Category: Scouts

Scouts – the third section in Scouting.

Ukraine Day

Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) Scout Group In February we welcomed a group of young Ukrainians to Bonaly to give them a taste of the kinds of adventurous activities we get up to in Scouting. South East Scotland and Scouts Scotland are working together with the AUGB (Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain) in Edinburgh to establish a Scout group which meets the needs of local young Ukrainian people and their families, the majority of whom arrived in Scotland following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The group of Scout and Explorer aged young people were shown around Bonaly by Co-Warden and Activity Manager Sean Crossan, before settling down to a seriously competitive archery session led by SES Support Officer Nacho Luna Borras and Scouts Scotland Local Growth Officer, Calum Harvie. Also attending were SES Scouting Support Officer Amy Irvine, along with Martin Elliot, Mike Treanor and John Cannon. After the conclusion of the archery session (a great way to learn how to count in Ukrainian, btw!), we warmed up in the Bonaly bothy and talked about Scouting and to discuss with the young people their hopes for the Group. There was great enthusiasm from the young people – a number had been involved in Scouting in Ukraine – and the team from Scouts Scotland and South East Scotland Region was delighted to answer the many thoughtful questions presented. Work to establish a Scout Group with the Ukrainian community continues to progress.

Regional Mindfulness Day – A Huge Success!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the Regional Mindfulness Day on 8th March 2025 such an incredible experience! The day, held at the beautiful Bonaly Scout Centre, was filled with energy, learning, and meaningful connections. Our special thanks go out to the amazing professionals from PsychEd, Edinburgh University, whose mindfulness workshops and activities were informative, fun and inspiring. The outdoor activities were a real highlight — fun, hands-on, and deeply engaging. It was powerful to see our young people fully present and embracing the positive impact of being in nature. We’re also incredibly grateful to our Adult Scout volunteers, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly. Your dedication helped make the day not only possible but unforgettable. And, of course, the grand finale around the campfire was nothing short of phenomenal. Songs, dances, laughter, and togetherness created the perfect ending to a meaningful day.   Thank you again to everyone involved—participants, leaders, volunteers, and professionals. This event truly demonstrated the values of our Scout organisation and how outdoor activities can positively impact our lives. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Put these Key Gang Show Dates in Your Diary

The Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 will be held between Tuesday 4th to Saturday 8th November 2025 at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre The audition dates for the Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 are as follows: Main Gang Auditions – (Scouts, Guides, Explorer Scouts, Rangers, Network) Sunday 27 April @ St Anne’s Parish Church, Kaimes Road, Edinburgh Junior Gang Auditions – (Cub Scouts & Brownies) Sunday 11 May @ Blackhall, St Columba’s, Columba Road, Edinburgh Full details about auditions will be in following newsletters.

Curtain Falls on Gang Show 2024

Last month returning to the Festival Theatre for the third time, over 250 young people from South East Scotland Scouts and Girlguiding Edinburgh presented the annual Edinburgh Gang Show.  Throughout the week over 5,500 people were entertained by the Gang with a show that was vibrant, energetic, funny and spectacular.  Guests included Lead Volunteers from Scouts and Girlguiding at local, Scottish and UK level including Lewis Dangerfield, UK Lead Volunteer for Programme, who later described his first visit to a Gang Show as his Scouting highlight of the year!  Group Bookers – Prize Draw  The winners are as follows;  73rd A Brownies: 1st Prize - £250 to use towards a booking at Bonaly Scout Centre or Longcraig Scout Centre.  108th Pentland Scouts: 2nd Prize - £150 to use towards activities at Bonaly Scout Centre.  103rd A Brownies: 3rd Prize - An hour, for a group of up to 5 people, at Longcraig Scout Centre power boating on the Forth. Instructor-led with the option for participants to drive.  We would like to thank all the volunteers who worked for many months to develop such a large-scale production for so many young people. A huge thank you to all the groups who came to see the show.   Details about the Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 will be announced in the early part of next year. 

Scouts Sleepout to Support Foodbank

On Friday 25th October the Thursday and Friday 82nd Craigalmond Scouts joined forces to embark on an extra-large evening of Scouting fun and fundraising! The idea to undertake a sleep-out for charity came from a young member of the Scouts, because he had enjoyed the same event the year prior. The decision to raise money for charity whilst sleeping-out was an easy one – we had already spent an evening earlier in the term collecting and sorting food for Edinburgh Food Project, who run 7 foodbank centres across Edinburgh and offer debt, benefits & budgeting advice. It felt like a good way to support a cause known to us, whilst saying “thank you” to the Charity for having visited us. Special mention must go to Calypso here – she is the charity’s representative and led a very thought-provoking evening for our Scouts.  First, we decided that if we were going to sleep outside, we would need a good feed. The Scouts started off preparing the food ready to be cooked on open fires: skewers with sausage & veg; flatbreads with herbs; and apples with sultanas & sugar.  All was cooked easily over big beds of embers. The cooking time of the flatbreads took a little perfecting, but we worked it out. Everyone ate well.   After dinner, those staying the night started building their shelters. This was the most fun part with Scouts excitedly thinking of ways to build a structure sufficient for themselves and their buddy / buddies. After a good hour of building, reinforcing and adding extensions the Scouts were ready for a lovely cup of lentil soup.   To burn-off excess energy we held a game of speedy charades. Then, just before being dismissed for bed we reflected on why we were sleeping-out and who it is benefitting.  Soon after bedtime the rustle of sweetie wrappers could be heard…. Some fell asleep quickly and some had a long blether – the excitement of sleeping in a den, no doubt. We all dropped off eventually. Before we knew it, it was time to get up and tidy our slightly soggy makeshift beds away.   Weather-wise we were very lucky: it was a calm, mild evening with one light rain shower. Near-perfect conditions.   Overall, a lot of fun for all the Scouts and the Leaders had a good time too.  Thanks go to various retailers at Craigleith retail park, in particular: Marks & Spencer, who passed on loads of cardboard to us. But the biggest thanks must go to the friends and families of the Scouts, who dug-deep to raise a whopping £1500 for Edinburgh Food Project! That seems a very worthwhile exchange for a decent night’s sleep!” 

South East Scotland Goes International

What a fantastic 2024 we have had with several groups throughout South East Scotland going abroad for Scouting Adventures. Across Europe, we have had members visiting Belgium, Netherlands, Germany with several groups going to Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) in Switzerland. (See the article from the 25th Braid who visited KISC this year).   Our Scottish Lead Volunteer for International has written a blog about International Scouting to give you some insight to international camping in Scotland.   The Visit Abroad Process for Scouting Abroad is clear and is set out in a 5-step process.  If you are just thinking about a trip or wondering what to do, please contact Simon Innes the Regional Lead Volunteer for International at international@sesscouts.org.uk. He will be happy to come a chat to you or a group of interested volunteers, this will be an easy way to find out about international camping and ideas for fundraising. If you have already started planning for 2025 or 2026, please contact Simon with your Part A form if you haven’t already done so.  International trips are always the scouting activities that live longest in the memories of Scouts and volunteers alike.  Memories “Who risk assessed I was capable of this?” “I don’t even like cheese.” “Can I just give my Gold award back and go back down”: joyous cries of appreciation from the Scouts as we climbed up to nearly 2000m in the summer heat to reach our goal for the day – the Doldenhorn Cheesery Hut, high up in the Swiss Alps. Just one of many fond memories of our Scout Summer Camp to Kandersteg International Scout Centre earlier this year.  I was one of a 6-strong adult leadership team, taking 26 young people aged 11 to 14 and one young leader to Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC), Switzerland.  Of course they reached top, of course they were capable of it – and of course they polished off all the cheese. In fact, that week, the Scouts surpassed all our expectations, achieved many, many things and created many, many memories.   Kandersteg International Scout Centre– a mecca of International Scouting Kandersteg International Scout Camp is a mecca for International Scouting. The main chalet was originally built in 1908 to house and educate children and families of workers building the Lotschberg tunnel. By May 1923, the Chalet and surrounding grounds had been purchased by Scouting bodies and opened as the Kandersteg International Scout Centre – fulfilling Lord Baden-Powel’s dream of creating one place in the world, where the “Jamboree” feeling – feeling of world brotherhood, peace and international friendship – could happen all year long. KISC had been in our sights as a Scout group for a few years – COVID had put a halt to our initial plans – but by summer 2023 we were ready to try again, and our appetite for international experiences was even greater with the restrictions of COVID still so fresh in our minds. This was our first group trip to KISC and, for most of the leaders, our first time organising an international camp. Planning was initially daunting but reaching out to our regional International Scouting Lead Volunteer early on meant we were well supported through every step of the process.  Planning was still time consuming – but making robust plans and risk assessments ahead of the trip meant that by the time we met up at Edinburgh airport at 3am on 27th July 2024, 33 of us proudly kitted out in kilts, uniform shirts and the new Scottish International neckie, we felt excited and ready, if not yet quite awake.   Camp Life From the moment you arrive through its gates, KISC is a buzzing hive of colourful activity; hundreds of Scouts and leaders wearing multi-coloured neckers and group T-shirts are in constant motion across the site;   groups walk purposefully from one activity to another, Scouts of all different neckers play football together on the dusty pitch at the centre of the campsite, small huddles of Scouts bargain with each other for the best neckie or badge swapping deal,  and, much more often than I ever expected – groups break out into enthusiastic singing and dancing in front of the main chalet (I don’t think the Portuguese ever stopped dancing).   Pinkies, the international volunteers who work at the centre, move amongst the crowds in their cerise pink T-shirts keeping everything running smoothly.  The back drop to this activity is incredibly beautiful- the centre is nestled in a river valley, surrounded by towering mountains with the chocolate-box-style Swiss chalet as the main building at the heart of the camp.   Visitors can camp or stay in indoor accommodation. We had chosen to camp, hiring tents from KISC, reasoning that our Scouts had probably camped in colder and midgier conditions and meaning that we could use our budget on food- opting for the fully catered option freed leaders and Scouts up from cooking and cleaning duties all week. An army marches on its stomach after all. This turned out to be a great decision: every day we had a buffet style breakfast and evening meal in the canteen in the main chalet and could make ourselves a packed lunch (including up to 6 slices of fresh bread still warm from the local bakery) to take on whatever adventures we needed to fuel that day. Apart from a daily lack of gluten free options, the food was incredible. Several Scouts who had worried they would not like anything, bravely tried new things, and even gave the catering team a rousing BRAVO at the end of the week.   Activities Wanting to make the most of our week, we had planned a busy itinerary including on and off-site activities, considering the Scouts love for fun and adventure. One of our first of trips was a whole group trip to Oeschinen where we took Gondolas high up into the mountains and had fun riding the Rodelbahn (toboggan run) before hiking to the beautiful Oeschinen lake beyond and dipping our toes in

Summer Olympics on Loch Tay?

Our 2024 Summer Camp was held at one of our favourite sites on a greenfield site at Ardtalnaig on the south shore of Loch Tay. On the Thursday evening, we packed the van with hundreds of pieces of kit including the kitchen sink. We travelled on the Saturday morning and arrived at camp to find the advance party had managed to do a great job putting up two marquees, three mess tents and numerous leader tents. The 35 Scouts, supported by some of the Leader team put up the patrol stormhavens and dining shelters as the rest of the Leader Team prepared the remainder of the camp. On the Saturday night after, a communal dinner, we introduced our “Olympics” theme and assigned Patrols to the Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The Scouts spent the first evening learning about their Continent and created montages and patrol signs – they were all superb. We had our first campfire of the week, and we knew, based on the singing, it was going to be a great camp. On Sunday, after the first breakfast cooked by the Scouts, we had our initial patrol inspection (to set the camp standards) and then we had our Regatta Day on the Loch. The Sea Scout Leaders facilitated an excellent day of raft building, water games and power boat riding. The weather was brilliant during the day and the Scouts honed their sea scout skills whilst having a fun time. We then had a BBQ on the shore followed by our “Olympic Camp Opening Ceremony” – it was awesome to see the Patrols parading their flags and outputs from the previous evening. We also gave out our first Olympic medals on the podium, followed by a campfire and songs. Monday started in great sunshine, and the Scouts spent the day developing a range of Scout skills including first aid, ropes and pulleys, knots, tarp shelters and cooking. We had the outputs for the cooking base for lunch. We also had a “silly Olympic games” evening led by Emma where the competitive nature of our Scouts came to the fore especially with the “catapult chicken”. We finished the evening off with another camp fire. On Tuesday we did Canyoning with the Rafting Company – the older Scouts set off early and really enjoyed jumping into plunge pools, sliding down waterfalls and having an enormous amount of fun. The younger Scouts spent a couple of hours transforming the garden of David and Jo our hosts, who given the time they spend supporting people in Ukraine, don’t have time for gardening. The Scouts were entertained by Jo’s dogs, Digger and Dougal. In the afternoon, the younger Scouts did canyoning, whilst the older Scouts removed over 400 pieces of “ragwort” which is dangerous to cows and horses, from a field on the site. Our hosts were very pleased with what we had given back to the community. After another evening meal cooked by the Scouts, we had more Olympic based sports games in sunshine which kept the midges away. On Wednesday morning we had an “axe and saw” skills session where the Scouts learned how to saw and axe wood in a safe manner. It also allowed us to accumulate a lot of wood for the campfires during the remainder of the week. We also painted the flags of over 50 countries on flat stones, in preparation for our banquet later in the week. After lunch we headed off to Aberfeldy in our Olympic themed t-shirts, where we went on a walk to the Birks of Aberfeldy. We then played in the local park and had supper from the local fish and chip shop before returning to camp to do some whittling. Unfortunately, a small number of Scouts were sick during the evening. The Scouts were very brave and understanding as they were isolated, and the leaders did a great job in reacting to a difficult situation. On Thursday, we had to rethink the day as we decided to cancel the overnight canoe expedition. With great support from our sea scout leaders, we organised a brilliant kayak expedition along the loch, where James provided eggs rolls and marshmallows, before returning to camp where we created our own “expedition island” so the Scouts could complete their expedition.  The younger scouts did some Scout skills in the morning including whittling and learning how to use trangias before going on a walk to the lower hills above Acharn where they visited a Hermits Cave, a historic Stone Circle and did some cherry foraging before returning via the excellent Acharn falls. In the evening the younger Scouts searched for “unlabelled” tins for their dinner including tomato soup, beef stew, tatties, and they made crepes to go with pears and cherries. On Friday morning, we visited the newly opened Crannog Centre where the scouts were shown outdoor skills from ancient times. They also met Dom, the blacksmith from The Repair Shop who was doing some filming at the centre. In the afternoon, we had our final “Olympic Games” with much competition to try to gain those points which would win the prizes including throw the welly, javelin, relay racing and dancing, all in very hot weather, In the evening, Karen and Anne, our superb camp cooks, prepared a brilliant Olympic banquet meal including Italian Salami, African couscous and kofka, Asian sweet and sour chicken followed by Australian caramilk mousse!!!  40 portions all made in the middle of a field in a marquee. At the banquet we gave out the camp prizes as follows: Best Newcomers – Evie and Hannah Happiest Scout – Conal Olympic Games Medal Winners – Oceania Patrol Best Patrol Leader – Charlie Best Patrol – Asia Patrol We closed the evening by presenting the Chief Scout Gold Award to 3 Scouts – after four years of attending Friday Scouts, engaging in activities and challenges, and attending Easter and Summer Camps – massive congratulations to Charlie, Daniel and Lucy (who unfortunately had already

30th Craigalmond head to the Swiss Alps

After months of planning, 31 Scouts and 11 adult volunteers from 30th Craigalmond (Davidson’s Mains) Scout Group travelled to the Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) in Switzerland for a full week of activities with thousands of Scouts from around the world! Arrival and Setup The group arrived safely at KISC at 3:45pm on Saturday. They quickly set up their tented village, and by 5pm, the Pink Panther Explorers (many who were former 30th Craigalmond Scouts) joined them. Despite a sudden thunderstorm and heavy rain that delayed the setup of communal tents, the Scouts managed to stay dry and fuelled with “tactical snacks” until a late dinner. Sunday: International Flag Break and Sports Sunday began with a sunny welcome and an international flag break ceremony with 800 Scouts on-site. The Scouts joined in games during the international day morning after the flag break, discovering new games to share at future camps, such as the rope walk and the popular finger light sabre game. After intermingling games and enthusiastic cheering, the Scouts enjoyed some downtime. By 2pm, many participated in international volleyball and football games, while others engaged in pioneering activities, building a flagpole and bench, or some a water fight. The day ended with a name game with the Pink Panther Explorers and an international evening for swapping neckers and gifts. Monday: Mountain Hike A dry and sunny Monday allowed the Scouts to take a cable car ride into the mountains. They ascended to Sunnebuhl and hiked for three hours in the Gemmi valley, stopping for lunch by a glacial lake. After a refreshing rest, paddle, and drinks, they hiked back downhill, returning for dinner and a well-earned rest. Tuesday: Bobsleigh Track and Lake Swimming The Scouts enjoyed another cable car ride on Tuesday, this time to Oeschinensee rohdelbahn. They raced down a bobsleigh-type track on buggies, towed back up for more fun, and spent the afternoon swimming in the lake. The evening concluded with campfire songs and the much-loved S’mores. Wednesday: Town Exploration and Cooking Despite rain showers and thunderstorms, the Scouts had a great time swimming in the town’s outdoor pool and exploring local shops to buy souvenirs and gifts. A Scout team took charge of cooking dinner for the camp on Wednesday evening, providing a hearty meal for everyone. The Scouts leaving the Scout Troop after summer joined the Explorers in the sauna that evening, with one accidentally visiting the ladies’ shower block by mistake, which was quickly rectified. Thursday: Swiss National Day and Fun Thursday was Swiss National Day, filled with activities like zip wire and crate climbing, as well as eco projects towards the KISC Challenge Badge. That evening, they joined over 1,800 Scouts from 39 countries for a BBQ and a parade into the town centre. One Scout also found a glow bug near their site, adding a magical touch to the evening. Departure The Scouts broke camp and loaded the van before departing on Friday morning. Throughout the week, they kept journals, documenting their experiences and reflections. Some Scouts also enjoyed quiet time making friendship bracelets. The trip concluded with the Scouts trading neckers, badges, and food, forming international bonds and enriching their cultural experiences. Conclusion The trip was a resounding success, offering the Scouts experiences of international camaraderie, adventure, and personal growth. Some memorable highlights from the Scouts include: – “Free time with friends in a different country.” – “Meeting people from different countries.” – “The scenery.” – “Swimming in the lake.”