Lions Heather Stanley (Vice President & Treasurer) B & Colin Wellington attended the presentation of a £300 cheque to 5th Newquay Scout Group to help purchase some light weight cooking equipment which will be used for exdpedition ncamping by the Scouts.
Images courtesy Lion Colin Wellington.
Lions and Scouts get Together to Celebrate Fundraising Success
Last Monday, Scouts from the 5th Newquay Troop gathered at their Scout Hut to meet with the vice-president and members of the Newquay Towan Blystra Lions to thank the Lions for their very kind and generous support of the Troop. As part of the ongoing fundraising project to help the Scouts develop an expedition capability, the Lions offered to sponsor several items of lightweight cooking equipment to ensure there would be sufficient for multiple teams to participate in an event later this year, which will see them earn their Expedition Challenge Award. To make the idea a reality, the Troop needed to significantly improve the scale of its specialist equipment that has to be small and light enough to be carried in rucksacks during the two day-long hikes that are part of the challenge. The meeting last Monday was an opportunity for everyone to see the new equipment and to thank the Lions for their support. Towan Blystra Vice-President Lion Heather Stanley highlighted that projects to support young people were always particularly rewarding, and commended the Scouts for all the hard work they do to earn their awards.
The evening’s activities formed part of a session on learning about international disaster relief and the challenges faced by aid agencies to help large numbers of displaced people made homeless due to events like drought, floods and hurricanes. The scouts were challenged to cook nutritious meals with minimal ingredients using only their lightweight equipment. The Expedition Award is one of nine ‘Challenge Badges’ available to Scouts, which cover everything from the traditions and values of Scouting to understanding the world around them, leadership, teamwork and of course traditional pursuits such as camping, survival skills and wider outdoor sports. Achieving all nine awards is very rare but if they do, Scouts are entitled to wear the Chief Scout’s Gold Award which is the highest accolade they can earn as a member of the Troop. Troop Leader David Wright commented, “Without the equipment provided by the Lions it would have been challenging for us to provide the Scouts with the opportunity of achieving the Gold Award. We are a very outdoor-orientated troop and this equipment will be put to great use.” The Lions members were invited to watch the aspiring chefs in action and then to sample to food that was cooked. The Ukrainian potato pancakes were apparently a big hit which helped prove that even with minimal resources, we can still help those in need and those suffering from the impact of both natural and man-made disasters.
If you are interested in your children becoming involved with Scouting in the area, please go to http://scouts.org.uk/get-involved/map-page/#location_setlocation to find out more and arrange for a contact with your local group.
Andy Nash
Chair 5th Newquay Scout Group