12 May 2024
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THE ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO 2024
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the most spectacular show in the world, enjoyed by an international television audience of 100 million.
But there’s no substitute for being there, as part of the 217,000-strong audience over its three-week season at Edinburgh Castle. As a member of Scouting you can become part of it.
The Scout Association in Edinburgh has been part of this fantastic experience since the first Tattoo in 1950 and you could be part of its magic!
We are looking for enthusiastic and confident Explorer Scouts to be part of the sales team to sell programmes on the stands at the Castle Esplanade to the Tattoo’s home and international audience as they go to their seats.
You will need to be available for about five or six nights between 1st & 24th August 2024.
You will be on duty from 7.15pm until approximately 9.45pm on weeknights and from 4.45pm until 9.45pm on a Saturday.
Explorers can possibly use the event to complete sections of their badge work or towards a section of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
If you are interested, then please complete the form below and return it by email to sue.timmins@sesscouts.org.uk by 19th June 2024.
For further information please contact Sue Liddle 07954 386571.
Volunteer Application Form
12 May 2024
We have arranged more SES Training Modules that adult volunteers can sign up for between now and the end of June. All of these courses can be accessed via this link. Please encourage your teams to take advantage of these opportunities to enhance their learning and skills.
- Module 5 Fundamentals of Scouting – Tuesday 21st May @7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- Module 7 Scouting for All – Thursday 23rd May @ 7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- Module 12A & 12B Quality Programmes and Programme Planning – Sunday 26th May @ 12.30pm to 4.30pm Bonnyrigg Scout Hall
- Module 11 Administration – Tuesday 28th May @ 7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- Module 13 Growing the Section – Wednesday 29th May @ 7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- Module 16 Introduction to Residential Experiences – Sunday 2nd June @ 10am to 12.30pm 10th Craigalmond Scout Hall
- Module 17 Running Safe Activities – Sunday 2nd June @ 1.30pm to 4.00pm 10th Craigalmond Scout Hall
- Module 14 Supporting Young People – Tuesday 4th June @ 7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- Module 19 International – Tuesday 18th June @7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- Module 15 Promoting Positive Behaviour – Thursday 20th June @ 7pm to 9.30pm via Zoom
- First Response 10B – Tuesday 14th May @ 7.30pm Haywards Scouts Centre Galashiels
- First Response 10B – Thursday 23rd May @ 7.30pm Haywards Scouts Centre Galashiels
- First Response 10B – Tuesday 4th June @ 7.30pm Haywards Scouts Centre Galashiels
- First Response 10B – Thursday 6th June @ 7.30pm Haywards Scouts Centre Galashiels
- First Response 10a & 10b – Sunday 9th June @ 9.30am Pentland Scout Hall
- First Response 10B – Tuesday 11th June @ 7.30pm Haywards Scouts Centre Galashiels
- First Response 10a & 10b – Sunday 16th June @ 9.30am North Berwick Scout Hall
12 May 2024
Things to attend to in the Spring: A REMINDER
If your Group owns or regularly uses any sort of boats, this is a good time to check that the boats are seaworthy and carry, or have, all the necessary safety equipment and such like.
There are good FactSheets at Scouts.org which give a lot of useful information about this.
Additionally, even if you don’t have any boats, all lifejackets and buoyancy aids need to be checked and inspected on a regular basis, and Spring is a good time to do this – especially if they’ve been stuffed in a damp cupboard over the winter because they weren’t being used
Our experienced team at Longcraig are happy to assist with these checks and testing – please just get in touch and we’ll see what we can offer by way of advice or assistance.
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2024 Activity Bookings very Buoyant (well they would be – it’s water activities after all!)
We’ve had a huge demand for water activities once again this year, and we know that several groups will have been disappointed to not be able to get their activity slot when they want. That’s often the case in May and June, but the great news is that the latter part of the year is relatively quiet (at the moment!) so if you have even a small group of young people seeking some water excitement, take a look at July, August and even into September. We can still offer taster sessions, badge training or assessments, or complete training courses for sailing certificates or paddling certificates.
Especially during the summer holiday months, Longcraig can sometimes be a good venue for a BBQ or a day out by the seaside, with all the things that entails. Check us out or get in touch to find out how we may be able to help you plan your event.
Planning a summer camp or activity weekend away this year? We may be able to support that with a team of instructors and equipment to bring you some water activities to your event (if there is some suitable water nearby!) But please do get in touch soon, as sometimes these opportunities take a little bit longer to arrange and plan.
Pier Repairs
We’ve now got some photos of the refurbished Pier at Longcraig, thanks to all the good work that the Council’s contractors did in April. We’ve been able to check these out at the most recent ‘spring tide’ (that’s when the tides are bigger than normal, so the low tide goes further out).
Here’s a photo to show the improvements at the end of the pier.
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(Foot of Longcraig Pier at low tide – rebuilt, new concrete: more accessible!)
Our Journey to Net Zero
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What is Net Zero?
The term net zero means achieving a balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it. This balance – or net zero – will happen when the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere is no more than the amount removed. (source: Energy Saving Trust)
Latest update:
Near the end of April, our first contractor arrived at Longcraig to install the Heat Pump heating equipment which will provide us with heating in the toilets, showers and changing spaces. By operating from an Air-to-Air Heat Pump, this extracts warmth from the outside environment, and sends it to the various distribution units inside where the warmth is then circulated within these spaces. Although it takes some electricity to operate the equipment, it’s very efficient – for example, if we consume 1 kilowatt of energy the heating system will produce between 3 and 4 kilowatts of heating inside. And, ultimately, the energy needed to power the equipment will come from solar panels which will be getting fitted on the roof of the Centre.
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(Heating unit inside one of the changing rooms)
Volunteering?
As the demand for our activities grows and we constantly seek to expand what we are able to offer, we need more volunteers to help us implement our plans.
There are two distinct types of volunteers that we can effectively make use of:
TYPE 1:
These volunteers are the people who make the centre operate. We have spaces for:
- Skilled water activity people who could lead activities on the water;
- Semi-skilled people who have some skills but we can help develop those to a level where they can lead activities;
- People with some skills to lead our shore-based activities (for bad weather days or to expand the operations of the centre)
- Volunteers who can help in several ways ‘behind the scenes’ – with e.g. finance, marketing, recruitment, maintenance, boat or building repairs.
Please simply contact us at getinvolved@longcraig.info with your details.
We’ve set aside the following dates where we will hold an introduction session to welcome any potential new volunteers and explain further what wed do and how you can get involved:
- Tuesday 21st May 7pm
- Wednesday 5th June 7pm
- Saturday 6th July 11am
- Monday 19th August 7pm
We’ll take care of the rest!
Do you have any parents in your Group who might be interested in this? Please do let them know!!
TYPE 2 Volunteering:
We can also offer a different type of volunteering, which is to provide an opportunity for groups of adults, scouts or explorers to come along during the ‘closed’ season and give us the benefit of your volunteering – this could be just for one event, or it could be – say – once a month for a period of time. This can count to several outcomes, such as DofE volunteering, various scout badges and awards, or simply to lend a hand for a few hours. Things you might get involved in could be checking of buoyancy aids, fixing boats, painting, and decorating some parts of the centre which were not impacted by the recent building improvements, beach protection work, or behind the scenes stuff like preparing our land activity kits.
If you’re interested, please get in touch to make arrangements or discuss further.
12 May 2024
![Edinburgh Gang Show 2024](https://sesscouts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gangshow24-1024x538.png)
Congratulations to the 36 new members of the Main Gang who were selected at the recent auditions. Our Production Team saw over 140 young people from South East Scotland Scouts and Girlguiding Edinburgh and had difficult decisions to make. Like any event where there are limited spaces available, some people will be disappointed at not being chosen but we hope that the audition experience was enjoyable and gave an insight into how a musical production item is created and developed for performance.
Congratulations to over 130 Cubs and Brownies who took part in the auditions on Sunday 5th, and will be a highlight of the show as the Junior Gang 2024!
Later this month, the 2024 Gang will meet for the first time to begin rehearsals for the show, which will take place later this year (Note the earlier date). Please consider a trip to the Edinburgh Gang Show 2024 as part of your Autumn programme. If you would like help in organising a visit to the Festival Theatre, please get in touch.
Tickets are now on sale and can be bought at Edinburgh Gang Show 2024 (capitaltheatres.com) Tickets start at £15 and group discounts are available.
Edinburgh Gang Show 2024
Festival Theatre
Tue 29 October to Sat 2 November
0131 529 6000 | Groups 8+ 0131 529 6005
12 May 2024
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Bonaly officially opened their new Amenity Hub which has toilets, showers, an accessible toilet and shower, drying room and dishwashing facilities, on 17th April 2024.
At an informal ceremony a small plaque was unveiled by Steve Gamble of the Bonaly Leadership Team and around 40 guests then had tea and cake in the Chalet.
At the opening, John Cannon, Regional Chair and Peter Casebow, Chair Bonaly Scout Centre noted that the new facility was only made possible by the hard work of many people and the funding received from the Regional Trustees and sportscotland Lottery funding.
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In particular, the hard work and support of Steve Gamble, Simon Innes, Janet Taylor, Barry Johnston, Sue Timmins and the whole Bonaly Active Support Unit (ASU) team were acknowledged.
Mike Treanor, Volunteer Development Lead also noted the feedback from Scouts and leaders who have already used the facility has been fantastic and the new Amenity Hub along with Ken’s Den really does mean Bonaly Scout Centre has a positive future ahead.
11 May 2024
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South East Scotland member, Pippa Skinner recently travelled down to Windsor to take part in the Day of Celebration and Achievement with 400 other scouts from across the United Kingdom.
The day itself is an opportunity for The Scout Association to celebrate and highlight the outstanding commitment and achievement of our King’s Scouts, Gallantry and Meritorious award recipients and adult volunteers. We caught up with Pippa to find out more about the journey that started in 2015 and culminated with receiving her King’s Scout Award in 2024.
On 21st April, I was part of the Scottish contingent attending the Day of Celebration and Achievement at Windsor Castle to be awarded my King’s Scout Award.
My journey to Windsor began in 2015 when I joined 122nd Craigalmond (Comely Bank) Scout Troop. With the support of my Scout Leader, Graham Scrimgeour, and the 122nd leadership team, I took part in many activities over my 4 years in the troop. Highlights included going to a Danish Jamboree in 2017, camping (generally in the rain), abseiling, hiking and sailing at Lochgoilhead. With the encouragement of my Group Lead Volunteer, Graeme Robertson, I attended the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia in 2019, which really gave me the appetite to achieve my King’s Scout Award.
Moving up to the Pink Panther Explorer Unit, this opened up new opportunities to continue ticking off the stages for KSA. This included several novel and exciting activities created by Pink Panther Explorer Unit Leader, Fraser Dunmore including camps at Canty Bay and Weymss Firs, while also completing my expeditions and leadership challenges. This all culminated in camping in Finland for 2 weeks in 2022.
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My day at Windsor began by meeting other King’s Scout Award holders, which reminded me of the friendships I’ve made across the wider Scouting community and the challenges we have shared in achieving our awards. As the Scottish contingent led the 400 other awardees onto the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle, the sense of occasion and our shared experiences really hit home.
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It’s at this point I realised the contribution Scout Leaders make in our development, and particularly the impact Graham, Graeme and Fraser had in developing my #SkillsForLife.
For anyone wondering if they should take on this challenge themselves and become a King’s Scout, I’d say, Just go for it and take advantage of all the opportunities you are offered. It’s all so much easier than you think, and you’ll be proud of what you achieve.
I am now at the University of Exeter, and these skills made my move much easier and helped me to develop new connections and friendships.
Everyone here at South East Scotland Scouts are immensely proud of Pippa and all of the Young People who have worked so hard and achieved so much.
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While congratulating Pippa, Fraser Dunmore, Pink Panthers Explorer Scout Unit Leader stated that Pippas’ “proactive approach to seizing every opportunity has resulted in an incredible journey. The life skills you’ve gained are invaluable”. Fraser continued by encouraging “all Explorers and Network members to embrace Scouting opportunities and pursue the King Scout Award challenge!”
122nd Craigalmond (Comley Bank) Group Lead Volunteer, Graeme Robertson noted that “Pippa is the first former Scout from the Comely Bank Scouts in living memory to have achieved the top award in Scouting. It has been an absolute delight to see her grow from a timid young Scout to a confident young adult, and we were lucky to welcome her back as a Young Leader with our Troop, while she was completing the service elements of her King’s Scout Award.
I often talk to others (both within and outwith Scouting) about Pippa being a shining example of the opportunities Scouting can offer to young people, and the fantastic outcomes that Scouting can help them achieve. It has been both a privilege and a pleasure to have played a small part in supporting her progress through Scouting.”
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Chief Scout, Bear Grylls OBE stated that “Our King’s Scouts make us all so proud. They’ve shown the courage, the kindness and the commitment to tackle anything in life, helping others and serving their communities. Not just of this great movement, but of our country too”
Windsor – Take Centre Stage
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If, like Pippa, you’ve gained your Queen’s Scout Award or King’s Scout Award why not Take Centre Stage at Windsor Castle?
Each year, we recruit young people and adults to take a leading role in our annual Day of Celebration and Achievement at Windsor Castle.
We’re looking for enthusiastic people who’ll take on lots of exciting and challenging roles at the event. These volunteers make the experience enjoyable for everyone who attends.
The Team of Ten includes six members of the Colour Party, who march with the flags throughout the day, and four members of the Service Planning and Delivery Team, who deliver the National Scout Service in St George’s Chapel.
If you want to find out more or apply for 2025, please click here. The deadline to apply is 31 July 2024.