News

News and reports of recent events are displayed on this page. Archived News

Compliments received from Old Scout

January 21, 2012, 12:47:29 PM by webmaster.

"Dear Skip,

It was with great pleasure that I read in the Goring Gap News of your recent receipt of the Silver Wolf Award. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this prestigious honour.

On an almost daily basis I find myself applying knowledge taught to me by you and I am eternally grateful for this invaluable education. Far more importantly, the moral guidance and Christian ethics you both taught and extolled help me to live my life in a considerate and healthy manner. I owe a great debt to Scouting in general. However, I know that your dedication and commitment was the driving force behind the group and for that I owe you a personal debt. You made the 2nd Goring & Streatley the best scout group I could ever have wanted to be a part of.

I hope that you and your family are all in good health and high spirits and I hope, one day, to pop in to see you in Streatley.

Yours sincerely,
Mark Harrison"

Wolf Cub Sixer Gerard Cooksley (kneeling); Scouts standing (1) Unknown; (2) Mark Harrison; (3) Tim Stayte; (4) Graham Smith and at the rear (5) Patrol Leader Michael Prior at Eastbourne 1984 during our Scout Annual Troop Camp on Jack's Island, Crowborough with the 1st. Crowborough BPSA Scout Troop

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Scouting Services at the Morrel Room refurbishment re-opening event

January 21, 2012, 12:26:41 PM by webmaster.

The Morrell Room as it is now know was originally a malthouse belonging to the Morrell Brewery. In 1898 the well known local famed architect W.Ravenscroft FRIBA was commissioned by the Morrell family to convert the malthouse into a club room for the village, the architect's drawings were exhibited at the Royal Academy in the same year.

To celebrate the successful completion of the refurbishment of this beautiful Listed Building the Morrell Room, Church Lane, Streatley-on-Thames, Berkshire, the Morrell Room Management Committee invited local dignatories and representatives of the organisations that use the hall to the opening evening. Part of the refurbishment work had been carried out with a 'Lottery Grant'.

Full Story | | Send To Friend | 15 views

First Class Felling Axe and Saw. Senior Scout Forester Badge

January 21, 2012, 12:18:33 PM by webmaster.

Seven Scouts (PL Jack, Robbie and Will, PS Will and Dominic and Scouts Seb and Josh) travelled to a local forestry where they took part in and learned how hard it is to cut down a tree, but with sharp felling axes and the techniques learned before and on the day this made a lot of difference. Every Scout cut down their allotted trees (mainly self setter silver birch and small oaks) and all fell safely in the direct intended and to a set line in order to pass their test. They then had to log up the trees and stack the timber properly. Learn safe use of axes and saws; how to look after and sharpen felling axes; calculate the useful timber in a tree; and also be able to identify 20 trees in both summer and in winter in order to pass, which they all successfully did.

It was very cold frosty early morning start but the exercise involved certainly warmed everyone up. The Head Forester was so impressed with the Scouts good axemanship and the seriousness that they displayed in doing things right, he offered to do a full day more advanced forestry course in May/June time, with backwoodsman's and survival skills included. Whilst the Scouts were there, hunters had shot a stag on the estate and showed the Scouts how to clean and prepare the stag ~ all this in only three hours but great fun and lots learned.

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Annual Christmas Postal Service 2011

January 02, 2012, 03:33:58 PM by webmaster.

The Last Post has now been collected for the Scout Group's Annual Christmas Postal Service. The Scout Christmas Post has not been run for a few years, but despite this we had a total of over 400 cards and letters placed in our postal boxes for delivery by the Scouts, Wolf Cubs and Beavers. Being quite a long time since we last ran this Christmas Postal Service, a lot of people have forgot what a great service our Scout Group offers. In previous years we have normally received between 1500 to 2000 cards and letters to be delivered. So next year it will grow in numbers after this years restart particularly as so many people have thanked and complimented the Scout Group on their First Class Postal Service delivering not only to Goring & Streatley, but also to Upper/Lower Basildon, Woodcote, Pangbourne, Wallingford and many other villages in this area.

So very many thanks to all those who supported the Scout's Postal Service and to the shop keepers, businesses and Churches that allowed the postal boxes in their premises. The Scouts, Wolf Cubs and Beavers were very pleased to be of service to the community and are looking forward to next years bumper post.

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Annual Scouters\' (Scout Leaders) Christmas Dinner Party

January 02, 2012, 03:25:21 PM by webmaster.

The Annual Scouters' (Scout Leaders) Christmas Dinner Party was held this year at 'The Highwayman', Exlade Street, Checkendon. The dinner party is attended by Scouters and their partners from our Scout Group as a big thank you for their continued support for the Scout Group and dedication to Scouting. The meal was excellent and a great time was had by all. We also received a great response and many compliments for our uniforms worn, being traditional and very smartly uniformed Scouts, from both the restaurant staff and customers in this very popular restaurant. Unfortunately one of our leaders was unable to attend this year's dinner party.

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Beavers' Sausage Cook

December 11, 2011, 02:58:02 PM by webmaster.

On a bright summers evening Beaver Meeting, the Beavers held a sausage cook. Ahmeek & Skip showed the Beavers how to set a fire properly, the dangers of fire and how you must always be careful where there is fire. clearly the fire was built correctly by the Beavers, the match was applied and great the Beavers' fire caught first time.

Armed with freshly cut green stick with bark peeled back by the length of a sausage, the Beavers pushed the sausages on the stick and the all sat around the fire cooking their sausages. When fully cooked they were put in a bread roll, a squirt of tomato sauce, and great a big well cooked Hot Dog appeared before their hungry eyes. The cry went out 'CAN WE DO THIS AGAIN NEXT WEEK'.

The fire was carefully extinguished and dowsed down with water, everything cleared away and no one would have know that the Beavers had been there (as all Scouts should leave a camp site) nor the great feast that they had.

Pictures

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Where's David Walliams

December 10, 2011, 07:43:01 PM by webmaster.

Both Comic Relief Team and the BBC had contacted our Scout Group to provide a great welcome to David Walliams at Goring-on-Thames Lock during his 8-day epic swim of the River Thames from Lechlade (Gloucestershire) down river to Big Ben, London a total of 140 miles. Despite numerous telephone calls from both Comic Relief Team and the BBC to Skip in the days leading up to the date and time scheduled for David to have reached Goring Lock, with 48 Scouts, Wolf Cub, Beavers and Leaders were ready to provide the very colourful and smartly uniformed Scout welcome to David, complete with banners, etc, unfortunately David did not make it on the Wednesday evening at the planned time of 7.30pm because of spate of sickness, claimed to have been caused by river pollution up stream, so at the very last minute our Scouts, Wolf Cubs and Beavers were stood down, very disappointed.

Full Story | | Send To Friend | 31 views

Remembrance Day Parade 2011

December 10, 2011, 07:39:40 PM by webmaster.

What a excellent turnout by our Scout Group on Sunday for the Remembrance Day Parade, there were over 60 members in the parade. The Scouts, Senior Scouts, Wolf Cubs and Beavers looked so smart and helped to maintain our image as the smartest Traditionally Uniformed Scout Group in the UK ~ we still hold the trophy. The British Legion representatives, the Vicar leading the service and the congregation all complimented the Scout Group on their smartness and their excellent behaviour throughout the Service. The congregation were particularly complimentary and grateful to the Scout Group for the Guard of Honour formed outside the Church following the Service. So very well done the Scouts, Senior Scouts, Wolf Cubs, Beavers and the Scout Group leaders.

more pictures

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Annual Christmas postal service 2011

December 05, 2011, 09:57:56 PM by webmaster.

Starts on 1st. December, 2011 with last post collection midday on 17th. December, 2011.

We are restarting our Annual Christmas Postal Service for this Christmas. Our Scout Group Post Boxes will be placed at the following business or other premises by kind permission of the proprietors :-

For GORING, STREATLEY and CLEEVE ~
Goring Hardware Shop, Red Cross Road, Goring,
Inspirations, The Arcade, High Street, Goring,
and Westholme Store (Jacks), Wallingford Road, Cleeve, Goring.

For UPPER and LOWER BASILDON ~
St. Stephen's Church Community Centre, Reading Road, Upper Basildon.

For SOUTH STOKE and NORTH STOKE ~
The Perch & Pike Public House, High Street, South Stoke.

The postal charge is a MINIMUM DONATION OF ONLY 25p PER CARD/LETTER deposited loose into the designated slot incorporated within the Post Boxes ~ not inside the catrd/letter to be posted.

THE SCOUT POSTAL COLLECTION AND DELIVERY AREAS ARE RESTRICTED TO ONLY THE FOLLOWING LOCAL VILLAGES AND TOWNS ~
Goring; Streatley; Cleeve; Upper Basildon; Lower Basildon; Aldworth; Moulsford; Cholsey; Aston Tirrold; Blewbury; Wallingford; Benson; Ewelme; Crowmarsh; South Stoke; North Stoke; Woodcote and Pangbourne. No other areas can be delivered to.

Full Story | | Send To Friend | 25 views

Mother & son/daughter weekend camp 2011 : Christmas Common, Oxfordshire.

October 22, 2011, 07:09:05 PM by webmaster.

Despite the bad weather in the weeks and days before the camp and the bad forecast for the weekend of the camp, 38 Mothers, Scouts, Wolf Cubs and Leaders braved the weather and took part in the camp in the most beautiful of areas on the top of the Chiltern Hills at Portways Farm, Christmas Common by kind permission of Mr. & Mrs. Clissold.

As with the Scouts and Wolf Cubs, the Mothers were allocated their traditional Scout type ridge tents that slept 6 to 8 Mums in each with en-suite facilities ~ a toilet tent and a hole in the ground, the Mums thought this great fun as they have done on all these camps and just mucked in with everyone, natural adventurous fun loving Scouty type campers.

Full Story | | Send To Friend | 89 views

Scout Group Annual Weekend Camp 2011

August 29, 2011, 12:48:54 PM by webmaster.

38 Boy and Girl Scouts, Wolf Cubs and Leaders attended this year's Annual Group Weekend Camp at Bower Farm, Aldworth, Berkshire with the kind permission of Mr. & Mrs. Walters. Again we had sweltering hot weather and a really great time. The older Scouts (PL Sapan; PS Robbie; PS Jack; PS Ben; Will N and Oscar) used the weekend camp to pass parts of their Camper and Pioneer Badges. For the part of the Camper Badge, this involved them in having to maintain a high standard of scout camping and also to cook individually for themselves for the weekend, their meals being tested by the leaders. For part of the Pioneer Badge they had to build two different bridge structures and erect both of these with two hours under their initiative, the bridges successfully built and fully tried out by all campers were a Monkey Bridge and a Bushman's Bridge, complete with all anchorages and pully tensioned.

Full Story | | Send To Friend | 61 views

Isle of Man Cycle Camp/Expedition 2011

August 04, 2011, 05:39:26 PM by webmaster.

Another great expedition by the Scouts and experience that they will never forget. Such expeditions apart from physical stamina, effort and perseverance, it encompasses fully the ten parts of Scout Law, being 'trustworthy' and ensuring that their individual kits are packed carefully for ease of cycling and safety; 'loyalty' ensuring that they do not let down other members of the expedition by completing tasks to be performed as quickly as possible; 'helping' other members of the team with the cooking and packing of their kits to ensure that more time is available on the expedition; being a real 'brother and very kind' to their Scout buddy sharing their tent, particularly if this was their first such expedition and of course the others taking part; cycling with great 'courtesy' and respect for other road users; being very 'obedient' and disciplined and accepting any leader's instructions without question in the interest of safety for all expedition members; well 'smiling' of course despite the mountainous roads to be cycled up, the wind and rain encountered (luckily not great) and long days of cycling, and at the end a well deserved pat on the back for such a great achievement for such young Scouts, it was the great fun that we had that we shall never forget; well 'THIFTY' might have been your only failing point, unnecessary amounts of sweets and chocolate purchased and consumed ~ definitely a great restriction in the amount of pocket money allowed on the next expedition; clean in body and mind which goes without saying with any Scout ~ and yes, Mums and Dads there was always a great rush for a shower or wash at the end of a long day's cycling.

What was also really great, was the great number of compliments received from the people we met on the Isle of Man, they had seen us cycling around the island in part uniform of course and in our full very smartly turned out uniforms when visiting places of interest, they went out of their way to engage with us, stopped us in shops, on the street and even beckoned us into cafes to praise our very smart appearance (even our hats that were carried on the back of their bikes), and the excellent cycling skills and road safety that they had witnessed, a great compliment to our Scouts and they wished all youngsters acted so courteously and responsibly.

SO VERY WELL DONE TO THE SCOUTS TAKING PART IN THIS YEARS CYCLE /CAMP EXPEDITION AND A BIG THANKS TO THE LEADERS TAKING PART.

David Cooksley Chief Commissioner UK for the 'British Boy Scouts & British Girl Scouts Association'
and for the 'Order of World Scouts'

Stitchy's write up can be found here

The pictures can be found here

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Poole Harbour Camp 2011

June 11, 2011, 04:59:44 PM by webmaster.

Pictures and videos have been uploaded from the recent Poole Harbour camp

More Pictures (90 in all)

Aerial runway video
Inspection and camp cooking video

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Long Service Award and The Silver Wolf Award

May 02, 2011, 10:03:37 PM by webmaster.

Father, Mother and Daughter receive top Scouting awards at the 2nd. Goring & Streatley BBS & BGS Scout Group’s St. George’s Day Church Parade held at St. Thomas’s Church, Goring. Father David Cooksley (Skip) who is the Group Scout Master and UK Chief Commissioner for the British Boy Scout and British Girl Scout Association and for the international Scouting body the ‘Order of World Scout’. Mother Kathleen Cooksley (Ahmeek) is the Group’s Lady Beaver Leader and Daughter Karen Wake (Akela) is the Group’s Lady Wolf Cub Master. The awards presented were as follows :-

Full Story | | Send To Friend | 173 views

St. George's Day Parade 2011

May 02, 2011, 03:16:10 PM by webmaster.

A Video and pictures of the St. George's Day Parade have been uploaded.

Videos Are Available here

Pictures are available here

| | Send To Friend | 0 views

Next >>>