Regional Family Gala!
There are just 100 days until the South East Scotland Regional Family Gala 2025, taking place at Bonaly Scout Centre on the weekend of 6–7 September. High ropes, archery, fairground games, scout skills, inflatables, laser tag & loads more! Open to all Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network, and their families. Book for one day or come for both – it’s up to you! Only £7 per young person per day – adults attend free! Grab your tickets now via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sess-regional-gala-days-6th7th-september-tickets-1330719892019 Full event info and FAQs: https://sesscouts.org.uk/gala-2025/ Regional Family Gala Event Team
Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 is well underway
In May there were auditions for the Main Gang (Scouts, Guides, Explorers and Rangers) and the Junior Gang (Cubs and Brownies). Both Gangs have now been recruited and as it stands, we have a Main Gang of 130 young people and a Junior Gang of 160 young people all looking forward to performing in the show later this year. Commiserations to all the young people who auditioned but were unsuccessful this year. Throughout June the Main Gang will meet weekly and learn about the content in this year’s show as well as get the opportunity to audition for solo parts, character roles in comedy sketches or try for the dance team. After the summer break the Junior Gang will start their rehearsals and both Gangs will continue to meet weekly to prepare for another spectacular, colourful and vibrant show. Tickets for the show are now on sale and can be booked from Capital Theatres website Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 or in person at the Festival Theatre. Groups are encouraged to book for a performance of the Gang Show as part of their winter programme. Discounts are available for groups and it’s a fun evening supporting friends from SESS and GGE. Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 4 – 8 November 2025 Festival Theatre Box Office – 0131 529 6000 Edinburgh Gang Show 2025
IMPORTANT- Safety learning for everyone
Everyone who is required to complete safety learning as part of their role will need to finish the new course by 14 July 2025, however individuals will need to check their role or expiry date on My Membership, as you may need to do this earlier. 14th July 2025 Deadline How to complete the learning Sign in to Scouts.org.uk Click ‘Start learning’ in the My Learning Your safety learning will be listed under ‘The learning you need’ Click on the course to get started. (You might not actually need to complete this learning, but YOU MUST log in to check) If you have already completed this learning, thank you! If you fail to do this, you can no longer attend your weekly scout meetings and will not be able to attend any camps until you do so. If you are having difficulty logging in ask your line manager for help. Log in and check now – www.scouts.org.uk
Young Leaders in South East Region
What have Young Leaders in South East Region been up to over the last year? There have been 20 Young Leader belts presented across the 7 districts over the Scout Year. We have run two events for Young Leader from across the Region, 1st was the activity day in October 2024 and then we ran the Edinburgh Monopoly in March 2025. So, what are our next events for Young Leaders – Gala 2025 As some of you may already know, there is going to be a fantastic event taking place at Bonaly from 5th – 7th September. This will be a mega event with every single type of activity taking place that you could imagine and we are looking for your Young Leaders to help with the event, they will be a really important part to ensure it runs well. We are looking for around 70 Young Leaders from across South East Scotland to come and help run activities and provide great fun for everyone attending. We currently have 45 signed up from across the region, please ask your Young Leader if they are available and if they have signed up to volunteer. There will also be an evening programme for the Young Leaders to take part in. This is a fully catered camp and no charge for Young Leaders that are volunteering at the event. So that we can start planning the event for them, please can you ask them to complete this form to let us know if you are able to help. Don’t worry if you can’t stay for the whole weekend, there are options for coming for shorter periods too. Please pass on this information to your Young Leaders. https://forms.office.com/e/AUbRF1ivcU If your Young Leader has already signed up, they only need to complete it once so if you have already done it, that’s great; you don’t need to do it again. If you have any questions, please let me know by emailing youngleaders@sesscouts.org.uk Young Leader Training Weekend South East Region Scouts are running a Young Leaders Training weekend for Young Leaders over the weekend of 31st Oct – 2nd Nov 2025 at Bonaly Scout Centre, where we will be delivering Modules B-J as part of the weekend. There is limited space per district. Invites have gone out to each district through OSM, please speak to your Team Lead for Young Leaders or your 14-24 Team Lead for information regarding signup to this event. The cost will be £75 for the weekend, this is an indoor camp and fully catered. Any questions then please email youngleaders@sesscouts.org.uk Who Are Explorer Scout Young Leaders? Explorer Scout Young Leaders are Explorers or Duke of Edinburgh volunteers who volunteer alongside adult leaders in Squirrel Dreys, Beaver Colonies, Cub Packs, or Scout Troops. They’re not just helpers; they’re role models, innovators, and crucial members of the leadership team. If you’ve got a Young Person in your section from school years S2 to S6, make sure they’re registered with your District! This will ensure they have access to all the training, support, and opportunities they need to thrive as Young Leaders, even if they are only doing the volunteering part of Duke of Edinburgh, they still need to be registered with your district. All Young Leaders aged 13.5 to 18, whether in Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, or Scouts, should be members of a Young Leaders Unit, even if they don’t attend Explorers. There are three types of Young Leaders: Explorer Scout Young Leaders: Part of both an Explorer Unit and a Young Leader Unit. District Young Leaders: Dedicated to their role within the District Young Leader Unit, without being part of an Explorer Unit. Volunteer Young Leaders: These are members of the public or Girl Guiding who volunteer with Scouts, often as part of their Duke of Edinburgh or other Top Awards. While they aren’t members of the Scout Association, their contribution is invaluable. Got questions about the Young Leader Programme? Reach out at youngleaders@sesscouts.org.uk and get all the information you need! Young Leaders and Top Awards: The Path to Success For Explorer Scout Young Leaders and District Young Leaders, the sky’s the limit! They can work towards Explorer Badges, Staged Badges, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and the prestigious Top Awards – Platinum, Diamond, and King Scout Awards. Leaders are encouraged to talk with their Young Leaders about how the programmes they help deliver can also contribute to these achievements. It’s all about recognising their hard work, passion, and commitment. If you have any questions then please email youngleaders@sesscouts.org.uk
King’s Scout Awards in the media
Chief Scout Dwayne Fields had the honour of personally awarding two King’s Scout awards to Scottish Scouts recently. Kyla Forsyth and Lois Ajilogba attended a special event at Windsor Castle in April, to receive their awards and for their efforts to be recognised. Three other Scottish Scouts have also achieved their King’s Scout Awards this year – Scott McGillivray, Ryan Schuller and Sam Turpie pictured here. We are all proud of you all, congratulations and thanks for representing South East Scotland Scouts so well. The Edinburgh Evening News wrote a piece about them which can be found here: Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields Congratulates Scouts from Edinburgh on achieving King’s Scout Award
Scouts of the World Award
Learn More about the Scout of the World Award at this Discovery Event At this Discovery event, you’ll be introduced to the award, hear about previous SOWA projects and learn skills needed to complete the award. You’ll also meet a group of like-minded new friends, who’ll support you throughout the award Price: £5 Date: June 21st-22nd Location: 70th Greenock Scout Hall, Greenock, 159, Finnart Street, PA16 8HZ More information: Discovery | Events | Scouts
Let’s talk about…
The inclusion team has run three Let’s talk about… sessions this year, which have been well-received and very informative. Graham Coulson MBE spoke to us at the first session about all things inclusion, then we had a very lively Q&A session. The second session was about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and was led by Louise Bowman and Neill Hogg, both of whom have extensive experience working with young people with ASD. The third session, on supporting Mental Health, was led by Martin Elliot, Another Let’s talk about session is arranged on LGBTQ+ in June, date TBC, but keep an eye on the website and Facebook page for more information and links to sign up. These sessions are recorded, and the Q&A sessions are available as a PDF. These should be available on the inclusion area of the website very soon. In the meantime, if you would like access to them or have any other inclusion queries, please get in touch. Alison Robertson Inclusion Team Lead alison.robertson@sesscouts.org.uk
Longcraig Update
Our summer season is in full swing, welcoming all ages and skill levels to the water — from first-timers to those working towards their Paddlesports Staged Badges under the guidance of our experienced instructors and safety boat teams. From the beginning of May, Scouts have been diving into their Paddle sports Staged Badge training, combining on-water practice with shore-based skill-building to lay a solid foundation for future sessions. (Paddle Sports Staged Activity Badge | Scouts) Soon after, we kicked off our other activities with our Wayfarer dinghy fleet, alongside the larger Drascombe dinghies, each providing young people with the opportunity to learn from a leader and instructor at the helm. Meanwhile, more kayakers took to the water with four instructors, practicing essential skills like turning, rafting up, and more. Looking ahead, we’re excited to welcome more first-timers and to help returning participants refine their sailing, kayaking, and paddling techniques. At Longcraig, we love seeing young people and adults alike challenge themselves, learn new skills, and achieve what they once thought impossible. Want to get involved? Reach out to us at getinvolved@longcraig.info, and be sure to check out our Facebook page to stay updated on all our activities! Summer opportunities As is often the case at this stage of the year, we have lots of requests for activity bookings from across the Region, and we aim to do our best to accommodate these. But the main summer months – July and August – are often quite quiet times, so a much less crowded option of you are able to support booking up some activities during that period. You don’t need a team of leaders to support an activity booking at Longcraig – the Centre takes care of everything on the water. All you need is one or two responsible adults (don’t have to be leaders, but the do need to know the Scouts!) who can accompany the Young People for their adventure. We’re open in the evenings right through to nearly the end of August (when it starts to get dark earlier) and at weekends too. Get in touch if you would like to plan something – we can help arrange something a bit different if that might be attractive to your team. Scouts become Volunteers and support Longcraig Scout Centre One fine Friday evening at the end of April, 21 Scouts from 107th Pentland made their way down to the shore at Longcraig Pier to offer some volunteering time. This was planned into their programme to satisfy some of the needs for the World Badge which the Scouts have been working towards this term. They were welcomed at Longcraig Scout Centre, and after a quick intro, welcome, and a safety briefing, the Scouts were divided into groups and set about a number of key tasks. Group 1 was engaged just outside the Centre, and covered two activities – the first involved mastering a cordless electric self-drive grass cutter, which for some was a new experience. The large patch of grass which Longcraig looks after, and which provides a great expansion place and land activity area, was subjected to it’s first haircut of the year. Alongside this, the surrounds of the boat park security fence were cleared of weeds and last year’s dead vegetation, this allows a number of new trees and bushes to flourish and helps minimise any windblown litter from gathering. Group 2 got stuck in with one of the final sections of our beach protection work. A large timber had been positioned along the edge of the beach outside our main entrance, the inside filled with soil then covered with fresh turf to enable the roots to knit the ground together and help withstand the bigger storms which sometime pummel the shoreline. The task for the Scouts was to fit wire netting, staple it onto the outside edge of the timber, then peg its inner edge well into the ground – this means that the grass can grow up through the netting and make the protection even stronger. It also means that even if some waves do roll onto the shoreline (we can’t really stop them!) the netting and the grass roots minimise any damage such as scouring out the soil and sand. Afterwards, they delighted in a thorough watering for the newly planted grass to help it establish quickly. Group 3 focused on the front of the building facing onto the pier. The drainage channel which runs the length of the building was cleared of winter debris – seaweed, sand, assorted flotsam – to enable any seawater that washes in to be able to safely return to the sea hopefully without ingressing the building. Typically we have to do this two or three times a year; this one was the important Spring Clean! At the same time, others got stuck in removing piles of seaweed from the pier, and some general weeding and cleaning to make the approach more welcoming. Group 4 covered some of the ‘domestics’ – the training rooms upstairs were hoovered to freshen them up (another new activity for some!), all the waste bins throughout the building were emptied and refitted with clean bin liners, and the showers and changing areas were swept out in preparation for the centre opening a few days ahead. Group 5 were engaged in searching the local and surrounding area for litter – a regular issue caused by wind blow litter as well as sea-borne litter, in addition to regular passers-by who forget to take their litter home. But more of the focus was on finding and identifying marine litter – the often unseen debris that can cause untold damage to sea creatures, sea birds, even to the plant life under the sea which can be affected too. This ranged from abandoned nylon ropes – perhaps from fishing boats – to sheets of unidentified plastic, to plastic ‘nurdles’ which are now a common problem around many of our shores. Whilst still ‘litter’, these particular items became much better
Bonaly Update
Axe Throwing Range We’re pleased to announce the completion of our new axe throwing range which has been built by the Bonaly Service Team! We’re currently taking bookings for Axe Throwing as an instructor led activity. We also have our soft-axe throwing sets available for younger groups or as a fun self-led option. If you are interested in helping to run axe throwing sessions as an instructor at Bonaly please reach out as we’re always happy to accept new instructors! Leader Training Day On Saturday 10th we had our first Leader Training Day of the season! Covering a range of traditional scouting skills, we worked on how to safely run these sessions with groups and building leaders’ confidence in their own talents. The skills covered included: Pitching a Camp, Fire Lighting, Tool use, Knots and Pioneering. Some Feedback from Saturday: “I really enjoyed the day, it was fantastic to learn new things, get lots of tips & it was really good chatting to other leaders.” “It was a fantastic day, and I learnt so much in a relaxed environment. ” We are excited to run more of these in the near future and will be announcing dates shortly. If you are interested in attending these Training Days or want to hear about other events at Bonaly, please email Events@bonaly.org.uk and request to be added to the mailing list.
Save the Date: Skycamp 2025!
Date: 26th-28th September Location: Bonaly Scout Centre, Edinburgh Join us for an exciting weekend where Explorers from South East Scotland will set up camps in the trees at Bonaly! Key Details: Challenge: Build and stay in a SkyCamp 50cm-3m above ground. Teams: 4-8 people. Activities: Live, eat, sleep in the SkyZone, and complete challenges. Judging: Innovation, eco-friendliness, and site tidiness. Cost: £30 per person Sign up: We asked unit leaders to indicate numbers of how many Explorers from their unit will be attending by mid-June. Formal sign up will be between June and 12th September. If any Network members would like to attend a Network Sky Camp on the same weekend, please get in touch. Contact: Fraser Dunmore – skycamp@sesscouts.org.uk Mark your calendars for an unforgettable adventure! ️ Directions: Bonaly Scout Centre, 71 Bonaly Rd, Edinburgh EH13 0PB, United Kingdom We look forward to seeing you there!