Senior Bunk Station Weekend 2014 (Barrasford)

Barrasford Station

During November, the Seniors travelled to Barrasford, near Hexham, for their annual weekend away. James was quick to point out that the weekend was not intense – it was actually in a converted railway station. James’ comment was received with mass groaning and eye rolling despite being very true. Barrasford Railway Station was constructed in the 1860s on the Border Counties line and was active until 1958 when the line was dismantled. Since then, ownership has been claimed by a couple of local Scout groups one of which, in 1995, took on the vigorous task of converting it into accommodation for groups, such as the 8th, to stay in.

On arrival, the six Seniors were greeted by John, Hannah and Neil who had travelled down to the station earlier that day. They were given a guided tour of the history-rich accommodation and then shown to their rooms. One for the boys, one for the girls and two for the Leaders. With their kit unpacked on to their bunks, leaders and Seniors alike headed outside to ‘Fred’s Shed’; a games room with a climbing wall, darts board, pool table and a table to play chess.

On return to the actual station, everyone tucked into a pork pie, took a seat in the common room and played a brand new ‘Trivial Pursuit’. Teams of two answered questions on a diverse range of topics hoping to fill their wheel with cheeses. It was eventually decided that time was getting on and the game should be reconvened the next evening. So far though, Poppy and Maddie had taken an early, unexpected lead.

To avoid shivering in their sleeping bags, the boy Seniors resorted to building dens out the mattresses which weren’t being used. Before everyone dropped off to sleep, Liam – described by Mark as “unable to inspire a cabbage” – was encased in a triangular mattress sarcophagus which kept him “toasty” during the night.

The Seniors woke-up on Saturday morning refreshed and rearing to go on their international hike. Bacon sandwiches, kindly prepared by the leaders, were scoffed before the drive to Lewisburn.

Seniors hiking across the moors

The 11-mile walk took the group of ten along a foggy Bloody Bush road which jumps from bank to bank of the Akenshaw Burn. Thankfully, there was no breeze (apart from one which suspiciously always surrounded Mark) but everyone still wrapped up warm.

In dribs and drabs, everyone arrived at the Scottish border to feast on their packed lunch, followed by a quick visit into Scotland and an elegant trek through thick heather which, at times, was high enough to encompass Maverick. The off-road route climaxed with a jump over a beck which returned the hikers to their original trail.

Pawson on the border

On return to the station, the group treated themselves to a doughnut and discussed, in great detail, bookmarks before some of the group headed back over to Fred’s Shed to play more games.

After tea, everyone watched ‘We’re the Millers’. Everyone then returned to the common room to finish off the game of Trivial Pursuit they started the night before. Poppy and Maddie’s lead turned out to only be temporary and it was actually John and Harry who collected all six cheeses first. Despite this, it was Neil and Liam who were the first to collect all six cheeses PLUS making it back to the starting circle and correctly answering a question. Neil and Liam were declared the winners.

Neil abruptly awoke the Seniors on Sunday morning by rattling utensils in a steel pot and bellowing abuse. A traditional full English breakfast was on the menu for breakfast which included scrambled eggs, sausages, black pudding, bacon, beans and… smiley faces! The delicious breakfast was swiftly devoured before kit was packed up and rooms were hovered so the group could return home (with a call at Hexham on the way).

The Seniors: Reflecting on their weekend in Barrasford.

Not only was this Maddie and Poppy’s first Senior weekend away, they are also still baby Seniors; still only in the first few weeks of development. Reflecting on the weekend, Maddie commented: “The weekend was fantastic. Leaders have more depth to them than you see in Scouts and the weekend was a great bonding experience with fellow Seniors.”

Cubs Halloween Party 2014

The two scariest Cubs

Ghouls, ghosts, vampires, zombies and monsters packed the hall on November 2nd for a grim and disturbing scene: the join Squirrel and Panther Cub pack Halloween Party. The scary undertakers, werewolves, mad-scientists, (plus the not so scary tigers and bunnies) were in for a spooky night of festivities.

The hall, finely decorated with skulls, creepy pictures, and an enormous spider hanging from the roof saw the evening commence with some Halloween themed relay races before the Cubs rushed into the small hall to fill their faces with snacks and pop. Following this, there was the traditional mummy wrapping game where one member from each six gets wrapped in toilet paper by the rest of the six. The best wrapped mummy at the end of the game wins. Before the Cubs could go home, the winners of the best costume were announced and the person with the most skilfully carved pumpkin was congratulated. The evening was rounded off by nobody going anywhere near Neil’s office.

Neil's Office

Cubs Visit Darlington Police Station

Under arrest: the Cubs inside a police cell

At the end of September, Cubs from the Squirrel pack visited Darlington Police station. They were shown around by Chief Inspector Dave Sanderson and learned about the history of the station, the different sections of policing, and the resources and equipment which Durham Constabulary uses. This was followed by a guided tour around the station.

First stop: custardy. The officers working there that evening were grilled by the Cubs on a wide variety of hypothetical situations and scenarios. Then, the Cubs were shut into a bland, empty cell where it was pitch black to see what a night locked there would be like.

The Cubs were then taken outside and shown the police vans and cars. They got to look at some of the police technology used in the vehicles and play with the sirens and flashing blue lights.

Before they departed, they returned inside the station so their knowledge could be tested in a 10 question quiz. Amazingly, all sixes managed to get full marks and they all received a certificate for their efforts.

Overall, the Cubs thoroughly enjoyed the visit probably too much as many were eager to see inside the police van and explore custardy again.

September Camp 2014 (Low Moor)

A medium sized group of dedicated campers determined to go to Low Moor were dropped off at the Scout HQ on Friday 26th September to pack the van for a weekend camping. September camp has traditionally been held at Low Moor farm however due to bad weather and busy schedules, the Scouts hadn't been camping there in two years!

On arrival at the campsite, the group immediately ran into a problem. That problem came in the shape of a gate – a locked gate. With no resident in the farm house to unlock the gate, the Scouts had no choice but to haul all the tents and equipment a couple of hundred meters down the dusty track to where they were camping.

The group was tactically split in half leaving some more experienced campers to erect tents whilst others fetched more equipment. The sun started sinking into the horizon at ten to seven leaving splashes of orange and pink on the horizon. Despite being a picturesque spectacle, lack of light proved to be an issue. Thankfully, hard work and quick thinking meant that camp was erected in almost no time at all and the sausage rolls and pies for supper were well deserved.

Camp was awoken on Saturday morning to the sound of a jet roaring through the sky - presumably from Teesside airport which was only a few miles away. Camp kitchens needed to be built that morning because it was too dark to construct them the previous night. However before pits could be dug, pits needed to be cleaned so everyone went down to the river for a wash. Due to a sunny September, the Tees was shallow so Scouts and Seniors could leap onto mounds of pebbles and earth to wash on their own island. Whilst they were washing, people wearing parachutes elegantly descended down the sky.

Wood collecting, pit digging and billy sorting all needed to happen before a filling breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches could be made. This was followed by inspection.

The day’s events then commenced. For the Seniors, this entailed collecting and chopping wood for the campfire that evening, for the Scouts, ticking off the rest of the requirements for the stalker badge was on the agenda, and for Erika and Neil: a day of tranquil kite flying from half way up the hill.

The Scouts learnt about how different animals (such as cows, rabbits, and foxes) walk and the tracks they leave behind. This intense studying was rounded off with a stalking game. The objective was to (in pairs) silently, steadily sneak towards Tom to try and scare him without being heard. At first this mission seemed impossible but, with patience and initiative, a few pairs achieved the goal.

With all work out the way, everyone headed to the hill to play the mug game. Two teams, two boxes, and what seemed like a million mugs were required to play the game which saw mild cheating, comical violence and people betraying their own side to infiltrate the strong lines of defence and steal mugs for the other team.

Sweaty and stale, Scouts returned to their kitchen for some free time and to prepare a stunt for the camp fire that evening, meanwhile Seniors tried their hardest to rescue Erika’s bright orange kite which had crashed into a tree. Try as they might, the kite was well and truly stuck so they gave up and headed back to camp to play cards.

For dinner that evening was a sausage casserole. Hannah described hers as “herby”, Tom described his as “garlicy”. Seniors then started preparing their kitchen for guests as they would be hosting the group camp fire. Scouts, Seniors and leaders alike packed into the kitchen to bellow old camp classics such as ‘Campfire’s burning’, ‘Merrily-sings-the-donkey’ and ‘Quartermasters Store’. ‘Never going to Heaven’ also made an appearance and was exposed to some dodgy, yet topical, verses from the Seniors regarding some of the events of camp so far.

Mark and a cow

Night games were planned for Saturday evening however due to a pregnant cow at the other end of the field which nobody wanted to distress, and curious cows that kept coming too close for comfort around Scout kitchens, the night games were unfortunately cancelled. Instead, one of Neil’s renowned quizzes took place in the marquee. Holly went so far as to describe the quiz as ‘brilliant’!

Camp (especially Maverick) aroused on Sunday for the usual camp routine of flag break, wash, breakfast and inspection. Overall, Poppy’s Poppies (the name of Poppy’s patrol) claimed a narrow victory over Maddie’s Maddies (the name of Maddie’s patrol) with inspection points however it was extremely close.

Lashing together a chariot

Before it was time to start taking camp down, chariots were lashed together by the two Scout patrols and raced around the field. The race got off to a roaring start with the gentle drop of Neil’s handkerchief and both patrols running as fast as their little legs could carry them to complete the set amount of laps. It wasn’t long until Maddie’s Maddies were tired out though and reduced to a walking pace meaning that Poppy’s Poppies claimed first prize… before their chariot falling, helplessly, to pieces.

Whilst nobody was paying attention, a cluster of spiders had invaded and lined camp with webs of glistening silk. Sadly, there wasn’t much time for whining about spiders in hair and webs in mugs because the baked potatoes for lunch were ready. Wrapped in tinfoil, the potatoes had been slowly cooking all morning on the side of the fires – apart from in the Senior kitchen where they were cremated. Black, crispy, ash covered casualties were rescued from the fire. Some could be eaten; some couldn’t even be distinguished as baked potatoes anymore so were disposed of.

Camp was then carefully taken down in the usual fashion but with even more glumness than usual since September camp was the last camp of 2014.

Summary - Summer Camp 2014 (Hexham)

"Unless you actually come to camp and experience it first hand, it is a hard thing to explain. When I try explaining to people who have never been camping that I enjoy spending time in a remote field through freak weather with no flushing toilets or shower block I just sound like a weirdo."

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 8

Scouts arose on Saturday to learn that, during the night, something fishy had went on. A slippery 10-inch mackerel had suspiciously materialised in one of the Squid’s tea boilers whilst in the Badger’s kitchen a message written in whipped cream had appeared in their fire pit.

Despite the distractions, the Scouts maturely sorted out the mess and then continued to cook bacon and eggs for breakfast. This was followed by a brief inspection just to ensure standards were being retained although the leaders had stopped awarding inspection points. Camp was then slowly dismantled. The flag descended for the final time at camp at 1:45pm and the site was left just the way they found it by the time they departed from the field at 2pm.

Before Scouts could return to their warm houses and comfortable beds, everyone needed to give one last effort. Personal kit was unloaded, equipment was taken back to the Quartermasters store, and damp tents were hung up in the small hall to dry over the rest of summer.

The Scouts, worn out, then lined up in the main hall for a few words from the leaders. Mark and Erika confirmed everyone’s theories that the Squids had won the Summer Camp trophy – a special triumph for Maddie and Poppy as it was their last Summer Camp as Scouts. Alec then thanked the Leaders and Seniors for their hard work over the past week.

Sam, PL of the badgers, then had a going up ceremony from Scouts to Seniors. He was described by Erika as one of the group’s ‘characters’ and the Seniors warmly welcomed him into their section.

Poignantly, Sam then lowered the flag at the den to mark the official end of the brilliant week. And with the words “8th Darlington Scout group at Summer Camp 2014 in Hexham. Group, group dismissed” from Alec, everyone was finally allowed to go home with fresh memories of the joy of camping in their heads and the stench of smoke in their hair.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 7

Flag break followed day break on Friday. It was the last day of inspection so it was even more thorough than usual. Patrol's performances that day would determine whether they went down in 8th history and won the prestigious camp trophy or not.

Sadly, the Summer Camp commonwealth games needed to be cancelled because of bad weather. Instead, one of Neil’s iconic quizzes took place in the marquee with the Squids preparing questions for the Badgers - and vice versa - and the Leaders preparing questions for the Seniors – and vice versa. These quizzes are notoriously known for a fair amount of controversy and this quiz was no different. Many of the Senior’s and Leader’s answers were questionable and the Badgers only won because they knew everyone who Suarez had bit.

Camp soup is usually watery, tasteless and basically vegetables swamped in water however due to some unknown factor it was different on the lunchtime of Friday. The soup was desirably delicious and many Scouts even returned for more of it… a camp first!

That afternoon, news almost as bad as Lishman’s kidnapping hit the Scouts; the leader’s made the decision to cancel PL’s choice on the grounds of the weather being too wet. Instead, the Seniors offered to cook enough Chilli for the whole camp for a communal meal in the marquee later that day. Scouts and leaders could still dress up if they wanted to.

Dressed in all sorts of wacky outfit ranging from an escaped convict to a furious Viking, everyone piled into the marquee for the feast. The two leaders each Scout patrol had invited to dine with them for PL’s choice earlier in the week were still allowed to dine with them on their table.

After everyone was full, the PLs of each patrol stood up and made touching speeches. It was Sam and Maddie’s last Summer Camp as Scouts so they spoke about their enjoyable time in Scouts and thanked the leaders.

Doing the huge amount of washing up was a group effort. The Badgers took plates, knives and forks, the Squids took bowls, plate-warmers and spoons, and the Seniors washed up whatever was left. Mike’s mess tin caused quite a stir though as Scouts struggled to define it as either a plate or bowl so they argued about which patrol should have to wash it up.

A last, last minute change of plan occurred to the evening schedule due to the Seniors persuading the leaders to allow them to have the traditional camp fire outdoors. This was the original plan however the wood collected specifically for the campfire had been returned to the woods prematurely when it looked like the weather wouldn’t improve. When the Seniors heard that they had the go ahead for an outdoor campfire they jumped into action and started to dismantle all of their gadgets and the kitchen walls so everyone could fit in the area. At 9:30pm the fire was built up and the Scouts, Seniors and Leaders circled it for warmth as they roared into song.

Camp favourites such as ‘Lion Hunt’, ‘Green O the Rushes’, ‘Cow kicked Nelly’ and a harmonised version of ‘Camp Fire’s Burning’, ‘Merrily Sings the Donkey’ and ‘Animal Fair’ were perfectly performed. The two Scout patrols even prepared a stunt. The Badger’s amazing extract from ‘Phantom of the Opera’, sung and acted by Holly Carter, was unbeatable and Sam Wear’s portrayal of a candle in the background was a first class performance. The Squids also did a song.

The evening was concluded with ‘Good-night Campers’ where all sections of the group could have their moment in the spotlight before going to bed.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 6

Scouts arose on Thursday morning to horrific news; overnight, the mysterious ‘tent lifters of Hexham’ had dismantled both of their food tents whilst they were sleeping! They had also littered Scout’s kitchens with rope, filled fire pits in with grass and ladles, and filled wet pits with heavy logs. Before the Scouts had even awoke, the leaders had been courteous enough to inform the police however they said that the criminals responsible were so devious there was no chance in them ever being caught however they make return to cause more havoc at Summer Camps in the future.

Scouts: Dressed like the Victorian working class

To help the Scouts recover from the traumatic experience Nutella and croissants were dished out for breakfast before the whole group headed off to Killhope Lead Mine.

On arrival, they met up with tour guides and split into two groups. Both groups started in a two story building neighbouring the mine. The building was where the mine manager’s office was and where some of the lead miners used to live when the weather was too bad for them to leave the site – which is surrounded by hills. 

Intrigued, Scouts listened to every syllable of every word spoke by the tour guides. Stories about miner’s were told, the unhygienic conditions of the living quarters were analysed, and then, for the grand finale, the Scouts were allowed to dress up in attire similar to that which the miners would have worn over a century ago.

Later, equipped with a temperamental dim light wired to a battery pack which needed to be worn over their shoulders, a hard hat, and wellies, the Scouts descended into the eerily dark mine. Natural springs erupting inside the mine sent fresh water gushing around the floors of the mine - a good 10cm deep which the Scouts waded through attempting to splash water into the wellies of the person in front of them.


Scouts equipped and ready to go into the mine

The shaft was narrow and the roof was low making the long walk into the heart of the mine an interesting experience for some Seniors and Leaders. Inside the marvellous mine, the Scouts got to see a reconstructed vein of galena (lead ore) which was the prize the miners hunted for. They also got to hear the gut wrenching sound of a ‘thunder box’ slamming shut and experience the same lighting that the miners would have had (by turning off their torches and walking through a section of the mine unable to see their own hand in front of their faces. Their only guidance was clinging onto the shoulder of the person in front of them).

Inside the mine

Buzzing from their time in the mine, the Scouts devoured their packed lunch and then set about finding their own galena by a process shown to them by the tour guides.

The evening following the day at Killhope was one of the most enjoyable evenings you can get a camp. Not only was the sun shining, a new recipe was on the menu for tea (Coca-Cola chicken) and Mike, ex-leader, had arrived for his usual two days at camp. The only drawback of the evening was the departure of Hannah. Everyone mourned the loss of Hannah from camp by having the time of their lives continuing the volleyball competition which was refereed by Sam MacKenzie. He was put under enormous stress and pressure from competitors which lead to some controversial decisions being made. The winner of the tournament was unclear – anyway, the only thing that matters is that everybody had a good time.

After doughnuts for supper, Scouts and Seniors psyched themselves for the last part of the Stalker badge. The mission was similar to the other part of the badge where they needed to silently sneak across the field to the leaders without being spotted – only this time, they were doing it in darkness. The preparation for this ranged from handfuls of ferns and long grass being tied around dark clothing and balaclavas being worn, to simply putting on a jacket so they wouldn’t get cold and then hoping for the best.


The Seniors taking camouflage debatably too seriously

Admittedly, some Scouts were considerably better than others however most made a decent effort to be as discreet as possible so they weren’t caught by Mark who was scanning the ground with a torch. Everyone had so much fun with this exhausting activity it lasted over an hour, followed by the Scouts dawdling wearily to bed just after 11pm.

The fun came to an abrupt, disturbing ending when leaders realised that one of the most popular members of the 8th, who had come to summer camp, had gone missing. Lishman, the group bear, had been kidnapped out of his sleeping bag and replaced with a ransom note. What made the unexpected act even more alarming was the fact that nobody knew who was behind such an evil stunt. Distressed, Neil immediately started complying with the kidnapper's demands such as adding more inspection points onto Seniors for some suspicious reason, plucking a single hair from Tom’s head and leaving over £500 in a safety deposit box. It soon became clear to Neil that the excessive demands could not be met. So the leaders united and retaliated against the terrorists aggressively. They wrote a letter to the suspected culprits explaining to them that if Lishman was not safely returned within the hour there would be extreme sanctions.


Taken hostage: Lishman

All of a sudden, minutes before midnight, the leaders socialising in the marquee were blinded by two bright torches meaning they could only see the silhouettes of the kidnappers. Their beloved Lishman, tied up, blindfolded and gagged, was thrown then back to them. In a heartbeat, the blinding torches then went off again and the traumatic ordeal was over with; the kidnappers dissolving into the night. Lishman then spent the rest of the night receiving bear counselling from Neil.



Summer Camp 2014 - Day 5

The Seniors finishing off their hike

The Seniors woke up refreshed on Wednesday morning after a few hours of sleep. Unfortunately they had a terrible case of bad hair – fortunately they were near Acomb (excuse the pun). After a ration pack breakfast/hot drink the Seniors packed up the two tents and continued their epic journey.

That same morning, back at camp the Scouts had been working towards achieving the stalker badge. This entailed learning how to sneak up on someone without them knowing, spying on someone and the art of camouflage. The highlight of this was putting the skills they had learnt into practise by smothering themselves in camo face paint and then attempting to sneak across the field towards the leaders without being seen. Although some Scouts were sticking out from the tall grass like a sore thumb, the exercise was great fun. Sadly, the face paints didn’t come off as well as anticipated and even the almighty power of wet wipes still left some of the boys with what looked like mascara on. The morning was then rounded off with warm pies which Alec had picked up from Cranstons in Hexham for lunch.

Smothered in camouflage paint: the Scouts

Swimming costumes and swimming trunks were then packed, and the group departed for their annual wash at the local swimming baths. By the time the van of Scouts arrived at Hexham leisure centre the Seniors had finished their hike and were waiting for them. Erika quickly paid the receptionist for the group to enter the pool whilst Scouts snuck into the changing rooms before staff could see the two inch coat of muck they were all carrying on their skin.

As campers eased themselves into the pool the sterile clear water soon turned a murky shade of brown with a scum of 5 days’ worth of dirt floating on top.

That evening marked the sad departure of Christopher Hewins; he was taken from camp, against his will, to go on holiday with his family. Also, the Carter clan and Mark’s parents visited camp and stayed to dine with the Scouts and Seniors.

Unfortunately, strong winds meant a game of Volleyball was out of the question however, to the Scout’s delight, Tom and Joyce Milner had brought huge bags of 'Haribo' for the campers.

At 10pm the Scouts were rounded up and chased to bed whilst Neil, Tom and Hannah enjoyed their Rover meal in Hexham before heading to one of the three pubs in Acomb (the Miners Arms) for a pub quiz. They finished third in the quiz – presumably out of three teams.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 4

A delicious breakfast of Scotch pancakes, a camp favourite, were cooked and swiftly devoured so the Seniors could pack their rucksacks and set off on their hike.

Back at camp, following inspection, ‘Super Scout’ was the new activity which occupied the rest of the Scout's day.

Every Scout competed as an individual and needed to partake in a number of physical, mental agility, knots, and common sense tests. The first test was the bleep test: a test used by the police and army to determine the fitness level of an individual. Most Scouts were extremely competitive and pushed themselves to the limits trying to score the best result possible – even Mark and Tom (leaders) joined in the competition. This was followed by a mental agility/lateral thinking test where the Scouts needed to answer 20 question in five minutes. This tested their reading ability and comprehension skills.

The third and fourth round were more fitting for the Scouts. They needed to recognise and identify as many map symbols as they could in two minutes, and then they needed to recall the names of as many of the displayed 25 British birds within two minutes.

The fifth test was about accuracy when throwing whilst the sixth and final test was a knot tying time trial where each Scout needed to tie a reef knot, sheet bend, fisherman’s knot, clove hitch and Timber hitch. The two PLs set the benchmark but their competition was fierce. Sam did his five knots in 1 minute and 11 seconds however Erika, Scout leader, stunned all as she completed the five knots in 37 seconds!

When the scores from all six rounds were collated, the podium positions were announced. James Waters, with an impressive 87 points, was named Super Scout 2014 closely followed by Poppy Milner and Sam MacKenzie who both achieved a silver medal and Chris Hewins closely following them in third place.

Meanwhile, at Cod Law Farm, a large field open to the elements, the Seniors were attempting to pitch two hike tents - one of which they had carried with them all day (as well as the poles, ration packs, a stove, a kettle, clothing and any other personal belongings). 

The Seniors had not walked the planned 15 miles because the useless Senior leader – who will remain nameless to save him from embarrassment – dropped the Seniors off in the wrong place; approximately 3½ miles from the youth hostel where they were supposed to start. The shortened route confused the Seniors at first however once they reached Walwick, they realised that they couldn’t have travelled that far in under a hour (even at their pace), and the mistake the Senior leader made came to light.

To pass the time on the walk, the Seniors stopped ramblers who were mooching along Hadrian's wall and insisted that they got a photo taken with Lishman, the group bear who – to Neil’s dismay - had been brought on the journey. Everyone they passed was up for the photo opportunity and Lishman enjoyed having his photograph taken both with people and in death defying positions along the wall.

The Seniors stopped off for lunch at a place of great significance to all Scouts; the BP monument which marks the location where Baden Powell held his first official Scout camp. They took pictures in front of the stone monument and then ate their ham and cheese sandwiches sat on the sanctified ground.

They continued walking through the afternoon, dodging intermittent showers until they arrived at their final destination where Alec had been kind enough to leave one tent and a water carrier quarter filled of water.

Once the tents were pitched, half of the four explored the field and accompanying woods whilst the other two boiled water on the stove to cook the military ration packs which were brought to camp especially for the Senior’s overnight hike. They were convenient because they came in small boxes which didn't take up much space and they contained a wide variety of food and powdered drinks however some of the meals lacked taste.



Scouts in the marquee for the 'X Fire'

The Seniors then spent the evening playing card games (with creative consequences) in their tents whilst extremely strong winds swirled around. If they were really quiet they could hear the Scouts belting out well-known songs back at camp in the marquee at the X-Fire – like the traditional camp fire however with modern(ish) hits. The Scouts yelled the lyrics of ‘We will rock you’, screamed ‘Hey Jude’, roared ‘Country roads’ and bawled ‘Copacabana’. Alec described the X-Fire as a “surreal” experience. Bed time was at 10:30pm.

In the meantime, Lishman, with the Seniors, was raving long into the night… and he raved hard.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 3

Lishman at Sycamore Gap

A baby blue morning sky gave the Scouts and Seniors a warm welcome out of their tents. A quick breakfast of bacon sandwiches were cooked followed by the Scouts packing a bag of sandwiches for lunch and then setting off to their hike along Hadrian’s Wall. They started at a car park in Housesteads and then started trekking West along the Roman wall. 

Lunch was at the famous ‘Sycamore Gap’ which Kevin Costner famously walked down 23 years ago in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’. Here, Lishman, one of the four group bears, got to strut his stuff as he was photographed at the scene.

To counteract the high heat of the day a selection of ice-lollies were purchased from an ice-cream truck which was spotted near Steel Rigg. The refreshing flavours consequently turned Scouts mouths - and some faces - various colours to match the lollies. After hours and hours of walking, finally, a white spec appeared in the horizon at Cawfield Quarry. To the Scout’s relief it was the van.

Although Maddie, PL of the Squids, called the 7½ mile hike “tiring” and Sam, PL of the Badgers, recalled the hike being “more hilly” when he did the walk the first time around three years ago at Easter Camp, they both said the day was thoroughly enjoyed.

Meanwhile, back at camp the Seniors had been working their way down a to-do list composed by the leaders. The most important job was to plan their 15 mile hike which would take them the duration of two days (from Tuesday to Wednesday). After carefully studying a map, there were many discussions about whether they should walk along Hadrian’s Wall, through Northumberland National Park or parallel with the North Tyne. Following much thought, they finally all agreed on the route they would take back to the swimming baths in Hexham where they would meet the Scouts ‘tomorrow, tomorrow’ (A.K.A Wednesday).

The Seniors also kindly did some wood collecting for the Scouts, collected logs for the camp fire, dug another hole for the ladies toilet, assertively carried out inspection and then captured some shots of camp to use in the documentary. Whilst the Seniors were hard at work, Alec ventured out of camp to fill up the water-carriers because the campers had managed to go through 65 gallons of water in a mere two days!

On Alec’s return, the Seniors thought it would be a nice gesture to make some ‘camp doughnuts’ for when the Scouts came back from their hike in the sweltering weather. With James mixing ingredients, Liam rolling out the dough, Harry frying the doughnuts, and Maverick engulfing them in sugar so they looked like sweet rings of goodness, the Seniors successfully managed to make dozens of perfectly cooked Doughnuts which left the Scouts and leaders craving for more.

For tea, the Seniors prepared burgers and sausages on the BBQ which everyone on camp enjoyed before a few improvised games by the Scouts and then an early bed time so the Scouts could recover from their hike and the Seniors could rest up before their gruelling hike the following morning.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 2

After flag break, a wash in the narrow, shallow stream (the Burn) at the bottom of the woods, and a traditional yet delicious breakfast of bacon and egg, inspection commenced. The first inspection is vitally important as it sets the bar for the rest of the week. Leaders recommend that most items are washed on the first day because inspection is so thorough, patrols can get marked down on the smallest piece of dirt in the wrong place. Some call this pedantic however it is deemed necessary to keep the standards high. This expectation and pressure keeps the PLs and their patrols on their toes.

This was then followed by an unorthodox Scout’s Own Service based around teamwork – a theme which would continue throughout the rest of the week. 'You can get it if you really want' and 'Here comes the sun' were beautifully warbled before a team building exercise. Everyone got a small square picture card which was a segment of another picture - but zoomed in slightly. And, without showing anyone else one’s picture, everyone needed to get into an order so the person with the most zoomed out picture was at one end of a line and the person with the most zoomed in picture was at the other. This simple task which sounds complex was executed within minutes to the astonishment of Mark and other leaders.

Whilst jacket potatoes cooked at the side of the fire for lunch, everyone partook in a game of football which filled the rest of the morning. During the lively, tiring and violent game, there was a dirty tackle which Joey Barton would be proud off. One of the new Scouts was kicked in the wrist which had only recently recovered from a previous injury. After an analysis from the first-aid trained leaders at camp, the Scout was taken to A&E where the nurse told the leaders truly awful news: the Scout didn’t have to wash-up for the rest of the week – despite there being nothing serious wrong with the wrist. Just for precaution, a wrist-support was applied anyway.
When the Scout heroically returned to camp three hours later a number of gadgets had been constructed in the three kitchens which, in the words of Alec: "Make camp a more pleasant experience."


Poppy and Jenel building a billy rack

The Seniors made a cutlery holder, corner unit (including a washing up bowl holder and drying rack), water carrier carriers and even a gate. Scouts aimed to achieve mastering simpler gadgets such as tables, kettle holders, washing lines for tea towels, frying pan racks and billy racks.
The afternoon weather was decent apart from a brief shower mid-afternoon.

Ex-leader John Hopwood and ex-committee leader Russ Wilkinson showed up for a chat and a cuppa. Before leaving, John proudly boasted a variety of American bird ringtones on his phone which, from a distance, were authentic enough to fool some of the Scouts and Seniors.

After a hot Thai Chilli for tea it was time for the first round of the Volleyball Tournament where the four teams would play each other. (Two Scout patrols: Badgers and Squids, the Seniors: Mallory, and the leaders.) In the opening matches, the Seniors wiped the floor with the opposing team every game they played – even the leaders!

On Sunday evening a brief plan was also conjured up for 'The Camp'; a short documentary about Summer Camp 2014 being directed, shot, and edited by the Seniors and a few Scouts. The film will be from the point of view of Scouts and include interviews with people from all sections of the group speaking about the inimitability of the 8th Darlington Scout Group summer camps. It will also include footage of some of the highlights of the week. The youngsters making the film hope it will teach Sir David Attenborough a thing or two about making outstanding documentaries – however leaders just hope it would be something appropriate that they can use as a PR tool.

Sunday was rounded off with cheese and crackers for supper before the Scouts hit the hay and the Seniors retired to their food shelter for endless card games.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 1

Camp at Target Wood, Hexham

The most anticipated and legendary event of the Scouting year, Summer Camp, commenced on Saturday July 26th 2014. 15 Scouts, 9 Leaders, 4 Seniors, 2 Cubs and 2 Bears arrived at the den bright and early to pack the van and the 4X4 for a lively week at Target Wood – a last minute location found by Alec after the original site for Summer Camp fell through only weeks before.

The ardent group of Scouts sung their way to the field and were privileged enough to hear Mark’s rendition of 'Copacabana'. The field itself is North of Hexham and the farmer had been kind enough to mow the grass in certain areas of the field so the scouts had an area for camping in, an area to play games, a place to park the cars and then a pathway to get to the woods without needing to trek through the knee-high grass and thistles.

The bright sun beamed down and made the experience of setting up camp uncomfortably warm and sweaty. There were three Scout tents to erect, three food shelters, three kitchens and a Senior bell tent – an ancient tent which the Seniors had spent the previous few weeks unsuccessfully re-waterproofing. The tent had not be used in at least four decades however was still in good shape. It was a dark green in colouring, with some lighter areas which gave it a camo look, and the word ‘Willy’ inscribed on the inside. The Seniors’ plan on using the bell tent as a permanent tent for whenever they go camping.

At 3pm Maverick marked the finish of constructing camp by raising the flag. Leaders then spent the afternoon taking advantage of the sun and reading whilst Scouts and Seniors headed to the woods to slowly wood collect. There was plenty of wood however Scouts made an effort to collect it one stick at a time because the trees offered shelter from the sun.

Sausages

After a tasty sausage casserole for tea, the temperature finally started to decrease and everyone headed over to another part of the field to play kick rounders. Light showers started before supper which by midnight had developed so much it felt like the camp was in the grip of a hurricane.
As mentioned earlier, the Seniors hadn’t waterproofed their tent very well so there were dozens of leaks dribbling onto sleeping bags and personal kit. Sleeping close together and in the only habitable half of the circular tent was the only way to avoid waking up soaked.

May Camp 2014 (Croft)

Queueing up for some lunch: the Cubs

Since 1948 the 8th Darlington Scout Group have been camping at Hunger Hill farm near Middleton St. George however the field is prone to flooding and over the past couple of years the weather at May camp has been far from adequate. It was so bad last year the camp was called off by the first morning and everyone returned to the Scout HQ. So, this year, the leaders moved May camp to a new field near Croft-on-Tees.

Cubs lost in the woods

On the first evening, the friendly estate manager was kind enough to carry all of the equipment and personal kit down to the camp site in his trailer since the tall, wet grass made it impossible for the van to get anywhere close. Meanwhile, the farmer’s dog was insane enough to be charging around the field in the abysmal conditions and thrashing rain when it could have been relaxing at home.

Thanks to the weather, the camp took longer than normal to erect. Once Scouts had their tents put up and made a start on their kitchens they didn’t have much motivation to do anything else, so they had a pasty for supper and headed off to bed.

The next morning, with T minus two hours until the Cubs and Beavers arrived, the Scouts and Seniors needed to wash, wood collect, cook bacon sandwiches, wash up and finish final touches to camp which they didn't have time to do previous night. During breakfast, Pat’s peculiar obsession with his red plate came to light.

The rumble of nearby train and nervous glances up the hill at the paper-white skies marked the descent of 28 Cubs and Beavers into camp. On arrival, leader-in-charge, Alec introduced the different sections of the group and explained what was on the agenda for the day. The visitors started by being split into three teams: James’ Jaguars, Liam’s Loch-ness Monsters and Maverick’s Mallards. This was soon followed by relay races, treasure hunts and a game of ‘Secret Stalker’ whilst Scouts prepared a lunch of sausage sandwiches and beans.

Through the afternoon, Beavers and Cubs carefully dodged intermittent showers. They started off in the woods for a string trail guided by the Seniors and leaders, and then retreated into a tent to do some colouring in whilst the rain thrashed against the walls. When the rain finally got lighter, the visitors had a whale of a time playing ‘the mug game’, ‘three-way football’ and tug of war before finally setting off home — filthy and soaked.

Scouts at the 'banter bivvy'

Concurrently, the Scouts wood collected and procrastinated at — what became known as — the ‘banter bivvy’ whilst the Seniors, after hours of tantalising and nerve-racking waiting, finally managed to steal Pat’s plate!

For dinner that evening there was Pasta Bolognese followed by a game of Relivo where Scouts and Seniors slipped around the huge hilly field. The game was great fun and everyone was very disappointed that they only got to play one round however after so many slips and falls they weren't sure their bodies could take any more.

Neil’s quiz that evening included ladles full of fascinating information. For example, did you know that Roald Dahl wrote 17 Children’s novels and the game Monopoly contains 22 streets? Primula cheese and Ritz crackers were dished up for supper, then “bed”.

On Sunday morning, due to drenched kindling, the morning routine took longer than usual however it wasn't too long until eggy bread was toasting and sausages were frying over the fire. Inspection swiftly followed breakfast which the girl’s patrol won. The rest of the day was then spent slowly packing camp away.

‘Lively’ is the single word that Scout leader Mark described May camp and he certainly wasn't wrong. The camp at Croft was many Scouts first camp and it had aggressive and unpredictable weather which everyone dealt with optimistically and always with a spring in their step. Alec described it best just before the flag was taken down for the final time: “If you can survive a camp like this, you can survive any camp.”

Easter Camp 2014 (Boldron)

The Seniors on their hike

Easter camp is the first camp of the year and can have unpredictable, difficult weather thus making the weekend exclusive to experienced Scouts — nine altogether.

They arrived at the Scout HQ at approximately 9 AM on Friday April 18th to pack the van with equipment they would need over the weekend. John (Scout leader) turned up happier than usual, and then left even happier because he wasn’t going to camp!

The field in Boldron (near Barnard Castle) where the group were spending the weekend is the same field that they camped in for June camp the previous year however Maverick claimed it “looked less green” the second time around.

The only hiccough that occurred in erecting the site was the Tiger’s tent falling down and the wind breaks around the toilet tents being deemed as useful as a jelly mallet because they blew over in the wind and wouldn't stand straight even when the air was still. Most things, though, ran smoothly all morning up to the fish finger sandwiches for dinner which Maddie described as “very nice”.

During the afternoon, Scouts revised camp inspection and the standard they should be abiding by when camping, whilst the Seniors planned a hike for the following day. The hike needed to be approximately 7 miles long and take the whole day to trek.

As the sun eased behind the horizon, and over a tea of pasta bolognaise, campers watched from afar as the wild, rebellious sheep in the neighbouring field majestically nutted Hannah’s car. The sunset also gave campers the chance to inspect the extent of the sunburn which the blinding sun had left on their skin. Some campers were lucky enough to have turned a crispy bacon tone however, tragically, some campers had turned the shade of red which John N would declare bacon perfectly fried at.

The masthead of the Senior's tent: Nessy

Ultimate Frisbee was the evening activity. The group was split into two teams and needed to throw the Frisbee into the other team’s small goal before of one of Neil’s iconic, unique, inimitable quizzes in the Marquee which the Tigers managed to win! One point off were the Seniors in second place, the Swifts in third and the leaders in an abysmal 4th place.

Friday night was uncomfortably cold with temperatures reaching as low as –2°C. Many of the Scouts, Seniors and leaders blamed the conditions for their lack of sleep that night. Despite this, the freezing temperatures had left some admirable, glistening scenes around the camp site.

After a quick wash, where campers littered themselves down the banks of the beck, and a classic bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast, an inspection took place where the PLs were taken round with the leaders and informed about what they were doing right and what areas they need to get their patrol to improve in.

After inspection, whilst the Scouts wood collected, practised fire lighting and had a delicious lunch of beans and toast, the three Seniors hiked 7.5 miles from the camp site to Barnard Castle via Egglestone Abbey and then back through a maze of fields back to camp. The weather was so pleasant James S wasn't even phased after he fell in mud, a bog and the river!

Saturday evening played host to a game of cricket where both teams managed to score over a century each and a camp fire. Campers sung in fine tune at the top of their voices to all of their favorite camp-fire songs. In between songs, the Scouts and Seniors even performed a stunt each which they had prepared earlier. Of course, since it was Easter, lots of the stunts involved the Pope. Even Lishman, the bear, belted out some songs and enjoyed some cold hot cross buns for supper.


That night, what can only be described as an ‘Easter miracle’ happened. You may have heard of it ‘raining cats and dogs’ however never will you have heard of it raining potatoes. However that is exactly what happened, bizarrely, in the Senior’s tent. The three boys woke up soaked in a small puddle of spuds!

After the Seniors had recovered from their first hand experience of divine intervention they joined the Scouts in cooking a never-tried-before breakfast of bacon omelettes. In theory, these sounded good however the reality was scrambled egg with diced bacon grill and vegetables. Aesthetically the final product didn’t look great however they tasted amazing and left campers craving more.

To mark Easter Sunday, there was then a ‘Scout’s own’ service in the marquee which included hymns, prayers and stories before Easter eggs were handed out. This was followed by a game of rounders which almost all of the campers played. The final score was 15-0.

Exhausted, the campers then had a quick dinner and then started taking down the site so the field could be restored to how it was before they arrived.