Welcome to Ripon and District Scouts

A recent Three-night run of BUGSY MALONE at Coronation Hall, Boroughbridge, starring ABI HODGES, an Explorer Scout from White Horse Unit, as Bugsy Malone and FINN SOWRAY, a Boroughbridge Scout, as Dandy Dan!

This two-hour production enabled them to show off their acting abilities and American accents. Bugsy was on the stage for most of the show and was outstanding. The character was in a gangland feud with Dandy Dan and they played off each other becoming partners in crime at the end after many actors disappeared under a spray of sticky string from their splurge guns. Finn has gained his Entertainer Badge and Abi her Performing Arts Badge.

ABI & FINN - they tell me you were both BRILLIANT!! Well Done.

An Evening with  "Nidderdale Moorland Group" by Edward Dobbs (aged 12) - 6th RIPON SCOUTS

"I was excited to be going on this outdoor event with 6th Ripon Scouts. We drove past Masham and up on to the edge of Jervaulx Moor, arriving on a fine evening at 6.30pm. We met up at the Moor Gate, and the gamekeepers come to the gate to let us in. We drove up a rough track behind their vehicle to the stone shooting lodge about half a mile from the road. Here we were split into groups based on height and went round four different activity bases.

Our first base was pigeon. We were shown how to de-feather them over a bag and cut the breast meat out on a table - this was known as de-breasting. It was quite messy, but it was fun at the same time. The breasts were cooked for us while we moved on to other activities. 

Moving on to base two, we had an opportunity to blast balloons with water from a pump that they would use to extinguish fires when burning back the heather. They need to burn heather to encourage new shoots and prevent bracken and other invasive plants from growing. The young shoots are what moorland animals graze on, and well managed moorland gives perfect nesting sites for grouse.

Our next base was all about vermin. The keepers explained how stoat, crows, weasels and rats are controlled to stop them stealing bird’s eggs and killing chicks. Foxes are also a problem. The keeps set humane traps where possible, but many vermin are also shot. We were allowed to try out some infrared binoculars which let you see the heat from animals even in the dark, and when they are a long way away.

From here our next base taught us all about the role of the beaters. On shooting days these are people who carry flags and move in a line to drive the grouse towards the guns which are positioned in special structures called butts. Shooting days bring in much needed income to allow the work on the moor to continue. The gun positions change so everyone gets a chance to stand in the best positions, but even people who work with numbers in their business sometimes need help to stand in the right place. If you are interested in becoming a gamekeeper you start by being a beater, and you can start when you are aged 14.

The next base showed trapping. A variety of cages are used which lure birds and animals in where they spring a door and are caught humanely. They can then be removed from the moor.
When we had visited all our bases, we met up back at the lodge for some hot food and a drink. We had burgers and sausage and tried the pigeon meat we had prepared earlier along with some pheasant. 

The keepers were all very nice and friendly and taught us a lot, they had been very interesting to talk to. After a team photo we headed home as it was getting dark, feeling tired but full of exciting memories of the evening."

Thanks Edward for sharing this experience with us ALL!

Have you found the "Find your Group here" words on the front page of this website? You can click it to go to the map. You can also access the Map via the District Information Tab.

This Map shows where ALL NINE of our Scout Groups and BOTH of our Explorer Scout Units meet.

Click on one of the blue Icons and find the address of the meeting place and on which days they meet.

It also gives a 'contact' number for members and non-members to be able to find out more about the Groups!

I can see that everyone is getting off to a great start for the last half of the summer term.

Can I firstly start off by saying a huge thank you to everyone for all that you are doing in your sections. Most GSLs or section leaders have sent me a copy of their programmes and I can see that our young people are in for an interesting and exciting few weeks.

I guess it is time for a little bit of honesty and straight talking.

The job of running a district has become quite demanding over the last few years and if there is not a supportive team around the DC then things can become quite overwhelming. I realised this within the first two weeks of becoming CC and set about building a team to share the workload; to ensure that the county could move on and support its leaders as well as providing quality events and experiences for our young people. Together we need to do this for Ripon and District. Over a number of years now the district team has dwindled, and we have lost the structures that exist in many other districts that support our sections and leaders.

Many of you know that I am passionate about working together collaboratively and I want to try and re invigorate the Ripon and District Team and build a strong supportive group of volunteers to take the district forward. I can’t do this without your help and a few people stepping up to help. I intend to remain as Acting DC for a while and work hard for and with you to build a sustainable team to support everyone that steps up to the task ahead of us.

To that end I would like to create some new district roles. In addition to a new DC or team DC I am looking for
1. Deputy District Commissioner for Programme, Growth and Retention
2. Deputy District Commissioner for People Perception and Training
3. Then have ADCs for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers and Young leaders
Each of the roles I want to be manageable as regards time, that is something that if you want can be done alongside your current role. By spreading the workload no one person has to do too much. So, the challenge is now over to you. We just need 8 brave people to give this a go!

Can you be part of a new and exciting team?
Drop me a line if you are interested or would like a chat about things. I can be contacted on the usual DC email dc.ripon@nys.org.uk
I look forward to getting to know more of you a bit better over the coming weeks.
All the best
Mark Edwards

Forty members of the 6th Ripon Scout Group collected in Allhallowgate Methodist Church Hall recently for a Nest Box Making Event.

The boxes were brought to Ripon in kit form by volunteers from Nidderdale Birdwatchers and the Nidderdale Conservation Group.

The volunteers briefed all the young people and then they set to work. They were split into pairs who worked together to make two boxes beteen them.

All the young people showed a real aptitude for the work and at the end of the evening everyone had a high quality box to take home, together with an information sheet giving advice on siting, lack of disturbance, and cleaning out.

Nidderdale Birdwatchers should be thanked for providing the materials and help and advice - AND - the 6th Ripon Leaders should be thanked for organising and supervising the event.

Well done to ALL who made a nesting box!

PLEASE NOTE THIS NEW DATE - The Ripon & District AGM will be held at Thrsk Town Hall on WEDNESDAY 25th SEPTEMBER 2019 at 7pm.

Please let everyone know so that we can have a GOOD TURN OUT and find out what the future holds for the District at that time.

Adult training 29th June 2019

Places are still available for everyone on the Ripon & District 6-Hour First Response Course from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 29 June in Boroughbridge. If you're interested, please contact John Helliwell at johnhelliwell604@gmail.com

Hurry though - places will soon be snapped up

This from Anne Collins at 1st Boroughbridge Scouts;

"The DASQUEST activity this year is for the Scout and Explorer Scout sections of Ripon & District, a hike with clues to spot, which has been set by two members of the District Active Support Unit, Eric and Shirley Fell.

Six intrepid Scouts from 1st Boroughbridge Troop set off on a beautiful bright Sunday morning to take on the challenge. Having discovered that there was to be a special service in Ripon Cathedral for members of the locally based Army regiments that day, a slight adaptation of the route was necessary but all the clues could still be found.

Off they set from Borrage Lane, over Rustic Bridge, via Hell Wath towards Studley Roger. Equipped with maps as well as a route card and clues to find, the route was ideal for younger Scouts to be helped by the older Patrol Leaders who have already gained their Expedition Challenge Award and proved their map reading skill, with natural points en-route for Leaders to be able to make checkpoint rendezvous meetings.

After spotting the deer in Studley Park, lunch by the lake in glorious sunshine was a welcome break, with opportunity to hone their skills in wildlife and tree recognition as they ate.

Onward and upward – or at least round the lake and along the walk of the Seven Bridges, familiar to some and a new experience to others, back to Studley Roger and then towards Ripon from the west, finishing in the Market Square for ice cream to celebrate.

The route covered just over 7 miles (about 21,000 steps for those with Trackers), enabling all the participants to be awarded the Dasquest badge and another Hike on their cumulative Hikes Away Staged Activity record and a most enjoyable day’s walking experience."

If any other Scouts or Explorers in the District would like to complete the same 7 Mile QUEST this year, then please contact the DAS Manager, Anne Collins, for details.

Safeguarding - a code of practice

As adult volunteers we have the privilege of bringing fun, challenge and adventure to the lives of over half a million Scouts. But we know that often, the young people we serve are facing their own challenges in their everyday lives.

It’s our responsibility, as adults in Scouting, to ensure that we are creating safe spaces for young people, where they feel empowered and open to talking about the things that make them feel upset, scared or uncomfortable, both inside and outside Scouting.

To support you in this The Scout Association has released a new version of Young People First (commonly referred to as the Yellow Card - Version 7 - November 18). A new version of Young People First for Young Leaders (the Orange Card) is also available. The new cards are easier to carry, easier to understand, and make it easier to report your concerns.  

The Scout Association produced the first Yellow Card back in 1994 and they regularly review the content to ensure it’s in line with national best practice standards and meets the current needs of the Movement.

Have YOU and all your other leaders got an up to date yellow card?  If not, they are available for all your Leaders by clicking HERE   

The Boy Scouts, as it was called in the beginning, was started by Lord Robert Baden-Powell in 1908 after a successful 'test camp' on Brownsea Island in 1907.

Some 5 years later, Scouting tentatively started in the wider North-Western District of Yorkshire West Riding in 1912. Captain Boyd Carpenter, was the, then, District Commissioner and covered the huge Parliamentary area of Skipton, Keighley, Otley and Ripon. Later it became District No 4 Yorkshire West Riding. 

In 1919 it was decided that a Ripon Local Association should be officially formed in 'Yorkshire North Riding' and was called 'District No 5 - Ripon, Masham and District'. Captain Coates J.P, of Holmfield House, Ripon, was the, then, District Commissioner.

The local Associated was formed on 21st August 1919 by an Inaugural Meeting at which the Bye-Laws were adopted and submitted to Scout Headquarters in London. These facts have been checked out by Peter Ford, a Heritage Research Officer with the Scout Association in our UK Scout HQ at Gilwell Park.

This officially means that 2019 is the 100th Year of Scouting in the present District which is now called 'Ripon & District'. So, for 100 years, Ripon & District has created a strong foundation of leadership, service, and community for thousands of the local young people, both boys and, more latterly, girls. Through a century of "Making a Difference" we can now celebrate the incredible impact of what a 100 years of living the Scout Law has done for our local and wider communities.

As Scouts we are constantly guided by our values, which are:
Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.
Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others.
Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live.
Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.
Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.

This is what we do - let's keep doing it, and let's keep on celebrating it!