Ian Harrower
Longcraig Scout Centre
Looking forward to 2025
Our planning for 2025 is now under way.
So, to help avoid disappointment, if you or your section or your Group has any plans for a water activity event – either at Longcraig or elsewhere – that I anything out of the ordinary for a regular activity booking – get in touch!
Up to the end of this year, we welcome any suggestions for events or activities that we can support or indeed even run for you. This could be a special anniversary, Akela’s big birthday, a celebration of something special – or just a group day out by the seaside messing about in boats.
Does your Group or your District have an ASU team – we might be able to help with arranging an activity day for the ASU – we don’t always exclusively do things for young people.
No matter what your idea, get in touch and see if we can turn your idea into an event!
For example, although we are not yet able to routinely offer our activities to younger sections (Squirrels, Beavers) we can do so, and sometimes the best way to approach this is through a Group event which could incorporate some boating activity for Beavers within it.
How to get in touch? getinvolved@longcraig.info
New Compass benefits
Looking forward to the new Membership Database which is rolling out very shortly?
One of the things it can make easier for adult members is applying for an Activity Permit.
This is all done within the database online package – you simply click on the appropriate link, and it takes you through the process of making an application. Selecting an Activity Assessor will also be much more visible – suitable assessors will appear on your screen, and you just have to select one. Don’t pick the best looking one – all the assessors will assess people to the same standards and all assessments are now done in conjunction with another assessor – so there’s no Good ones nor Bad ones! The assessment process for Permits is not changing – it’s just the process flow that will be much more streamlined and available to all within the new system.
New Tractor
Our final acquisition of 2024 was a replacement tractor that we use for moving boats up and down the pier – especially our safety boats which we have to launch and recover every time we are running activities.
This new Solis tractor replaces our faithful orange Kubota, which we acquired (second hand) in 2009, and which is starting to show some signs of its age. The new tractor was picked from around 6 different options and was selected on the basis of Best Value for purchase cost, equipment and features, trade in value for the old tractor, and overall suitability. It’s already been waxed in the hidden parts underneath so we can minimise the damage caused by the salty water atmosphere that we encounter so close to the sea.
This tractor was funded by a generous grant from the Bells Nautical Trust and a further generous legacy from the Ken Thomson bequest fund, we are gratefully indebted to both funding sources.
Shoring up the shore defences
Over the past few weeks, we have been busy protecting ourselves and Longcraig from the potential of stormy seas which from time to time attempt to engulf the shoreline around our building. For many years now, we have successfully kept those storms at a safe distance, by installing and maintaining a defensive barrier along the boundary between the beach and the grass areas to the front of our building. These defences need some repairs from time to time, and this year we have carried out some areas of refurbishment.
These involve: large pieces of timber – we regularly find them washed up along the coastline and carefully retrieve the best of them.
Here’s a view of a section we’ve just repaired: (you can see how close to the waves it can get!)
Strong metal stakes to retain the timber in position – horizontally and vertically – so it doesn’t get washed out with the surge waves (this was why we were looking for things like old reinforcing bare earlier in the year:
Heavy thick soil to infill behind the timber
Turf or grassy vegetation to knit the soil together and spread a root system deep into the ground.
Strong netting attached to the outer faces of the timber, then over the grass and securely pegged down to limit erosion by the sea and to keep the grass in place until it establishes its root system.
Big thanks to everyone who has assisted with this over the past few weeks of settled autumn weather – just made it before the winter starts!
As always, we can still make good use of:
- Heavy duty steel stakes (such as reinforcing bar)
- Heavy duty pegs or pins (larger than tent pegs but same idea)
- Topsoil
- Grass or turf
Please just get in touch if you think you can help with any of these ingredients used in the baking of a strong shore defence!
Training Opportunities
Our training programme for 2024 has now completed, with the final course running last weekend – a Powerboat 2 course.
All the candidates on this course were members of the Longcraig ASU, their funding of the course fees was supported by the SHQ Development Fund for adult training which is available to all adult members undertaking relevant training courses. We are as always grateful to SHQ for supporting training activities like this throughout the year!
Here are the intrepid candidates last Sunday enjoying the Forth with just 4 degrees C around them!
Still in the diary in early 2025:
- Paddleboard training /Assessment Day has now been arranged; this will be held as two One Day sessions over the weekend of 8/9 March 2025. The Assessor team from Lochgoilhead will be leading this event to support our own activities. The aim is to either assess for a permit or provide a suitable plan to each person to get one.
Beyond that, we can offer courses in:
- Dinghy sailing
- Kayaking
- Powerboating
- Raft Building
- Marine VHF Radio
Which can lead to national qualifications if you wish to gain one of those, and/or to a Scouts Activity Permit which then enables you to lead activities with your own groups of young people.
Many aspects of seamanship such as: weather and meteorology; Tides and Currents: Basic navigation skills; knots, lashings and ropework.
We can also provide course for Badges for
Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Young leaders.
These can in some cases cover the entire syllabus of a particular badge, and in many cases can cover one or more elements of a wider scope badge.
There are many options in badges relating to water activities – there’s even one for ‘helping out at activity centres’ which may be of interest!
We strongly recommend having a discussion with us about what you might like to cover, how we can support that, and how best we can plan it in for next year – or even the year after!
For information on, or to register an interest in, any of these courses please contact us at getinvolved@longcraig.info
Volunteering?
As the demand for our activities grows and we constantly seek to expand what we can offer, we need more volunteers to help us implement our plans. We now have a super-duper warm up to date activity centre to welcome volunteers into!
We’re still happy to hear from any potential volunteers whether your interest is on the water or off the water supporting the Centre.
Just get in touch for a chat, or come along to one of our Volunteer Drop In Sessions
- Saturday 14th December 1pm
- Sunday 12th January 1pm
We’ll take care of the rest!
Do please let us know if you would like to come along to any of these sessions – getinvolved@longcraig.info
Do you have any parents in your Group who might be interested in this? Please do let them know!!
