The Area Newsletter Issue 117 Spring 2013

THE CATVOG

COURIERSt George's Day Awards 2013

Each year we honour a few of the many Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan leaders who give tire-lessly of their time and energy to provide and sup-port excellent Scouting adventures and activities for our young people.

At a recent event held at the Hub to celebrate the achievements of those who had received awards in the St George’s Day list:-

Bar to the Silver AcornStuart Gilmour Fraser, Cub Scout Leader, 1st Barry (Methodist), Barry District, Area Nights Away Adviser.

Silver AcornPaul Deere, Scout Leader, 1st Llantwit Major, Vale District, Training Adviser, Area Skills Instructor, Area Nights Away Adviser.

Lynne Flower, Group Scout Leader, 7th Cardiff, Cardiff East and South District.

Colin Wedgewood Turner, Group Scout Leader, 1st Dinas Powys, Penarth and District, Area Adviser Special Needs. Graham Ronald Wiltshire, Group Treasurer, 1st Llandough & Cogan Scout & Guide Group, Penarth & District. Susan Ellen Woodberry, Assistant AreaCommissioner Beaver Scouts.

The Area Commissioner, Richard Edwards, also presented Ken Dalling with the Chief Scouts 60 years Service Award. Ken has held numerous scouting roles over the last year including ten years as County Chairman, assistant County Commissioner, Assistant District Commissioner, Group Scout Leader to name but a few. Ken Was awarded the Silver Wolf in 1986.

The AC also presented Carol James with the Chief Scouts thirty years service award. Carol is the Chair of the Area Appointments Committee and has also held a number of, scouting roles in-cluding Cub Scout Leader, District Commissioner (Wenallt), Leader Trainer and Assistant County Commissioner Adult Training.

The Award for Merit was presented to Richard Davey who has given many years service as the Secretary of the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Scout Council.

Well done all!

Explorers awarded belts

FOLLOWING a successful Explorer Belt expe-dition to Luxembourg and Belgium, five of the Penarth and District Network Scouts completed the final task by giving a presentation to their Scout group.

They explained the planning which took place before the expedition, the trials and tribulations of the actual hiking aspect and the fun of taking part, especially their safe return to base camp.

The Explorer Belt is a 100-mile walk with a limited budget in a country not known to them and the challenge of completing a number of minor projects and one major project.

Julian Jordan, Penarth and District Commis-sioner and Expedition Leader, presented Megan Brookes, Charley Scott, Stacie-May Pemberton, Darryl Payne and Matthew Lawrence with their explorer belts.

1st Whitchurch Cubs held a spy training camp, based in their very own secret HQ (ok, Scout hall & grounds). They also completed the evening with a traditional Campfire. Ian Williams SL (1st Whitchurch Scouts)http://1stWhitchurchscouts.org

Tell us what you’ve been doing...

This term, the Beavers at 11th Barry are taking the Kenwood Badge Challenge, which is about Healthy Eating. The Beavers are being encouraged to make fruit kebabs which they all loved, making a fruit smoothie which had mixed reviews off the Beavers. They are also taking up the challenge to learn how to make their own sandwich so that they can help with their lunch box at home or prepare a picnic. One of the rules in Beavers is to try new things and food. All Beavers tried a new fruit which was fantastic.

Donna Hughes - (Squirrel)

5th Barry Sea Scouts Beavers turn into Pirates.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy 5th Birthday to the The Hub

The Vale Scout District held there first planning meeting of the year where Scouters from the 4 Groups covering St. Brides, Cow-bridge, Llantwit Major & St. Athan attended an "All Leaders Meeting" at Cow-bridge Scout hall. After thanking everyone for their fantastic commitment to Scout-ing & for their voluntary work last year, District Commissioner Simon Miskin talked through a programme of events proposed for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts & Explorers in the Vale.

Ideas included a Frostbite Camp, Night Hike, Easter Egg Rolling, Push Cart Racing, Floating Lantern Ceremony, Cubs 5 -a-side football competition & a weekend Camp for the Beaver & Cub Scouts.

Scout Association Awards Recognise Volunteer Leaders

Along with individual section programmes in the Groups, Small Bore Rifle shooting, Archery & National events, 2013 looks to be a very busy & action packed year.

The evening concluded with the presentation of long service awards to Alison & " Luc" Lucas ,Cub Leader & Assistant Scout leader in Llantwit Major also Wyn & Joanne Gower, Beaver Scout & Scout leaders at St. Athan. These were all for 5 years voluntary service to the Scout Association & marked by a certificate signed by Bear Grylls the Chief Scout.

Ian Jones received his Explorer Leaders " Wood Badge" training certificate. This training run by the Scout Association locally is offered to all leaders & is recog-nised by the Institute of Leader-ship & Management.

Gethin Charles, Scout leader at Cowbridge, was surprised & delighted to be presented with the Medal of Merit.

Gethin was recommended for this award by his commissioner for his dedication & outstanding service to Scouting while holding an adult appointment for the past 16 years.

Assistant Explorer Scout leader, Kev Hicks received his 15 year long service award at the recent Explorers Bowling Night in Cardiff.

"Scouting is alive & well in the Rural Vale with over 200 young people involved in either Beavers,Cubs, Scouts or Explor-ers" said Simon Miskin,District Commissioner. " Volunteer Adults are always needed to help organise & run the balanced programme of activi-ties that Scouting has to offer either as a leader, assistant, in a support role or as a committee member. " If you feel that you could give some time to volunteering locally please e-mail Simon Valescouts@btinternet.com Pictured from left to right, Gethin, Alison, Simon,"Luc", Wyn, Ian.

Save the date: Scout Community Week 2013Scouts made a real difference to local communities in May 2012 and raised vital funds too. Last years Scout Community Week was such a success that it will return in 2013, running from 3-9 June. Why not get involved in 2013 and create your own success story? With your input, Scout Community Week 2013 is sure to be another great campaign, raising awareness of the fantastic impact Scouting has in local communities." https://members.scouts.org.uk/communityweek

Area AGM 2013

Gift Aid The HMRC have provided further updates for the Gift Aid Scheme - Charities Online and the Small Donations Scheme.

More information regarding the way they would like information recorded for the new ways of claiming your Gift Aid can be found on the Scouts Wales website. Visit: www.scoutswales.org.uk

Congratulations!Gang Show’s The 'Magic Walking Stick' production has been nominated for a NODA award in the category Best Youth Production 2012! The results and awards will be announced on the 18th May at the NODA Wales & Ireland conference.

You are all invited to the

Annual General Meeting of

the Area Scout Council

which will be held on

Tuesday 11th June 2013 at

13th Cardiff Scout Group HQ,

Bayden, Ferry Road, Cardiff.

7.30pm for 7.45pm start.

Please put the date in your diary now and

looking forward to seeing you there.

Help Wanted Locating Old ScoutsFollowing the recent death of Ron Burden, we have recovered two Queens Scout Certifi-cates. The first is in the name of David H Rees and is dated April 1978. The reverse is marked 1st Barry, but at present we have been unable to locate a current address. The second is in the name of Geoffrey Mor-gan, dated June 1982. He is believed to have been a Scout in the Barry area. The last known email address has yielded no response. Similarly, the last know address for him in the Milford Haven address has failed to achieve a response. We are anxious to pass these certificates on to David and Geoffrey, or to their remaining families. Any help would be appreciated. Please contact Denis Hunt training.admin@catvog.org / 029 2025 4824

Support the Newsletter Editor

You can sponsor Gareth online at:http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/garethjohns

Next month, In memory of two family members that passed away due to cancer, our Area Newsletter editor Gareth Johns will be taking part in Trekfest 2013, a challenge of hiking 54 miles through the Brecon Beacons within a 24 hour time limit in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Starting 9am on the 8th June, Gareth will make his way over several peaks including the highest Pen y Fan (886m), then carrying on through the night to cross the finish line just after sunrise the next day.

If you would be kind to sponsor him,it would greatly be appreciated.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/catvog_scouts/

Area photo galleryThe Area has a Pro-Flickr account which has unlimited storage and file uploads. If you wish to share your group or units photos, let the us know by emailing comms@catvog.org and we can grant you access to the account. One of the features of Flickr is creating slideshows that you can embed into your own website.

On the 14th April we held a TA workshop at the Hub. It was well attended, 23 altogether. It was an informal get together which included updates on Modules, information on the new on-going learning modules including the new Safety module which will be rolled out from September. A discussion was held on Young Leaders, our continued support of them and how their training relates to Adult training. The update to OCN which is an external qualification in recognition for training gained within Scouting.

Jo Webb came in and spoke about Gift Aid and Media (photo above is probably a ‘bad’ photo but, not very often TAs seen together in a group), Steve Barkley on TAs, Ruth Weltch on Safeguarding and Denis on some new resources and finance.

Finally I want to thank all those that did a presentation and all those that gave their Sunday afternoon up to take part, I really enjoyed it. If by any chance anybody couldn’t make the day but would like information on what we covered then please email me training@catvog.org and I shall be happy to put together something.

Lynn Thompson Area Training Manager training@catvog.org

Training Adviser Workshop

More than 80 Beaver Scouts took part in the Welsh Beaver Event in Penarth. The day brought Beavers from all over Penarth and Dinas Powys together for an afternoon of fun and learning.

The focus was on attaining the Welsh Beaver Award, by taking part in a mini eistedfodd, games and craft activities. The young people all learnt songs in Welsh to perform to the other colonies which kicked off the afternoon.

The children then spent the afternoon learning body parts in Welsh, playing 'leek skittles' and making Welsh love spoons. A fun bus, with slides and ball pits was also onsite for the children to explore and enjoy. The afternoon was a great success and fun was had by all. Congratulations to all of the Beavers that took part and many thanks to all of the adult volunteers that made the event possible.

Beaver Fun Day

As I’m sure you are all aware, Jill Gloster completes her term in office as Chief Commissioner of Wales in July 2013. Over the last six years, Jill in her role as Chief Commissioner, has supported Scouting throughout Wales with incred-ible passion and commitment and it would seem fitting to present her with a token of our appreciation, in order to acknowledge everything she has done. On behalf of the organisation, the Scout-sWales office is arranging a collection for Jill. If you would like to make a contri-bution to the collection, you can do so by sending a cheque, made payable to “The Welsh Scout Council” by Friday 31st May, 2013, to the address listed below. If you would like to include a message for Jill with your payment, this will then be included in the card/book that we will organise to accompany the gift.

Tracy Lowe - Executive Secretary/Office Manager

The Welsh Scout Council, The Old School, Wine Street, LLANTWIT MAJOR, CF61 1RZE-mail: tracy.lowe@scoutswales.org.uk

Will you be the next Chief Commissioner for Wales?As the search widens for a new Chief Commissioner for Wales, can we ask that even if you don’t feel this role is for you but know somebody in or outside of Scouting who may have the attributes to take on this challenge please contact us. So irrespective of age, background or Scouting experience, if you think you or somebody you know of has what it takes to inspire and motivate over 17,000 members of Scouting in Wales, please do get in touch, just drop an email to simon.brownsill@scoutswales.org.uk or for an informal chat call Simon on 01269 851438 and we will do the rest. All nominations and enquiries will be treated in strictest confidence.

For further details on the role, visit the news pages of - http://www.scoutswales.org.uk/

Water activity programme

Canoe Training sessions at Cosmeston Country Park

Running on Wednesday evenings 7.00 – 8.00pm from April to July. Launching fee approx. £3.00 per boat, instructions can be provided for Groups either with their own canoes, or canoes, paddles and buoyancy aids etc. can be provided by arrange-ment. A series of evenings can be arranged to gain WCA canoe awards or one off sessions.Contact Steve Jones, Tel: 02920 843 725, Email: water@catvog.org

Sailing taster sessions at Barry No 1 dockSaturday 15th June (am or pm). £5 per participant for groups of 6 – 12. Sailing taster sessions can be arranged on other dates by arrangement with Nigel.Contact Nigel Vick, Tel: 07812 930 001, Email: nigelvick@aol.co.uk

Sailing improver sessions at Barry No 1 dockRunning on Monday evenings 6.00 – 8.00pm from May to July. £3 per participant per session. These sessions are aimed at scouts and explorers who can sail, but would like to improve their skills to gain RYA awards. Contact Nigel Vick – details as before

Canoe taster day at Cosmeston Country Park

Saturday 28th September (pm). Launching fee approx. £2.50 per boat. This activity is a taster session for scouts who would like to try canoeing. Each session is 1.5hours and times will be arranged to suit demand.Contact Steve Jones – details as before

Traditional rafting permits at Cosmeston Country Park

By arrangement with Rex. A rafting permit is required for B1 waters. Any leader wishing to obtain a permit will need to complete a theory ses-sion (1 evening) and construct a raft for some scouts to use (1 evening).Contact Rex Hendricksen, Tel: 02920 751 143, Email: rexh@btinternet.com

Sea Fishing CompetitionThis event will run depending on tide times in November at a venue to be decided. If interested then please contact Rex Hendricksen – details as before.

Congratulations to Megan Victoria Brooks, Matthew Lawrence, Charley Scott, Stephen Bonutto, Darryl Hudd and Ynar Ersom for completing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition over the bank holiday weekend. Excellent job. Well Done all. :-)

Penarth and District

In February a number of GSLs, DCs Young Leaders and TAs attended the workshop held in Builth Wells. The feed-back was very positive and it was nice to see so many representatives from CATVOG attend.

We held our first residential of the year in March in its new format. Despite a very wet and cold Friday evening the weekend although, extremely cold remained dry for us. Due to the cold and damp grounds we all chickened out and slept indoors. Some of us were so cold we had to have our blankets with us at all times.

Our new format means that having looked at the modules we are able to ‘validate on the go’. This means the training ses-sions are longer but, we are able to be more flexible in our approach to valida-tion. Not all modules are fully validated but it makes the process easier and more accessible. We had one completion of a Wood Badge on the weekend so, congratulations to Jack Elderfield of the 25th Cardiff. Jack has also joined our team of presenters and will be attending his first residential in June as a staff member.

Dates for this years and next years train-ing courses, open evenings and mornings are available on the CATVOG website, AND don’t forget the next residential training weekend is June 22nd - 23rd (again details and forms can be found on the website).

We are looking forward to another good year.

Lynn ThompsonArea Training Manager

Training Report

The Gala was held in Penarth Leisure Centre on Sunday 17th March 2013 and 17 Scout Groups entered. My thanks to all who took part and all the Leaders in their Groups and my team for making this years Gala another success. The results were as follows:

BEAVER TrophyWinners 2nd RhiwbinaRunners Up 1st Penmark with Porthkerry CUB TrophyWinners 2nd RhiwbinaRunners Up 1st Wenvoe SCOUT TrophyWinners 1st PenarthRunners Up 1st Cowbridge OVERALL GROUP TrophyWinners 2nd RhiwbinaRunners Up 61st Cardiff Glenys ShelleyChairman - Swimming Gala Committee

Area SwimmingGala Results

Many thanks to all who continue to support the Scout Shop making it beneficial for Groups and the Area. At the end of 2012 over £800 was paid in commission to Groups and out of the remainder of the profits we have paid for CCTV to be installed in The Hub. There are still a number of Groups who do not use the Shop so here is an invitation to you to come along and see what we have to offer!

We have a happy band of helpers who run the Shop but we are looking for some others to help probably once or twice a term. If you would like to get involved please contact me. The pay isn't up to much but job satisfaction is great! Helping new Beavers try on their first uniform, or the embar-rassed Scout or Explorer Scout who doesn't know what size shirt he or she wants, makes the job worthwhile.

So why not give me a ring and find out more? Sue Ryan: 07982560801 / scoutshop@catvog.org

Area Scout Shop

Editor: Gareth Johnsc/o The Hub

CATVOG ScoutsMaitland Street

Gabalfa, CF14 3JUe-mail: comms@catvog.org

Submission deadline for the Summer Courier is: Sunday 14th July 2013

East and South District Cub Badge Day

East and south district has 19 scout groups, across the East and South of the city provid-ing scouting for young people from 6 – 25 in 19 scout groups 4 explorer units, a young lead-ers unit and a Scout Network. Scouting in this district is sup-ported by 400 plus adult volun-teers who give up their time to ensure young people can enjoy fun, challenge and adventure.

On Saturday 26th January over 200 8 to 10 year old Cub Scouts took part in the East and South District Cub Badge Day. Cub packs from Rumney and St Mellons had a large number of cubs taking part. On the day Cubs took part in activi-ties which aim at helping them get one of their activity badges. They choose from the cyclist, chef, astronomer, navigator, DIY, communicator, emergency aid and the information technol-ogy badge.

Throughout the date young people learned how contour lines work and how they are important to maps; or what they need to do in an emergency. Some of them got to use some awesome power tools for the first time.

The event took place in Llaned-eyrn Primary School and we thank the school for the contin-ued support for local scouting. The aim of the day was that all the cubs have an opportunity to achieve some of the harder and more exciting activity badges. These badges support the Cub scouts in learning some essential life skills. In Scouting we aim to give the young people the building blocks to become active citizens.

This activity was run purely by an army of volunteers from the age of 14 and above. Dan a cub, who took part in the DIY badge said, "It was really fun I got to use a drill and I made a bird box”. Sarah on the cyclist badge "I had such a good time, I'm happy that I've got my cyclist badge, we can't do it on a normal cub night”.

Joe Holmes

Media Development Manger East and South Scouts. joe@eastandsouth.org.uk

“I had such a good time, I'm happy that I've got my cyclist badge, we can't do it

on a normal cub night”

www.eastandsouth.org.uk