own Facebook page, Leaders across the UK compared the stress of securing the places to buying Coldplay or One Direction tickets! The event sold out in less than four hours; a testament to the organising team!

Celebrating its 20th event and billed as “a real-time version of the popular Monopoly Run board game”, Monopoly Run Live is played on a single day in central London and involves visiting the actual sites that the board game is based on. There are multiple 'mini-games' running simultaneously, enabling hundreds of teams to compete on the day, yet each team will only have a maximum of six other competitor teams, giving everyone a good chance at winning ( https://monopoly-run.co.uk/ ).

This year we joined forces with 2nd Grantham Scouts, and Explorers from several local Units, taking a total of 37 Young People and eleven volunteer leaders on this amazing day out.

It’s always an early alarm call for Monopoly Run, and this year someone at LNER had kindly brought forward the train departure time to 06:39. Alarms at 05:00, Scouts!!!!

After an easy journey to London, we spilt into our teams, gave safety briefings and headed to our starting point, The Regent’s Park. After collecting our event packs and a bit of a wait for the start times, our Monopoly Run apps ‘unfroze’ and our games began. We’re pleased to report that all teams remembered to check in at this first location (unlike last year…).

Once again, our teams weren’t all playing in the same ‘mini-game’ so while there was still a degree of competition, it wasn’t as stark as we’ve known in the past. Not that any of our Scouts or volunteer leaders are competitive. At all.

Each team will have had a completely different experience of the day, as you’ll see if you click on the links below showing the routes they took. We have also seen evidence that one of the Explorer teams found their way into various shops on Oxford Street. Not part of the programme, but hey-ho, what else would a team teenagers do, on their first unaccompanied trip to London?

Planned maintenance on many of the Underground lines proved to be a bit of a challenge throughout the day, with alternative routes being created and a bit more walking than usual. It also meant that buses were busier than normal, as Team Storm found out the hard way after waiting 20 minutes for a bus. By the time the full bus drove straight past them, the urgency to find toilets had somewhat increased. It’s amazing how wearing a Scout necker gets you into the customer toilets at BMW’s flagship Park Lane dealership :)

Energy levels dipped and peaked, complaints of sore legs, feet etc were registered, but it’s amazing how a few more Haribos and a bit of chocolate can help Scouts to power on through a challenge.

Not only were our teams trying their best to get around the Monopoly Board, but there was also a film-themed Quiz (which was incredibly difficult!) and three Team Challenges which earned extra points.

With the end of the day fast-approaching, Leaders decided it would be easier to rendez-vous back at King’s Cross rather than Leicester Square. With all teams safely back at the station, we had a short wait until our platform number showed on the departure board and off we headed to a rather empty train back to Grantham.

With Scouts and Explorers reunited with parents at Grantham Station, we all headed home, exhausted but with hundreds of different stories to tell of our London adventure :)

Reflecting on the day, we are still blown away by the Monopoly Run Team’s dedication to planning and organising the day, managing the technology and generally providing an excellent day out for our Scouts. We hope it’s an experience that they’ll never forget (the volunteer organisers and the Scouts!).

As always, huge thanks go to our Scouts and Explorers who behaved impeccably on the day, following safety rules at the same time as having lots of fun.

And to our volunteer leaders and parents who came along on the day, a huge ‘Thank you’. It’s not just another Saturday you have volunteered, but also a good number of hours in the planning, risk assessing, kit planning, communicating with parents and preparing the Scouts and Explorers for yet another amazing adventure. Thank you!

Here are the team stats from the day:

Sleepy - https://wp6xj3dt.r.eu-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdashboard.monopoly-run.co.uk%2Fpostrun%2Fkqmxba/1/010b019ccf04b83f-1d5ab913-3865-413c-a128-b6e784e8e076-000000/1Xi5Y3xQMZpzqDB1kc6-hyF_GSs=253

Grumpy - https://wp6xj3dt.r.eu-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdashboard.monopoly-run.co.uk%2Fpostrun%2Fyh2c4a/1/010b019ccf04b83f-1d5ab913-3865-413c-a128-b6e784e8e076-000000/Z57WeqaqNOjF5qr17YxA0DV_e18=253

Uproar - https://wp6xj3dt.r.eu-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdashboard.monopoly-run.co.uk%2Fpostrun%2Fn5nn5a/1/010b019ccf04b83f-1d5ab913-3865-413c-a128-b6e784e8e076-000000/riVSWqb_qNMeewLQ4N9oEuEzsPk=253

Mayhem - https://wp6xj3dt.r.eu-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdashboard.monopoly-run.co.uk%2Fpostrun%2Fyeqexa/1/010b019ccf04b83f-1d5ab913-3865-413c-a128-b6e784e8e076-000000/xSK-69YWRHsNTZ27EqfkogpPzdo=253

Storm - https://wp6xj3dt.r.eu-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdashboard.monopoly-run.co.uk%2Fpostrun%2Fyj3g4a/1/010b019ccf04b83f-1d5ab913-3865-413c-a128-b6e784e8e076-000000/byF-IUaTuNM1mz3eTZziBZ0neOs=253

Thunder - https://wp6xj3dt.r.eu-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fdashboard.monopoly-run.co.uk%2Fpostrun%2F2kzq7a/1/010b019ccf04b83f-1d5ab913-3865-413c-a128-b6e784e8e076-000000/ThKDuqKvOjtRUM1Vfo3ltfDZ96g=253

Beavers and Cubs Space Activity Day

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:13:14 GMT

Out-of-this-world half term fun

The last Saturday of a very wet February half-term saw Caythorpe Beavers and Cubs meet up at the Village Hall for an activity day that built off the recent announcement by NASA of a revised timeline for sending astronauts further from the earth than any human has yet achieved.

With that world news, we started our Space Activity Day by each taking a part of the Solar System, finding out more, representing our celestial object as a model and then presenting to everyone else.

Now that we knew about the Solar System, it was time to deal with our own systems and so we moved to the back room and made lunch from the bread, spreads, sandwich fillings and other foodstuffs carefully laid out by Tic Tac. After we'd each washed up our own crockery, had the obligatory safety wee and dressed in suitable coats and shoes, we walked down to Caythorpe Playing Fields. Tim gave us all a chance to launch rockets using water, air pressure and some pop bottles, with some scientific discussion about the impact of changing bottles, water levels and other parameters. The weather was much nicer than expected, so we also took the chance to enjoy the playground in sunshine.

We then walked back to the Village Hall for a quick drink and a snack before splitting into three activity teams to go round various bases. The two younger groups were supported by a designated Young Leader, whilst the eldest group was managed by the two Sixers.

The Activity bases started with astronaut training with a memory movement challenge, a toothbrushing challenge and the difficulties of construction in space. We then looked at the International Space Station, how the movements of the earth, moon and sun cause eclipses and the future of space travel. Our final activity looked at flying bags using a hairdryer to talk about the mechanisms of flight, before we demonstrated these with some parachute games.

After a very tasty evening meal we settled into our pyjamas and chose to either watch a film or play some board games before being picked up by parents at 8pm.

Thank you to all of our volunteer leaders and Young Leaders for making this day so brilliant for our Beavers and Cubs!

AGM Reminder

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:24:30 GMT

Thursday 5 March

On Thursday 5 March, 7pm, we'll be holding our AGM. Here's the agenda .

All are welcome to come along for a short review of our last financial year (January - December 2025) and to hear about what we've been up to, along with plans for the next year.

We're looking forward to seeing you then!

Scouts Environmental Action Day

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:32:57 GMT

Tree planting and litter picking

Our recent environmental action day was a real success and a great example of Scouts making a visible difference in their local community. With the weather on our side, spirits stayed high as our Scouts got stuck into both tree planting and litter picking, working hard throughout the day.

Passing traffic was considerate and encouraging, with several drivers slowing down, waving, and calling out their thanks. By the end of the session, the Scouts had planted around 25 new trees, creating a lasting benefit for the area, and collected an impressive 15 bin bags of litter. Sadly, it also highlighted just how much more still needs to be done. The oddest discovery of the day was part of a skeleton, thankfully not human, but most likely a leftover plastic decoration from Hallowe’en.

As well as benefiting the wider community, the project also contributed towards the Scouts’ World badge, an important part of their journey towards achieving their Chief Scout’s Gold Award. Activities like this help Scouts understand their impact on the world around them while putting Scout values into action.

A huge thank you goes to our volunteer leaders for giving up their time to make the day possible, with special thanks to Nick, who stepped in at short notice and helped ensure everything ran smoothly. We’d also like to say a big thank you to Mark for liaising with Caythorpe and Frieston Parish Council, and for collecting all the equipment and materials needed for the day. A brilliant team effort and something the Scouts can be very proud of.

Scouts join Lincolnshire Rabbit Run

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:04:34 GMT

No Toilet Seat for our team!

On Saturday afternoon, three Caythorpe Scouts met at Sturton le Steeple Community Centre along with c.280 other Scouts, Explorers and volunteer leaders to take part in the infamous ‘Rabbit Run’ event, expertly organised by the EGXS team.

Billed as ‘a cross between a night hike and a wide game’, teams of ‘Rabbits’ head out into the countryside and try to answer as many questions as possible on the way, while avoiding being caught by the ‘Poachers’.

Because we didn’t have enough Scouts attending (Rabbits have to be at least 13 years old), we’d teamed up with Scouts from 2nd Grantham in advance. This meant that our team of seven had to get to know each other and make friends – fundamental to Scouting!

After a flurry of activity which included everyone on site joining the event WhatsApp community (a perfect communication tool), all leaders and participants signing in and registering their team, and of course a burning desire to visit the merchandise area and buy event hoodies and neckers, it was time to get on to the serious business of the event.

Once our tents were up and bedding laid out, we joined everyone else at the event briefing. The Event Team ran through a very thorough safety briefing, rules of the event, and of course a reminder about behaviour (after all, local villages were due to have a couple of hundred Scouts hiking through, late at night, and we didn’t want to wake up, upset or offend anyone).

Then it was on to the route planning. The team was given a list of questions and grid references. They had to visit the grid reference locations to answer the questions, with different questions carrying different scores. Strategy would be key. As would hiding from the Poachers, who were playing the same game in parallel with the sole purpose of catching Rabbits!

After a very filling dinner (at 17:16) of hog roast, sides and an absolutely amazing crumble and custard, it was time to get ready, have a final kit check and hit the road.

Our team, team 9, known as ‘UK sponsored by Lidl’, had a kit check time of 19:31 and a start time of 19:46. They had five and a half hours (as did every team) to complete the event, with a return time of 01:16. Being early or late back would mean a points deduction. The timing of every aspect of this event was organised (and adhered to) with military precision.

By 21:40 our Scouts had earned 5 points. By 23:40 they were on 10 points, had not yet been caught by Poachers and had answered all their questions correctly.

Our courageous and tired team arrived back on site on time at 01:13 meaning they earned five bonus points for a punctual return, on top of 18 points for correct answers but carried a four point deduction for the two times they were caught by Poachers.

After five minutes in the hall, our Rabbits hopped off to bed, while the leaders waited up for a couple of the Grantham Explorer teams to return. At 2am.

Luckily, the organising team had anticipated in advance that Scouts, Explorers and leaders would not be wanting an early breakfast, so service began at a very acceptable 09:30. It was one of the best camp breakfasts on record, with a full fry-up for everyone who wanted one and alternative delicious options for those who didn’t.

Once tents were down and kit packed away, everyone got together again for a presentation ceremony where the winners of the event, 'Callum's Crunchy Carrots', were awarded the prestigious Rabbit Run Trophy while the team with the lowest score received the toilet seat!

‘UK sponsored by Lidl’ came an incredibly respectable 21st out of 34 teams (one team was disqualified for a late return), which, given they were a young team of Scouts (only a couple had done the event before, and a lot of the teams were older Explorers), they should be incredibly proud of!

Once all the formalities were complete, we all said our goodbyes and bundled our kit and some very tired Rabbits into cars and headed back to the A1 and home. And, just as we did that, the heavens opened!

To see more information and photos from the event organisers, click here:

https://www.facebook.com/LincolnshireScoutsRabbitRun/?locale=en_GB

Beavers Bring Sparkle and Spirit to St Vincent’s!

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:27:17 GMT

Giggles, teamwork.. and polishing!

On 2 October 2025, our Caythorpe Beavers swapped their neckers for dusters and headed to St Vincent’s Church for a very special visit — and a bit of elbow grease!

Led by curiosity and kindness, the Beavers were warmly welcomed by Reverend Geraldine Pond, who shared stories about the church and its role in the community. Each Beaver wrote down three things they were thankful for, and one lucky top pick from each was read aloud by our Young Leaders. Reverend Geraldine then said a heartfelt prayer, thanking the Beavers for their thoughtfulness and energy.

But the adventure didn’t stop there…

With the Scarecrow Trail just around the corner, our Beavers rolled up their sleeves and got stuck into cleaning and dusting the church — transforming it into a gleaming space ready for visitors. There were giggles, teamwork, and a few very enthusiastic polishers!

And on Saturday, some of our Beavers returned with the Cubs to run games and activities to raise money for the church. From Splat the Rat to laughter-filled challenges, the young people helped bring in over £500 — a fantastic result for a fantastic cause.

�� A Big Thank You

To Reverend Geraldine, our Young Leaders, the Cubs, and every Beaver who took part — your kindness, teamwork, and community spirit made this event truly special.

�� What We Learned

•⁠ ⁠Gratitude can be shared in big and small ways.

•⁠ ⁠Cleaning is more fun with friends!

•⁠ ⁠Helping others feels brilliant — especially when it raises £500!

Volunteering is Good for You!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:41:32 GMT

Can you see yourself as a Cub Scout Leadership Team member?

Do you enjoy having fun and using your imagination? Can you inspire young people aged between 8 and 10½ years old to focus their energy and reach their full potential?

Who are Cub Scouts?

Cubs are girls and boys aged 8 to 10½ years. They’re raring to go; whether it’s learning new skills, having fun outdoors, or taking part in an activity to support our local community.

They meet on Thursday evenings, 6.30-8pm, during Lincolnshire schools term time, as well as occasional trips, visits, sleepovers and camps. It’s the Cub Team Leader, along with their team, who set the calendar of events, meaning it can work to your schedule.

The Vacancy

We have immediate vacancies for Cub Scout team members, and are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to take on these roles. Working as part of a team of adult volunteers, the Cub team members assist in the planning and delivery of an exciting programme of indoor and outdoor activities including crafts, community projects, games, challenges and nights away from home at Cub sleepovers or camps. In return for your time and commitment, you will gain new skills which you’ll be able to transfer to your everyday working life as well as boosting your CV.

Getting to Grips with the Role

We’ll guide you through the initial training from whenever you are ready to join us. A tailored, free learning programme is provided by The Scouts, and you will never be out-of-pocket for any Scouting activities that you lead or help out with. We also provide your uniform top, necker and all badges.

What is 1st Caythorpe Scout Group looking for?

You don't need to know anything about Scouting to get involved, nor do you need experience of working with children, but you do need enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and get involved to help provide great activities to the young people in Cubs. You also need to be able to attend the majority of our Thursday evening meetings, 6.30-8pm during term time in Caythorpe, and give advance notice when you can’t attend so that other volunteers can step in and help out.

What’s in it for you?

Change lives of young people

There’s no better feeling than making a difference to communities and transforming the lives of young people. Whether you help a child tie their shoe lace, toast a marshmallow on a campfire, attempt a climbing wall or stay on a Cub Camp for their first time away from home and family, you’re making memories and giving skills for life to our young members.

Gain Skills

The Scouts run a comprehensive training programme, covering everything from safety and safeguarding, first aid and leadership skills to programme planning and running a residential experience. You’ll learn via a mix of online self-learning, online webinars and face-to-face meetings, taking into account skills you already hold from work, other volunteering etc. A tailored plan will be developed to support your learning needs.

Flexible Volunteering

The only prerequisites to volunteer with us, apart from enthusiasm, are being over 18 and completing a mandatory Scouting DBS enquiry. We know that our volunteers lead busy lives and will work around your availability to run our Cub Scout Pack.

Make new friends

We’re a friendly bunch, all living locally, and offer a warm welcome to any new members on the volunteering team.

In the meantime….

We’ll be putting in place a parent rota so that we can continue to run Cubs safely, in line with The Scouts’ Policy, Organisation and Rules. Parents, please do sign up – the more we have sign up, the fewer sessions you need to help at ��

Interested? Find out more!

Contact us on 1stcaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk or call our lead volunteer, Marie, on 07921 213474 for a chat to find out more. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Congratulations to Thomas!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:19:30 GMT

Our first Young Leader Award in years!

We are beyond delighted to announce that one of our Young Leaders, Thomas, has been awarded the Young Leader Award!

This is the top award for under 18 year old Young Leaders in Scouting. To gain the award requires the completion of 11 modules covering topics including leadership, communication, programme planning, developing young people, and first aid.

This training is voluntary and is very dependent on the commitment of the Young Leader.

Debbi Rogers, District Team Volunteer responsible for Young Leaders across Grantham, said,

“Thomas has completed all of the modular training and, in addition to the time he regularly commits to volunteering with a Cub section, he has produced four excellent mission statements evidencing how he has put his skills and knowledge into practice.

“I have also been able to observe Thomas both within the section he volunteers with and with the wider Scouting community at a District event. He adapts his approach depending on who he is interacting with, and communicates very well with both adults and young people.

“He can recognise when activities need to be altered or adjusted in the interests of safety. He is able to reflect on his performance and suggest improvements for future. Thomas is a very personable young man and is well respected for his contributions by the adults within the leadership team, and also by the young people themselves. I have no hesitation in awarding Thomas the Young Leader Award, which is very well deserved. Well done Thomas, you inspire motivation in the Cubs and support them in realising their potential.”

Thomas, from everyone at 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scout Group, we’re really proud of you! Well done!

If you’d like to find out more about the awards for your children as they progress through Scouting, please have a look here:

https://www.scouts.org.uk/explorers/awards/young-leader-award/

https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/running-an-explorer-unit/explorer-scout-young-leaders-scheme/

Scouts, Chill-Out!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 13:13:30 GMT

Bucket-loads of activities at Walesby!

Last weekend fifteen Caythorpe Scouts headed to Walesby Forest for the Lincolnshire ‘Chill-Out’– a weekend-long extension of the popular ‘Chiller’ day out.

Friday night started with setting up camp before heading out to find the disco, cinema and campfire activities. Fortunately for the Scouts there wasn’t really much to set up as Mark and Sarah had arrived in the afternoon and had already set up the camp kitchen, thank you! Given the glorious weather and late evening sunshine, bedtime was slightly later than on our usual camps.

Saturday morning started with Tic Tac’s famous pancakes, bacon sandwiches and cereal, followed by a day of activities. The event was run as a ‘queue and do’ rather than ticketed, so Scouts were advised to choose activities without long queues rather than wasting the day standing in line. Between them, our Scouts did tomahawks, archery, craft, pyrography, crate stacking, biking, obstacle course, rafting and kayaking, to name but a few. In-between the activities they came back to camp for a picnic lunch.

Dinner, fajitas, went down very well indeed, before the evening activities commenced. They were similar to the Friday evening activities, with an added surprise, a foam party! It also became apparent that glittery eye shadow and cowgirl hats had made it on to some kit lists!

By bedtime the weather forecast for Sunday was looking ‘iffy’ to say the least, so Scouts were advised to wash off all the glitter then pack up as much as they could and ensure that ‘nothing is touching the sides of the tent’. It was good advice, as the heavens opened around 6am and the rain continued on-and-off throughout Sunday morning. Striking camp with a load of wet kit is never fun.

Sunday morning saw a bit of confusion around the activities on offer, but the Scouts found plenty of things to do before joining the event's closing ceremony after a picnic lunch.

Huge thanks to all the volunteers who gave up their weekend, as well as the time in advance, planning for the event. We know that hours and hours were put in by the Lincolnshire County Team, as well as Walesby staff and leaders on the day. Not to mention our own leaders also giving up their weekends and home comforts to ensure that our Scouts could attend this brilliant event, as well as taking home the wet kit to set it up again in the sunshine, clean it all down and pack it away ready for the next camp.

Beavers and Cubs pack it in at Walesby

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:30:47 GMT

A busy, fun weekend for all!

The weekend started when we all arrived at camp, and everyone was very excited to get stuck in! We each made a peg with our name on and found our rooms, before going outside to do some parachute games. We then had a walk to the big field where we played french cricket, and had skipping competition with an amazing record of 74 skips in a row! Some of the cubs also made up some games using cones for the other children to do. We went back to the lodge and had hot chocolates and biscuits before settling down for the night. We were so excited so it took quite a long time to get to sleep but eventually we slept until morning (well most of us!).

Saturday morning meant Tic Tac’s legendary pancakes! Yummy!! We then made sure our rooms were tidy before going out to do some activities including bug hunting where we learnt all about lady birds and aphids, zorbing and crafting with hama beads and some reading. We all met back at the lodge for some lunch and then got ready for our water activities!

We all had a go at canoeing and the cubs had a go at paddle-boarding whilst the beavers tried rafting. It was a hot and tiring walk back from the lake so we stopped back at the lodge for a snack and cold drink before heading out again for the cave maze (very dark!), the indoor climbing wall (we have some budding climbers in our midst!) and tomahawk throwing.

After all that fun, it was shower time, ready for tea! Everyone was happy to wash the day off and tuck into some delicious pasta, jacket potatoes and burgers/sausages for dinner. After we'd eaten, we left the catering team to clear away whilst we went to the campfire and sang lots of songs, danced and giggled!

We enjoyed some hot chocolate and biscuits for supper then it was straight to bed (after a tooth brushing mission!). There were some very tired Beavers and Cubs but everyone managed a good night’s sleep ready for a morning of adventure!

Sunday morning started bright and early with tidying our rooms and packing our things away. We were then rewarded with breakfast wraps where we could choose our own fillings and they were delicious! We were all so hungry that quite a lot of us had seconds! Then we went orienteering around the camp, lots of fun with some map reading thrown in, but lots of tired legs towards the end!

We finished off our fab weekend thanking everyone who made it happen and we got a badge to sew on the back of our jumpers! What an amazing weekend, filled with adventure, sunshine (and suncream!) and delicious food!

We're already excited for next year's camp!

Here are our photos from the weekend, in no particular order:

Scouts Survival and Expedition camp – all in one!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:29:26 GMT

Sleeping in hammocks, under the stars

The weekend before the half term holiday, 12 Caythorpe Scouts joined forces with Scouts from 9 ^th Grantham for our annual Survival Camp, with a twist. Due to the fact that many of our older Scouts had already experienced our Survival Camps, and some needed to complete their Expedition Challenge for their Chief Scout’s Gold Award, Sam decided to run two camps in parallel; Survival and Expedition.

In preparation for the Expedition, Scouts route-planned with their maps and compasses before the event, to ensure they were ready. This was of particular importance as the camp was held at a new campsite for our Group - Jim Page Scout Campsite, at Laughterton, Gainsborough - so there was very little ‘local knowledge’.

We asked our Scouts to write up a couple of paragraphs about the camp, so here you are, in the un-edited words of FD and JH:

----------------------------------------------

A n ecstatic weekend (survival camp)

Wow what a thrilling weekend I have had not just with the people I know but with a new Scout (JM)! It felt like it was camp to home that was how quickly it went.

I had a brilliant time not just cooking on a campfire, but I slept in a hammock for the first time in my life, but the best highlight was the cooking on the campfire and making the fire.

My job to be the person to always stay by the campfire and keep poking it. The menu was first breakfast - bacon & sausage rolls. Second meal was beef in a buttery and cheesy sauce and it had onions (mix of red and white) served with boiled potatoes, peas & sweetcorn and we slowed cooked it, then we put it onto a really hot heat & then final technique was smoking it.

In the morning, we had our final breakfast which was bacon rolls. It was a great weekend overall I will rate it 10/10.

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I think that survival camp was one of my favourite camps, because we got to sleep in hammocks under the stars!

The expedition was very long but it was good fun, great practice for DofE, as most of us had never walked with the expedition rucksacks before, and I think we all found it hard to keep going especially on day 2 as we were all very tired. It was a great way to get to know everyone a bit better as we were all together for two days straight.

On Saturday it was very cold in the morning and one of the younger Scouts even made me a cup of tea which was really sweet of him! When we were trying to cook breakfast, the bacon kept falling of the skewers, so everyone ate dirty bacon, but I don’t think we told them…

On Saturday we walked 18.5km and we didn’t get lost! We were all very tired after and when we got back, LB and I chilled in our hammocks for almost an hour! Then we played rounders, and it was Scouts vs Leaders!

On Sunday we walked about 8 ½km in total though it was quite windy and we took lots of breaks it was a great view of the River Trent the whole walk! Overall, it was a great camp but very tiring, I think everyone had a very fun time! ��

Cubs enjoy World Bee Day

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 09:58:40 GMT

There was quite a buzz!

To celebrate World Bee Day our Cubs had a bee-themed meeting just before the half term break. The young people had a wonderful time discovering facts about beekeeping and this fascinating insect.

The Cubs tried on bee suits and discovered how bees are kept and how the honey is extracted. They were surprised that in the summer, 99% of bees are female and carry out all the work in the hive!

The Cubs learned that insects pollinate 75% of all plants and that includes 35% of food consumed by humans. They made beeswax candles, tasted honey and had a go at a hexagonal Kerplunk type game. Overall the meeting created quite a buzz!

If you’d like to find out more, visit the British Beekeepers Association website: https://www.bbka.org.uk/

Caythorpe Cubs & Scouts join Rivers Academy Day

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Sat, 17 May 2025 08:51:37 GMT

A wonderful sunny day at Belton House NT

On Saturday 10 May, 12 Scouts, three Cubs and seven volunteer leaders from Caythorpe headed to Belton House for a day of fun activities and learning all about our local rivers. It was great to see that most of the Scout Groups from Grantham District were represented at the event, with around 150 local Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and volunteers joining in the fun.

Split across three teams, our Cubs and Scouts enjoyed a programme of kick sampling, (mini) raft building, learning in the River Van and completing various water activities. They also learnt how the water quality is regularly tested in our local rivers. Included in the day was a very informative session and trail to learn about the different deer at Belton House (as well as holding a few different antlers, which are incredibly heavy), and, of course, time to let of steam at the infamous Belton House Adventure Playground.

Huge thanks to the Scout Leaders who organised the event on behalf of Grantham District, and of course to the Rivers Academy Team who put in an enormous amount of effort to run the activities for the day. Find out more here https://eastmercia.org/.

Beautiful day for St. George's Day Parade

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:44:02 GMT

Sunday 27 April, 2025

On Sunday 27 April, Rangers, Girl Guides, Brownies, Explorers, Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Squirrels and their volunteer leaders congregated at Grantham Bus Station ready for the annual Grantham District St. George’s Day Parade.

One Young Leader, nine Scouts, seven Cubs, six Beavers and eight volunteer leaders from our Group attended the parade, led by the marching band through the streets of Grantham to St Wulfram’s Church. During the service, led by Fr. Stuart Cradduck, we learned that St. George’s Day actually fell on Monday 28 ^th April this year, rather than 23 April, as the Church of England has changed the date because no Saint's Day can take place in the week before or after Easter.

All uniformed members renewed their Scouting or Guiding Promises during the service which culminated in a rousing rendition of The National Anthem before congregating outside St. Wulfram’s and parading back to Grantham Bus Station.

Read more here, and check out the photos to see if you can find our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts: https://www.lincsonline.co.uk/grantham/news/parade-brings-town-to-a-standstill-9414931/

End of term fun for Caythorpe Beavers, Cubs and Scouts

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:33:07 GMT

Easter Incident Hike and Team Challenges

The end of the Spring term came round very quickly and before we knew it, it was the last meeting before the Easter break for our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

Beavers and Cubs joined together for the evening, taking part in an Incident Hike around Caythorpe Village. With bases dotted outside various houses and in the village hall garden, teams firstly listened carefully to instructions and a safety briefing before heading out with leaders and parents to take on their challenges.

Bases included map and compass work, crossing the road safely, an obstacle course relay, an egg pass (finding eggs – real and fake – in a bucket of wood shavings), skittles and soft archery (watch the windows!).

Huge thanks to Akela who once again organised all the volunteers, parents, Beavers and Cubs so that everyone knew what they were doing. We’d also like to thank our Explorer Scout Young Leaders and Scouts who helped set up and run various bases, and the parents who set up bases in their front gardens ready for our Beavers and Cubs to visit.

Biggest thanks of all, of course, go to the Easter Bunny for delivering loads of Easter Eggs for our Beavers, Cubs and helpers to take away at the end of the evening :)

Just as the Beavers and Cubs were heading homewards, the Scouts arrived. They collected a few tents and headed over to the playing field where they were challenged by the leaders to put up tents, in fading light. To add to the challenge, each team had a nominated leader who had to stand ten steps away from the activity and guide the rest of the team on how to put up the tent, without coming anywhere near the tent! This needed great communication, listening and leadership skills, even more so as darkness fell. It’s fair to say, some tents went up and came down far more quickly than others! Well done to all our Scouts for completing the challenge.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts an enjoyable Easter break and look forward to seeing everyone again on 1 May (meetings on 24 April are cancelled due to the village hall being decorated) .

AGM and annual reporting, FY24

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 13:38:52 GMT

Minutes now available

We held our Group AGM on Thursday 6 March at Caythorpe Village Hall.

Please click here to read the minutes of the meeting.

The future of our Scout Group is in your hands

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:45:33 GMT

Please read, please help

Dear Supporters,

The short version: We need more volunteers to keep our Scout Group running. Several of our dedicated leaders will be stepping down over the next year, and without new volunteers, we will not be able to continue offering Beavers and Scouts.

Now that we have your attention…

1. Help Shape the Future of Our Beaver Colony

As you may know Tic Tac, our Beaver Team Leader, stepped down before half-term. While she will continue supporting the Group as a Trustee, she is no longer running the regular Beaver meetings. For the past eight years, she has brought fun, laughter, and adventure to so many young people, and we can’t thank her enough!

Akela has kindly offered to support the transition until Easter, but that time will fly by.

Without a new volunteer stepping forward to take on the role, the Beaver Colony will not be able to continue . Scouting thrives because of volunteers, and this is your chance to make a real difference while keeping the Beavers’ adventure alive.

No experience is needed —just enthusiasm! We will fully support you as you settle into the role. Whether you can lead, assist, or support in any way, your help is vital.

Interested? Please get in touch to find out more.

2. Help Keep Our Scout Troop Thriving – We Need You

Our Scout Team Leader (as well as being ex-Group Scout Leader & ex-Chair), along with two Scout team volunteers (& our Quartermasters), will be stepping down at the end of the 2026 summer term . Between them, they’ve dedicated years of leadership and organisation to our Scouts, and we are incredibly grateful for everything they’ve done.

The good news? They’ll still be involved - organising camps, mentoring new leaders, and sharing their expertise. However, without new leadership , the Scout Troop will not be able to continue beyond summer 2026 .

This is your chance to step up, learn the ropes with full training and support, and help shape the future of our Scouts.

No prior experience needed—just enthusiasm! Whether you can lead, assist, or support in any way, your help is crucial.

Want to know more? Get in touch today.

3. Group Lead Volunteer – Passing the Torch

After 13 years of Scout volunteering, over four in this role, I will also be stepping down as Group Lead Volunteer within the next 12–18 months. The lead volunteer role involves providing direction and support for the volunteer team (following The Scout Association’s framework), liaising with Grantham District on events and activities, and generally being there to help out as needed.

Beavers is our priority right now, so if you can help, please get in touch.

Why the urgency now?

With our own children moving on from Scouts in the next year or so, and nearly 40 years of combined service between the five of us, it’s time for a new team to take the lead.

We’ve also recently said goodbye to other volunteers in the Group, while welcoming new faces into the Cub section. In order to keep Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts running, we urgently need more volunteers. Without fresh support, we simply won’t be able to continue offering these fantastic opportunities for young people.

Over the past year, we’ve:
- Taken Beavers and Cubs on a sleepover at Elton
- Taken "Cubs on the Water" at Rutland
- Led Scouts on trips to London and Brownsea Island
- Delivered dozens of unforgettable adventures

None of this would have been possible without our volunteers. Now, it’s time to pass the baton to a new leadership team.

How You Can Help

✔ Be over 18
✔ Let us know you’re interested
✔ Complete a Scouting DBS check (we’ll guide you through it)

The Scouts offer free training, flexible learning, and fantastic CV-boosting skills. You’ll meet amazing people across Grantham District and Lincolnshire County while helping young people develop #skillsforlife .

And the biggest reward? Seeing young people grow in confidence, conquer challenges, and achieve things they never thought possible. There’s truly nothing like it.

Let’s Chat! If you’re curious, have questions, or just want an informal chat over coffee, please do get in touch.

Email: 1stcaythorpe@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk

Browse: www.scouts.org.uk/volunteer/

Or speak directly with your section leader.

Let’s work together to keep the adventure alive for the next generation of Caythorpe and Duke’s Beavers, Cubs and Scouts!

Yours in Scouting,
Group Lead Volunteer – 1st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert Scout Group

Caythorpe Scouts and friends take on Monopoly Run again!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 15:22:44 GMT

A brilliant day out in the Spring sunshine

For the fourth consecutive year for Caythorpe Scouts, last Saturday we headed up to London to take part in ‘Monopoly Run Live’ with almost 8,000 Scouts, Explorers and Guides from across the country.

Billed as “a real-time version of the popular Monopoly Run board game”, Monopoly Run Live is played on a single day in central London and involves visiting the actual sites that the board game is based on. There are multiple 'mini-games' run simultaneously, enabling hundreds of teams to compete on the day, yet each team will only have a maximum of seven other competitor teams, giving everyone a good chance at winning. ( https://monopoly-run.co.uk/ )

This year we joined forces with 9 ^th Grantham Scouts, Grantham District Explorers and 2 ^nd Market Rasen Explorers, meaning 36 Scouts and Explorers joined this amazing day out.

It’s always an early alarm call for Monopoly Run, and this year was no different as our meet time was 06:45 at Grantham Station. It was a particularly chilly morning, yet the 31 minute train delay didn’t dampen (or even freeze) our spirits. That said, we were all happy to get onto the train!

After an easy journey to London, we split into our teams, gave safety briefings on travelling on the underground and general safety while in a big city, and headed to our starting point, Waterloo Station. It was a quick turnaround for some teams as the train initial delay meant we didn’t have long until our Monopoly Run apps ‘unfroze’ and our games began. Most teams remembered to check in at Waterloo Station before leaving. The team that – ahem – forgot – learnt the hard way when they then arrived at their first checkpoint to find that they had to return to Waterloo to check in. One learns quickly from such mistakes….

The big difference this year for our Scouts was that our teams weren’t all playing in the same ‘mini-game’ so while there was still a degree of competition, it wasn’t as stark as in previous years. Not that any of our Scouts or volunteer leaders are competitive. At all.

Each team will have had a completely different experience of the day, as you’ll see if you click on the links below showing the routes they took. When you consider that the event is run by volunteers, it really is an incredible set-up and the technology is mind-blowing.

It’s fair to say that teams used all modes of transport permitted: underground, buses and a whole lot of walking, even running. Some felt like crawling at times. There are lots of stairs in London.

Energy levels dipped and peaked, especially for Team Terror when they bumped into famous astronaut and Scout Ambassador Tim Peake outside Hamleys! The Monopoly Run App may be amazing, but it doesn’t capture how many bags of Haribo, chocolate bars, flap jacks etc were consumed to keep us all going throughout the day. There’s also evidence that some fruit was taken with packed lunches – see photos.

Challenges popped up via the App, including getting a team photo by a street sign not containing the word ‘street’ or ‘road’, getting a team photo of a statue with the team mimicking the statue’s pose (which explains some of the photos!), getting a team photo with a piece of fruit, and getting a team photo with the team in a red phone box. Who knew that lots of these are locked these days? There was also a quiz based on well-known sweets, which teams could complete and earn a few extra pounds.

Our rendez-vous time was scheduled as 17:30 at Leicester Square, however many of our teams happened to bump into each other around 17:00 and still had energy to burn and money to earn, so Leaders quickly agreed to change the plan and meet at 18:00 at Kings Cross. This was a good plan, as moments later the MR Team put an announcement on the App saying there was a protest at McDonalds at Leicester Square so to avoid the area. As you can see, although it’s a fun day out, safety is always on the organisers’ and volunteer leaders’ minds.

So, as 18:00 came around, the teams all arrived at Kings Cross. Weary Scouts and Explorers took over a space and rested their weary legs waiting for the train platform to be announced.

The train was on time, on we jumped, and north we headed. We know of at least one Explorer who slept part of the way home; we’re sure a few more nodded off!

With Scouts and Explorers reunited with parents at Grantham Station, we all headed home, exhausted but with hundreds of different stories to tell of our London adventure.

As always, huge thanks go to our Scouts and Explorers who behaved impeccably on the day and without tooooooooo much complaining and mumbling about sore legs and feet. And to our volunteer leaders and parents who came along on the day, a huge ‘Thank you’. It’s not just another Saturday you have volunteered, but also a good number of hours in the planning, risk assessing, communicating with parents and preparing the Scouts and Explorers for yet another amazing adventure. Thank you!

Team Hungry: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/c0jsz

Team Furious: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/9uj4h

Team Prepared: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/e5zvk

Team Emperor: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/s0p7w

Team Valiant: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/ckpn3

Team Terror: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/wkk2i

Teal Defiant: https://hq.monopoly-run.co.uk/postrun/fds7i

To better understand what it's all about, have a look through the Team Pack .

Photos from the day, in no particular order:

AGM - reminder

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:18:15 GMT

All are welcome, Thursday 6 March, 7pm

On Thursday 6 March we'll be holding our AGM. Here's a link to the agenda .

All are welcome to come along for a short review of our last financial year (January - December 2024) and to hear about what we've been up to, along with plans for the next year.

We're looking forward to seeing you then!

AGM Notification

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:22:47 GMT

All are welcome, Thursday 6 March, 7pm

On Thursday 6 March we'll be holding our AGM.

All are welcome to come along for a short review of our last financial year (January - December 2023) and to hear about what we've been up to, along with plans for the next year.

We're looking forward to seeing you then!

Cubs enjoy a Night Hike in the Woods

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:01:28 GMT

Don't always rely on signposts!

On a cloudy, misty, cool Friday night at the end of January our Cubs met at the muster point at the Alma Park Industrial Estate, Grantham. The party consisted of seven Cubs, four volunteer Leaders, two Young Leaders and four parent helpers. We set off just after 19:00 using the cut through from the Industrial Estate into Londonthorpe Wood.

Akela pointed out the recently added footpath signposts displaying the car park distance is 700 meters away. We set off at a good pace, after a few minutes we reached the next signpost. It was still 700 metres to the car park! Yet we had already walked at least 250 meters! Akela pointed out that; don't always rely on signposts, they can be wrong!

We reached Londonthorpe village for the main challenge, to give Cubs more confidence in walking in the dark: a 300 metre walk along a wooded, dark footpath alone! After checking the route, the challenge began with Akela at the start point, Ellie at the halfway point and Tim at the end, all to give assistance if required. The Cubs walked the route alone with or without torch light. They were outstanding, all showing courage and determination to see it through.

After a quick snack we made the return journey through the ancient woodland. We paused and looked at the deserted WWII RAF Grenade store, then headed back down the hill to the pickup point in the Industrial Estate to meet up with the parents.

The Cubs were amazing; they hiked 6.8km. The were positive throughout the evening, looking forward to the next challenge.

Many thanks to the parent helpers, without their help we couldn’t run our activities. We are desperately looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the Scout Group. Without help, activities will be seriously curtailed, postponed or cancelled, and some Sections, particularly Beavers, may have to close.

Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, it's very rewarding, seeing young people develop into well rounded individuals. Scouting is there to give young people more confidence, independence, adventure, comradeship and #skillsforlife, we are a lot more than a creche!

To find out more about the numerous opportunities within the Group, please contact our Lead Volunteer, 1stcaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk , or speak with any of our volunteers. The Scouts provide a full, free programme for learning all the skills you need to volunteer. Find out more here: www.scouts.org.uk/volunteer/

Here are a selection of photos from the hike; it's quite hard to get great photos in the dark, but we're sure you get the idea :)

Caythorpe and 9th Grantham Scouts: "Move over, Masterchef!"

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 20:43:35 GMT

Brilliant joint weekend at Walesby Forest Scout Camp

The Scouting year began brilliantly for 17 Caythorpe and ten 9th Grantham Scouts, plus two Young Leaders, who enjoyed a fantastic weekend of creative cookery and teamwork at Walesby Forest Scout Camp.

The Scouts had already worked together in their teams; planning their internationally-themed meals and shopping lists, all within budgets set by their volunteer Leaders. Leaders had, during the week, cross-checked the quantities to ensure that they were correct(ish) before placing a HUGE online order for delivery to Walesby.

Our Scouts met at Walesby on Friday evening, unpacked their belongings in their dorms and got used to their new home, Sherwood Lodge. Then the breakfast team had a briefing session, where they decided they didn’t need to do any prep at all in advance of the morning. After hot chocolate, biscuits and a bit of chivvying from the Leaders (Frances, Gen, Marie and Geoff), Scouts settled into their bunks and some even went to sleep, at some point.

Saturday morning came around quickly, with a 7am alarm call for the breakfast team. On the menu was American pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, fruit skewers and egg muffins. The team worked well together and served a brilliant breakfast (about an hour late, but no-one was really counting), setting the bar high for the remaining two teams. Perhaps a little more planning in the order of preparation would have helped them serve on time, but this is how we all learn.

After superstar washer-upper Geoff, along with Scout assistants, had washed up all the pots and pans, the lunch team set about creating lamb balls with Greek salad (including homemade vinegarette), with homemade flatbreads on the side, followed by chocolate brownies with homemade raspberry sauce (yum!). These recipes were very challenging, especially given the basic kitchen facilities and lack of kitchen scales (oops!). But Scouts always find a solution to a problem and created a wonderful cross-reference system from weights to cups, to be able to measure the flour. Lunch was absolutely delicious and the Leaders were all pretty smug that they’d signed up to be cooked for, for a whole weekend.

As soon as the kitchen was cleared from lunch, the dinner team took over. They really aimed high, with bruschetta as a starter, chicken cacciatore with rice, followed by tiramisu (and the option of magdalenas for those who don’t like tiramisu). A truly Italian menu, with a hint of Spain thrown in for good measure! By the end of dinner most of us could hardly move, having eaten so much amazing food all day long. Not a camp we could repeat regularly!

It wasn’t all about cooking. While not ‘on duty’ Scouts enjoyed paying wide games around Walesby, including ‘the mailbox game’ and ‘pegs on a washing line’ (a bit like 4 team capture the flag), with all of the teams trying to raid each others’ washing lines, recapture their own pegs and not get caught and put in jail. They also had the opportunity to try the Walesby orienteering course, as well as lots of reasonably quiet time playing a huge variety of board games and puzzles. Just what was needed, two weeks back into the school term.

Sam popped up to Walesby on Saturday afternoon to enjoy dinner with the Scouts (a definite perk of being a volunteer!) and also, sadly, to present Gen with a leaving gift as she leaves us for a new job based in the Lake District. Gen (and Joe!) have been with us for over two years and have really invigorated our ways of thinking, injecting ‘young’ blood and ideas into a team who could mostly (not all!) be classed as ‘heading towards middle age’…. We’re delighted that Gen has agreed to remain on our Trustee board, so she’s not completely escaped Caythorpe and will still know what we’re all up to. Gen if we don’t see you before the Spring, we all hope you and Joe have a lovely wedding day and wish you every happiness as you embark on married life together!

Other goodbyes this weekend were the two Isabellas; Belle and Bella. Both have now turned 14 and so it’s time to move on from Scouts. Belle is staying with Caythorpe Cubs as a Young Leader (and has also been selected to join the Lincolnshire Scouts Youth Forum) while Bella has joined Foston / Buccaneer Explorers. Good luck girls!

But it wasn’t all goodbyes, as Frances invested Harrison into 9th Grantham Scout Group. Congratulations and welcome to Scouts, Harrison!

The evening was rounded off with a fun quiz, where the Scouts realised just how many (or maybe how few) Scouting facts they knew, as well as other fun rounds including ‘how well do you know your leaders’.

The weekend flew by, and one volunteer leader made the world of difference to everyone’s weekend. Geoff. He tirelessly washed up, dried up, and washed up again. Always with a smile on his face. Thank you Geoff, we couldn’t have done it (certainly not within the timeframes!) without you!

Congratulations to all the Scouts, who have definitely earned their Chef Activity Badge.

Here’s a link to all of the recipes, should anyone want to try them again:

Breakfast

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-egg-muffins

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/american-pancakes

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/rainbow-fruit-skewers

Lunch

https://cookingwithneil.wordpress.com/2022/06/29/cracking-lamb-balls/

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/greek-salad

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/12304531/recipe/easy-yoghurt-flatbreads-varying-sizes

Dinner

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tomato-bruschetta

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lighter-chicken-cacciatore

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-ever-tiramisu

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zjp98xs

And a few photos from the weekend, in no particular order:

Elton Sleepover Fun!

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:41:17 GMT

Beavers and Cubs learn new skills

At the start of November our Beavers and Cubs took part in an amazing adventure at Elton Guide Campsite. Saturday morning dawned a bit grey and overcast here in Lincolnshire but in Leicestershire, just the other side of Grantham, the sun was peeking through to welcome Duke’s Beavers, Cubs and their volunteer Leaders. 17 intrepid adventurers joined three young leaders and six volunteer leaders for a weekend jam-packed full of activities, new experiences and FUN!

The day kicked off with games outside and everyone getting to know each other as we were lucky enough to have several new people staying away for the first time. Once lunch was over, and the washing up was done, it was time to get started on the serious business of learning new skills. Everyone got to have a go at all three activities; firelighting, shelter building and woggle making, in an unhurried way we can only provide at camp where time is not an issue.

Firelighting, including finding and cutting up the materials, proved to be great fun. There was no cheating with matches here, fire strikers (aka flint and steel) were the order of the day.

Chil (Thomas) and Ellie led the shelter building activity, with everyone creating somewhere they could keep dry and warm. Shelter building leads directly onto activities that our Scouts have to master for their Survival Camps, so it is great practice for the younger sections.

Katherine and Baloo (Belle) led a woggle making workshop in Magpies House, our base for the weekend. The bead woggles were such a success that our Beavers and Cubs requested another opportunity to make more woggles again after dinner.

Dinner was quickly demolished by the hungry hoard with many coming back for seconds (and thirds). Clearing up took a little longer but they were getting the hang of it by now. The dining room was cleared and tents and beds were set up before setting off back outside again for the campfire and some singing and marshmallows - not at the same time! Back into Magpies House for hot chocolate and cookies before it was time to get ready for bed.

After a refreshing night’s sleep - yes they did settle quickly and sleep well - it was time to get up, pack up and make ready for more challenges and adventures. It’s at this point that all our newbies earned their first Nights Away badge, which is a fabulous milestone!

Breakfast passed with more food consumed - they are getting good at washing up now. We now have a new Beaver Pancake Champion, Jack, I honestly don’t know where he put them all!

Then everyone took part in a Scout’s Own which is a time to reflect on what we have learned and what the weekend has been all about.

Akela came up with a tremendous trading team game which kept everyone occupied with team challenges outside until lunch time. In brief, teams needed to come up with a name, a skit to introduce themselves and then they took part in a number of team challenges set up by our leaders using the wonderful range of activities available at Elton. The teams earned coins which they then traded for cards. These cards were then scored in a number of imaginative and creative ways. This was a game with something for everyone. Congratulations to Team Pancake who really threw themselves into the strategy element of the game. Now our sleepover was drawing to a close with only lunch and the big clear up to do.

The leaders would like to express their gratitude to the parents who came along early to help us make sure Elton was as clean and tidy when we left as it was when we arrived. Thank you all, it really would have taken us so much longer without your help. We would also like to give a huge thank you to our fantastic Young Leaders, who gave up their weekend to help the Beavers and Cubs have such a great time. The Young Leaders worked tirelessly running activities, supporting the younger ones, helping our adult volunteers and just generally being fantastic. They might be “young” leaders but they all did an adult's job this weekend – well done folks.

Special mention to for Ellie and Ralph who have recently joined our Cubs section as volunteers - they achieved their first night away as leaders. You both were amazing and we look forward to you joining us for many more adventures together.

Beavers would like to thank Akela and the Cub team for inviting us along for the weekend, a night away for Beavers is very important and would not have been possible without you.

If you have been reading this and think you or someone you know would like to get involved please get in touch with our Lead Volunteer who will be able to help you make your first steps in your own Scouting journey. Simply email 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk

How is it almost half term?!?

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:33:24 GMT

An update on what our sections have been up to,

and a plea for help

As the end of the current half term fast-approaches, we’ve realised that we’ve been a little quiet in our communications and haven’t updated our website much since September. Sorry! Here’s a snapshot of what our sections have been up to:

Weekly meetings

Beavers have covered lots of interesting topics including fairtrade, World Animal Day and creating robots from items recycled materials. All this counts towards lots of activity and challenge badges.

Meanwhile Cubs started the term with an inter-six competition and have been working towards their Skills Challenge and learning about the local area, including an evening out and about in Caythorpe, for their Local Knowledge badge.

Scouts have met a couple of times at the village hall and have covered off the very important task of learning about and creating their own risk assessments.

Events and extras

Caythorpe Gala

The term started with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts helping out at the Caythorpe Gala. It’s always a great family day out, although this year was a little on the chilly side. Once again we were invited to run the ‘welly wanging’ stall, which proved to be great fun for everyone who had a go.

Flagbearers at the World Karting Championships

Our Scouts were really chuffed to be invited to be the flag bearers at the FIA World Karting Championships in September! This incredibly well-attended local event saw our Scouts carrying the national flags of all the racing drivers onto the circuit before the final race. It was something completely new for us to do and really opened our eyes to the hard work and effort that goes into karting. Apparently all Formula 1 drivers will have, at some point in their careers, raced at the track at Fulbeck. Who knew?!

District Cubs on the Water

At the end of September ten of our Cubs joined the District 'Cubs on the Water' event at Rutland Water. It was a pretty chilly day, but immeasurably better weather than the days either side. Despite a little nervousness, all our Cubs conquered their fears and spent some time on the water, whether it was kayaking or with leaders in the safety boats.

Once back on dry land and in warm clothes, they enjoyed a hot chocolate and a BBQ alongside their packed lunches before getting into the swing of the afternoon’s activities. They did a team assault course, learnt about water safety and made and sailed origami boats. All in all a great day out, and great to be with so many Cub friends from across Grantham District.

Litter picking in Brant Broughton

In October our Scouts helped out in the local community, joining the Brant Broughton school PTA Litter Pick. After collecting ‘loads and loads’ of bags of litter, the Scouts then completed some team games. As you can see from the photos (below), one activity included retrieving and disarming “a bomb surrounded by a pool of lava!”

Lincolnshire Rabbit Run Read all about it here: https://www.caythorpescouts.org.uk/caythorpe-scouts-take-on-rabbit-run-2024

Looking forward

After half term our Beavers and Cubs will be going on a sleepover, Scouts will be helping at a Bonfire Party, then we'll be at Remembrance Parade, attending Chiller at Walesby, then getting into the Christmas spirit and joining our Scouting friends from across Grantham District at the Panto!

Thank you to our Volunteers, and a plea for help

As you can see, we're a busy Scout Group. None of these activities can take place without the commitment of our volunteer Leaders. They give up their time, for free, week in, week out, and on a lot of weekends too. Thank you to each and every one of our brilliant team of Heroes!

Our Beaver Leader has been hoping to step down for several months (actually, a year), however we don’t yet have anyone who has offered to take on the role. It’s good fun, you get full, free training from The Scouts, it is fantastic on your CV, and, most importantly, you’ll get to help the youngest members of our Group to develop a passion for Scouting and learn the basics of Scouting #SkillsforLife.

We understand it’s a scary prospect, but we’re a really friendly bunch who will bend over backwards to help you settle into your new role. Please do consider whether this is something you’d like to do. We don’t want to get to a place where we have to consider closing the Colony.

Feel free to get in touch with our Group Lead Volunteer by email 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk or by calling 07921 213474. Thank you.

Caythorpe Scouts take on Rabbit Run 2024

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 16:08:26 GMT

14km, 5½ hours, 5 questions, 4 times caught and an 01:32(am) finish!

On Saturday 12 October, four of our Scouts, going by the team name ‘Duke’s Doughnuts’, arrived at Dunham-on-Trent village hall for the start of a Very Long Night.

There were over 200 Explorers, Scouts and Leaders camping out on a very cold autumnal day. When we arrived, we checked in and set up camp in the field behind the village hall next to 2nd Grantham and 9th Grantham Scouts and made a mini-camp together. Once the tents were up and sleeping bags rolled out, we went to the Rabbit Run event briefing.

The Rabbit Run itself took place on the Saturday night. Each team was given a map and a question sheet and each question had a grid reference attached to it. The aim was to plan a route which visited as many of these grid references (checkpoints) as possible and answer the questions, scoring the points indicated against each question. While doing this teams had to avoid being caught by teams of catchers/Poachers. Every time the team was caught, it would lose two points.

After we ate, we started to plot our route and talked strategies for not getting caught by the Poachers. Eventually it was time for our kit check and only 10 minutes later Duke’s Doughnuts were setting off. This was around 8pm.

Five and half hours later, after 14km walked, five questions answered, four times being caught and hiding in a few ditches the Duke’s Doughnuts arrived back on time at 01:32am. Looking a little muddy and very tired they sat down for some supper of hot chocolate and biscuits before going to bed.

Luckily for the Scouts it was a late breakfast, at 10am. Sunday’s breakfast was sausage and bacon rolls, which were needed after such a long night. The morning went very quickly with packing up camp. The closing ceremony was at 11am; it was very interesting hearing all the stats and funny stories from the night before.

Everyone did very well and only one team, ‘Lieutenant Dan’, ended up with a negative score having been caught seven times and only answering one question - they won the prized ‘Toilet Seat of Losers’. The winning team answered 15 questions and only was caught twice. So, massive congratulations to Team ‘Shed Co’ for winning the event!

Duke’s Doughnuts did amazingly well for their first time attending the Rabbit Run. They were one of the youngest teams taking part in the event and came 29th out of 40. After all the thankyous and round of applause for the volunteers who helped organise and run the event, it was time to finish packing up and head home. Everyone left having had a fantastic time and eager to take on the Rabbit Run again!

Summer Camp 2024: Buddens (Dorset) and Brownsea Island

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 14:53:06 GMT

Highlight of the week was a camp & investitures on Brownsea Island, the birthplace of Scouting

As the academic year finally drew to a close, 49 Scouts and Explorers from Caythorpe and Foston didn’t even get a lie-in on Day 1 of their holiday as they headed off on a week’s Scout Camp, held at Buddens Activity Centre, Dorset, and Brownsea Island.

Saturday

Bright and early on Saturday morning, and after a little carpark and coach park confusion, parents and guardians waved their young people off to a six night adventure in Dorset.

With a pit-stop in Oxford (where some Scouts seemingly spent a disproportionate amount of their camp pocket money), the five hour journey flew by and before we knew it we were offloading kit in the pouring rain at Buddens Activity Centre, just outside Wareham in Dorset.

Tents, event shelters and the mess tent were erected as Scouts, their clothes and shoes got wetter and wetter. Everyone was immensely grateful to Claire, who set the bar high with the first night’s offering of burgers and salad. The excitement of the first night kept the young people chatting until quite late, but eventually our new home fell silent aside from the breeze and gentle showers which proved to become a bit of a feature of this adventure.

Sunday

Sunday was our only full day at Buddens, with the Scouts and Explorers divided into activity teams. Throughout the day they rotated between the zip wire, leap of faith, climbing, archery and tomahawk throwing. Throughout the week the teams also had chores to complete; fetching water, food prep and cooking and washing up. Parents and guardians will be delighted to learn our young people were all very competent and capable, and are able to do these at home too! In the background, Claire was once again working hard to ensure that the food prep and cooking teams knew what they needed to do, as Sunday’s evening meal was a broad range of delicious curry options.

Monday

An early start saw us partly breaking camp after breakfast, sorting out personal belongings so that we would only be taking to Brownsea Island the absolute necessities (we knew that the ferry had luggage limits and that on arrival on the island we’d have to carry our belongings a c.25 minute walk to our camping area, including tents and food). Somehow, with the help of a dozen Explorer Scouts we managed, and some Scouts even managed to take full pillows, clearly not getting the message about bare essentials! The ferry ride from Poole to Brownsea Island was brilliant fun, and the icing on the cake was the fact that we had a bit of spare time on Poole Quay so managed to boost the local economy with everyone buying ice creams before leaving the mainland.

Tuesday

After a very welcome, slightly lazy start with flag break at 0900, we congregated for some investitures and a group photo next to the The Scout Stone. This commemorates the first-ever experimental Scout Camp conducted by our Founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, in 1907 and was erected near the first Scout campsite. We then spent a lazy morning exploring Brownsea Island in our teams, and, fortunately, in the sun. After a picnic lunch back at the campsite, we headed to the beach at Pottery Pier. Here we took part in some paddling in the cooling waters before heading back to camp to prepare the evening meal of pitta pockets (imagine a Calzone Pizza formed in a pitta bread). We almost felt like we were on holiday.

The Scouts were now tired, so with some peacefully swinging in their hammocks and some tucked up in tents, we had a quiet night in readiness for the 0630 rise the next day.

Wednesday

Wednesday was, without a doubt, the busiest and longest day of camp. It started with an early flag break and breakfast, striking camp, loading up and heading back along the 25 (or slightly longer in some cases) minute ‘stroll’ back to the Quay. No Leaders got a lift in the National Trust volunteers’ buggy… promise…. (Well… maybe just a bit of a lift.) After a short wait we boarded the ferry back to Poole Harbour.

On arrival at Poole quay the kit was once again shifted off the ferry by our wonderful Explorers – no-one will mention the tent that ‘almost got away’ into the sea…..

Our friendly coach driver met us to load up all our kit and we hit the road, heading for Beaulieu House for the National Motor Museum. The journey would have been slightly quicker had we not been waiting for a few horses in the New Forest to meander their way along the road, stopping all the traffic. In their own time…..

Beaulieu was great fun. After a picnic lunch that Claire picked up en-route we split into teams and visited the various areas of the site, including the Top Gear tent, the Motor Museum (with some stunning examples of vintage cars, racing cars and motorbikes), the motor parade (including the real-life vehicles from Dr Who, Del and Rodney Trotter’s Reliant Rialto, James Bond’s Jaguar XK-R (with rockets, machine gun) GEN 11 from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to name a few, and even a falconry show.

The icing on the cake for this action packed day was a visit to a dry ski slope where we all (including leaders) enjoyed tubing. This in basic terms is where you sit in a large inflatable ring with a slippery underside and are launched down the dry-ski slope. ‘Dry’ is a little bit of a fallacy; to aid the ease of passage to get to your destination (a big yellow foam pad at the bottom) there is a constant spray of water onto the slope and consequently everyone who has a go gets wet. Initially there was a little reluctance from some to take part but it was incredibly addictive with most trying various strategies to race to the bottom as quickly as possible, including going down backwards and being pushed by ‘friends’ at the start. As the rain started to fall we all had dinner in the ‘Alpine’ restaurant before getting back on the coach at around 2030 and heading back to Buddens. Happy and exhausted, we once again found ourselves putting up tents in the rain, although this time it was dark, too. We kept telling ourselves how this is great for building resilience!

Thursday

Another early start after another rainy night, flag break was at 0800 followed by breakfast and a stroll to the coach to head to Poole Park water activities centre. Despite tired young people, the incessant drizzle (interrupted only by heavy rain) did not appear to have broken the spirit of any of our intrepid travellers. Throughout the day they enjoyed stand-up paddle boards, kayaking and dingy sailing, under the expert tuition of the Rockley Water Sports team. The bonus of taking part in these activities in the rain is that you’re already wet when you fall in.

On Thursday we were sad to say goodbye to Claire as she had to head home for her son’s Graduation Ceremony. And equally delighted to welcome Bryn from 1 ^st Foston to the Leadership Team, who travelled all the way to Dorset for one night to help us strike camp.

Back at Buddens we rounded off the day with a bit of light entertainment with our camping neighbours, who we’d invited round for a hotdog supper and some campfire songs.

Friday

After another late night and early start we were up and ready for activities by 0900. While the Scouts and Explorers enjoyed their final activity of camp, the Leaders busied themselves taking down the mess tent and event shelters, packing everything into trailers and cars ready for the journey home. On their return to camp, Scouts and Explorers packed their belongings and tents, enjoyed a quick picnic lunch, boarded the coach and headed back to leafy Lincolnshire.

All in all, and despite the weather, we had an amazing week away which has once again reinforced the close and long-standing friendship between the 1 ^st Foston and 1 ^st Caythorpe Scout Groups.

We all had our moments, whether missing home, a bit nervous of trying a new activity, losing something (please label everything!), itchy insect bites or just being soggy and wet through. But on the plus side we saw our Young People smile, laugh out loud, make new friends, support each other, try new activities, learn new things, try and enjoy new foods, carry each other’s bags, cook together, wash up together… the list goes on, but they really have gained some #SkillsforLife

Finally, thanks must go to the volunteer Leaders. Claire, Gen, Les, Marie, Mark, Sam and Sarah have given up a week of their annual leave and family time to organise and run this camp, with Bryn joining for the last day to help bring everyone home. Without their hard work and dedication this camp could never have happened and our Scouts and Explorers wouldn’t have had the amazing opportunity to visit Dorset and sleep in the very place that Baden-Powell experimented with his vision of creating the amazing movement we all belong to: The Scouts.

A final thought. The comment we never thought we’d hear on camp: “Charlie, don’t put your necker on the peacock!”

Here are some photos* from the week, in no particular order. We hope they bring back lots of happy memories to our Scouts, Explorers and Volunteer Leaders :)

(* note: there are a lot of photos.... if they aren't uploading to your device, we suggest making a cup of tea and grabbing a biscuit while waiting for them to load. Or trying on another device.)

Volunteer vacancy: Beaver Scout Leader

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 09:04:02 GMT

Inspiring our young people to reach their potential

Do you enjoy having fun and using your imagination? Can you inspire young people aged between 6 and 8 years old to focus their energy and reach their full potential?

Who are Beavers?

Beavers are currently the youngest members in our Scout Group; girls and boys aged 6 to 8 years. They meet on Thursday evenings, 6-7pm, during Lincolnshire schools term time, as well as occasional trips, visits, sleepovers and camps. It’s the Beaver Leader, along with their team, who set the calendar of events, meaning it can work to your schedule.

The Vacancy

We have an immediate vacancy for a Beaver Scout Leader, and are looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to take on this role. Working as part of a team of adult volunteers, the Beaver Leader leads the planning and delivery of an exciting programme of indoor and outdoor activities including crafts, community projects, games, challenges and for many, their first night away from home at a Beaver sleepover or camp. In return for your time and commitment, you will gain new skills which you’ll be able to transfer to your everyday working life as well as boosting your CV.

Getting to Grips with the Role

We’ll organise a full handover, from whenever you are ready to join us, giving you the chance to learn everything you need to know from our current Beaver Leader. A tailored, free, learning programme is provided by The Scouts, and you will never be out-of-pocket for any Scouting activities that you lead or help out with. We also provide your uniform top, necker and all badges.

What is 1 ^st Caythorpe Scout Group looking for?

You don't need to know anything about Scouting to get involved, nor do you need experience of working with children, but you do need enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and get involved to help provide great activities to the young people in Beavers. You also need to be able to attend the majority of our Thursday evening meetings, 6-7pm during term time in Caythorpe, and give advance notice when you can’t attend so that other volunteers can step in and help out.

What’s in it for you?

Change lives of young people

There’s no better feeling than making a difference to communities and transforming the lives of young people. Whether you help a child tie their shoe lace, toast a marshmallow on a campfire, attempt a climbing wall or stay on a Beaver sleepover for their first time away from home and family, you’re making memories and giving skills for life to our young members.

Gain Skills

Flexible Volunteering

The only prerequisites to volunteer with us, apart from enthusiasm, are being over 18 and completing a mandatory DBS enquiry. We know that our volunteers lead busy lives and will work around your availability to run our Beaver Scout Colony.

Make new friends

We’re a friendly bunch, all living locally, and offer a warm welcome to any new members on the volunteering team.

In the meantime….

We’ll be putting in place a parent rota so that we can continue to run Beavers safely, in line with The Scouts’ Policy, Organisation and Rules. Parents, please do sign up – the more we have sign up, the fewer sessions you need to help at ��

Interested? Find out more!

Contact us on 1stcaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk or call our lead volunteer, Marie, on 07921 213474 for a chat to find out more. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Messy Night 2024

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 12:07:20 GMT

Celebrating the end of another Scouting Year!

It’s the Group meeting that everyone looks forward to all year, and a long-standing tradition for 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scout Group…. Messy Night!

We’d love to say that Messy Night is all about learning #skillsforlife, enhancing our teamwork abilities and doing great work for the local community. But it’s not! It’s about letting off steam at the end of the school year, racing around Duke’s Covert Campsite, having a great time, and getting very, very wet!

(All risk assessed, of course.)

This year it was Robyn’s turn to organise the activities for the evening, and she brought along some fantastic ideas: flour art, water pistol dualling, water balloon throwing & catching, catapulting jelly and finally, everyone’s favourite, eating dangling doughnuts (look, no hands!).

The photos tell you everything you need to know.

The evening’s finale was a full-on, all-member water fight, as you’ll see from the photos.

The end of the evening came around far too quickly, at which point the very soggy Beavers, Cubs and Scouts were passed back to their parents to be transported home (“Don’t touch the car seats!”) and, no doubt, dunked in the bath.

Thanks to all our young members for turning up week in, week out, with big smiles, bigger ambitions and showing a great attitude to Scouting, and thanks to all our volunteers and supporters, both at the meetings and behind the scenes, for helping our rural Scout Group go from strength to strength.

So it’s time to wish everyone a very happy summer holiday. Enjoy the time off school and Scouting (except those heading to Dorset next week… we hope you all have a fantastic time and we’ve got our fingers crossed that the weather improves for you), and we’ll see you all, raring to go, in September ��

A weekend of outdoor fun

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 08:12:28 GMT

Cubs and Scouts make the most of July rain

“Let’s plan a Scout camp and Cub camp in July, the weather will be great!” said some wise volunteer leaders, several months ago.

Hmmmm.

The plan for the weekend was for our Cubs to camp Friday and Saturday night at Duke’s Covert at the same time as 2 ^nd Grantham Cubs, with whom we had planned multiple shared adventurous activities. On Saturday our Scouts would hike through the South Kesteven countryside from Great Gonerby to Duke’s to join the Cubs, before heading off to Aisby on Sunday morning to complete their hikes.

However, Friday morning started with a flurry of phone calls as we realised that the volunteer Cub Camp Chef was poorly and unable to attend the weekend. A contingency plan was quickly pulled together to enable the Cubs to meet 10am-4pm at Duke’s for a fun day doing many of the activities they would have been doing, but without the need to cook hot meals.

Cubs Outdoor Day

The Cubs arrived and settled in with a game of French cricket before we met up with the Cubs from 2nds and split into three activity teams, each with Cubs from both Packs and led by one of the wonderful Young Leaders. This enabled us to run three activity bases during the day. These activities covered a wide range of activities, with a tie-dying craft allowing the Cubs to show their artistic side whilst a slacklining activity allowed them to show their physical prowess and challenge their fears. At the third base, each Cub set and followed a tracking sign trail through the woods at Duke’s Covert, as well as to taking a physical and social challenge by following a blindfold string trail.

In addition to the activity bases, we made up for the absence of our wonderful Chef as each Cub to made their own picnic lunch and there was also time for a bit of wood collecting and several games of ‘sardines’ across the campsite, before we left the site just in time to get home for the football.

Scouts Hike and Camp weekend

Split into teams of five or six, with younger teams accompanied by adult volunteers and older teams navigating themselves (supervised from a distance) the first challenge was finding the footpath at the end of the village! Scouts hiked 13.6km through fields, down paths, up a Lincolnshire hill (Minnetts Hill, to be precise, which definitely gets the heart going!) and alongside RAF Barkston Heath to reach their destination. The weather was mixed, with much time spent either putting on or taking off waterproofs, and there was one huge downpour that tested even the best Gore-Tex and walking boots!

Arriving at Duke’s, Scouts then had to put up their tents, cook their tea on stoves, and then had time to chill out (some played Uno in tents, others suddenly found the energy to play football, while a brave few listened anxiously while the England match and penalties were broadcast from Sam’s phone). We were finally blessed with reasonable weather and even some blue skies!

Bedtime soon came around then before we knew it, it was time to get up, get breakfasted, and get the hiking boots back on. Sunday’s route was shorter at 8.4km, with teams once again leaving at five minute intervals to head out of Duke’s towards Kelby and on to Cultherthorpe Park before heading to the village hall carpark at Aisby to meet with parents. The hike routes involved a lot simpler logistics than moving all the Scouts’ kit around!

It was a quick 29 hour blast of great Scouting in the damp outdoors, spending fun time with friends and making the most of the beautiful countryside around our locality.

Next stop…. Summer Camp!

We currently have spaces in our Beaver Colony and Cub Pack for girls and boys aged 6-8 (Beavers) and 8-10½ (Cubs) in our Group. We are also looking for a Beaver Leader to run our Beaver Colony. If you’re interested and would like to find out more, please contact us at 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk

Thank you, RotarySwimarathon!

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 11:59:15 GMT

Amazing donation for trip to Brownsea Island

With February’s Rotary Club of Grantham Swimarathon event a dim winter memory, we were delighted to be invited to join over one hundred volunteers from 30+ local groups, along with the Swimarathon’s generous corporate sponsors, to the annual Presentation Evening at Harlaxton Church.

In its 35th year, the RotarySwimarathon raises money for local charities and deserving causes in and around Grantham. From the first event in 1990 to the present day, the team has raised over £1 million for the local area, with some startling statistics:

· 6,400 teams

· 38,378 swimmers

· 761,000 lengths swum (that’s 11,000 (ish) miles…..

At this year’s Swimarathon 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scout Group had 16 Cubs and Scouts in the water, a small percentage of the 1,392 swimmers who took part overall, and raised over £450 in sponsorship.

We subsequently applied to the Rotary team for funding towards our joint Summer Camp with 1 ^st Foston Scout Group. This camp will see 51 Scouts and Explorers head to Dorset for an activity holiday of a lifetime. The list of activities on offer is too long to include here, however the highlight of the week, and the part we asked for financial help with, is a two-day expedition to Brownsea Island. This is the birthplace of Scouting, where Lord Baden-Powell took 20 boys to participate in an experimental project which led to the creation of Scouting back in 1907 https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/our-history/our-online-exhibitions/the-early-days-of-scouting/brownsea-island-trialling-scouting/

We were absolutely delighted to hear that the Rotary Club of Grantham Swimarathon has donated an amazing £1,300 toward our event, specifically to cover the cost of the ferry transport to the island and the costs of the camp while we’re there. This was beyond our wildest expectations and we’re thoroughly delighted with this generous gift. Thank you.

Watch this space for photos of our camp, especially as we trace our Founder’s footsteps, thanks to the RotarySwimarathon. [link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY8szVPtN9I]

….Shall we book lanes again for 2025? Plus a ‘parents and leaders’ lane too…?

Hillwalking weekend in the Peak District

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:07:06 GMT

Caythorpe Scouts braved the weather!

Following the huge success of the last ever ‘Jamboree on the Trail’ international Scouting event last year, Caythorpe Scouts joined forces with 9 ^th Grantham, 2 ^nd Grantham and Ancaster Scouts to head back to the Hope Valley and run our own hillwalking weekend.

On Friday 7 June, 19 Caythorpe Scouts and seven of our volunteer leaders excitedly set off for the Peak District straight after school and work. With cars and the Group Trailer loaded up, Scouts arrived at Pindale Farm Outdoor Centre ( https://www.pindalefarm.co.uk / ) between 19:00 and 20:00, ready to pitch their tents, listen to the full safety briefing then enjoy a hot chocolate in hope of a good night’s sleep. It was great to be pitched with our fellow District Scouters; Scouts were able to rekindle friendships from previous joint events while volunteers caught up on weather forecasts and last-minute plans.

It rained. Almost all night long. So, faced with a damp start and varying degrees of sleep attained we all needed a hearty breakfast, which was gratefully received. Thanks Sarah, Mark and Sam. Once breakfast was cleared away and packed lunches were made, the Scouts got into their teams ready for a final kit check (thank you Gary for sharing the contents of your magic bag of spare water proofs, walking trousers, fleeces etc!) before heading out to hike.

The routes had been carefully planned in advance with the majority of our Scouts in two groups. On day one, younger and less experienced Scouts stayed in ‘T0’ terrain, taking in Lose Hill, Hollins Cross and a descent back to Castleton; a fantastic ridge walk that gives a beautiful panorama of both the Edale and Hope valleys. Meanwhile, the older, more experienced teams ventured into T1 terrain, climbing from Edale, up the jagged rocks of Grindsbrook Clough onto the plateau of Edale Moor. Skirting the peak of Kinder Scout where they ventured in and out of the standing rocks of Crowden Tower and Wool Packs. Making use of our more qualified T1 permit holders meant we could climb above 500 metres and enter more remote terrain, enhancing the experience of our Young People through stretching their boundaries.

Scouts and Leaders alike found the hikes challenging; for many it was their first venture into hillwalking and it’s hard to know what to expect when you’re only 10 or 11 years old. Whereas last year the weather was incredibly kind to us, this year we weren’t so lucky so dynamic assessments were made on Sunday morning and we altered the original intent to swap groups for a repeat of Saturday. Instead, the older Scouts took on the slightly more benign challenge of climbing Win Hill and Winhill Pike, this time offering superb views of the Ladybower and Derwent reservoirs. Meanwhile the younger scouts got to tackle Kinder Scout from Edale, albeit taking a more moderate route up Ringing Roger. Making good time, they took the opportunity to navigate, through the wind and rain, to the OS Trig point at 590 metres on Edale Moor before heading on to a WWII aircraft crash site where the wreckage can still be seen alongside a memorial and floral tributes. Some may say that it’s not as much fun walking in inclement weather, but through experience and with the right kit, the challenge can make it more appealing than fine conditions. Further, it does help Scouts learn more about the risks and how to manage them, involved with sudden changes in weather and some got to have a practice go using a group Bothy Bag to shelter in whilst having lunch and see how to use it and what it’s like inside. All good experience and skills for when they embark on non-accompanied expeditions such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award over the next few years.

Despite the weather, the Scouts had a great weekend which has once again given them the opportunity to test their map reading and navigation skills, help and encourage each other as well as finding the energy to carry on when it would have been so easy to turn around and head back to the campsite.

Huge thanks as always go to all the parents who worked out lift-sharing plans to get the Scouts to and from the campsite (a three and a half hour round-trip) as well as our volunteer leaders for giving up their weekend and family time to get our Scouts out into the Peak District for this amazing experience.

PGL Activities Day

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 09:51:13 GMT

Scouts and Cubs Indulge In a Day of Adventurous Activities

On 1 June, the 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scouts and Cubs were invited by the PGL Activities Centre at Caythorpe Court . We were so lucky to have been given the opportunity by this local, community spirited centre to undertake a number of challenging and fun activities that are normally the privilege of an organised school residential or a private family holiday.

We split the large group into smaller teams and rotated around several activities throughout the day. An action-packed programme had been arranged by the PGL team, including Joe who also happens to be one of our volunteers.

We were treated to activities on the giant Stand-Up Paddle Board where we managed to get an entire team on one board. Learning how to control the board and work together as a team saw the groups paddling across the lake and having to lay down, to allow them to pass under the low bridge. The finale was an opportunity for the Scouts to ‘walk the plank’ into the water, building their physical courage so that they could wilfully jump into the less than warm water.

Also on offer was the giant swing. This really is a giant swing where up to 3 young people are harnessed onto the swing seat and the rest of their team raise them up to a height, dictated by the participants before one of those seated pulls a rope to release the swing. Again, an opportunity to build physical courage whilst controlling their own destiny and ultimately experience the reward of freefalling toward the ground before settling into a nice, if not excessive swinging motion.

The zipwire was another favourite, launching from a high tower, along approximately 150 metres of cable whilst suspended in a sit harness. Such was the perceived challenge, it took a couple of the Scouts a few attempts to pluck up enough courage but geed along by their peers, all succeeded.

PGL did not disappoint with their expert instruction on the climbing wall. With state-of-the-art safety equipment, the instructor expertly encouraged our Scouts up the climbing wall with many breaking their own personal record and getting higher that they had achieved in previous years. Again, with differing perceptions of challenge and fear, many of our Scouts took the well natured encouragement from their peers and leaders alike to meet their own personal goals.

The whole event gave the Scouts and Cubs a fantastic day. A massive thanks to PGL for letting us come and play on your equipment, providing excellent instruction and having a picnic in a fantastic setting with amazing views out across the Trent Valley.

All Outdoors!

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 07:53:37 GMT

Beavers and Cubs head to Duke’s

Last Thursday our Beavers and Cubs headed over to Duke’s Covert campsite to enjoy an evening in the great outdoors. Whilst it wasn’t a joint meeting as such, it was great to get everyone outdoors in the fresh air.

Beavers had a great time using the knots they had practised before half term. The challenge for the evening was to make a shelter. Danny helped the Beavers decide the best place to put a shelter, how to use our new shelter building kits (thanks Mark and Sarah) and where to find extra materials to make the shelter top notch.

While Beavers were busy den building, Cubs were learning about the different types of tree we have at Duke’s Covert. Chil (Cub's Young Leader) planned a session including bark and leaf rubbing, tree identification as well as measuring trees to get an idea of how old they might be.

Of course the session finished with some games played all together under the. Next week Tic Tac is looking forward to the Big Bug Hunt, an annual event which sees Beavers and Cubs try to find as many different minibeasts as possible.

1st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert is a rural Scout Group, usually meeting at Caythorpe Village Hall on Thursday evenings in Lincolnshire schools’ term time. We currently have spaces for girls and boys in Beavers (aged 6-8) and Cubs (aged 8 to 10 and a half). Please email 1stcaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk or call our lead volunteer on 07921 213474 to find out more.

Scout Experience Survey 2024

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 18:56:56 GMT

Have your say in what makes Scouts great and how we could be even better.

Every year, at a national level, the Scouts run the Scout Experience Survey (SES) to find out what you think about Scouts. Whether you’re a young person, a volunteer, or a parent or carer, this survey is your chance to tell us what's working well for you in Scouts and what isn't.

As a thank you for taking part in the survey, everyone who completes the survey will get a voucher code for 20% off at Scout Store (terms apply). They’ll also enter all young people and volunteers who take part into a prize draw to win one of 20 prizes of £50 Amazon vouchers.

Please click here and share your views . You can also read the results from the 2023 survey here .

Scouts Survived Again

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Sun, 12 May 2024 12:32:57 GMT

Third Year Running

Thank you to Belle, Senior Patrol Leader, for writing up this camp report as part of her Media Relations and Marketing Badge

https://www.scouts.org.uk/scouts/activity-badges/media-relations-marketing/

On Friday 3rd May, 27 Scouts from 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert and 9 ^th Grantham (St. Anne’s) arrived at Duke’s Covert Campsite, Ancaster, ready to have loads of fun on a big adventure. The challenge was to survive for two nights outdoors with no tents and minimal cooking equipment.

Once everyone had arrived, we started scouting out areas to build our shelters. Each team of two or three people had two tarpaulins and some paracord. We carved sticks into tent pegs or used logs to weigh down the cover.

After hot chocolate, we settled down for the night to see if our shelter building was any good, as it was raining! Next morning, we woke up to find ourselves dry and that the rain had stopped and the sun had come out.

We collected sticks to start a fire to cook our breakfast, it was a real challenge to get the fires going with flint and steel and damp wood. When we managed it the bacon sandwiches were really tasty.

The older Cubs and their Young Leader arrived to join us for the day ready to join in the fun. This was an excellent opportunity for them to get to know the Scouts and their volunteer Leaders before moving up.

Danny, one of our volunteers, explained to us what the 5 C’s of survival were;

Cutting tool
Container
Cordage
Combustion
Cover

Danny then went on to amaze us with his foraging skills - who knew you could eat dandelions!

Sarah brought some crickets to try, some really liked them…

Lunch was again cooked by us on a fire made in our small teams. There was a selection of vegetables plus steak and fish all for us to cook in foil containers. Gary showed us how to prepare and cook a rabbit on a spit over the fire.

After lunch we played some games which we had loads of fun with. The younger Scouts and Cubs made survival paracord bracelets with a flint and steel and a whistle.

Dinner was an amazing campfire stew or curry with veggies and chicken prepared by older Scouts under Gary’s close supervision.

Cubs then went home, happy and tired after a fun packed day of activities and learning new skills.

More games - in the dark this time, followed by more hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows, then bed as we were all very tired after a busy day.

Sunday morning, we woke up to a cloudy morning which brightened up as we cooked our own breakfast of sausages. Then it was time to take down the shelters leaving it as clean and tidy as we would wish to find it.

It was great to be with 9th’s Scouts again after doing the London Monopoly Run with them in March and camping last year at Forest Fest.

Sam, our Scout Section leader said parents “…can be really proud. Great bunch of kids and it really feels like we have built up a terrific Troop that are now passing down the years, knowledge and experience from the older Scouts to the newer ones”.

Belle Giles (for my Media Relations and Marketing Badge)

Note - photos below in no particular order!

2024 AGM Minutes

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:54:27 GMT

Minutes now available

We held our Group AGM on Thursday 7 March at Caythorpe Village Hall.

Ple ase click here to read the minutes of the meeting.

Grantham District St. George's Day Parade

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:22:22 GMT

Sunday 21 April, 2024

On Sunday 21 April, Girl Guides, Brownies, Explorers, Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Squirrels and their volunteer leaders congregated at Grantham College ready for the annual Grantham District St. George’s Day Parade.

Two Young Leaders, twelve Scouts, eight Cubs and three Beavers from our Group attended the parade, where we were led by the marching band through the streets of Grantham to St Wulfram’s Church. During the service, led by Fr. Stuart Cradduck, we learned about St. George and the dragon, and audience participation was encouraged to see who was stronger; the district Dignitaries and Explorers, or a number of Squirrels and Beavers, in a game of tug o’ war. The result was surprising! The collection during the service was for the Newark Child Bereavement Centre for the Guides and Young Minds for the Scouts.

Read more here, and check out the photos to see if you can find our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts: https://www.lincsonline.co.uk/grantham/news/annual-st-george-s-day-parade-greatly-supported-by-town-9363002/

AGM Agenda, 7 March 2024

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:43:47 GMT

All are welcome, 7pm at Caythorpe Village Hall

On Thursday 7 March we'll be holding our AGM.

All are welcome to come along for a short review of our last financial year (January - December 2023) and to vote in our new Chair and Treasurer.

We're looking forward to seeing you then!

1st Caythorpe and 9th Grantham Scouts in London Monopoly Run

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 19:55:57 GMT

Playing ‘real life’ Monopoly on our capital’s streets

At 05:30 on Saturday morning, alarm clocks went off in households across Caythorpe and Grantham as 25 Scouts and 8 volunteer Leaders pulled themselves out of bed for a day trip to London like no other!

The build-up had been pretty intense, with lots of planning, lots of risk assessing, lots of questions, and the train drivers’ overtime ban threatening timetables and our plans in the days before the event. As these concerns were finally quelled, a new starting location in London was announced (after we’d planned the route from Kings Cross to Jubilee Gardens)… but we’re Scouts, we know to Be Prepared!

After quick ‘goodbyes’ to bleary-eyed parents at Grantham Station, we all jumped on the train and before we knew it we were arriving in London.

Our contingent from our two Scout Troops then split into five teams for the day; Wendsleydale, Zoltan, Eeeuurrrh, Tempest and Unicorn. We’d like it known that we’d never have the creativity to come up with such team names, these were allocated by the Monopoly Run team. We headed over to our new rendez-vous point, the Imperial War Museum, in the (cold) rain and waited for our 09:45 start time. It’s fair to say there was ‘a degree’ of competitiveness amongst our teams as we waited and plotted our strategies in separate areas of the park.

As the clock hit 09:45, the game started on the bespoke Monopoly Run Live App on our phones and off we headed, rather damp and chilly, towards our first check-ins!

Throughout the day the teams criss-crossed (or travelled in a structured, planned manner, depending on the team) across the Monopoly board locations, virtually checking-in, buying locations, paying rent, taking a ‘Chance’, completing challenges and the quiz. You can see each of the teams’ routes and activity throughout the day in the post-event analysis here:

As the day whizzed by, energy levels amongst the Scouts (and adults) ebbed and flowed. Fuelled by seemingly unlimited sweets and snacks everyone pushed through the sore feet, legs and tiredness to convene at Leicester Square before having a McDonalds tea and heading back to King’s Cross for the journey home.

The day in numbers:

25 Scouts from two Grantham District Troops
8 volunteer Leaders from two Grantham Groups
Distances travelled on foot varied between 10 and 20km
Somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 steps on the day per Scout
8,000 Scouts from across the UK taking part
1,395 teams playing at the same time
200 simultaneous games
Find out how our teams scored here

We’d like to express our huge thanks to the Monopoly Run team. They are volunteers and take the time to organise this fantastic event every year. They must spend hours and hours meticulously planning, organising, answering questions and creating all the communication materials (including the amazing App and event brochure) .

Thank you, Monopoly Run. Same time, next year?

Volunteer vacancy: Group Treasurer

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:39:05 GMT

Can you help?

Our Group Treasurer is no longer able to continue in the role, so we are therefore advertising the voluntary vacancy of Group Treasurer.

If you are interested in making a real difference to running our group, behind the scenes (this in a non-uniformed appointment), please contact either our current Chair or Lead Volunteer (Group Scout Leader) by email to find out more about the role. The appointment will be voted in at our AGM on Thursday 7 March, at Caythorpe Village Hall (time TBC, likely 7pm).

The role involves:

Being a member of the 1st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Board of Trustees.
Making all payments for the Group as a joint signatory.
Managing the Group’s income and expenditure through its online banking systems.
Completing formal accounts and end of year accounts including submission for review.
Setting and monitoring the annual budget in conjunction with the Trustees.
Attending Trustee meetings and financial meetings (max 5-6 per year).
The role takes approximately an hour a week once up and running and the administration can be tailored to the right volunteer’s preference. The outgoing treasurer is committed to a smooth handover process.

Training for the Trustee element of the role is provided online by The Scouts and the rest of the team are more than happy to help. A Scouts email address will be provided and ideally you’ll have used Microsoft 365 before. The Group can provide a laptop as required.

You will be required to have a basic understanding of keeping financial records and be comfortable with use of varied IT systems. Further, you must be prepared to be registered with HMRC and the Charities Commission as a Trustee, with Indemnity insurance being provided the the Scout Association.

Take a look at the Scout Association job description for details of the role.

Grantham District Night Hike

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:11:18 GMT

Wet, muddy, cold… and fun!

On Saturday evening, as most families would have been settling down for tea, 63 Scouts from across Grantham District were convening at Marston Village Hall in anticipation of the District Night Hike.

It’s the first time our Group has taken part for a number of years, so a new experience for everyone from Caythorpe who attended. A couple of weeks before the event we were sent risk assessments, kit lists and the meeting point details. As for the route(s)… a surprise!

Caythorpe Scouts entered four teams, a total of 20 Scouts. On arrival, and after a very thorough safety briefing, the teams were given a map and a list of co-ordinates, then planned their route. There were a number of different routes (stopping teams following each other…) which passed four checkpoints in total, with a team of adults also covering road and rail crossing points and some roving teams whose task it was to ensure the event ran smoothly and be on hand if needed. Once the routes and personal and team kit had been checked, the teams were sent out at timed intervals. The first teams managed to start walking just before dusk….

The four checkpoint bases were fun activities; a food tasting experience, making camp doughnuts, a game of charades and a team challenge to 'cross the river' (not the real river!).

‘Recollections may vary’ as to the distances covered by the teams, but leaders overheard ranges from 6km to 14km or 10 miles, and 20,000 to 40,000 steps!

We’re pleased to report that, despite the very heavy rainfall in the days before the event, all Scouts made it back to the village hall with their walking boots / wellies still on their feet, not stuck in the mud. The first teams started arriving back at base, weary-looking, around 10pm, with the final team after 11pm.

Out of the thirteen teams that took part, six completed the event in the correct order, within the time limit, without missing out any of the bases:

Position Team Time Combined points - bases & walking

1 1st Foston Team 4 2hr 35 234 points

2 1st Caythorpe Team 4 3hr 10 147 points

3 1st Foston Team 3 3hr 27 119 points

4 9th Grantham Team 1 3hr 35 106 points

5 1st Foston Team 2 3hr 26 104 points

6 1st Ancaster 3hr 52 55 points

Well done to 1st Foston for putting in a tremendous effort and winning the event, and congratulations to our very own Team 4 for coming second!

We think we’ve reunited all the lost kit with the correct Scouts – there were a few lonely, muddy walking boots left after the event. If you’ve not seen yours yet, please do get in touch.

Huge thanks go to the organising team for the immense effort and organisation they put into this District event; on the night we had 15 Explorer Scouts and 26 adults on duty, ensuring that the event ran smoothly and without incident, and that all the Scouts had fun! Thanks too to our Quartermasters, who sorted out the team kit so that our Scouts had map cases, compasses, whistles and first aid kits.

And a HUGE Well Done to all the Scouts who took part. Whatever the distance covered, in whatever time, it’s no mean feat to head out into the night with a team of peers and trust your map reading skills through muddy fields! #skillsforlife

Cubs and Scouts swim for RotarySwimarathon

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 17:08:25 GMT

Raising money for local good causes

This afternoon 16 of our Cubs and Scouts headed to The Meres Leisure Centre to join the huge community fundraiser, Grantham’s RotarySwimarathon.

In its 35th year, the RotarySwimarathon has the aim of raising monies for local charities and deserving causes in and around Grantham. From the first event in 1990 to the present day, the team has achieved its aims, with the event going from strength to strength every year, celebrating a fantastic grand total of £1 million raised during yesterday’s event.

Our Scout Group was a beneficiary of Rotary funding during 2023, with just with a very generous £1,000 being donated towards our new camping equipment, for which we are all very grateful.

So far, we can report the following statistics from today’s event:

Lane 6 swam 186 lengths
Lane 7 swam 159 lengths
£160 cash handed to the Swimarathon team
£305 raised via our JustGiving page

We’re incredibly proud of the efforts of each and every one of our swimmers today. They were all helping and supporting each other, cheering each other on, and we even had one swimmer dancing on poolside! Thank you all, Cubs and Scouts. We're sure you'll all sleep well tonight.

f you’d like to contribute to our fundraising effort, please click: https://www.justgiving.com/page/caythorpe-scouts-swimarathon2024

To find out more about the fundraising efforts and amazing local sponsors, visit the event’s website https://rotaryswimarathon.org/ . We’re expecting all the team photos from the event to be in this week’s Grantham Journal.

....The big question as all the Cubs and Scouts are recovering this evening….. three lanes next year???

Junk Modelling for the Builder Activity Badge

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 17:02:12 GMT

Beavers find solutions to help the world

On a dark January evening in Caythorpe Village Hall, our Beaver Scouts set about trying to solve a very big problem.

Their brief: Create a machine to help the world. Which problem would they tackle? Climate change? Energy production? Eco-friendly transport? Saving endangered animals? Tackling plastic pollution?

They had to think about the problem, design the solution, and create a list of materials required to build their machine. (Parents were also briefed to collect toilet rolls and empty milk bottles, cartons and boxes.)

Roll forward two weeks and our Beavers showed just how creative today’s six and seven year olds are! Although they encountered a few technical issues (not enough time, not sticky-enough sellotape), in the end we had some incredible builds. Our solutions ranged from machines to pick up rubbish, plant flowers, trees and seeds (all very different in design) to sucking up pollution from the sea and saving endangered animals. We all enjoyed hearing about their thoughts and the build process before heading home at the end of the meeting.

Well done Beavers!

We have spaces for girls and boys aged 6-8 in our Beaver Colony. We will also have a vacancy for the Beaver Scout Leader once our current leader, Tic Tac, steps down before the summer, and are keen to ensure a thorough handover beforehand. Please contact us on 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk to discuss and find out more.

Volunteer vacancy: Chair of the Trustee Board

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 12:31:17 GMT

Volunteering is #GoodForYou!

Our Group Chair has almost reached the end of their term and decided not to continue in the role, so we are therefore advertising the voluntary vacancy of Group Chair.

Details of the role:

The Chair will lead the Trustee Board, ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities within the Group. The Chair will work closely with the Group Scout Leader to achieve the purpose of The Scout Association through the development of local Scouting, in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

Responsible for: Trustee Board Members.

Responsible to: The relevant Scout Council.

Appointment requirements: Must successfully complete the appointment process (including acceptable personal enquiries and acceptance of The Scout Association's policies). It expected that whilst volunteering for this role you will undertake regulated activity.

Responsibilities include:

Objectively and impartially chairing and facilitating Trustee Board meetings.
Acting as the Chair of the relevant Scout Council.
Planning the annual cycle of Trustee Board meetings and setting the agenda for those meetings.
Monitoring that decisions and actions agreed at Trustee Board meetings are implemented.
Working closely with the GSL to ensure there are long term and short term goals and the role the Trustee Board can play in helping to achieve these.
Providing direction for the Trustee Board.
Ensuring that all Trustee Board members have been briefed and inducted into their roles, receive appropriate training, and are aware of their status as charity trustees.
Addressing and resolving conflicts that arise.
Membership and attendance of any working groups or sub-Committees set up by the Trustee Board, where appropriate.

General Trustee Board responsibilities:

To be a full and active participant in Trustee Board meetings and activities.
To uphold the responsibilities of a Trustee Board as outlined in The Scout Association’s Policy Organisation and Rules.
Willingness and eligibility to act as a Charity Trustee for the Group, District or County/Area/Region.
Contribute to the strategic aims and future development of the Group, District or County/Area/Region.
An understanding of their own role, and the role of others on the Trustee Board.
A commitment to understanding and forming opinions on the key discussion points and responsibilities of the Trustee Board.
Willingness to complete various tasks which support the work of the Trustee Board and aims of the Group, District or County/Area/Region

Skills for a Chair:

Strong leadership skills
Strong communication and inter-personal skills
Ability to work as part of a team
Able to think creatively and solve problems
Able to motivate others and encourage participation
Able to handle and resolve conflict effectively
Willing to speak one’s mind and listen to the views of others.
Able to maintain independent and objective judgement
Willing to actively design and contribute to the strategic vision of the Group
Willingness to take decisions which will further the work of the Group
Other tasks agreed with the Line Manager
Further information is also available via The Scouts’ website, https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-things-locally/trustee-boards/trustee-roles-and-responsibilities/a-guide-for-the-group-chair/

Top Awards for Caythorpe Beavers, Cubs and Scouts

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 17:26:49 GMT

Bronze, Silver and Gold awarded this year

Today was the annual Grantham Scout District Awards Ceremony, and we’re delighted that four of our young people were invited to attend and collect their award certificates, which they earned between September 2022 and August 2023.

Huge congratulations to:

Bronze: Oliver and Max

Silver: Tommy

Gold: Thomas

Here’s a photo of Oliver and Thomas, proud as punch, having received their respective Bronze and Gold certificates. Bronze, Silver and Gold Chief Scout's Awards are the top awards that young people can earn in each of our sections; Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

More of our Scouts joined us after the awards ceremony for renditions of Christmas Carols and lots of giggles as the Snowman and Father Christmas were handing out chocolates, playing pass-the-parcel and joining in the fun.

Huge thanks to Grantham District Scouts for organising this afternoon’s events, and for supporting our Group and running lots of activities and events throughout the year.

Caythorpe Scout Group commemorates on Remembrance Sunday

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 16:42:39 GMT

A message from the Chair of our Volunteer Trustee Board

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

"As Chair of the Volunteer Trustee Board of 1st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert Scout Group and a member of the Leadership Team, I wanted to express our pride and gratitude for the fantastic turnout of our young people at today's Remembrance Parade and Service in Caythorpe."

"We were very proud to see so many smart and well-behaved Beavers, Cubs and Scouts; they truly represented the best of Caythorpe and the Scout movement – an absolute credit to our Group. Of particular note, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron specifically highlighted how good it was to see us so honourably paying tribute to those that had made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you"

Sam Bennett

Chair of Trustee Board - 1st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert Scout Group

Beavers and Cubs take on King Arthur’s Challenge

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:49:56 GMT

25 hours of fun and #skillsforlife

This weekend twenty-one of our Beavers and Cubs spent a fantastic 25 hours learning #skillsforlife under the guise of King Arthur’s Challenge, all based in and around Caythorpe.

The weekend’s activities kicked off with learning all about King Arthur. Beavers and Cubs were briefed on how they would be facing lots of challenges over the weekend, attempting to earn their spurs and achieve the honour of a place at King Arthur’s Round Table.

The morning’s challenges cleverly linked the virtues of being a Knight (or Dame!) with the skills we learn in Scouting. The Beavers and Cubs spent time remembering their Scout Promise, lighting candles (then spending a minute in vigil looking at the flame), exploring the Church, talking about the Countryside Code and learning Emergency Aid skills. We’d like to thank our friends at St Vincent’s Church for letting us take over the church for a few hours and run our activities there; it was a perfect venue.

After lunch our Knights (and Dames)-in training headed to Caythorpe Park to let off a bit of steam and explore the power of flight with pop bottle rockets carefully set off by Tim (see video!). They then practiced the strength, agility and balance needed to be a knight on the playground. Just as the heavens opened they headed to the Village Hall, where Tic Tac had been busily preparing their evening meal of pork, jacket potatoes, vegetables and salad.

The evening’s activities included the final part of the Emergency Aid activity, which was learning about dialling 999 (because Knights need to help others) and learning from a real-life 999 call handler (Mysa, one of our volunteer leaders). Our Knights and Dames enjoyed their banquet and a Pokeman quiz (we can’t link that to the theme, sorry…), set up their own tents and beds in the main hall (Knights need to be prepared, and also need lots of good sleep) and watched The Sword in the Stone before settling for the night in our new blackout pop-up tents.

Sunday morning started with a hearty breakfast and striking camp before more badgework; exploring the world around us with experiments about vinegar, water density, air powered lego cars, as well as crafting including bead woggles, hama beads, lolly stick catapults and pumpkin man twizzlers. They could also play table tennis, and all wished one of our Beavers a very Happy Birthday.

The sleepover ended at midday with our newly-qualified Knights and Dames being awarded their Spurs (a certificate) and being promoted to a place at the Round Table under their chosen knightly name. They were then collected by parents, and undoubtedly collapsed in a tired heap on arrival at home.

Thanks as always to our wonderful team of volunteer leaders, with special credit to our Young Leaders who braved the elements and slept in tents outdoors (yes, that is ice on the top of the tent in the photo below) and to our Beavers and Cubs for their excellent listening skills and participation, really getting in the swing of our brilliant sleepover. Who knew that sleeping in tents in a village hall could be so much fun!?!

We currently have spaces for Beavers (age 6-8) and Cubs (age 8-10½) in our Group, and are always grateful to any adults who would like to volunteer their time to help us and make it all happen. Please get in touch ( 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk ) if you’d like to find out more.

Messy Night 2023

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 09:17:54 GMT

Celebrating the end of another Scouting Year!

It’s the Group meeting that everyone looks forward to all year, and a long-standing tradition for 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scout Group…. Messy Night!

(All risk assessed, of course.)

Akela can be thanked (blamed) for organising this year’s activities: shaving a balloon (don’t ask!), creating artwork with flour, water pistol duelling, drawing on backs with flour paste (sorry parents!) and picking a toy out of a gunky washing-up bowl… with your toes! The photos tell you everything you need to know.

The evening’s finale was a full-on, all-member water fight, and as you’ll see from the photos, everyone got involved with certain leaders taking great delight in fully participating.

So it’s time to wish everyone a very happy summer holiday. Enjoy the time off school and Scouting (except those heading to Forest Fest next week… we hope you all have a fantastic time and we’ve got our fingers crossed that the weather forecasters have all got it very wrong), and we’ll see you all, raring to go, in September ��

Caythorpe Beavers and Cubs visit Brant Broughton Fire Station

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 20:27:15 GMT

Important fire safety lessons, in a fun environment!

On Thursday 15 June, 11 Beavers and 16 Cubs embarked on a visit to Brant Broughton Fire Station. Ian Taylor, Watch Manager, very kindly organised the visit – which was recently awarded the ‘Beacon Stations’ highest achiever in the annual station visit. This is a massive achievement and reflects the dedication, time and effort that the volunteers put in, keeping us safe and being there for us when most needed. Great job and very well deserved!

The visit is very much linked in with our Scouting fire safety badgework and general understanding of fire and home safety. We were very warmly greeted by Roxy, Arthur, Paul and Elliot at the entrance, split in to three ‘teams’ and off we went......

The first team, led by Paul, had a sit down in the ‘training’ room. There was a talk about fire safety, home fire plans and general awareness around what to do and what not to do! It was great to talk about this with our Beavers and Cubs.

The second team, led by Roxy, were shown all the ‘kit’ that the fire crews have to wear for their call outs. Helmets, boots, jackets and trousers were quickly put on, though they swamped most of our children! But it certainly gave them food for thought with regards to the weight of all the kit, and more importantly the protection it gives the crews when attending a shout.

The third team was led by Arthur and Elliot – they went out to the tender! Need I say more…………… Well yes! Wide eyes and lots of excitement, not only seeing what kit the tender stores, even sitting in the cab with the lights flashing and sirens blasting out – but they all got to use the hose (under very close supervision) and knock some cones over at a distance! The teams were rotated so they each had about 20 / 25 minutes in each area – it was so exciting and interesting we overran a little bit – with great enthusiasm and focus!

This was not only a very exciting visit for our Beavers and Cubs, but more importantly a fun way of getting over to them what safety means personally and around our homes. Please, as parents / guardians, ask them what they did, encourage that conversation to help build their understanding. They were all focused on the night – let’s keep that going. Hopefully our young people will remember important aspects like fire plans, escape routes, and the importance of smoke alarms – located in the right place and regularly tested!

We can’t thank Ian and the crew enough for their efforts. It was a fantastic evening run by trained professionals, who like us are volunteers, and gave their time up for our young people. Thank you!!!

Jamboree on the Trail 2023

Tue, 23 May 2023 10:30:32 GMT

Caythorpe Scouts conquer Peak District Hills, and sleep in brand new tents, thanks to Grantham's RotarySwimarathon!

On Friday 12 May, Scouts from 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert excitedly set off for the Peak District straight after school, joining the international Scouting event, Jamboree on the Trail ('JOTT': https://jott.org.uk/ ) With cars and the Group Trailer loaded to the gunnels, the journey’s excitement peaked as most in the convoy pulled into McDonalds for a quick tea.

Arriving at Pindale Farm Outdoor Centre ( https://www.pindalefarm.co.uk/ ) a while before dusk, the tents were pitched and mess tent set up ready for hot chocolate and the hope of a good night’s sleep ahead of the challenges that lay ahead.

On Saturday morning, with various levels of sleep attained (seemingly the Scouts managed a better night than the volunteer Leaders) and a hearty breakfast served and cleared away, the Scouts got into their teams ready for the off. We shared Leaders with other Groups from Grantham District and Lincolnshire County, to ensure that those heading up into ‘T1’ (Terrain 1 – 500m above sea level) had Leaders with the correct activity permits.

The routes had been carefully planned in advance, with Scouts from some teams having done the work themselves, then self-navigating, in order to qualify for the Expedition activity badge. The majority of our Scouts were in two teams, the first covered Lose Hill and Hollins Cross on day one and Win Hill on day two while the second team ventured into T1 terrain, taking in the edges of Kinder Scout via Grindsbrook Clough and Jacob’s Ladder on day one and the ridge from Lose Hill to Mam Tor and around onto the Limestone Way on day two.

Scouts and Leaders alike found the hikes challenging; for many Scouts it was their first venture into hillwalking and it’s hard to know what to expect when you’re only 10 or 11 years old. We were really lucky with the weather, which helped, as the sun came out on Saturday afternoon and stayed with us for the rest of the weekend. The Scouts showed grit, resilience and determination as they continued to walk through sore legs and blisters. They all learnt, or refreshed their memories on, map reading, navigating, teamwork and finding the courage to carry on, when all they wanted to do was sit down with a cup of tea!

Before we knew it, the second hike was over and everyone returned to strike camp, trying desperately to fit everything back into the cars and heading home for a well-deserved relax before school on Monday morning!

Groups attending:

· 1 ^st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert

· 2 ^nd Grantham

· 9 ^th Grantham

· 1 ^st Grasby

· 1st Wainfleet

· Viking Explorer Scout Unit

We’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to the team at Grantham’s RotarySwimarathon, who have kindly donated just over £1,000 to 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scout Group. Some of this money has been put towards the new expedition tents that we used for the first time in the Peak District. Our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and volunteers are truly grateful for this incredibly generous donation. Thank you!

Alex, one of our younger Scouts, wrote this summary of his weekend away:

On 12 ^th May I set off on an adventure to join our Scout Group in Derbyshire. We put up our tents at Pindale Farm on the first few hours of our arrival. This was the first outing for our new tents!!

On the second day we all woke up at 6:45 and got ready for breakfast, served under our mess tent (the heart of the campsite). We had the options of Weetabix, Cornflakes, Scrambled Egg and pancakes. After breakfast, we made our own sandwiches with ham or cheese, a selection of fruit and some crisps and two chocolate bars. We packed our bags for the hike and put everything away in our tents neatly and shut the tents doors.

There was a total of 49 Scouts & Explorers from different Groups all coming together for our hikes. We were split into 3 different groups, my group went up a mountain called Mam Tor, I did 51,356 steps and walked 29.13 km. The view from the mountains was spectacular, I could see for miles. It was very busy up there, lots of hikers, bikers, dogs and paragliders! It was great walking with my friends and 2 Leaders who were with us – especially as they treated us to Ice Cream at the end of our hike.

When we got back to the camp site, we rested for a while, got showered and had our dinner. On day 3 (Sunday) we set off again after having our breakfast and making our pack ups. It was very misty first thing but soon the sun came through and warmed us all up. I did 34,283 steps and walked 20.1 km (so my watch says!). On arrival back at camp, it was time to strike our tents, pack everything away and make sure the site was left clean and tidy for the next people to enjoy.

Beavers brighten up Caythorpe Village Hall, thanks to B&Q

Fri, 12 May 2023 10:11:47 GMT

Grantham’s B&Q store donates bedding plants and tools

1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Beavers had great fun learning new skills last night as they rolled up their sleeves and spent the evening planting seeds and bedding plants.

Using compost from local gardens and the village hall’s own compost bin, the Beavers learnt about how compost forms, the benefits it brings to our environment, and how to use it in pots and on flower beds.

They then spent time planting a variety of seeds, and the bedding plants that had been kindly donated by Grantham’s B&Q store. We send a huge Scouting 'THANK YOU' to B&Q!!

They’ve also planted pumpkin seeds to take home and grow in a competition. As Hallowe’en approaches, we’ll see who has grown the largest pumpkin!

All this exciting outdoor activity has counted towards lots of different badges for the Beavers, including the Gardener activity badge and the Community Impact badge, as our Group works closely with Caythorpe Village Hall to help improve the local environment for the residents of Caythorpe and local villages.

We currently have spaces in our Beaver Colony for girls and boys ages between six and eight years old. If you’d like to find out more, please email 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk.

Scouts’ Survival Camp

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Tue, 09 May 2023 09:35:47 GMT

Tents… who needs tents?

Last Friday evening 19 Scouts and seven volunteer Leaders made their way from the relative civilisation of their homes and comfy beds, into the woods of Duke’s Covert just as a big thunderstorm rumbled its last, thankfully fading into the distance. It was here, amongst the ancient woodland, the singing birds and so it would turn out, a badger or two, that they would make home for the next two nights.

After flag break, a quick safety briefing from the Leaders and splitting into teams, the Scouts (and Leaders) set about building their shelters. The only equipment that the teams were given for the task was a bundle of cord and two plastic sheets measuring approximately 8’ x 4’. There were a few interesting variations on a theme and definitely some variations in build standards, but after the Leaders had ensured everything was safe and would get the teams through the forecast night of showers, the Scouts unpacked and set up their beds. Then it was off out into the woods for outdoor wide-games finishing up by the campfire for hot drinks and a snack before bed.

Most of the Scouts finally settled at around 2200 hrs but inevitably, the laughter and chat didn’t completely stop there, especially when some of the Scouts started sharing their ghost stories. Unfortunately (depending on your viewpoint) the weather conditions weren’t perfect, meaning the design and quality of the shelters were tested throughout the night by showers that passed through.

Up in the morning and after a quick ablutions break the teams were issued with mess tins, flint and steel, cotton wool, tin foil and a metal coat hanger, and each Scout was given bacon and a bread roll. Each team had to dig their own little fire pit and work out how to cook their bacon, not using the mess tins (which was for drinks only). Some ended up making a frying pan from the foil and hangers (which actually worked quite well!) while others cooked their bacon on a stick. All ended up having a pretty decent breakfast, with the Leaders ensuring nobody went hungry. Given the time that took, we didn’t have long before it would be necessary to start making lunch. For this, the Scouts were encouraged to come up with their own recipes from a selection of venison, beef, peppers, onions, whole sea bass, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. We don’t do things by halves at Caythorpe Scouts! Some opted for kebabs. Some baked and steamed. Leader Gary showed them a hot smoker and all had a chance to have some smoked venison and fish. It was really impressive how they all worked in their teams to achieve their goal and even more impressive how they tried new foods that some had said they would never eat.

The rest of the afternoon flew by with more games and the Scouts making their own survival bracelets with built in flint, steel and whistles. Then our thoughts turned to our evening meal, with Scouts helping the Leaders cook pork casserole and BBQ chicken casserole with baked potatoes all cooked over the fire. Then it was time for another game, marshmallows, campfire and songs before bed. This time, it was a much quieter night.

More rain fell through the night, and despite some running repairs throughout the previous day, not all Scouts escaped completely dry. Fortunately, this was contained mainly to only those that had not been as focussed as they could have been on their shelter maintenance, so likely a lesson well learned.

Clearing the camp was cinch with no tents to dry and pack away. The Leaders provided breakfast of sausage baps whilst the Scouts took down their shelters, filled in the fire pits and swept the site for any rubbish or evidence of the camp. Then at 1030, after a quick debrief, parents and carers took away their muddy, smokey, weary Scouts, presumably for pressure washing off in the back garden before catching up on the King’s Coronation TV footage!

Hopefully the Scouts left having enhanced their physical and mental resilience, and learnt about some priorities of survival through some fun activities. Many of them faced challenges through the weekend but as teams and as a Troop it was heart-warming to see how they pulled together to share skills and ideas. They can all sleep well in their comfy beds being proud of what they achieved.

Grantham District St. George's Day Parade

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Mon, 01 May 2023 20:46:34 GMT

Sunday 23 April, 2023

On Sunday 23 April approximately 300 Girl Guides, Brownies, Explorers, Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Squirrels and their volunteer leaders congregated at the bus station in Grantham ready for the parade. This was led by a marching band, leading us down the high street to St Wulfram’s Church. Given the heavens opened for most of the morning, we were extremely lucky that it eased considerably, only a few drops at the very start, and on the march back to the station no rain at all.

We all paraded in to a very full church, our flag bearers came in after we were all seated, they went up the main aisle to the front, were they remained during the service.

The theme of the service this year was ‘helping others’ and particularly thinking of our brother and sister Scouts and Guides in parts of the world that are affected by war or natural disaster. The ‘Welcome & Opening Prayer’ was conducted by Fr. James Titley, Scout District Chaplain.

A collection was made during the service by the Guides for Grantham Foodbank and by the Scouts for the Scouting Federation of Turkey.

We were entertained in church by the rather enthusiastic organ playing, probably the most notable one was the rendition of 'This Little Light of Mine'.

A number of awards were given out, including a Chief Scout's Bronze Award for one of our Beavers.... well done Max!

At the end we all got back in line to march back to the bus station, where very excited, albeit very cold parents were waiting to take their young ones home.

Caythorpe Scouts’ First Weekend Expedition

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:18:58 GMT

Caythorpe - Ancaster - Barkston - Oh what a hike!

It was bright and blustery last Saturday morning as twenty-two bright-eyed Caythorpe Scouts assembled on Back Lane, Caythorpe.

The expedition was the culmination of weeks of planning at Scout meetings; from learning map-reading skills and planning their route through to menu planning and learning about the essentials to pack for an expedition (as well as taking out those heavy, non-essentials, including the kitchen sink!). After registration and a safety briefing, the Scouts grouped into their teams and headed off, at five minute intervals. Older Scouts, including those working towards the final stages of their prestigious top award in Scouts, the Chief Scout’s Gold Award, were to hike unaccompanied in teams of at least four, whereas the younger, less experienced Scouts hiked in a larger team, accompanied by Leaders.

The marvels of modern technology meant that Leaders were able to track the teams as they headed along the footpaths and around the fields on the pre-agreed route. No-one got ‘toooo’ lost! Most teams stopped to enjoy their packed lunches in Ancaster (huge thanks to the generosity of the pavilion for letting them use their facilities) and then continued along the route to Duke’s Covert Campsite. Although the Scouts had been involved in planning the route, we heard that some were ‘bemused’ that they couldn’t just head down the High Dyke – a national speed limit, fast single carriageway – and had to go ‘the long way around’ to the campsite!

The day’s events weren’t over on arrival at the campsite as the Scouts then had to put up their tents and set about cooking their dinner. Again, the older Scouts cooked in their teams using our new stoves while the younger Scouts ‘helped’ their Leaders to cook. An evening of singing around the campfire followed, with most Scouts tucked up and asleep soon after 9pm. Quite an achievement, according to the Leaders!

Up bright and breezy on the Sunday morning (‘new time or old time?’ No-one was really sure!) breakfast was devoured, the wet tents were packed away, the campsite was cleared and off they headed towards the final rendez-vous, Barkston Playing Field. Luckily for the Scouts, all their kit (including tents) was transported to Barkston for them, lightening the load.

Parents greeted their tired offspring at Barkston, a survivors / group photo was taken and we all celebrated the fact that two of our Leaders had got engaged on the Friday evening. Congratulations Joe and Gen!

Next stop: Jamboree on The Trail – 12-13 May, putting into practice once again the expedition skills learned over recent weeks!

Caythorpe Scouts play real-life Monopoly on the streets of London

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 09:52:39 GMT

An action-packed day visiting all corners of London

Bright and early on Saturday 4 March, 16 members of 1 ^st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert Scout Troop, accompanied by their Leaders, were dressed for all weathers and excitedly waiting at Grantham Station for the 06:58 to Kings Cross. By 09:15 we’d achieved our first goal of the day; navigating our way to the London Eye at Jubilee Park, ready to start playing Monopoly Run Live.

It’s advertised as “an action-packed day visiting all corners of London”, and it certainly was. Over 8,000 Scouts and Guides from across the UK participated in the event, with 200 simultaneous Monopoly games taking place, pitting each team against seven others. In total, 1,386 teams were playing at the same time, four of them from Caythorpe! It was all cleverly managed by a bespoke app that guided us to specific locations on the Monopoly Board streets, set us various challenges and a quiz, and kept pinging us when we’d received rent or (more often than not) had to pay rent when we visited a location that had already been bought by a team within our game.

As each team planned its strategy (get Mayfair and Park Lane first, buy up all the local, cheaper, locations and hotels, or go for the utilities?), the starter hooter sounded, and hundreds of Scouts headed over The Hungerford Bridge to start their day.

For many of our younger Scouts, aged 10 and 11, it was their first time in London, and a very different experience from our regular activities such as camping and cooking on open fires. They quickly learnt new skills including navigating the London Underground, working out the London Bus routes, map reading and pacing themselves (both in terms of energy, and not eating all their snacks in the first half hour!). It was a fantastic way to see many of the sights in the Capital, over and above the Monopoly Board locations, including Buckingham Palace, The Houses of Parliament, and Covent Garden.

In between ‘checking-in’ online to the Monopoly Board locations, our teams enjoyed a well-earned break, eating their packed lunches in Covent Garden, Soho Square, Leicester Square and Mayfair. Some of the check-ins were much easier to find than others – the teams were guided by a photo in the app (perhaps a statue, flag or plaque) and had to be within a few metres of the location for their check-in to work. There was a real buzz in the air across London as we kept bumping into other Scouts and Guides (easily identifiable by our neckers); it was lovely to be able to say hello and know that they’re also part of the worldwide family of Scouting.

After a long and incredibly active day (our phones reported 20km walked, and over 20,000 steps), the four Caythorpe teams congregated at Leicester Square before heading back to Kings Cross, via a pit-stop at McDonalds, and home to Grantham. Meanwhile the bespoke app was busily calculating the winners in each of the 200 simultaneous games. We were delighted that our teams came in first, second, third and fifth places in our game, at which point we learned we were playing against three Explorer units from Andover. After being awarded a prestigious ‘Monopoly Run 2023’ badge, the excited but weary Scouts were reunited with their parents and headed home for a big sleep.

Part of Grantham Scout District, 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert is a growing Scout Group with big ambitions. We have active Beaver, Cub and Scout sections, and meet at Caythorpe Village Hall on Thursday evenings during term time (Scouts meet fortnightly, with a monthly outdoor meet at Duke’s Covert Scout Campsite). We often run additional activities at Duke’s Covert as well various camping and outdoor events throughout the year.

If you’d like to join the fun and be a part of our friendly Group, learning loads of exciting skills for life along the way, please get in touch. We currently have spaces for girls and boys aged 6 to 10 in our Beaver and Cub sections.

To arrange a taster session please email 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk

Beavers in the Woods!

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:30:30 GMT

Map reading and shelter building, #skillsforlife

On Sunday our Beavers had an exciting day at Duke’s Covert Scout Campsite, learning new skills including map reading and shelter building.

Spending the day at the campsite alongside our Scouts, the Beavers were cosily dressed for the day ahead. The day was all about having a go at new things, in a new environment, and trying their best. Not only did they navigate their way around the whole campsite (while avoiding the Scouts, who were playing Monopoly in the woods!), they also lit fires (under close supervision) and built a shelter. They even tried it for size!

Mealtimes matter in Scouting, and the Beavers enjoyed a hearty packed lunch with hot chocolate that was heated over the fire. A few toasted marshmallows kept them going throughout the afternoon to the end of the session.

If you’d like join the fun and be a part of our friendly Group, learning loads of exciting skills for life along the way, please get in touch. We currently have spaces for girls and boys aged 6 to 10 in our Beaver and Cub sections. Please email 1stcaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk and we’ll be straight back in touch!

Caythorpe Scouts join RotarySwimarathon

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:30:43 GMT

Raising money for local good causes

Yesterday, Sunday 5 February, seven intrepid Caythorpe Scouts swapped their uniform, neckers and usual outdoor activities for swim kit and goggles, and joined the huge community fundraiser, Grantham’s RotarySwimarathon.

In its 34 ^th year, the RotarySwimarathon has the aim of raising monies for local charities and deserving causes in and around Grantham. From the first event in 1990 to the present day, the team has achieved its aims, with the event going from strength to strength every year and raising over £940,000 so far.

While parents baked on poolside, cheering on our team, our Scouts achieved a remarkable 116 lengths in their 50 minute relay. Sheer grit and determination shone through, with comments including ‘my arms are broken’ not stopping the team swimming right to the end of the event. It was a huge achievement and we’re incredibly proud of the whole team.

So far we’ve raised over £125 in cash and online donations. If you’d like to contribute, please click here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/caythorpescouts

To find out more about the fundraising efforts and amazing local sponsors, visit the event’s website

https://rotaryswimarathon.org/ or pick up a copy of this week’s Grantham Journal to see all the team photos.

Scout Group AGM: agenda and minutes from last year

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 11:47:18 GMT

Thursday 2 February, 7pm, Caythorpe Village Hall

As advertised to parents on 13 December 2022, 1st Caythorpe and Duke's Covert Scout Group will be holding its AGM on Thursday 2 February, 7pm at Caythorpe & Frieston Village Hall.

We welcome and encourage all parents to attend; it’s your opportunity to have a quick reminder of all the brilliant activities our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts have been up to over the last year, as well as asking questions about and helping shape the Group going forwards.

Constitutionally, we need a quorum to run the AGM, including at least one parent / guardian representing each Section.

If you have any questions to put to the team but are unable to attend, please send them by email (1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk) before Thursday lunchtime.

Thank you.

Caythorpe Scout Group donates to Grantham Foodbank

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 17:14:14 GMT

Thanks to our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts for their generous donations

Last Thursday evening our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts celebrated the end of the Autumn Term with a Christmas party.

The plan had been to hold a ‘fuddle’, with everyone contributing food, sweet treats and drinks to share. However a very kind parent who owns a pizza take-away offered to supply pizzas for everyone! Of course we very politely (and quickly!) accepted the offer… but also still asked parents to gift any packaged food that they could, so we could in turn donate it to the Grantham Foodbank.

We were amazed to collect a huge bag and even ‘huger’ box of food and drink, so on Friday morning we set off to the Foodbank to donate our wares.

In total we gave 68kg of food, which is pretty incredible!

Thank you to everyone who contributed, as you can see from the attached certificate, our donations were greatly received.

To find out more about how Grantham Foodbank is feeding and supporting local people, please take the time to click here https://grantham.foodbank.org.uk/

Top Awards, and Carols at Caythorpe

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 13:42:57 GMT

A busy Sunday for Caythorpe Scout Group

Sunday 11 December was a busy day for many of our members; Scouts across Grantham District who had achieved their Chief Scout’s Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards were invited to a formal Awards Ceremony by Grantham District Scouts, which was swiftly followed by a Carol Service to celebrate the end of the Christmas Tree Festival at St. Vincent’s Church, Caythorpe.

Awards Ceremony

This was the first District Awards Ceremony since the pandemic, and we were delighted to invite a total of five Cubs and 12 Scouts from 1 ^st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert to the event, celebrating their respective Bronze and Silver Awards achieved over the last two years. Over 50 young members and 30 volunteers from across Grantham attended the event at Christchurch, Finkin Street. Well done to everyone who has earned these awards, it’s such a great achievement!

Carol Service

Hot on the heels of the Awards Ceremony was the Carol Service in Caythorpe. Our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts (not to mention Leaders, especially Leela!) have spent a lot of time over recent weeks preparing our Group Christmas Tree while also supporting St. Vincent's Church. Each child and Leader made at least one decoration – beautifully crafted with black and orange neckers, of course – to hang from our tree. We were absolutely delighted to find out that we had won the competition, with a very welcome prize of a tub of chocolates, which we’ll share at our forthcoming Christmas Party! We all enjoyed joining in the carols and having a chat over a mince pie at the end of the service.

Chiller 2022

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 21:42:52 GMT

Outdoor fun and adventurous activities at Walesby Forest

It was another early Saturday morning start as we met with over 350 Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from across Grantham District at The Meres Leisure Centre, ready to board our buses. After almost an hour on the bus (and only hearing ‘are we nearly there yet?’ a few times) we arrived at the fantastic venue for the day, Walesby Forest.

After a brief wait to register at the venue, we disembarked and met with Rama and Leela, who had already (very kindly) put up our event shelters for the day. There was a short ‘H&S’ briefing, then Scouts headed off in their groups to find their way around the site and search for the activities. Beavers and Cubs stayed together and had a go at a number of activities including caving, archery, indoor climbing (and abseiling) and circus skills. In between the activities we popped back to the shelters for snacks, lunch, and to check in with Rama.

The day was rounded off with trips to the Walesby Providore (shop) to hunt for souvenirs and sweets. As the activities closed, participants congregated at the ‘closing ceremony’ for a bit of an outdoor boogie, before heading back to the buses and back to Grantham. We’re only aware of one Beaver falling asleep on the bus home…..

Caythorpe Cubs and Scouts at PGL Caythorpe Court

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 16:04:07 GMT

A day of adventurous activities, new skills and bravery

On Sunday 9 October, 21 Cubs and Scouts, accompanied by leaders, were treated to a day at PGL Caythorpe Court. The weather took a kind break from the previous day’s torrential rain to allow us to experience a lovely day undertaking adventurous activities under the expert instruction of the PGL activities staff.

After a relatively early start for a Sunday, splitting into two patrols for the day, each patrol went their separate ways across the vast activities area. First up was archery. After some top-notch instruction, the young people were able to develop their skills and hone their accuracy before taking part in team points games. Then, it was off to the outside climbing wall. Here, the team were harnessed up onto an advanced auto-belay system that would provide complete safety whilst they challenged themselves with scaling the wall. From those who were scared of heights, through to those that seemed oblivious, the Cubs and Scouts were all suitably challenged, with many reaching the top and opting to undertake the more challenging routes to the summit.

After a packed lunch with the leaders and some of the instructors, we moved onto abseiling. After safety checks of their harnesses and connecting up to the double rope belay system, the young people were required to step under the safety railing, onto the ledge. After sitting back into their harness and building trust in their equipment, the Cubs and Scouts bravely lent back and began to lower themselves. It was very rewarding to see their confidence build to the point they were happy to kick themselves out, with some whooping in delight and others totally focussed and silenced whilst consumed with overcoming their demons and completing the task for the first time. The day finished up with the serious activity of air rifle shooting. After a range safety briefings and some dedicated instruction on how handle and get best accuracy from the air rifles, the young people undertook target shooting, developing their marksmanship principles. The day finished up with our newest Scout members being invested into the Scout Troop and Group.

This wonderful experience would not have been possible had it not been for two of our Scout Leaders (whose day job is as activity instructors at PGL), and the generosity of PGL. We are very lucky to have this fantastic resource within our community and we look forward to undertaking further activities with them next year.

Caythorpe & Duke’s Representation at Lincs County Youth Forum

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 14:33:20 GMT

Well done Thomas!

We’re delighted to confirm that one of our Scouts, Thomas, has been selected to help shape Scouting activities across Lincolnshire as part of the County Youth Forum.

At the start of the summer, youth members aged 13-17 were invited to apply for a position on the team. The forum is all about being 'Change Makers'; shaping the future of Scouting across Lincolnshire and ensuring that the opportunities are exciting for young people, and not just what ‘old folk’ (Leaders) think that the young people want to do. The forum members will be involved in decisions including where money is spent, as well as giving open and honest feedback, and at the same time having fun, making friends and gaining #SkillsForLife.

Over to Thomas…

Selection Day for the New Lincolnshire Youth Forum

I was invited to the Lincolnshire Youth Forum selection day which was held in Sleaford on Saturday 24th September. There were around eight of us from all over the County. We were set a range of interesting teamwork challenges including the dreaded pringles circle challenge. We were also set the easier challenge to build the London Eye from newspaper.

The candidates also discussed ideas for upcoming Scout events and awards. I would also like to congratulate Ellie Broome on finishing her Queen’s Scout Award and thank her and the County Youth Team for organising the day.

I am pleased to say I was selected and am looking forward to being part of the Lincolnshire Youth Forum.

Congratulations, well done Thomas!

Beavers and Cubs: Legendary Beasts Sleepover

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:14:13 GMT

Our first residential activity of the academic year

1 ^st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert Beavers and Cubs are already back in the swing of residential Scouting activities this academic year, having held a ‘Legendary Beasts’ themed sleepover at Caythorpe and Frieston Village Hall earlier this month.

Fourteen Beavers and Cubs participated in the first sleepover the Group has held in our new meeting venue. Activities included a Treasure Hunt around Caythorpe village, with a cash prize for the teams to spend in the village shop, as well as FIMO legendary beast craft modelling, indoor den building and lots of fun games in the village hall and the park. Saturday’s activities were rounded off with an indoor campfire and sing-song, with hot chocolate and biscuits before bedtime.

The den building activity was a crucial one to get right – the Beavers and Cubs spent the night in the dens they’d built!!! Fortunately they didn’t need to be draughtproof or waterproof as the dens were in the village hall for the night. Some of the more adventurous Scouts who were helping out at the sleepover did sleep in tents at the back of the village hall! Brrr!

The food was highly rated by participants, with Spanish chicken for dinner on Saturday night and pancakes, everyone’s favourite, for breakfast on Sunday morning.

Interested in Joining?

We currently have spaces for girls and boys in our Beaver and Cub sections; our meetings are held on Thursdays during Lincolnshire term time at Caythorpe & Frieston Village Hall, Beavers 6-7pm and Cubs 6.30-8pm. If you’d like to find out more about joining our Group, simply email 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk and we’ll get straight back to you.

Thanks to Scouts Belle, Elise and Thomas for their help in writing this Sleepover Report!

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 19:39:28 GMT

1st Caythorpe & Duke's Covert Scout Group extends its deepest condolences on the death of our patron, monarch and sovereign - Queen Elizabeth II. As we remember Her Majesty, we give thanks that she has been Patron of The Scout Association since she came to the throne 70 years ago. We also recall with gratitude the support she has extended to Scouting throughout her long reign.

Most especially we remember her strong commitment to duty and service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Our sympathy and prayers are extended to the entire Royal family. The loss of such a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother will be deeply felt.

Poacher 2022 - The Adventure of a Lifetime

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 12:52:24 GMT

Caythorpe Scouts join Lincolnshire International Jamboree

It was back in September 2021 that bookings opened up for the Poacher International Jamboree 2022 - The Adventure of a Lifetime - and the prospect of a week-long Scout Jamboree felt almost unimaginable after the impact of the pandemic. Twelve of our plucky Scouts signed up for the Foston and Caythorpe Contingent, four of them still in Cubs at the time, with the anticipation of activities galore and a week away from home feeling a lifetime away.

Fast forward to July 2022; Scouting activities were back to ‘normal’ and the school academic year had finished. That meant only one thing…. Time to pack for Poacher!

On Saturday 31 July parents excitedly and nervously delivered their offspring to Lincolnshire Showground, along with about 6,000 other Scouts and 4,000 volunteer leaders and staff who would also be staying for the week, delivering everything from activities and crafts to three meals (and endless snacks) a day, amazing concerts, rubbish emptying, toilet and shower cleaning and the occasional bit of motivation for homesick and tired Scouts and Explorers.

The Opening Ceremony was amazing; Scouts and Guides were welcomed from 11 countries including Jersey, Canada, Holland and the USA. A truly international affair! Once the formalities were complete, the flags were raised and the camp was declared ‘OPEN’, the fun began! Three bands sang their hearts out on stage – most of the Leaders feeling somewhat old ('Who are they?') while the Scouts partied until bedtime.

Activities started on Sunday. Scouts were randomly allocated tickets for activities throughout the week, with the option to swap with friends or try and pick up different tickets at the Sub-Camp HQ. There were over 150 Adventurous Activities on offer, ranging from climbing, archery, circus skills, bungee trampolines, sailing, scuba diving, roller disco, water zorbs and a trip to the water park. The Craft Village offered loads of activities, including glass engraving, woggle making, quilling, pyrography and making beeswax candles.

As the week went on our Scouts built firm friendships with the Scouts and Explorers from 1 ^st Foston as well as meeting Scouts and Guides from other Groups across the UK and further afield. Some earned the Poacher Challenge badge. The badge requirements were to complete ten activities ranging from learning CPR, inviting a new friend to tea, performing in front of an audience and taking part in ‘Poacher’s Got Talent’. The evenings were full of fun, with events including watching the UEFA Women’s football final, discos and visits to the on-site funfair. Our four new Scouts were also invested on the climbing wall!

The week whizzed by and soon it was time to strike camp, pack the worn (and unworn) clothes, find things that had been lurking for days in the depths of tents, and prepare for parents coming to collect their Scouts. Weary, tanned (or mucky?) faces lit up as parents and siblings collected the Scouts from the Showground. Non-stop excited chatter from the back of the car suddenly stopped as Scouts dropped to sleep before even leaving the Lincoln ring road, all that remained of Poacher 2022 was happy memories, firm friendships made, new skills, souvenirs, and laundry. Piles of laundry.

We send huge thanks to our friends at 1 ^st Foston Scout Group. Without their help, support and the use of their equipment we would not have been able to take our twelve Scouts to Poacher 2022. And of course, thanks to our very own Tic Tac, our Beaver Leader Jenny, who spent the week on camp helping to cater for 60 Scouts, Explorers and Leaders in the camp mess tent, as well as being there with emotional and practical support for every participant. Thank you!

Next stop…. Poacher 2026!!!

Caythorpe Cubs and Beavers join Junior Poacher 2022

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 19:36:29 GMT

A day packed with fun and adventure.

Today, Wednesday 3 August, eight of our Beavers and Cubs got up early (for the school holidays!) and met at The Meres to travel to Junior Poacher 2022. Junior Poacher gives Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows and Brownies aged 5-10 years old from Lincolnshire Scouts, Girlguiding Lincolnshire North and Girlguiding Lincolnshire South a taste of all that Poacher has to offer, with a tailored, jam-packed range of adventurous and creative activities!

After a short 45 minute coach journey to Lincolnshire Showground, we were checked in and given our Junior Poacher wristbands, then set off for our adventure.

Our first stop was at the giant inflatables area, to burn off a little energy. After a few minutes bouncing and sliding on giant slides some of our Beavers and Cubs had a go on the climbing wall, then everyone left their handprint on a giant piece of Junior Poacher artwork. This will be displayed at the next Poacher Jamboree!

After a few more activities we headed to the Foston, Caythorpe & Duke’s camping area to join our Scouts for a picnic lunch. It was lovely to hear how the Duke’s Scouts are enjoying their week and see some excellent examples of arts and crafts that have been completed at Poacher.

Pocket money was burning a hole in some purses, so we visited the shop and picked up various Poacher merchandise and badges. There may also have been some sweets... We then visited the ‘Circus Fest’ zone, with our Beavers and Cubs demonstrating their hula-hoop and unicycle skills, and having a go at many others. It was a warm day, and the water-zorbs were calling! It was a bit of a queue, but well worth it to see the smiles and laughter as the Beavers and Cubs tried to stand up in the zorbs while being squirted with water pistols. At this point, the Leaders were very jealous!!

The sun was shining and it was getting quite hot, so we decided to head to the craft area for a bit of shade, where everyone had a chance to create their own memories of Poacher. We saw key rings, woggles and glass painting amongst the activities on offer.

Suddenly the day was drawing to a close and it was time to head back to the coaches, where everyone was awarded with a badge and certificate before climbing aboard the (air conditioned) coaches and heading back to The Meres to be reunited with parents.

Junior Poacher gives our younger members a taste of what an International Jamboree feels like; hopefully our visit today has sparked their imagination and opened their eyes to the amazing opportunities available within Scouting.

Some fantastic facts:

· 8 Caythorpe & Duke’s Beavers and Cubs attended Junior Poacher today

· Around 60 Scouts, Explorers and Leaders are attending as the 1 ^st Foston and Caythorpe Contingent for the whole week

· 500 Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows and Brownies visited Junior Poacher today

· 2,000 Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows and Brownies are expected to visit Junior Poacher this week

· Over 6,000 members of Scout & Guide sections are staying at Poacher this week

· If you add the Leaders and Support Volunteers, over 10,000 are staying at Lincolnshire Showground this week

· That’s an awful lot of tents, sleeping bags, roll mats, walking boots, bread, butter, tea, coffee, fried breakfasts, squash, hot chocolate, pasta, ice creams and showers (hopefully!) across the whole week! And hopefully not too much lost property…..

· Today we saw multiple fly-pasts of the Red Arrows, one plane at a time, who may have been taking aerial photos of the event whilst they were whizzing by ��. And also training very hard…

Find out more at:

https://www.poacher.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/PoacherLincs

1st Caythorpe Cubs try 'Plogging'!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Mon, 23 May 2022 13:03:19 GMT

Plogging at Londonthorpe Woods

Six of our Cub Scouts excitedly gathered at the newly-renovated Londonthorpe Woods car park on Friday evening, ready to have their first go at ‘Plogging’. Little were we expecting that ‘plogging’ would have been all over BBC Radio 2 that lunchtime, as part of their ‘Green Week’! Great planning, Akela!

So, what is ‘plogging’? Plogging is a recreational activity, originating in Sweden, that combines jogging with picking up litter. At Cubs, we agreed that a two hour walk would count as ‘jogging’….

After a safety briefing (including details on what the Cubs were not to pick up), we set along the new footpath towards Alma Park and we litter picked as we went. Our circular route of just over 4.5km took us via Alma Park, back through the woods and towards Londonthorpe. From here we headed back to the carpark, going very quietly through a field of ewes with their lambs. There were, of course, snack breaks as well as a few stops along the way to adjust rucksacks, boots etc.

We didn’t find and collect as much litter as we were expecting, which we think is a good thing. The items we did pick up were generally very small and included lots of bits of plastic, crisp wrappers, polystyrene and tissues. The most surprising item we found has to be a burnt tent; the nylon fabric was had melted but the poles were intact. We weren’t expecting that!

Grantham District Cubs Activity Day

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 11:07:52 GMT

A fun day of activities, tasks and challenges

Last weekend eight of our Cubs joined around 80 other Cubs from Grantham District for the District Cub Activity Day at Duke’s Covert campsite.

In small teams, the Cubs enjoyed a variety of activities, tasks and challenges, including:

The toxic waste challenge: removing a bucket of highly toxic liquid (water!) from a circle, using only ropes, broom handles and bungee cords, and without actually touching the bucket! This challenge required a great deal of lateral thinking and teamwork.

Firelighting in coconut shells: This traditional Scout activity with a twist was greatly enjoyed by all the Cubs, who were, eventually, successful in the challenge.

Making camp donuts: for those not in the know, this involves making a small jam or chocolate spread sandwich, coating it in pancake batter, then frying in a pan over an open fire. A good source of calories for a chilly day!

Archery on the main field was enjoyed by everyone, with some of the Cubs showing great accuracy at hitting their targets.

Craft: making cards and masks.

Cubs also enjoyed wide games (Sardines!) as well as a few sessions of French Cricket (don’t move your feet!) and Swingball in between activities.

It was a chilly day but everyone kept nice and warm, moving around the different activity bases and having lots of fun. It was great to be back with our District friends and enjoy seeing friends from different Scout Groups, as well as ticking off lots of badge requirements too!

Caythorpe Scouts hit London!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 12:50:01 GMT

A fantastic day out taking part in Monopoly Run Live

What a day… Up at 0530 to make packed lunches, meet up with the rest of the scouts and Foston crew and catch the train from Grantham to London. From there, it was a quick underground train ride to Jubilee Park, where under the shadow of the London Eye we split into our teams, logged into the Monopoly Run app and set off on our quest to capture as many of the London locations from the Monopoly board as possible. Obviously, with the theme being Monopoly, we needed to catch the sights before an opposing team, otherwise instead of owning the property we ended up paying rent out of a mythical Monopoly currency. On this, our first occasion, the latter happened rather more than we had hoped.

The event took us all over London, through Piccadilly, Mayfair, all the way out to Fleet Street and Whitechapel and back into Pall Mall Northumberland Avenue, to name but a few. We found opportunities to use the underground system extensively, giving the young people the opportunity to experience something new and learn how to navigate the system, we used the buses (although it was quicker to walk) and we walked around 13 miles in total.

In all, there were reportedly 3,000 Scouts taking part in the event. The TFL staff were extremely accommodating from the moment we set foot in London, helping us safely make our way around and opening gates at stations to let us pass through more efficiently. Our young people were incredible, even towards the end of the day when we were all tired, but showing great resilience they pressed on to bag the last few sights finishing at the Leicester Square ODEON Luxe (site of many premieres!) before a gentle stroll through China Town. The team finished up with a well earned burger before catching the train home to Grantham.

A great day was had by all and the opportunities and experience will be remembered by everyone. We look forward to next year when we will can apply the lessons learned this time whilst passing on the experience to next year’s new Scouts, and earning a few more points.

Preparation starts for Scouts' Survival Camp

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:55:45 GMT

Dens for Marshmallows...

Four of our intrepid Scouts braved the dreary weather on Sunday to meet at Duke’s Covert Scout Campsite and start preparation for our forthcoming Survival Camp.

The first activity though was to erect one of our brand new tents; Scouts checked that the tent was intact and had a go at putting it up and then packing it away properly. A game of Tug of War followed and then it was lunchtime.

After a quick lunch the Scouts each built a den for a marshmallow, testing to see if it was wind-proof and water-proof. Three quarters of the dens met the objective; one marshmallow got ‘squished’! This is good practice for our Spring Survival camp, although the dens will need to be slightly bigger for the Scouts to sleep in them! The mystery of the day though, is what happened to the rest of the marshmallows in the pack???

Wide games followed, with our Group’s favourite, Sardines, played in the woods, before parents collected the soggy Scouts at 2pm.

Back in the Great Outdoors

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 18:50:24 GMT

Wide games and open fires - the best of Scouting.

Including our AGM minutes.

On Saturday 5 February, eighteen of our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts gathered all together again for the first time this year, to enjoy a fantastic day focussing on some of the key skills (and best bits!) of Scouting: cooking on open fires and wide games!

After a warm welcome, and under pleasant February skies, Beavers and Cubs were charged with gathering firewood, with particular attention to be paid to the size and dryness of the wood (and there was a fair amount to choose from, given recent high winds). Scouts were busy in the shelter, preparing potatoes, onions, carrots and leeks for the chicken casserole.

In between a number of wide games (including the old favourite, ‘Sardines’ and a brand new game, ‘Smugglers of Bullion’), most of the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts had a go at helping with lunch – whether it was stirring, helping with the fire or sharing their views on whether or not to add mushrooms, all while working up a healthy appetite.

After a very welcome, warming lunch we played more games (including everyone’s favourite, ‘Splat’) and before we knew it, it was time for parents to arrive for our AGM and then home time. You can read our AGM minutes by clicking on the link below.

Vacancies

We currently have places for Beaver Scouts; girls and boys ages 6 to 8 years old. Beavers tend to meet on Tuesday evenings, however at the moment our Beavers and Cubs are meeting together on Thursdays as we need more Beavers to join us, as well as needing more volunteers to help run Beavers.

If your child would like to make friends, have fun, learn #skillsforlife, and is 6-8 years old, please do get in touch with us to find out more: 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk

Volunteers

And if you’d like to join our small, friendly team as an Assistant Leader, or would be interested in supporting us behind the scenes, likewise please do get in touch. We can build a role around your skills and availability – whether you’re best at doing the admin, helping run meetings, looking after our equipment or shopping for camps, we’d love to hear from you!

Hallowe’en Spook-tacular, and early Bonfire Fun!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 15:47:47 GMT

Fun for our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts at Duke's Covert Campsite

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from 1 ^st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert Scout Group busily packed lots of layers, waterproofs and their supper ready for a fun-filled, and, fortunately, dry, evening of wide games and outdoor activities at Duke’s Covert Scout Campsite.

Following a particularly rainy start to Saturday, the skies cleared and left us basking in the last of the autumnal sunshine as we arrived at 4pm ready to have lots of fun.

After a few games on the field and a warm welcome from the Leaders, the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts split into three teams and busied themselves collecting wood from across the campsite, with the promise of a fire and toasting marshmallows later in the evening. As soon as the wood piles were sufficient, they set about decorating lanterns. These would then be used as dusk fell to guide the way to the toilet block. Being Prepared is important to Scouts!

The teams then created their guys for the bonfire. There were some interesting names and stories about the histories of the guys, and lots of giggles as they were (carefully, by a Leader) cast onto the fire.

Dusk had already set in and there was just time for packed teas (with some very impressive packups, including sausage & beans, pizza, (homemade) soup, sausage rolls and cheese sandwiches) and a sing-song before the Beavers’ parents came to collect them and take them home for bedtime.

As the night set in, lots more wide games followed and we finally set about toasting the marshmallows over the fire, all washed down with a mug of hot chocolate. A firm favourite of any Cub, Scout or Leader.

A fantastic evening was had by all and we all thanked our lucky stars that we’d had bright sunshine and bright skies, in between the torrential rain on Saturday morning and again on Sunday morning!

Vacancies

We currently have places for Beaver Scouts; girls and boys ages 6 to 8 years old. Beavers tend to meet on Tuesday evenings, however we’re currently joining our Beaver and Cub meetings as we need more Beavers to join us, as well as needing more volunteers to help run Beavers.

If your child would like to make friends, have fun, learn #skillsforlife, and is 6-8 years old, please do get in touch with us to find out more – 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk

Volunteers

We have spaces!

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 15:16:50 GMT

Vacancies for Beaver Scouts and Volunteer Leaders

1st Caythorpe and Duke's Covert Scout Group is a friendly, rural group based in Lincolnshire, with members tending to live in the villages to the north of Grantham.

We run busy programmes for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, with recent activities including a summer camp, a day-trip to RAF Coningsby, wide games at our local campsite and lots of badge work. Since January we’ve completed over 100 activity and challenge badges across the three sections, covering wide-ranging activities and skills including Adventure, Air Activities , Athletics, Disability Awareness, Fire Safety, Naturalist and the Outdoors Challenge. Between now and Christmas we’ll be having more fun at the Scout Campsite, attending the Caythorpe Remembrance Day Parade, enjoying getting into the Christmas spirit as well as going to the Grantham Guildhall’s panto (oh no we won’t!) with other Scout Groups from across the Grantham District.

Vacancies

If your child would like to make friends, have fun, learn #skillsforlife, and is 6-8 years old, please do get in touch with us to find out more – 1stCaythorpe@granthamscouts.org.uk

Volunteers

Poacher '22

marie.hall@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk (Marie Hall) — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 14:07:31 GMT

Please check your inboxes for information about this amazing opportunity!

Information and joining details for Poacher '22 have been sent to all Scouts and older Cubs. Poacher is an International camp which is held at the Lincolnshire Showground. This event usually happens every 4 years and as this is local to us we try & go every time it’s on.

It’s an event attended by 6,000 Scouts, Guides, Explorers and Rangers both from the UK and abroad. There will many great activities that participants will have the opportunity to take part in along with a range of evening entertainment. Something to interest everyone!

If you’d like to see more of what is in store visit https://www.poacher.org.uk/

Our trip to RAF Coningsby

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 21:06:05 GMT

The Red Arrows

We met Squadron Leader Adam Collins, Red 10, the team’s safety supervisor & Red Arrows display commentator. He took the time to talk to us and answer questions about flying for (and meeting) The Queen, G-Forces & the special suits the pilots wear to protect themselves (it's between 3 and 7G in the Red Arrows - up to 9G in a Typhoon), and how they change the colour of the smoke during the displays with a 'special switch'. Truly inspirational!!!

He was part of the display at Wembley for the Euro 2020 Final, and is off to Duxford next.

We then saw the Red Arrows display, which was amazing!

STEM Activities

Our Cubs and Scouts are designing a new aircraft for the RAF to bring into service!

Back under Canvas!

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 21:18:56 GMT

Wow, what a fab, if not a little warm, weekend camping with the Beavers and Cubs, and, separately & socially distant, Scouts.

New skills learned, badges earned (including three Chief Scout's Bonze Awards ) new friends made, cooking over open fires, campfire singing, lots of fun, and absolutely great to back back camping at Duke's Covert.

As always, big thanks to the children for great behaviour, doing their best and having a great Scouting attitude.

And thanks to all the Leaders for everything from putting up tents, catering, running activities, filling water bottles (time & again!) and keeping a good sense of humour throughout one of the hottest weekends of the year (without any showers )

Back to Basics

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 21:10:04 GMT

Last night's meeting was all about traditional Scouting skills; pitching tents, pioneering and firelighting. All good preparation for our forthcoming camps...

Bug Hunting

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 21:12:10 GMT

Our Beavers and Cubs went on a Bug Hunt last night!

Amongst the 20+ species they discovered, from caterpillars to spiders to weevils, was a stag beetle! This is really exciting as they are becoming very scarce due to habitat destruction and were thought to be extinct (or nearly) in Lincolnshire. Stag beetles are one of our biggest beetles…. with quite powerful jaws!

We only searched under half the campsite, so were wondering who else is hiding in the other half!

Time to Celebrate!

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 21:14:13 GMT

Congratulations to Tic Tac and Akela who were awarded their Good Service Awards last week, for 5 and 20 (yes - 20!!) years respectively.

Well Done Tic Tac and Akela, and, more importantly, a huge THANK YOU from all of us!