On 29 February, 42 Leaders from across the Edinburgh North East District plus others from across the Region got together at Bonaly for a Buchscout Practical Skills day led by Davie McCrae and the excellent Bushscout UK team.

The programme consisted of 7 bases delivered over the day, including:

  • Backwoods Cooking
  • Pioneering
  • Game (pigeon) preparation and cooking
  • Fire Lighting and Safety
  • Axe & Saw Safety and Skills
  • Knife Safety and Skills
  • Tarpaulin and Hammocks

Each of the base leaders from Bushscout Uk brought their superb expertise to their module, highlighting important skills and providing excellent safety advice to enable the attendees to pass on their learnings to their fellow leaders and in turn, onto our young people. This will help many more young people to undertake such activities so they learn skills for life in a safe way. If each leader passes these skills onto 20 young people, we will have 840 extra people who know how to use these skills in a safe way.

The feedback was excellent and included the following quotes:

Thanks again for this fab course. I took away some great ideas and leaned new skills. Everyone should have a go at this stuff. Well done.

Rob Whitelaw

District Commissioner ENE

Such a brilliant day. Thank You! I learnt loads and it was great to meet leaders from across the Region.

Nikki Naclean

25th Braid

It was a wonderful course. Full of great ideas, new skills and brilliant base leaders. Thanks to all involved. Scouting at its best.

Simon Innes

Regional Adviser, International

Davie McCrae said, “This is practical skills training as it should be done – I think Baden Powell would have liked the Bushscout approach!”

We are hoping to organise a similar Bushscout Practical Skills Day later in the year but in the meantime if you have any queries about this article please contact Davie McCrea at david.mccrae@bushscout.org.uk