Good News

Congratulations to the Scouts who were presented with their Chief Scouts Gold Awards by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear Nigel Sherlock OBE at a ceremony held at Trinity House, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Congratulations to Paul Willis, District Explorer Scout Commissioner, who has been awarded the Bar to the Silver Acorn in this year's St Georges Day awards.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Centenary Challenge, you raised over £1400.00 for Childrens's Vision International.

Harry, of the 5th Whitley Bay, won £25 pocket money and £125 for his colony in the St Ivel Poster Competition. All the Beavers in the colony designed posters showing a healthy meal and achieved the Health and Fitness Badge too! Well done to Harry whose poster was a winner.

At a Reception at the District HQ, Andrew Heslop, District Chairman presented Robin Cairns of ROK Builders with a thank you plaque to mark the work the company had done at the Quarry Centre when Whitley Bay & District Scouts won the Evening Chronicle Community Challenge.

On St George's Day 400 members of the Scout Movement in Whitley Bay attended a service at St Edwards Church and then paraded with flags back to the District HQ at Marden Quarry. The impressive and colourful procession with almost 40 flags was lead by the 5 Rivers Brass Band who later played whilst District Explorer Scouts entertained with a specially written play culminating in a giant Conga through the grounds of the Headquarters.

We are delighted to announce that the District Scout Headquarters will be upgraded further due to our success in the Evening Chronicle Community Challenge.

In February, Dave Reed, on behalf of the project team looking after the Quarry Centre upgrade, submitted our details for the challenge. This was possible because the team had detailed plans of what was needed for the centre upgrade and had planning permission to enable this to happen. The Quarry Centre had already benefitted from a revamp of the toilet block and start of work to relocate the entrance.

The Challenge involves working with the building company ROK who will be offering skilled services and providing the building materials. Barclays will also be providing finance to enable work to happen. The Evening Chronicle will be reporting on progress of the work.

What happens now is that a timetable of work needs to be established. ROK have looked at the plans and are working out how much of the work still to be done can be done on this project. Our priorities are the work for better access to the building, an upgraded kitchen, relocating the entrance, tiling the toilets and building storage spaces for the tables. The radical changes include removing the large sycamore tree located outside the kitchen door and cutting a new entrance into the stone wall once the tree is removed, the existing stone wall entrance will be blocked up using stone from the new entrance.

The project will also enable young people from the Explorer Scout Section and Leaders to get involved once we know the timetable.

Many thanks to Andrew Heslop, Caroline Arkley and the 8th Whitley Bay Scouts who helped with photo opportunities at a drop of a hat. and to other supporters of Whitley Bay Scouts who met with ROK to evaluate the feasibility of the project.

We were prepared with the work that went before to make a successful application, we are now ready to begin work to transform the Quarry Centre in time for the Centenary of Scouting.

Chair of the Appointments sub committee, David Wakenshaw, presents Donald Hood with a gift to mark his retirement as Appointments Secretary.

Long serving lay member Doug McAllister is presented with the Chief Scout's 60 year long service certificate by District Chairman, Andrew Heslop.

Scout Leader Chris Hall and Beaver Leader Cheryl Bush are invested at a ceremony at the Quarry Centre on 5th January 2006.

Ken Heath Receives his MBE from the Queen

Half a million Scouts and Guides were on air over the weekend for the largest jamboree in the world.
From Whitley Bay to Winnipeg, thousands of Scouting experiences were exchanged, friendships made and ideas shared at the 48th Jamboree on the Air (JOTA).
Running over a 48-hour period, Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is an annual event in which about 500,000 Scouts and Guides all over the world make contacts with each other by means of amateur radio.
Modern technology allows Members to make friends in other parts of the globe without leaving home.It is the sheer excitement of having a live conversation with a fellow Scout or Guide in some other place in the world that attracts so many young people to this event.
Whitley Bay Scouts set up their base at the 9th Whitley Bay Scout HQ at Briardene. A spokesperson for Whitley Bay Scouts said: - "Many of our young people have enjoyed the fun and friendship of camping with young people from around the world and this was another scouting adventure which would enhance their International awareness".

Three members were recently honoured by Scouting. Don Atha received a Medal of Merit and Kath Knott and Dorothy Jackson received Chief Scout's Long Service Awards each having served Scouting for 50 years

Cub Scouts from the 1st/7th and 17th Cub Packs who represented Whitley Bay in the County Peel Award. The 17th came joint second.

Ken Heath, Scout Leader 9th Whitley Bay, was honoured by the Queen in the 2005 Birthday Honours List when he was awarded the MBE.

At a ceremony at County Hall, Morpeth 12 Explorer Scouts from the Whitley Bay & District Unit were presented with Chief Scout's Gold and Chief Scout's Diamond Awards - each being the top award in the Scout and the Explorer Scout sections of Scouting. In presenting the awards the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear, Nigel Sherlock, O.B.E. commented on the high level of commitment and the varying goals reached by each individual but mainly the fun had by working both individually and together in the spirit of Scouting. The picture shows the young people and their leaders from the Explorer Unit, 19th and 8th Whitley Bay Scout Troops.

The 20th Whitley Bay Scout Group were the winners of the Breckons Trophy for the year 2004-2005. This is in recognition of the work put in by the young people in the Group, their leaders and the Group's Parent's Committee.

My employers, NatWest Bank recognised my community involvement in Scouting, as a School Governor and Sunday School Leader by sending me on the annual achievers Conference in Vienna for three nights. Gordon Ramsay was our guest speaker at our conference, he was very interesting and motivational to listen to. We all enjoyed the visits around Vienna during the days and three great nights out - the final being a wonderful ball in the Hofburg Palace where Ronan Keating came and sang to us! I had a wonderful time - it was great to be recognised for my voluntary work by NatWest.

Caroline Arkley
Beaver Scout Leader 5th Whitley Bay Scout Group

Our very own Marathon Man Jonathan Mobberley who successfully completed the London Marathon in 3 hours 38 minutes. He came in 5674th.

Cubs Sponsored Silence

May 2005

5th Whitley Bay Cubs are pictured listening to Richard Sanderson from Children's Vision International. The Cubs presented a cheque for £134 which they had raised from a sponsored silence in March.

District Scouting Awards

April 2005

Congratulations to these members of the District who have recently received Scouting Awards.

Chief Scouts Commendation for Good Service to Scouting
Elizabeth Wallis ACSL 21st Whitley Bay
Maureen Spall Group Secretary 20th Whitley Bay & member District Social sub-committee

Medal of Merit
Jean Reed District Secretary
Peter Nugent District Sailing Instructor
Carol Baggaley ADC Beaver Scouts
Colin Raistrick GSL 20th Whitley Bay
Dorothy Jackson
Kath Knott

CUBS RAISE £500 FOR TSUNAMI VICTIMS

March 2005

Local cub scouts have raised almost £500 for the Scout Association's Tsunami Appeal - by putting empty Smartie tubes to an unusual use!
Cubs from the 19th and 20th Whitley Bay Scouts, who meet in Monkseaton and Earsdon, were given the empty Smartie tubes and asked to fill them with money as part of the groups contribution to the Scout Association's Tsunami Appeal.
With a little help from friends and family, the cubs managed to raise an astonishing £150 simply by filling their tubes - but they weren't finished yet. Cub leaders organised a special sleep-over at the Whitley Bay and District Scout HQ at Marden Quarry in March and 29 of the cubs took part, each of them paying £10 for the privilege with all the proceeds going into the appeal fund.
After a rather sleepless and high-spirited night, they totted up the total and discovered that they had raised a total of £483 for the Tsunami Appeal.
Cub leader Karen Heppell was delighted. "The cubs had a great time and raised a great deal of money for a worthy cause in the process," she said. "It really shows what can be achieved if you try."
"All of our cubs who contributed to the Scout Association's Tsunami Appeal have got a great deal out of the process. They should be proud of what they have achieved because their efforts will bring real help to children of their own age in areas ravaged by the recent tsunami."

District Quiz – A sell out

March 2005

Proving that leaders can have just as much fun when there are no youngsters around the 70 adults who filled the District Scout HQ on 19^th March enjoyed a lively evening of entertainment.  All available seats were taken and the evening raised a sizable £312.80 for our Opportunities Fund. Well done to the winners team the “Lefthanders”.

Whitley Bay Scouts – Helping young people and adults have fun!

Beaver Scouts be Proud!!!!

January 2005

The Beaver Scout Section of Whitley Bay District hold an Annual Good Turn “Goal Shoot Challenge” to raise funds for various charities. In December 2004 they presented a cheque for £690 to a charity for Muscular Dystrophy.  This is a disease which affects, amongst others, youngsters of Beaver Scout age. The total was once again a wonderful amount and the Beaver Scouts should be very proud of their hard work!

  2005 ?.... ……………watch this space!

 Funds raised over the last 9 years:                        £5025

North Tyneside Hospital Special Care                         £520

North of England Childrens Cancer                             £660

Breath North                                                              £350

R.N.L.I                                                                      £445

St Oswald’s Hospice Jigsaw Appeal                           £680

North Tyneside Hospital Ward 10                              £750

Churches Acting Together                                          £380

Cystic Fibrosis                                                           £550

Muscular Dystrophy                                                   £690

Beavers and Bulbs

December 2004

County Standard

November 2004

The 20^th Whitley Bay Scout Group has been awarded the County Standard by the County Commissioner for Northumberland, Dave Bennett after they proved that they can meet and exceed the highest standards.

The 20^th Whitley Bay Group, who have just celebrated their 30^th birthday, had to demonstrate that they can set and achieve consistently high standards in their organisation, in the activities that they offer and in their welfare for young people. Activity planning, spiritual development and standards of dress were all judged.

Group Scout Leader Colin Raistrick said  “The award comes as a marvellous birthday surprise for the Group.  To achieve the County Standard, and be the first  Whitley Bay Scout Group to be presented with it, is a fantastic achievement and another milestone this Group will long remember."

Beavers Keep Quiet

October 2004

Table Top Sale

October 2004

Whitley Bay Scouts offered people the chance to raise money for their favourite charity.

Whitley Bay and District Scouts held a Charity Table Top Sale in the Cass Centre, in Roxburgh Terrace, Whitley Bay on Saturday 9 October 2004.  The event was a sell out resulting in other local charities and Scouts raising around £900 for their funds.

District Commissioner, Susan Wood, said that she was delighted that local Scouts could be seen to be helping others in this way.