2020
As the Group entered the 2020s – none of us realised what a unprecedented year it would turn out to be. January began normally with planned activities going ahead as usual. Green Pack held a Winter Camp at Broadstone Warren at the end of the month. At about the same time The Richmond District Beavers had their New Year’s Party in Teddington. In mid- February Yellow Pack Cubs visited Gravity Force Trampoline Park for an overnight sleep-over. Yellow Pack Cubs also paid a visit to Doctor Chocs Chocolate Factory in Windsor. The first Group social event of the year took the form of a Quiz ad Curry Night at the HQ. Patrol Leaders from both Troops attended a District PL’s Training Course. In the middle of March, the scouts visited The White Spider Urban Climbing Centre whilst Yellow Pack and the Animal Troop ice skated at Guildford’s Spectrum Rink.
On the 17th March 2020 Scout Headquarters announced that due to the Covid 19 Pandemic all face to face Scouting activities would be suspended. A new way of delivering Scouting to our many members needed to be found and quickly. 2nd Whitton Leaders began to devise online weekly meetings and deliver virtual events to many who were eager to receive them. The Group Executive Committee agree to suspend payment of subs until further notice, as Scouting activities as the Group would wish to provide normally could not be done so.
One April weekend the first major online activity was Scout and Parent Mega Challenge. Scouts with their parents undertook a series of 5 challenges. Although remote from each other much fun followed. On the 8th May all Sections of the Group part in The Global Camp at Home. It was the largest virtual camp involving 93,000 members from 63 countries. 100 families from 2nd Whitton took part in the weekend. Whilst the HQ was being not used for meetings, our HQ Heroes (A few Group Officers) undertook essential tasks to maintain our building and land in a first class condition. During the Summer the Group suffered a sad loss when Sylvia Catt-Camfield, wife of our Vice-President, passed away. Sylvia was a Cub Scout Instructor and then an Assistant Cub Scout Leader, a position in which she served loyally for a number of years. After this service finished she continued to serve the Group as an active Supporter at Our Show and our other major events.
In September some of the Lockdown restrictions were lifted by the Government which meant face to face meetings could resume. Due to reduced numbers to enable social distancing – sections split down into groups of 15 with half meeting one week and the other half meeting the next. Many of the Beavers took part in the District Beaver Virtual Fun Day, which was a great success. Beavers and Cubs took part in the Whitton High Street Poppy Quiz for Remembrance Day. Following the Beavers Xmas Party on the final meeting of the year – l6 Beavers were presented with their Chief Scout Bronze Awards before Going up to Cubs.
Marion McLaren, who served for a number of years as an Assistant Cub Scout leader with Green Pack and was a regular member of the Our Show cast sadly passed away.
2020 had been an unprecedented and challenging year for Scouting with many Groups struggling to survive. 2nd Whitton had been kept alive by the perseverance of a small team of dedicated leaders and group officers who recognised the importance of providing a constant in the lives of our young people during this turbulent time and for that – they should be commended.
We pray 2021 will see Scouting return to near normality.
2021
The New Year began very much as the previous with Lockdown restrictions preventing a full return to Scouting Activities within the section of the Group. One bright event was the Jack Petchey award to one of our Scout Leaders, Alan Stacey. Jack Petchey is a great benefactor to Richmond Scouting, and over many years has granted financial awards to Leader who have been deemed to have been worthy of such an award. The money has to be spent within the Section of that Leader. Well done Alan! Later in the month of January the Green and Yellow Packs combined to hold a Virtual Winter Camp. In early February a member of the Animal Troop Caitlin won both the Richmond District and Greater London South West Bake Off Competitions. A wonderful achievement!
April was not a month the Group would cherish with the passing of three of its long serving and outstanding retired servants. We mourned the loss of Sylvia Goold (Cub Scout Leader, White Pack), Paul Brown (Scout Leader), and Pat Steward (Group Committee Member). The Bird troop linked up with Polish Scouts.
In May the Lockdown restriction were finally lifted and Scouting with many other organisations was able to resume face to face activities. Yellow Pack messed about in the waters of Osterley Park, and spent an adventurous afternoon at Bentley Copse Activity Centre. June saw the Beaver Colonies hold a Mini Olympics meeting and complete The cyclist badge. Oliver Lywood, in his two years in the section, gained every Beaver badge by the middle of July, a wonderful achievement! The Beaver Colonies celebrated 35 years of their existence nationally with picnic parties. The Cub Scouts were able to resume their traditional Summer Camps, Green Pack at Normandy, and Yellow Pack at Bentley Copse, both in Surrey. The Animal and Bird troop combined to hold a Joint Summer Camp at Blackwood Farm in Sussex. During the Autumn numerous activities took place throughout all the Group’s Sections after the great freeing up. Beavers attended the Richmond Explorer and Activity Badge days, and 8 Beavers gained The Chief Scout Bronze Award. Yellow Pack visited the Thames Venturer boat at Teddington Lock , “Mary Poppins”, an Autumn Sleepover and a Trampolining Park. Fundraising at the year’s end raised an excellent sum of £1000 for the West Middlesex Hospital’s Childrens’ Ward “Sun & Stars” Appeal.
2022
The new year dawn with a great feeling of optimism among the Leaders of the Sections of the Group. It seemed that there was a year ahead filled with great opportunities to fulfil the “OuT ” IN ScOUTing“ and not just the “IN” bit. Word had spread throughout the Whitton environs and beyond that the 2nd Whitton Scout Group offered a scouting programme “Second to None” and the Waiting List of those wanting to join grew and grew. The Groups popularity was reflected in the returned figures of The Scout Association’s Annual Census of 2022. The Group’s total membership, including Leaders was 313, not including 19 Beaver recruits that joined in January. It was later confirmed that once more 2nd Whitton was the largest in the Scout County of Greater London South West.
Twickenham Rugby matches car parking continued to play a huge source of revenue for the Group, and a total of £1,570 was earnt for Group funds. Thanks once again to a small body of supporters who stewarded the parking. In addition work was carried out to our 66 year old HQ building, with a fresh coat of emulsion, whilst accumulated rubbish was cleared from the Project hut, whilst the trek cart and a couple of go-carts, all in good order, were kept for future use.
The London Gang Show, created by Ralph Reader, celebrated 90 years since it began at the Scala Theatre in 1932. 2nd Whitton has long and proud history of, and links with the London Show through the origins of Our Show, the Groups own show, and its original producers being friends of Ralphs, and part of the original London show. Many of our Group have been cast members of London Gang Shows down the years. Therefore it was only right we should be represented in the 90th celebrations at the Apollo Theatre in July. Geoff Benge, David Clay, David Catt-Camfield and Kevin Huggett took part in what was an excellent evening celebrating Ralph’s great creation.
The summer of 2022, turned out to be a joyous period of Scouting for the Group and the Sections within it. Perhaps the jewel in the crown was the Group Family Camp at Walton Firs camp site, Cobham. A weekend of very fine weather enabled numerous planned activities to take place. Once again the event provided a unique opportunity for many families and Leaders to gather. This mini-Jamboree under the “Nulli Secundus” banner was a grand sight to behold, and provided a lot of fun and good memories.
The Lakes & Rivers Beaver Colonies, outside of their weekly themed meetings, Bell Boated at Thames Young mariners, Day Camped and Slept-over at 1st Normandy, visited the “Thames Venturer” on the River Thames at Teddington Lock, while 10 beavers gained their Chief Scout Bronze Award.
The Green & Yellow Cub Packs visited Dr Chocs Factory at Windsor, and held their Summer Camps on their traditional sites at 1st Normandy, Surrey and Bentley Copse, Shere.
The Animal & Bird Scout Troop once again joined forces and camped at the Youlbury Camp site in Oxfordshire.
A contingent of the Group took part in the Whitton St Georges Parade down the High Street, properly celebrating the fact that St George is the Patron Saint of Scouting. Before the summer break each section also celebrated the Queens Platinum Jubilee in its own way with special meetings to mark the occasion
So it was with great sadness we in Scouting, like the nation and whole world, learnt of the passing of Queen Elizabeth the Second in the early Autumn. She became Patron of the Scout Association in her early years, though her own membership with her sister Princess Margaret as a Girl Guide and |Ranger. Throughout her reign she remained unflinching in her interest and attended numerous Scouting including visiting Jamborees, Gang Shows and taking the salute at a number of Queen Scout St Georges Parades in Windsor Castle. She will be sorely missed by the Scout Association.
Whilst it is right that most of our Section leaders efforts are directed at the young members of our group in the taking and passing of badges, and the end result is reflected in the large number of Bronze by Beavers, Silver by Cubs and, Gold by Scouts Chief Scout Awards gained throughout the Group, it is also proper that the Services of our Leaders and Lay Suppoters are recognised by the Scout Association and the Group itself. At the Groups AGM at the HQ in late September 2nd Whitton recognised the great contribution a number of Lay members had made to the Group as a whole and to the Yellow Cub Pack in particular. The Scout Association Thanks Badges were presented by the Group President to Jo Oliffe, Jo Humphreys, Charlie Pratten, Melissa Layton, Dan Stapleton, and Paul Dickson. In addition Scout Association Long Service Awards were presented to Rachel Harrison (Assistant Beaver Leader) for 30 years service, and to Andrew Dixon (Assistant Beaver Leader) for 5 years service. Tim Furze, retiring Group Chairman, who had served as Vice Chairman then Chairman for over 30 years, accepted the invitation to become a Group Vice- President and received a gift for all his dedication over that period of time.
The Group was delighted to close the year’s activities with the return after the two year gap of it’s very popular HoHoHo Carol Evening, organised over many years by Vice-President Colin Attree. At the end of this evening The Richmond District Commissioner Phil Hunt presented Scout Association Awards to the following well deserving folk. To John Cook, the Commissioner Commendation, for numerous years of support to the Group, and to Mark Elgar, The Chief Scout Commendation for Good Services, as a Leader. Long Service Awards were presented to David Clay (Acting Group Scout Leader) for 50 years service, to Phil Beal (Cub Scout Leader) for 40 years service, and to Alan Stacey (Scout Leader) for 5 years service. The raffle and donations for refreshments raised £500 which was sent to our chosen charity of the year, The Shooting Star Childrens’s Hospice.
