If you want to go to Summer Camp and have not yet signed up, the absolute deadline is Friday 13th February.

In order for us to plan the transport and other things for camp, we have to put in place a final deadline for Scouts to sign up to go to camp.  If you want to go to camp then a leader must be in possession of your deposit and form by the end of the Scout meeting on Friday 13th February at the very latest.

Please speak to a Leader if you have any questions.

This update includes some important information about forthcoming events and activities.  Please read and make a note in your diary.

The BIG Camp

The BIG Camp takes place from 1st to 4th May, and many of you have signed up.  We are awaiting further joining details and will let you know as soon as we hear something.  If you are still interested in going then please complete the form on the website and hand it to Spider as soon as possible before it is too late.

St George’s Day Parade

St George is not only the Patron Saint of England, but is also the Patron Saint of Scouting.  Therefore St George’s Day is an important date in the Scouting year which we recognise through the annual parade.  This year the parade will be on 19th April at Otley Methodists Church.  The time is not yet known, but we will let you know as soon as we know.  In the meantime please make a note of the date.  It is important that we have a good turnout for this.

Summer Camp

Plans for summer camp in Holland are progressing well.  As a reminder it is from 1st to 15th August.  This year we are camping at Omen, a place the Group knows well having camped there on a number of occasions, most recently in 2000.  You can download and view the latest circular by clicking on the link below.  In the coming weeks there will be a dedicated Summer Camp 2015 page put on the web site where all information about camp will be held.  If you have not yet signed up to go and would like to, there is still time – just.  Please speak to Spider at the next meeting.

Circ Jan 2 -2015

Badges

We are keen that all Scouts are able to progress through their badges.  Often badges can be done using a Scout’s own initiative, but we are looking to run activities towards the Cyclist, IT, Camper and Cook badges.  Gandhi is the man for all things badges, so remember to talk to him if there is something you are interested in doing, or think you have already achieved a badge.

Contacting us

Leaders are always available to talk to on a Friday night, although some times it can be a little hectic!  If you need to get in touch, please contact the Section Leader, Spider (Michael Ackroyd) on 07905 587645 or spider@hagdyke.com

If you are going to Hag Dyke on 16th January, please remind yourself of the important information below.

Next Friday, 16th January, sees us make our traditional New Year visit to the Group’s hostel, Hag Dyke.  If you are going, please meet in the main car park in Kettlewell at 20:00 prompt ready to walk up to Hag Dyke.  There are some important points to remember:

• We will be walking up to Hag Dyke.  Therefore, you need to be wearing outdoor clothing, have waterproofs and must be wearing walking boots that provide ankle support (“walking trainers” are not suitable for Hag Dyke).  Footwear will be inspected in the car park, and any Scouts who do not have walking boots with ankle support will not be able to go to Hag Dyke.
• Scouts need to carry all their personal equipment up to Hag Dyke, therefore this should be in a rucksack with nothing tied on the outside.
• Make sure you have enough  waterproof and warm clothing.  The weather on the hills can be very different to the weather in Ilkley, so be prepared and check out the kit list on the “Useful Information” page of the website.

Any questions, please ask a Leader.  We hope that everyone going has an enjoyable weekend.

This Friday, 19th December, is the last Troop meeting of the year.  Please see important information below and note the earlier meeting time for this helping on the Santa Float.

As normal, the Troop will be helping the Ilkley & District Round Table with their annual Santa Float on Friday.  Those Scouts that have been asked to support know who they are and should note the meeting times below.

Santa Float helpers

Meet at the Scout Hut at 18:10.  Come dressed appropriately for the weather, perhaps with a Christmas twist!

All other Scouts

Meet at the Scout Hut at the normal time of 19:15 for party games.  Non-uniform.

The meeting will finish at the normal time of 21:15 for all Scouts.

Finally, we take this opportunity to wish all Scouts and parents a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Don’t forget, the deadline for returning your deposit for BIG CAMP is this Friday.

If you want to go to the BIG CAMP next year, please remember that your form and deposit must be handed at the meeting on Friday at the latest.  See the earlier post for details.

We are planning a weekend away at Hag Dyke in January.

The troop are planning the traditional New Year visit to Hag Dyke, which this year will be on the weekend of 16th to 18th January 2015.

Please click the links below to download a letter and permission form. Please return the permission form and money by Friday 19th December 2014.

Hag Dyke January 2015 Letter

Nights Away Permission Form January Hag Dyke 2015

Next year West Yorkshire Scouts will be holding another county camp.  Known as The Big Camp, this is a great event so get signed up soon.

Next year The Big Camp will be held on the weekend of 1st to 4th May 2015.  Please see the letter attached below, and if you are interested please return the form and deposit by 5th December 2014.

You can view a video that shows some of the activities that you could get up to if you join us on The Big Camp.  Search for “The Big Camp Highlights” of view it below.

Big Camp 2015 Letter No 1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyczfTT5cLM]

This Friday, 7th November, we will be walking from Dick Hudson’s to Ilkley. See below for important information.

The meeting will be a hike across Ilkley Moor from Dick Hudson’s pub to the Cow and Calf. We will meet at 19:00 at Dick Hudson’s pub (slightly earlier than normal).  Please arrange to drop your son or daughter off there.  We will finish at the Cow and Calf car park (the rocks not the pub) at 21:15, from where they should be collected.

Scouts should come in none uniform with outdoor clothes, including waterproofs and walking boots. Walking boots are essential.  Any Scout who does not come in walking boots will not be allowed to do the walk and must be collected by parents.  Remember, the weather may be cold and wet, so please make sure that Scouts are dressed appropriately.

On Sunday 9th November the Scouts will be taking part in the Remembrance service in Ilkley.

This will include a short parade through the town to the memorial gardens at the end of The Grove.

We will meet at 14:15 on Whitton Croft Road (behind the Town Hall / Library etc.) in full uniform. The Scouts will be dismissed from the memorial gardens after the service (expected 15:30) so arrange to collect them from there.

Full, smart uniform is important and please wear a poppy.

This is an important event so can all Scouts make every effort to attend.

Hello again everyone, after a bit of down time the scout website is now up and running again with all the up to date information on it.

The program is now on google calendars and can still be found on the program page. To access any extra information you will need to know about an evening simply click on the evening in question and all the necessary information will be displayed.

Please feel free to give feedback on this slight change on whether you like the new system or not in the comments section beneath it.