Week Ending 04.05.13
By Royal Appointment
Inverclyde’s Queen Scouts have had a right Royal day out at Windsor Castle in the company of the Duchess of Cambridge.
The six Scouts, resplendent in kilts, got the chance to meet the Duchess as well as Chief Scout Bear Grylls.
On what was Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday, the Scouts, Paul Laverty 33rd, Sara McCaig 70th, Cameron Clark 6th, Ross Munro 73rd, James Davidson 73rd and Marie-Claire Davidson 73rd travelled to Windsor for theAnnual National Scout Service and Parade.
The Duchess of Cambridge is Scouting’s most high-profile volunteer and she was joined by Inverclyde’s six Scouts as well as around 400 others to celebrate the awards.
Since the Duchess joined the Scouts last year, 1,350 women have joined as volunteers across the UK. The Queen’s Scout Award recognises personal achievement, endeavour and service to others, and is the highest honour a Scout can be awarded in the UK.
This includes providing service to the community for 12 months, learning a new skill for 12 months, completing a three-night expedition and a four-night residential project in an unfamiliar environment, as well as completing 18 nights away, of which 12 must be camping.
It was a day of celebration, which brought together various groups and their invited guests to share in this prestigious and special event.
In the morning the Queen Scouts formed in Victoria Barracks, to have their uniforms inspected and to be put through their marching paces. They were then visited by Chief Scout Bear Grylls who gave a pep talk and encouraged the Scouts to go on and do more great things within their Scouting career.
In the afternoon, with family and friends present, the Queen Scouts met in the Royal Mews and paraded into the Quadrangle watched by over 2000 people, the Scottish Queen Scouts were the first to parade in and they all felt very honoured and privileged that they got the chance to do this.
The Duchess of Cambridge, pregnant with her first child, and Bear Grylls then carried out the review of the group. The Scouts then paraded around the Quadrangle to St George’s Chapel for the National Scout Service and saluted the Chief Commissioner of Scotland Graham Haddock who seemed to be delighted when the Scots marched past. Bear Grylls spoke to the group again outside the Chapel before they paraded back to the Royal Mews to be dismissed.
Paul Laverty said: “It was for all of us a great experience and one that will not be forgotten.”
Marie Claire Davidson added: “The best experience of my life kind of sums it up. The whole day from start to finish was a truly unforgettable experience. To be part of the colour party was a great honour and I am truly thankful for being given the opportunity.
Lots of laughs were had and friendships formed that will last a lifetime. There was a real sense of belonging throughout the day. Meeting Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was the icing on the cake, she was so kind and supportive of the whole day. She wished me luck for the rest of the parade and told me to enjoy every minute. The whole experience is something I will never forget and will continue to talk about for many years to come.”
Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: “’All these young people at Windsor have given so much time and energy to achieve their Queen’s Scout Awards, and I admire that spirit so much.
“They are huge inspirations to all the other Scouts across in the UK and I am so pleased that both The Duchess of Cambridge and Scouting has honoured them.’
District Commissioner David McCallum added: “All here in Greenock and District are proud of our new Queen Scouts, Paul, Sara, Marie Claire, Ross, Cameron and James.
“They have all worked so hard to reach the top. Well done particularly to Marie Claire who took part in the colour party and attended several training events in London prior to the annual parade taking place. Queen Scouts all have a lifelong job ahead of them, to inspire others and I’m sure this group will achieve that.”
Gallivanting in Galloway
Scouts from the 85th Inverkip and Wemyss Bay have enjoyed some adventure in Galloway as part of their Scottish Challenge Badge.
The Group, which camped on the Solway Coast, spent a day mountain biking around one of the area’s mountain biking centres, before getting lucky with a windy day on Sunday when they tried their hand at land yachting.
Thanks go to Galloway Activity Centre for laying on the land yachting. Some of the Scouts are now very close to earning the first Scottish Challenge Badges the Troop will have ever awarded. Well done to all.
70th Group look to clean up
The 70th Group is holding a car wash on Saturday 27 April from 10am to 1pm at Lyle Kirk Newark Street building. Tea and coffee will be served and all proceeds will be in support of costs of participants attending the BSA 2013 USA trip, Explorer Belt and AJ Jamboree at Auchengillan this summer.
Scouts visit Radio Club
Scouts from the 70th visited the Radio Club to start work on their Communicator Badge.
The Scouts sent a greetings message to another amateur radio operator, found out about different countries call signs, phonetic alphabet, and tuning the radio. They also learnt about different modes of radio communication and were given a display of Digital Amateur Radio. Using specialised Amateur Radio Software, they were able to watch amateur operators from all around the world on a big screen communicate with each other using digital radio.
The Scouts tried out Morse Code using a wide game that was specially devised by Scout Active Support and club member Bob Lynch for use in the grounds of HQ. This involved decoding a message to find the place, then rushing to this place and decoding the message found here. This was great fun, and the club hope to use it for other groups when they visit the radio club’s shack at HQ.
The radio club would like to thank Kenny Paton for the loan of his projector for the Presentation. For further information of how the Radio club can help with sectional badge work contact Bob Lynch on moc.oohaynull@gst0mm Visit the website on http://mm0tsg.wordpress.com and on Twitter @mm0tsg
Wherries Night
Popular Inverclyde folk band The Wherries are to play a special event in Greenock to raise funds for the Finnart Explorer Scout Unit and participants going to Estonia for their Explorer Belt Challenge.
The event will take place on Friday 7 June at 7pm in the Lyle Kirk, Newark Street Building, Greenock. Tickets are just £10 and a light supper will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own refreshments (excluding spirits) and under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available by calling 01475 791210 or 01475 731233.