The Mersey Valley Scout Group opens it’s doors on Tuesday 8th September, at 20:00. Tonight your child has attended the final session of the Scout Section at the Northenden Scout Group. They will have met the new leaders who are taking over this section after the Summer break. But it’s not just 2 new leaders who are taking over, they will be joining a whole new Scout Group!
370th Manchester (Mersey Valley) Scout Group have been around since the 1950’s in one form or another. We’ve been known as Baguley Boy Scouts, 1st Baguley Hall, Newall Green Scouts, St. Peters Scouts and latterly, a second stint as 1st Baguley Hall. We’re not strangers to your children as many camps and activities have been run jointly between Northenden and Baguley Hall. We were asked to come and run the Scout Section in Northenden, so we decided to bring out group with us. So 370th has been reborn (again) as the Mersey Valley Scout Group.
The current leadership, Mike Thompstone and Jon Handby together have around 15 years experience in Scouting, and have run some fantastic group nights, camps and activities. Simply put, the Scout section in Northenden could be in no better hands!
We aim to not only be the number one group for Scouts in Northenden, but aim to be a section that is fed into by the Cub sections in Baguley, Northenden and Northern Moor. So your child is not only in a Scout Section in Northenden, they are a member of the best Scout Section in the whole of South Manchester!
We’ve been busy for the last few months planning and preparing programmes and activities for the section to undertake from September – December and beyond. Whilst we don’t want to ruin any surprises, we thought we’d give you and your child a small insight into just some of the activities coming up in the next term and into 2010…
Slight give away above! As well as a new name, to really stand out from the crowd we have a brand new neckerchief which will be available to purchase directly from us for the price of £4. We’re currently working on a group badge which will hopefully be available early in 2010 which will be worn on the back of the neckerchief.
If your child is new to Scouts or hasn’t been invested yet, they will be issued with a membership award pack, which along with attending the first 4 weeks will enable them to become invested into the troop. Regular attendance is vital because as we take on bigger and better activities these will span over a few weeks, and time doesn’t permit for us to go back repeating activities completed.
We will be working towards lots of badges, and really want to see our Scouts achieve. We will be creating great links with the Explorer unit who are based in Didsbury for when Scouts are ready to move on, so that as many as possible can stay on and experience Scouting well into their teens. Events over the next few years for Explorer aged members are Jamborees in Sweden and Japan, and international camps in Kenya and the USA. Wythenshawe has a long tradition of sending Scouts abroad, and we really want it to continue.
Scouting is getting fantastic publicity at the moment with more members and leaders joining, a fantastic face of the movement in Bear Grylls, and we are determined to capture this by making sure our programmes are good and strong, and they really capture the adventure of Scouting, the outdoors and the survival elements – the things young people join Scouting for.
Well we hope that we can count on your full support, and that your child will be there at the first session of Mersey Valley Scouts on Tuesday 8th September, 8pm sharp in St. Wilfrids School Hall, Patterdale Road, Northenden.
We will really look forward to meeting you all then, in the meantime have a long (hot) summer, and keep your eyes peeled to http://www.merseyvalleyscouts.org.uk The new site opens there on Monday 31st August, please try and have a visit where there will be even more information for parents and members.
Subs for Scouts will be set at £3 which represents real value for money and is in line with the other groups in the district and county.
Should you want to speak to me beforehand, contact:
Mike Thompstone Group Scout Leader 07736 470 046 mike.thompstone@merseyvalleyscouts.org.uk
Yours in Scouting,
Mike Thompstone Group Scout Leader