Three Cubs and one Explorer Scout

from the Group took part in this years

Handsworth Gang Show, held at the

Crescent Theatre during half term.

Twelve members of the Group went

along to enjoy a good nights

enterta i nment . We were not

disappointed. The boys had been rehearsing since September 2011 so had

shown a lot of commitment. There were songs and skits around the

campfire, and a tribute to this years Olympics, the Synchronised

Swimming was especially good, we won’t forget that in a hurry. The final

act was a tribute to Ralph Reader, the man who started it all 80 years

ago. Rehearsals for the 2014 Gang Show start in September 2013, so

Cubs, Scouts and Explorers, keep this date in your diary

The 25th Newsround Spring 2012 Issue 5

Did You Know

The Queen

is the second longest

serving monarch

*

is the fortieth monarch

since William the

Conqueror obtained the

crown of England.

*

Over the reign, Her

Majesty has given

regular audiences to 12

Prime Ministers.

*

The first football match

The Queen attended was

the 1953 FA Cup Final.

*

has launched 21 ships

during her reign.

*

has sat for 129 portraits

during her reign.

*

has made a Christmas

Broadcast to the

Commonwealth every

year of her reign except

for 1969,

*

learnt to drive in 1945.

*

The Queen and The Duke

of Edinburgh have been

married for 64 years.

*

They were married on

20th November, 1947

*

The Queen's wedding

ring was made from a

nugget of Welsh gold

which came from the

Clogau St David's mine

near Dolgellau.

Fundraising Updates

Since the last newsletter we have

been involved with three lots of

fundraising.

We had a Bric a Brac stall and

Tombola at Perry Beeches School

Christmas Fayre. Between the two

stalls we raised a total amount of

£100 which was very good. It was

very busy, a bit like the German

Market—not much space to move

around. The school have invited us

to go back next year. Next we did

three Santa Collections in

conjunction with Erdington Rotary.

In total we raised £1471. The

Santa Collections are great fun.

People look forward to us arriving,

www.25thbirmingham1stbeechesscouts.btck.co.uk

having their small change ready.

We were a bit short of help this

year, so well done to everyone

who took part. Finally still with

Erdington Rotary we did two days

collecting in Tesco's at the

Beggars Bush. This was manned

mainly by parents and youngsters

along with Santa, Over the two

days we raised £830.

In total The Santa Collections and

Tesco’s raised £2301 of which

the Group gets to keep half. A big

thank you has to go to everyone

who helped at these events. You

all worked really hard.

Stop Press

The Jumble Sale held on

03.03.12 Made £1073

James, Aidan, Joshua and Connor

Following on the Council's decision at the present time not to offer the Freehold for sale, negotiations are still proceeding with regards to 'grants' from the Youth Service Department, to cover the Economic Rent which has now been confirmed at £8300.00 / annum. The Group is also exploring other avenues with respect to the occupancy in Desford Avenue.

Fundraising and Social Events

100 Club Results

September 2011

1st (29) Mr P Hinton

2nd (1) Mr T Bailey

3rd(30) Mrs Drummond

October 2011

1st (34) Mr D Jones

2nd (19) Mrs J Sheldon

3rd (27) Mrs D Hartshorn

November 2011

1st (37) Mrs M Wiley

2nd (14) Mrs G Copeland

3rd(11) Miss V Boole

December 2011

1st (67) Mr K Hobson

2nd (49) Mrs L Brown

3rd (60) J Roberts

January 2012

1st (94) Mr K Williams

2nd (75) Mrs J Wheeler

3rd (49) Mrs L Brown

February 2012

1st (41) Mr R Adams

2nd (87) Mr D Jones

3rd (18) Mr P Cashmore

Congratulations to

Natasha, Francessa, Tyler, Ryan, Ian, and

Leighton.on their investiture into to Cubs

Congratulations to Jake on gaining his

Chief Scout Silver Award

Answers to the Christmas Quiz

1,Silent night

2, Noel

3, 12 days of Christmas

4, I saw 3 ships

5, Deck the halls

6, Let it snow

7, We 3 kings

8, We wish you a merry Christmas

9, God rest you merry gentlemen

10, I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

11, Sussex carol

12, Hark the herald angels sing

13, The little drummer boy

14, Walking in the air

15, Jingle bells

16, The holly and the ivy

17, In the bleak midwinter

18, Frosty the snowman

19, Do they know it’s Christmas

20, Love came down at Christmas

21, O come all ye faithful

22, The nutcracker suite

23, All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth

24, It came upon a midnight clear

25, Joy to the world

26, Away in a manger

27, As shepherds watched their flocks by night

28, O little town of Bethlehem

29, O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

30, Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer

31, Santa Claus is coming to town

32, White Christmas

33, Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

34, Mary’s boy child

35, A merry little Christmas

36, The Coventry carol

37, Good King Wenceslas

38, Jingle bell rock

39, Calypso

There were two correct entries. The draw took place at

the Group Carol Service. The winning family were the

How many ears does Captain Kirk have? Three! A right ear, a left ear and a final

frontier

Why is the farmer hopping mad? Because someone trod on his corn

What do you get if you cross a bear with a cow pat?

Winnie the Pooh

What happens when a frog breaks down? He gets toad away

What do you call a Russian gardener? Ivanhoe

Why did the chewing gum cross the road Because it was stuck to the chickens foot

Doctor, doctor I think I have caught a computer virus?

I’ve warned you before about eating chips!

What do you call a women who rescues shipwrecked sailors

Mandy Lifeboats

What do you call a policeman with a computer on his head

A PC!

The Group Now Have a New Group Scout Leader — Gary Ketch. Gary Was a Member of the

Group For Many Years as a Cub Scout, Scout, Venture Scout, Cub Scout Leader and Venture

Scout Leader. We Would Like to Welcome Him Back as GSL and Wish Him Well in His New

Appointment.

Natasha and Lily took part in the District Handicraft and

came third. The theme was The Olympics. Aidan and

Matthew took part in the District Chess. They both

played really well. Aidan will be representing the District

in the County Chess Competition. Well done to all of you.

Geoff Robinson 1929 to 2011

Geoff Robinson (Bosun) passed away 0n 13th November 2011, aged

82; he joined the Beeches Scout Group aged 14 on the 28th May 1944

and except for a brief spell served the Group for 68 years until his

death.

Geoff joined the Group after his family moved to the area and following

his return from being evacuated in the war became a member of the

recently formed Beeches Scout Group. In 1948 he became the first

member of the Group to be awarded the Kings Scout Award; Geoff

moved up to Senior Scouts and then became Senior Scout Leader and

thus starting his long leadership of the Group. He moved on to become Scout Leader and

then G.S.L. until rules forced a retirement at the age of 65; however the Group did not

want to lose his knowledge and experience and invited him to become Group President; a

position that he served with distinction, helping the Group through several difficult times,

with his unbounded enthusiasm and will to get the job done.

During his time as a Leader, Geoff was awarded the Medal of Merit (1980) and the Silver

Acorn (1996) for services to Scouting; his real achievement was guiding the Group to its

present position and setting the standards that run the Group today. He oversaw the

acquisition and build of the Group’s H.Q. in Desford Avenue, after many years of meeting

in various local halls; which is providing the Group with the permanent home that has seen

many a young person through their Scouting life.

Geoff was never happier as a Leader than when he was encouraging the Scouts to learn

new skills and to become involved in outdoor activities, especially annual camps,

expeditions and scouting contests. It filled him with pride when any of the Scouts took the

next step and became leaders, assistants or volunteers to carry on making a success of

Scouting on the Beeches.

Geoff was a devoted family man, a member of his local church and in his professional

career a teacher who preferred to work in special schools to aid disadvantaged children.

All of this could not have been possible without the support of his family; his wife June,

who predeceased him and survived by his four daughters, who in their own way are

carrying on the family traditions.

Neil Tonks 1956 – 2011

Neil joined the Beeches Cub Pack at the age of 8 and went all

through Cubs, Scouts and Venture Scouts. During his time as a

Scout he took part in two Annual Camps, both held at Aberedw,

Wales. Whilst at one of these camps he was up in an old oak tree

gathering dead wood, when he disturbed a wasps nest and leapt

from the tree shouting. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough and

ended up with a jumper full of wasps and eight wasp stings to his

body. He also helped form the ‘Guard of Honour’ at my wedding to

Mrs. Skip. In 1972, as a Venture Scout, he took part in a Group

Camp on the Orkney Islands, and many other adventures. At the age of 20 he took out his

first Warrant as an Assistant Scout Leader and, along with Peter Stuart became an

important part of the team. He also helped with the construction of the interior of the

Headquarters. In 1985 he took part in the North District Show where he met Jane

Claybrook, a Cub Scout Leader in the District, and subsequently they got married. In 1986

he decided to make a change and became Venture Scout Leader with the Group, a

position he held for 10 years. During which time he helped lead a Group trip to

Luxembourg, In 1987/1988 he attended The 16th World Jamboree in Australia, as an

Assistant Contingent Leader. He handed over the Venture Scout Leadership to Sharon

Farrell and Gary Ketch in 1996 and helped as an Assistant for a further two years until he

decided to take a break to concentrate on his young family. In 2004 he agreed to return

and take on the role of Group Scout Leader, a position he held until last November, when

his failing health forced him to retire.

Over the years Neil got a lot out of Scouting and he also put a lot back. He will be

remembered by many as a good friend and a true Scout.

Neil was one of my Scouts, he was one of my Assistant Scout Leaders he was also one of

my friends.

Skip

SCOUTS SLEEPOVER—COOL (LITERALLY WINTER CAMP

By Charlotte Kimmis, Scout

On Saturday 11th February the Scout Troop had a sleepover at the HQ instead of going to

Winter Camp, as almost half the Troop were in Switzerland. It was great fun!

First when we got there, we had to change out of uniform. After this we

were taken outside, where we learnt the safety

rules for axes and knives and then had a go at

chopping the wood. Skip showed us how to light a

fire successfully and we got a fire going. Cooking

sausages and burgers, lunch was delicious.

After this, we had a go at being lifted from some

ropes by the rest of the Scouts and the lowered. It was brilliant, as long

as they didn’t go fast. Even Skip had a go!

There were other rope activities, like a blindfold trail and a low ropes course.

Brilliant! We also did lots of quizzes, like matching games and name The Football

Team. I was pretty bad at that myself, but the rest of the team was quite good.

Making land rafts was also fab, we then had races when they were blown along by

a hairdryer. For dinner we had fish and chips with yoghurt for

pudding. After that tasty dinner we all put the tents up, ready

for the night. We then settled down to plat charades, where we

got a choice of twelve to mime out. There were hilarious ones

and easy ones, but whatever it was it was amazingly good fun.

Everyone was is fits by the end! As it was midnight we had to go to bed then.

During the day we had set up tin-can telephones from tent to tent so we could

talk to each other. Unfortunately some of them broke, but it was great fun all the

same.

In the morning we all had different variations of bacon, bread, egg and

beans. As they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and

that day it was certainly the truth! Firstly we had to pack up the tents and

sleeping bags and we did this very quickly as to get back in action. On

Saturday we made pinwheels and we went outside to test them. Also, there

was an extra point given to the best decorated wheel, which was declared to

be mine! The rest of the day was spent doing lots of different quizzes and

also we made “tanks”, which we made with pieces of candle, matches and

cotton reels. They really worked! . We also had a country sights sheet where we had to name the

sights.

Pretty soon after that, it was quarter to twelve and time to get back

into uniform. We found out who had the most points, which was Team

B. We won a fantastic woggle each. Then it was time to go. What a

brilliant camp: great activities, delicious food and some hilarious

jokes and games.

Fun at the fire:

Jordon, Ellis, Alex M, Jack

and Jake, Ash. Alex H, Pictures: Charlotte

During the half term, holiday 7 scouts; Edward , Callum Jamie, Alex, Thomas,

Thomas and Matthew and 2 explorers; Stephen and Reece, went to Kandersteg International Scout

Centre (KISC) in Switzerland.

The coach journey took about 20 hours which was the longest time spent on a coach for some

people. It seemed really long but we all had fun and had jokes which made time fly. We got to

Kandersteg about 4.00 on the Saturday afternoon, we then got shown

our rooms and were left to unpack. We then had dinner and then had an

opening meeting telling us about what our stay at Kandersteg will be like.

On the Sunday, we had the Snow Adventure day; this included snow

shoeing, sledging and curling. We all enjoyed these activities and had fun

whilst doing them. On the night, we had a

campfire. This included some of the pinkies

dressing up and singing weird but funny songs.

On the Monday, we had the Gemmi Hike and Sledge. Gemmi was the

name of the mountain. It was hard work climbing up the mountain but we

all made it in the end. Then, along came the fun part, sledging back down

the mountain. This caused a few crashes, especially Alex, but it was still

fun. On the night, we had igloo building. Stephen did most of the work but we still had fun.

Tuesday, we went to the capital of Switzerland, Bern. We had the chance to walk around Bern and

spend our money. The first place we all went to was McDonalds, it was expensive. After, we walked

around Bern looking. in the different shops and we had a good time. On the night, we had a movie

night, the film was Monsters Vs Aliens, and some of us left half way through.

Wednesday, our first day of skiing, we got split up but we was all with at least one person we knew.

In the morning was ski school, first we had Monika, she couldn’t speak any English. She walked off

for about 5 minutes and then another woman came. She could speak a

little English so we didn’t really learn much in the morning. In the

afternoon we had this English instructor and we went on the nursery

slope. On the night we had the quiz. We came second which was unlucky.

Thursday, our second day of skiing, we had Lucas, who was 16 and could

speak English so the day was looking good already. Some of us

proceeded onto a slightly steeper hill whilst others stayed on the nursery slope. On the night we

had a night hike with spiritual thoughts on the way.

Friday, our last day of skiing, we went on a different nursery slope and some of us went on the blue,

red and even black slopes. During the three days skiing, we all improved and liked skiing and would

love to carry on. We had a cheese fondue night, after the fondue

was the disco. This was great. We all had really good fun and

embarrassed ourselves.

We all had a great time and we would like to thank all the leaders

who organised the trip!!!

Edward (Scout)

Kandersteg 2012

To all Friends and Members

Do you receive this newsletter by post or via your son/daughter. Can we send your newsletter

by email to help keep our costs down. If so could you please forward your name and email

address to:

dhartshorn117@blueyonder.co.uk

Dates for your Diary 24th March Book Sale Group HQ

13th May Sandwell Historic Vehicle Show

13th May Birmingham Walkathon

19th May May Fun Day - St Johns Scout HQ

9th June Thornbridge Road Allotments 13th June Group AGM

19th August Walsall Road Allotments

26th/27th August Sandwell Show

6th October Jumble Sale

21st October Birmingham Half Marathon/Fun Run

Members, Parents ,Family and Friends

We still need news articles for the next edition.

We are looking for Scout and Guide memories, useful tips, favourite recipes or anything that would be interesting. Do you want to advertise something.??

Please hand them into any section leader, or email them to:

dhartshorn117@blueyonder.co.uk

WantedWantedWanted Do you have any new/unused items that you don’t want. They could

help towards this years fundraising. If you would like to donate them to our tombola stalls for 2012, You can bring them along

on a Monday 6.00 – 7.00pm

or Tuesday 6.00—8.00pm

Thank-You

RecyclingRecycling

We Recycle CDs and DVDs

Must be in good condition

No scratches

No Broken cases

Must have a barcode

Must have original artwork

No copies

No freebies from newspapers etc

Bring them along on any meeting

Night and put them in the recycling box

We Recycle Scrap Metal

If it doesn't stick to a magnet Bring it along on any meeting night

and put it in the recycling box Thank-you

Details of times etc will be published on

the website