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T o raise money for a wheelchair fund.So please save them for me.
If you want to know any more info, then please contact me via e-mail. See you soon, Zoe Dallen GANG SHOW 2005 Report...............................more.
SCOUT
JAMBOREE ON THE AIR
16th
– 17th October 2004
This
annual two-day event for scouts all over the world began in 1958 and 7th Epsom
first participated in 1977. We have not been involved every year since, but this
will be the eighteenth occasion. J.O.T.A.
allows scouts to communicate worldwide with each other by means of a short wave
amateur radio station. Because Amateur Radio is a hobby controlled by
international law and entry to the hobby is by way of examinations, scouts
enlist the help of local radio amateurs for the weekend.
Epsom
has been fortunate in this respect in the past. Last year radio contacts were
made with scouts in Norway, Portugal, Australia, Oman, Cyprus, Switzerland and
the U.K. and ideas and news of different scout activities were exchanged. Scouts
have been helped to learn that people all over the world are not very different
from themselves and friendships have been formed as a result.
Last
winter, after the Jamboree, four 7th Epsom scouts, Paul Lovett, Thomas Cox,
Alexander McAlpine, and Justin Sibthorp Protts studied for twenty weeks under
the tuition of John Kelly (G3YGG), and Tom Ellinor (G4DFA), and then passed the
new Foundation Licence Examination, which has enabled them to operate an Amateur
Radio station with low power themselves. These scouts plan to prepare for the
next stage – the Intermediate examination – this winter.
At
this year’s J.O.T.A. they will help run the scout station GB2ESG. We shall
also be exceptionally fortunate to have with us the mobile training station,
GB4FUN, run by the Radio Society of Great Britain, - operator, Carlos. This can
demonstrate all modes of amateur communication, including, morse, speech, rtty,
television, satellite, and computer. You
will be welcome if you call in and see us in operation.
Neil Dallen - Group Scout
Leader. We went to Bentley Copse to do an overnight hike for the first time. There were two teams from Eagle Unit. Team A was Scott Harder, Steph Low, Sarah Morris and Ellie Cowlard. Team B consisted of Faith Sibthorp Protts, Nick Strutt, Richard Beckett, Simon King and Victoria Smith. We arrived in the minibus and it started snowing; we signed in and went to put all our tents up. We were only given 10 minutes to do this. We went into the barn to get all our kit checked and plan our routes. We were just given a map and a sheet of cop-ordinates and we had to mark it out on the map. We each had our bag weighed and checked that all the right equipment was with us. Team A (my team) signed out at 18.55hrs. We started off on our long trek and it took us 2 minutes to get to the first base. After this we really had to start map reading properly. It was still snowing a bit and it was very dark. We found ourselves continuously missing hidden paths that we had to take and ended up having to go back and find them. Some of the bases were unmanned but had orienteering punches. Other bases were manned and had challenges like swinging upside down on poles by hooking your knees over the pole and singing ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ with the actions. There was also a ravine challenge where we had to pull ourselves across the ravine on a rope, climb through tyres, abseil down the ravine and climb back up. Another base was where two of us had to go off and describe a Lego model and the other two had to build it from our instructions. The last manned base with an activity was where three of us were tied back to back and blindfolded and the other team member had to use an instrument (e.g. a horn) to guide us to the golf balls and return them to the starting point. We found it quite difficult to find the bases in the dark. All in all the challenge took us 10.5 hours. It was hard work and tiring but enjoyable. I am looking forward to doing it again next year.
The Over-night Hike On Saturday 28th of February 2004, 9 explorers met in the EMC car park, knowing that they were heading for an overnight hike on an evening when the weather forecast was for temperatures of below 0°C and with a possibility of snow. When we reached the headquarters, we found that we would be hiking for around 9 hours, on a figure of 8 loop, passing through several bases and challenges. Having set up our tents ready, and been given our route, we set out. My team did not have the best of starts. With our planned route out of the campsite blocked, we then spent the next ½ hour wandering in circles round the campsite, trying to find the elusive path out of there! Then, having been on route, and completed the first two bases successfully, our map reading led us on the wrong loop of the 8. We only discovered this, however, after walking about 5 miles, and doing 3-4 bases that we should not have. Knowing that if the bases were not done in the correct order we stood no chance of winning, and with not enough time to try and redo the ones we had missed, we decided to head back to camp. Despite this set-back, we still had a great time, listening to our music, and having groups follow us in completely the wrong direction just to listen to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am hoping to do it again next year.
During the 2003 summer holidays a group of 18 Scouts and Leaders from Epsom and Ewell are flying to Uganda as part of the UK-Uganda Network scheme, where groups from Scouting Network UK are involved in projects in Uganda.
Our group are staying for three weeks, and will be involved with Ugandan Scouts, to help improve living conditions. We will be working mainly in Tororo and Mayuge in the South-East of Uganda. Scouts in Uganda News Update 1 : 13/08/03 10:53 these messages live from Uganda Well 18 scouts from Epsom and Ewell have arrived safely in Uganda. We were picked up ok and found our way to BP House in Kampala. We had a great welcome and met Eric from Mayuge. We spent the night in Jinga overlooking the River Nile.. wonderful! After a busy time in Jinga, picking up food and equipment, we spent a relaxing evening at Jinja Club. Tuesday morning, the group split into 2 as planned. One team have gone to Mayuge and the other to Tororo. Only Tororo have access to internet and this is several miles away! (We have a great photo to send you of us at BP House but can't quite work out the technology at the moment). In Tororo, we camped overnight with Ugandan scouts. They were very friendly and welcoming. This morning, we have spent the time meeting with dignatories such as the town Mayor and LCD (key person in the council). Some of our group are currently undertaking delivery of the playground which we hope to start installing this afternoon. Our contact could be limited but we will do what we can. Everyone sends their best wishes to parents. We are all fine. We're slowly getting used to the food and lack of facilities. Will try to contact when we can. The Ugandan Scout Crew News Update 2 : 15/08/03 16:02 This is a report from Group 2 of the Epsom Scouts who are currently in Tororo. Our journey from Kampala to Tororo took 3 hours. We stopped en route to buy chapatis and bananas only to find that as soon as we stopped about 20 street vendors crowded round our bus, opening the windows and putting their wares through. It's a good job Neil and Zoe were used to it as they successfully managed to negotiate our lunch! As soon as we stepped out of the bus in Tororo, a Scout Leader met us. He took us to the campsite where we set up camp, much to the amusement of a couple of hundred local school kids. In the end we roped off our site to give ourselves enough space and some privacy. The local schoolteachers kindly gave up their toilets for us. A group of Ugandan scouts set up camp next door, making their tents out of branches and straw. They made us very welcome, singing to us and chatting to us. The next day, we spent the morning visiting dignitaries such as the mayor and chief of council. The playground equipment arrived in the afternoon. We spent 2 days digging holes, placing in the equipment and cementing them in. We were given a reception, courtesy of the mayor and council one evening and hosted the local scout leaders at the Crystal Hotel, the next. The Ugandan Scout Leaders have been looking after us very well. This morning (Thursday), we went to check the playground and found it in full use by hundreds of children. They all seemed to be having fun and it made all the hard work, worthwhile. We then went to move a water pipe from the original site the council had given for the District Scout Centre to a new replacement site. As soon as we'd dug it up, the council who offered to reimburse us approached us if we put it back for their use. We met up with the Scout Leaders last night to discuss the details of the centre and their ideas for its purpose. The plans are currently being drawn up for the building and we hope to get them back for Monday, ready for Group 1 to take over with putting in the foundations. Neil, Steph, Simon, Katie, Lucie and Rosie have gone to set up camp with all the Ugandan Scouts (there could be hundreds!) for our weekend camp whilst Jill, Phil and Zoe are left in town, shopping for food and waiting to escort Group 1 to the forest campsite 5km away. Everyone is enjoying themselves. Everyone here has made us feel very welcome. Both teams are getting on well. A week of experiences is packed into every day. It's hard to put into words what we've done, seen, and experienced... and we've only been here 5 days! News Update 3: 18/08/03 11:26 Tororo Group - Neil, Zoe, Phil, Jill, Lucie, Simon, Katie, Rosie, Steph Mayuge Group - Nigel, Kelly, Paul, Ellie, Sarah, Scott, Faith, Tom, Sam On Friday evening the Tororo and the Mayuge Groups met in Tororo for a District Camp. The Mayuge Group arrived safe and well after making a good start on the first protected spring and visiting many schools where trees had been planted. They had been working well as a team, thoroughly enjoying experiencing African life. The group met many new friends including the top chef, Daniel, the dodgy dealer, Eric and the all round entertainer, David. The Mayuge group also discovered that the metaphor running around like a headless chicken is based on fact when they killed two chickens (nicknamed Matilda pudding and Humphrey Dinner)! Back in Tororo we pitched our tents in the jungle ready for the district camp. We ran a series of games and activities including woggle making. It was an interesting experience as it gave us an insight into Ugandan Scouting and showed us how lazy English scouts are! We met many new friends in Tororo too, including the python we took turns holding and the Spinellie the Poisonous Spider. We spent last night in the Crystal Guest House where we had hot showers, a bed, and most importantly a FLUSHING TOILET! Today, the group is climbing Tororo Rock, but Sarah, Ellie and Lucie felt it was our duty to update you all on our activities (any excuse to get out of exercise!) We split into our two groups again today with the Mayuge group staying in Tororo and the Tororo group travelling to Mayuge. A few funny thoughts Steph dropped Tom's torch down the pit latrine!
News Update 4 : 25/08/03 14:43 This is a report from Group 1 who have just spent their 2nd week in Uganda in Tororo: Phew! Another mad crazy week! After scaling the heights of Tororo Rock our team split again with Group 1 staying in Toror and Group 2 travelling to Mayuge. Group 1 were put to work straight away, extending a water pipe across to the site of what will be the Tororo International Scout Centre. We were helped by a group of Ugandan Scouts who found our digging quite amusing as we couldn't use their tools. Lots of laughter, sweat and chipattis later we dug through the main road and laid the piping. Was quite hard work but we all got a real sense of satisfaction when we saw Ugandan Scouts using the water to do their washing! Have spent this week without a bus (we miss u aub!) enjoying Ugandan public transport. After many bodaboda experiences and using public taxis we have decided that British Rail is not quite as terrible as we originally thought! We have been camping at Elgon View Primary School using some of the worst pit latrines to date (I am proud to say that I am now used to flies buzzing around my bum as I do my business!) Camping with us were some Scouts from Malaba. Their Troop has been formed from a home for street kids and on one of the days we visited their town and saw where they lived. Was quite an eye opening experience. While in Malaba we nipped over the border into Kenya (!) we can now all say we have visited two African countries! On Thursday we met up with Group 2 who had been thoroughly enjoying themselves in Mayuge. Friday, we all travelled to a tiny village called Bugoto, Lakeside. Here we experienced the real Africa, no clean water, no electricity with 140 out of every 150 children in the village infected with the killer disease Bileharzia. We were all shocked by the level of poverty. Last year 7th Epsom were planning on providing half of the money the village needed for the government to fund a bore hole. Unfortunately this scheme had folded but we agreed we would put pressure on the water office to fund a bore hole in this area. After a day with Scouts in Mayuge and a church service and brick making on Sunday we have now travelled to Kampala. Today we met with the official from the water board and we are happy to report that he has agreed to locate a bore hole in Bugoto and that it should be fully functional by next April. Tonight we are sleeping at a campsite called Backpackers before setting off early tomorrow for the Queen Elizabeth National Park for a safari!! Hope you are not missing us too much and we will update you again as soon as possible. News Update 5 : 25/08/03 23:03 Report from Group 2: Jill, Zoe, Phil, Kelly (co-opted from Group 1), Lucie, Steph, Katie, Simon, Rosie Arrived in Mayuge on Monday. Warm welcome from Eric, David, Daniel and the Scouts camping there. They helped us put up tents just in time for nightfall. The next few days were spent visiting various schools, introducing ourselves to the schoolchildren and seeing all the trees that have been planted over the last few weeks - roughly 200 in each of about 36 schools. We visited the sites of all 4 locations where we are sponsoring a protected water spring, helped carry bricks and transport cement and dug out a hole for one. We then went on to see the protected water spring that Group 1 had dug out. It had been completed and was great to see it in operation. The local people were very appreciative. We visited Lakeside which is a small village by the side of Lake Victoria. It is very poor but we had a warm welcome and enjoyed a campfire with the local Scouts in the courtyard of the school. Today we met with the water board and they have agreed to provide a borehole at the village which has a contaminated water supply... basically they take their water from the lake and a large proportion of the villagers die from the various diseases. This weekend, we ran bases for local Scouts, teaching them woggle making, friendship knots, spiders web, rounders etc. Some highlights of the week:
Wanted to post some photos but software not recognised.. will have to show you them when we get home. All safe and well. Staying at BAckpackers, Kampala tonight before travelling to QE2 Park tomorrow, together. News Update 6 : 29/08/03 17:22 Report from Simon and Sam. Since the last update, we have been across the equator twice on our way to the QE2 and our safari. It was great. After a long drive across the country we reached the park before dark. On the way in towards the hostel we were staying at, we travelled along one of the main safari routes. This was our first taste of the action. Leading from the front was Team 2, whose expert driver, Bob, spotted many creatures as we trundled slowly down the winding safari mud road. On the way we saw waterbucks, water buffalos, elephants, monkeys, birds and more - and that was just a taster. We woke early and set off on our first safari game drive, on which we saw the lions we had been hoping to see, along with all sorts of animals that we had already seen. In the afternoon, we had a water safari, on which we saw hundreds, if not thousands of hippos. There were also a few crocodiles and lots of birds. Due to Neil not booking early enough, we had to sleep 4 in a room only designed for 2!! This meant that 2 had to sleep on the floor. On the second day of the safari we woke early, again, and travelled by foot down the the nearest gorge for a chimp trail. On the way we saw chimps, some other monkeys and hippos, but not much more. In the Evening we went on our last game drive, looking for a leopard, although the one we think we saw ran away before we got a positive ID from our guide. That night we had an extra room, so only one had to sleep on the floor. In the morning we had our breakfast and piled into the bus for another long journey! We are now at Backpackers, all safe and now in rooms for the rest of the trip. Some highlights of the safari:
Can You Make A Difference? – These Scouts Can! 18 months is a long time for a teenager (over 10% of their life!) but 14 teenagers from 7th Epsom Scouts have shown real dedication and commitment over the last 18 months to earn a life changing experience. Not only have they raised over £15,000.00 with a variety of fund raising events towards project costs in Uganda but have participated in a number of team building events including a weekend camping in Dartmoor, a day at the confidence area at Boxhill and weekends locally and in the New Forest. Fund raising has included almost everything you can think of – car washing, screen washes, bag packing, marquee pitching, manual labour, furniture moving, painting and decorating, cake making and selling, quiz nights, honey making, selling leaves on trees, selling hand prints, giving talks and running awareness evenings for other youth groups have all helped to swell the coffers to an amazing £15,000 On top of this there have been regular meetings to plan and ensure that everything is progressing well. Learning about a strange culture and country, learning first aid to cater for snake bites, heat stroke and many other unusual ailments and accidents. Precautions to take against dehydration, malaria, AIDS and terrorist activities and feeling like a pin cushion after all the injections are just a small part of what is already a life changing experience and the best is yet to come! So what is the money being used for? What are these intrepid explorers looking forward to? Well, not an easy question and there are a number of answers, the projects in Uganda are wide and varied and almost all include working with the Ugandan Scouts in the areas being visited. It is planned that 30 schools and 10 civic centres will each get around 100 trees to provide shelter, shade and a wind break, stabilise the ground, providing fuel and food, timber for construction and start reversing the de-forestation. They are not set for the short term; this year will be the fourth year that 7th Epsom Scouts have visited Uganda, and in some areas, the fourth year those trees have been sponsored. They will visit one particular school that will have trees from 1 – 3 years old – one more year and the first trees will be coppiced, completing the cycle and providing income for the scouts based at the school for further community projects. Water, as everyone knows, is an essential commodity, but there are still many villages that do not have a clean water supply. The Scouts have already provided one village with a borehole and this trip are planning to help four more villages by working with the local scouts and a professional water engineer to give each village a protected water supply. This not only saves lives but also improves the quality of life for the whole village. It is hard to believe that Ugandan teenagers often walk miles every day just to collect clean water that they can drink! We may complain about nothing to do in Epsom but in Tororo, a town of similar size to Epsom, the only playground provided many years ago by the Lions is now derelict. The Scouts have ordered swings, slides, climbing frame and roundabout and will install them while they are visiting and hand it over to the Mayor who has promised to look after the equipment with the help of the local scouts. Enough you may shout, but not for the Scouts! They have already sponsored a town centre site to be used by scouts and other local young people and intend to spend a lot of their time helping to develop the site and build a centre. The ultimate aim is a three-storey building but the scouts will be satisfied if they finish the pit latrines and start on the foundations of the building! Not only do they believe that they can make a difference but have spent 18 months planning and preparing to do so! Well that’s the plan and when they return in September you can see and read all about what has really been achieved by these ordinary youngsters down the road putting their mind to doing extra ordinary things and really making a difference in the world! If you would like more information about this expedition or about 7th Epsom Scouts, e-mail their Group Scout Leader, Neil Dallen.
The 4-7-11 Gang Shows have provided memorable entertainment since the mid 1970s with shows held every other year. The 2003 Show was the 14th production of this very popular and highly entertaining event. It included a variety of European songs, sketches, comedy and dance from soloists, groups, and of course the whole Gang - enthusiastic performers giving one of the most pleasing and entertaining experiences of the year. If you managed to miss this major event in the life of EMC’s uniformed organisations then you missed a great night out! With over 70 youngsters from the Guides and Scout units and some excellent props, the show was great the highlight being the Christmas scene with nearly real snow, complete with a sledge running between, or should we say sliding, between 'bus stops' with changing cargoes of scouts and guides. After many months of rehearsals, hours and hours of dedication by children and producers and helpers - the show was a great event, well done. Thank you to everyone involved, see you in 2005! 7th Epsom Scouts - Newsletter Summer 2003 June and July have been a hectic 2 summer months when the scouts have had an opportunity to try sailing, canoeing, rafting, caving, archery, shooting, climbing, scuba diving, golf, car mechanics, cycling, rafting, bridging the Mole, backwoods cooking, barbecues and swimming to mention just a few! Thank you to all the leaders, instructors, helpers and parents who have made this possible! July ends with a nine day troop camp at Buddens Scout Activity Centre near Blandford in Dorset where the scouts will be visiting Brownsea Island. Rafting on the lake, a 24 hour expedition carrying their own food, camping and cooking equipment in small groups, visiting some of the local attractions (tanks and monkeys) as well as the usual camping and scouting skills. August is taken up with the 3-week expedition to Uganda and September starts with a water weekend! Non-stop scouting! You too can be part of this! Your scout group is now over 300 strong and growing. This involves recruiting more adults to help. There are particular vacancies for leading Beavers (6-7 year olds) and Cubs (8-10 year olds) on Mondays but additional help is required in all sections. If YOU would like to join the expanding team of adult leaders and helpers, please contact Neil Dallen, Group Scout Leader. You will find it great fun and be able to participate in many exciting opportunities. Free training is provided – GO ON, hit that e-mail keyboard!
What is 7th Epsom? We are part of the Scout Association, a registered charity, catering for boys and girls. The Group consists of, Beaver Scouts (6-8 years), Cub Scouts (8-10½), Scouts (10½-14), Explorer Scouts (14-18) and Network Scouts (18-25). What do we do? Just about everything from A-Z including: abseiling, bridge building camping, driving, entertaining, First Aid, Gang Show, ham radio, ice skating, jousting, kite making, lighting fires, mountaineering, night hikes, orienteering, parties, quizzes, rock climbing, sailing, tracking, underwater swimming, volley ball, weather recording, exploring, youth hostelling, zoo visits. Our younger members have just as much fun with activities such as modelling, cooking, magic writing, handicrafts and acting. An integral part of our programme is "helping others" and we undertake many large and small "service" projects for both individuals and the wider community. Where do we meet? Our headquarters are at the rear of Epsom Methodist Church who are our sponsors. Though the Scout Group is part of the life of the church it is open to boys and girls of every race and faith. When do we meet? Beaver Scouts: Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, 5pm - 6.15pm, Cub Scouts:Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, 6.30pm - 8pm, Scouts:Fridays, 7.30pm - 9.30pm, Venture Scouts: Fridays, 8pm - 10pm
How are we run? Adult volunteers backed up by our supporters, the Group Council, run all meetings. We always welcome new volunteers to our team. Why do we do what we do? Good question! First, because it’s fun. The aim of the Scout Association is "to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities". We don’t believe that we can perform miracles, nor work in isolation, but we do believe that by giving young people time and working with them, many individuals can and do benefit. For details of Vacancies contact Neil Dallen, Group Scout Leader , Church Parades Dates are on Monthly EventsLooking further ahead we hope to have a new Headquarters as part of the Epsom Methodist Church (EMC) re-development |
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UGANDA
2006
7th Epsom (Methodist) Scouts