Welcome to Ripon and District Scouts

Ripon & District's annual 'TeamTest' challenge evening for Scouts was held recently at Masham Town Hall. Teams entered from six of the nine Troops in the District and a massive SEVENTEEN bases of activities were on offer!

These bases ranged from Logo Challenge, Resusci-Anne, Mapping Bingo, Spaghetti Pioneering, Leaf Recognition, identifying Yorkshire Places, Chief Scout Recognition, World Jamborees, Building the Highest Structure with Paper Cups, ......to name but a few.

After a very 'tight' competition there was only half as mark separating the eventual winners and the team in second place. 

Once the scores were re-checked, it was announced that a Patrol from 6th Ripon Troop had come second, but the outright winners on the Night were the Merlin Patrol from 1st Boroughbridge Troop.

They were presented with the 'Jim Bradford' Trophy by the District Commissioner, to hold for the coming year. Many congratulations go to them, and indeed to ALL the Scout Patrols that entered.

Huge Thanks also must go to all the Leaders present who ran the bases and the 6th Ripon Leaders who organised the evening so well. The local D.A.S. (District Active Support) Unit also gave their usual support to the event and must be thanked as well.

Everyone said that the team work had been excellent and that they would want the event to continue in the future - so - let's see what happens next year!!

Recently the Scout Association has set 31st December 2018 as the date by which all uniformed Commissioners, Leaders, Sectional Assistants and Executive Members must have completed the online GDPR support module which can be found by clicking HERE or going to https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/4801

This short interactive module now produces a certificate at the end of the learning which will need to be sent to your Local Training Manager so that the module can be validated on Compass. If a printout does not work for some reason, take a screenshot and send it instead as hyperlinks don’t work! This module will now automatically appear on the Compass training records of new members and, as part of the ‘Getting Started’ training, new leaders will have to complete the module within 5 months of their appointment.

With the new GDPR legislation now in force, it’s time to clear out your inbox and folders on your PC, phone and tablet of all the out of date emails, contacts and personal or sensitive data,such as names, telephone numbers, emails and addresses of former Beavers, Cubs Scouts and Explorers, as well as their parents, as we have no right to retain this data if the person is no longer involved in Scouting. Don’t forget this applies to paper copies of information, too! Just think of the comeback if this data was divulged by accident when you have no right to hold it – protect yourself, delete it now! Accounts and Gift Aid data are exceptions to the rules as this is required by HMCR so Treasurers should be selective in what they delete or shred!

Good info to heed - and a target of 31st December 2018 to uphold for everyone!

We haven’t changed the World Scout Membership Badge that we wear on our uniform hasn’t being reviewed or changed. It will continue to be worn by members of the Scouts in the UK. There are no changes to flags used locally, and we don’t expect anyone to replace their uniform simply due to a logo update.

We consulted and tested the new brand with over 7,000 people across the UK - We rigorously tested our new brand with adults and young people. We spoke with Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network members, Section Leaders, Group Scout Leaders, District, County and Regional Commissioners and other volunteers from across the nations, all of whom had the opportunity to provide feedback and who gave their broad support. When we spoke with members of the public who are not currently involved with Scouting, they said that they would be more likely to get involved based on materials using the new brand.

It will be easier to describe Scouting’s benefits - The biggest and most important change going forwards will be our focus on skills for life. As a movement we will talk much more about the practical, employability and character skills we help young people in Scouting to develop. From our research we know this is the message that can help us attract the most amount of support as well as make us stand out from the crowd.

We now have a more contemporary visual identity that works online and in print . We reviewed our current ‘swoosh’ logo, which was introduced some 17 years ago, back in 2001. Locally and nationally, we found this difficult to use in print and online. It can’t be used at a small size and isn’t suitable to be used digitally, which is really limiting. However we are proud of our heritage and we want to retain the fleur de lis as the key symbol for Scouting. But we have now updated and modernised it for a digital age. It will make it easier to protect as our logo and be more recognisable as belonging just to UK Scouting (in a world where there are many versions of the fleur de lis).

We have a free, highly accessible brand font - We know the movement struggled with the challenges of using the current Serif font, especially as it has to be paid for. We are now using a font that is free and highly accessible. Full details on how to get the new font are available on the new Scout brand centre. Having this font freely available means that you can easily create your own documents in our visual identity.

There are two years to make the changes locally and nationally - To minimise disruption and cost to local Scouting, we have until May 2020 to update our print and digital materials. 

Let’s remember another thing that’s not changing either: our values of integrity, respect, care, belief and cooperation. Let’s continue to live those values, celebrate them and role model them to our young people. I’m immensely proud to be a member of both UK Scouting and the worldwide movement. Let’s celebrate our rich heritage while looking to the future with optimism.

We must remember that we are a movement, not afraid to change with the times.

31 million people are active in Scouting across the world – that’s equal to the population of Peru.

Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys has sold 150 million copies since 1908, making it the fourth bestselling book of all time after The Bible, The Koran and Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book.

In the past one hundred years, over half a billion men and women have taken the Scout Promise.

There are only five countries in the world that do not have Scouting – China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Andorra.

Each day 100,000 people in the UK take part in Scouting activities – more than the capacity of Wembley stadium.

The first World Scout Jamboree in 1920 was attended by 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries as well as an alligator from Florida, a baby crocodile from Jamaica, a lioness cub from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), monkeys from South Africa, a baby elephant and a camel.

The current and youngest ever Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, was one of the youngest people ever to climb to the summit of Mount Everest at the tender age of 23.

Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting Movement, was voted the UK’s 13th most influential person of the 20th Century.

In the past decade, 43,000 girls and young women have joined Scouts, Cubs and Beavers. That’s the same as the population of Folkestone.

Scout Leaders contribute the equivalent of 37 million hours of voluntary work every year – worth an estimated £380 million.

Welcome to the new DC’s Newsletter, Aimée says: 

"I aim to produce one for all members of Ripon and District at the end of each term to keep you informed of the essential happenings in and around the District.

I will try to include a bit of news from everyone however, it is not a competition so please do not feel left out if you have not been mentioned and you feel you should have. I have had just less than two months in appointment and have not had chance to visit all groups and sections so most of the information in here has been gathered from AGMs, camps and social media.

Beaver Scouts - A big thank you to Spike, Joanne the Boroughbridge Young Leader/Explorer team who ran a successful Beaver day at a local farm. Colonies which attended were Boroughbridge, Thirsk, 4th Ripon, 6th Ripon and Masham.

Cub Scouts - County Cub Camp was a great success with a strong District representation from Boroughbridge, Masham, 6th Ripon, Thirsk and Hillside. Of the Packs who were unable to make the camp, many are taking part in individual Group Camps later in the Summer.

Scouts - The hotly anticipated District Team Challenge hosted by Sowerby Scouts was won by 6th Ripon Team I. Seventeen patrols from across the District including 6th Ripon, Boroughbridge, Sowerby, Topcliffe, Masham and Thirsk competed and in the end it was a close battle and test of Scouting skills. Thank you very much to Jon Goom for arranging the event.

Young Leaders and Explorers - We have some great Young Leaders within our sections and a big thank you to those who avoided their homework and exam revision to help out camps and District events this term. If any Young Leader would like to take their responsibilities further then please get in touch with me for more information on a new Young Adult Permit scheme being introduced over the Summer.

Explorer Scouts - The Explorers have also been busy too. Later this month a small group are taking part in a Jamboree in Sweden and we have 5 Scouts/Explorer Scouts selected to attend the World Scout Jamboree North America 2019. We also have 3 adults with links to the District attending as part of the International Service Team. Please keep an ear to the ground and support any fundraising events that our representatives will be running in the build up to the World Scout Jamboree.

District Active Support (DAS) - The DASQUEST, set up by the local DAS Unit around Boroughbridge has attracted Packs from around the District and it is always a great showcase for Scouting in the local area. I strongly urge you, if you have not already done so, to take part before it ends. Although many members are also section leaders, extra DAS members have been on hand to help out at every District event this year including the recent Beaver day, Cub Camp and Scout Team Challenge. Thank you to all who have helped make the smooth running of these events possible.

Finally…. Thank you for all of your help and support over this term. Have an enjoyable Summer and get ready for an exciting build up to Christmas.

North Yorkshire Scouts Litter-Pick & Recruitment Week 2019

On Sunday 2 June 2019, the County plans a litter-pick across the entire Scouting County of North Yorkshire to mark the beginning of Volunteers' Week. It's hoped that Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, adult helpers, supporters and leaders from every section in every Scouting District of the County will collect litter on this day showing Scouts cleaning up North Yorkshire and our community spirit at its very best. A uniformed badge will be given to all young members who take part, for which there will be a competition to design an appropriate badge. The impact we could have across the County is considerable and so all Districts and Groups are requested to engage fully with this exciting initiative and to avoid all local Scouting activities on Sunday 2 June 2019.

Following the litter-pick and throughout the following week, which is National Volunteers' Week, the County will embark on a dedicated recruitment campaign for young members and leaders. Once again, it's hoped that all Districts and Groups will take part in this campaign at the same time to maximise impact and to achieve some amazing results.

No excuses and plenty of time to plan these events into your programmes, so put these dates in your diary NOW!

John Helliwell says that the following Courses/Modules will be available locally in 2018:

19  May   0930-1300 Modules 7, 8, & 9 
  9 June   0930-1300 Modules 13, 14 & 15
16 June  1000-1300 Modules 11 & 12B
  8 July   1000-1600 First Response (6 Hours)
15 Sep   1000-1300 Modules 16 & 17
  6 Oct    1000-1300 Modules 5, 6, & 19
13 Oct    1000-1300 First Response Refresher
  3 Nov   1000-1230 Modules 7, 8, & 9
10/11 Nov (2 days) Activity First Aid (16 Hours)
17 Nov    0930-1300 Modules 13, 14, & 15
1 Dec      1000-1230 Pre-Nights Away Assessment

NOTE WELL - and speak to JOHN for more info and detail

1. The above courses are open to all adults in Scouting in the County
2. Bookings can only be made through John Helliwell, johnhelliwell604@gmail.com, 01432 320731
3. In addition to the courses above, ad hoc arrangements will be made for validation of "Getting Started" (modules 1 2 & 3) and support of new members of Ripon District Scouts through the "provisional" stage (first 5 months)
4. Additional training, if required, may be added to the above schedule from time to time, including training for prospective Nights Away Advisers
5. Courses will only run if there is sufficient demand (5 participants)
6. Most courses will be held in Boroughbridge, either at Coronation Hall or in the Jubilee Room at the Library
7. Successful completion of courses will be posted on COMPASS by JH for members of Ripon District. Otherwise course completion will be notified to LTMs/DCs in other Districts, as appropriate

REMEMBER - COURSES WILL ONLY RUN IF THERE IS SUFFICIENT DEMAND!!