2010 / 11

Annual Report

3rd

Padiham St John’s (Catholic) Scout Group

The Opening Prayer

Almighty God, give us the strength and courage to keep our Promise faithfully.

Help us to make the world of tomorrow a better place, A place of peace, love and promise. We ask this through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

Please stand for the presentation of the Papal Flag followed by the Union Flag then individual Scout Section Flags

The National Anthem of the United Kingdom:

God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen!

God save the Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us, God save the Queen.

Thy choicest gifts in store On her be pleased to pour,

Long may she reign. May she defend our laws, And give us ever cause,

To sing with heart and voice, God save the Queen.

Foreword

Well a big welcome to our first ever annual general meeting. The group has gone through

a few major changes over the past couple of months but business is back to normal and

the group is operating well.

We have had a fantastic start to the year with both our sections being very active. We can

also cast our minds back to September where two members of our group had the great

honour of meeting Pope Benedict XVI.

The group has shown a decline in membership over the past year but this is expected.

Over the year ahead we must pool our resources into the recruitment of adults and let’s see if we can get our

Beaver Colony back up and running again!

Padiham is a group that we can defiantly be proud of though. The children are polite and courteous and true

ambassadors to Scouting.

Since the group was re formed in October / November we have grown a lot stronger and the future is

looking fantastic!

We have recruited a new Scout leader (Ed) and I am sure you will look forward to reading his report a bit

later on.

All that is left to say is a big THANK YOU to you the parents and supporters for helping the group get back

onto its feet again! Simon Morley (Acting Group Chairman)

3

rd Padiham St John’s Catholic Scout Group

Acting Group Chairman – Simon G Morley Group Chairman - Vacant Group Chaplain – Fr Alan Swift Group Secretary – Mrs Dianne Denton-Morley Group Treasurer – Mr Philip Denton Group Scout Leader - Simon G Morley Group Trustee’s Beaver Rep: Beavers Vacant Vacant Cub Rep:

Vacant Cubs Scout Rep: Simon G Morley Mrs Linda Longley

Fr Alan Swift Representative Scouts of St John’s Catholic Church Ed Burnley-Cumming

Cub Report

Try saying this in one breath: ‘Shooting, archery, camping, hiking, cooking, drawing, designing, cleaning, helping, first aid, tracking, marching, acting, playing, community work, woodwork, DIY, Animal caring and LEARNING’. …. Could you do it? These are just some of the things that the Cub Section has been upto since November! And guess what, I did not include our visits and trips in the list either. The pack is currently very strong despite the lack of a Beaver section feeding younger members up. We take part in a varied and educational programme. We have taken the cubs on one weekend camp since November and have one planned for July. We thank the continued support of parents as without Your understand it would be impossible to deliver Scouting In Padiham. 2011 is the 95

th anniversary of the Cub Scout Section so

We have a lot of fantastic events planned and who knows maybe even a birthday cake!

Scout Report

In January 2011, Ed Burney-Cumming, known to the young people as Skip, became the newest addition to the Group when he took on the role of Scout Leader. The Scouts then moved on to look at the weather through Met Office sponsored badge work and began preparing for the first camp of 2011 with a range of skills practise which included cooking a meal. February half term saw the whole Scout Troop, along with some Scouts from St Matthew’s Scout Group, head down to Scout HQ at Gilwell Park in Essex. The focus of the camp was to spring clean the Catholic Chapel after some repair work had been completed. This was very successful and the National Priest Father John who joined the Camp was extremely pleased with the end results. Father John whilst with us also provided a Scout friendly series of services based around the Liturgy of the Hours. All the Scouts worked extremely hard however as you would expect there was plenty of time for fun despite the thick mud which stayed with us throughout the camp (indeed much of it came back to Burnley as well). Since returning from camp the Scouts have undertaken a variety of different sessions including basic first aid, surviving a shipwreck, visits to Gawthorpe Hall and practising key camp skills. Looking to the year ahead we have a number of exciting adventures planned for the Scouts which include the opportunity of kayaking with qualified coaches on the Leeds – Liverpool Canal, a wild west themed camp at the end of the summer session, an international camp with other Scouts from the district to Belgium in the summer holidays and a joint camp with St Matthew’s Scout Group to the Lake District themed around water based activities. As the year progresses the intention is to focus the activities of the Scouts around the Challenge Badges which ultimately will enable a Scout to achieve the Chief Scout’s Gold Award. These badges have multiple parts and challenges which enable the Scout develop and progress as they move through the Section. Having had a fantastic year we look forward to the year ahead being even more exciting for our growing Scout Troop. Obviously we owe a great deal of thanks to the parents and our young leaders for helping make our activities a success. Please remember if you feel you would like to get more involved in any part of the fun and adventure then please contact one of the Team.

National Catholic Scout Fellowship Report February was a really good month for us as we had the biggest turnout ever for our annual mass at St Geroge’s Cathedral in Southwark London. As you will see we gave Bishop Edwin a rousing send off and a hearty welcome to our new link Bishop, Bishop Richard Moth, who is also Bishop of the Forces We took part in an event called ‘Active-8’ put on by Kent County Scouts in Maidstone. We were the only Faith Group represented there and it was surprising how many people were not aware of our presence or, for that matter, of any other Faith Fellowships. It was good to meet so many people and let them know of our existence. The event was an opportunity for Kent Scouters to visit and glean ideas and information from a variety of sources. We have also been invited to take part in the Kent Scouts International Jamboree, along with other Faith representatives, in 2013. We can only offer help if people know of our existence, so please tell your fellow scouters about us. By the time you receive this report you will have seen in the media about the new Scout Headquarters initiative ‘My Body, My Choice’. Can I direct you to our Website www.catholicsinscouting.org.uk where you will be able to see our document ‘Catholics in Scouting and Cherishing Human Sexuality’. This gives the Catholic Church’s teaching on this subject. As a parent, albeit a very old one, I do not think it is the responsibility of the Scout Association to be going down this particular path. It is a path fraught with many dangers. Not all Scout Leaders think the same on this matter and as a practising Catholic I am sure that the advice I would have to give, if in that position, would not concur with the Scout Association’s view point, especially on the more sensitive parts of the document. Life and our bodies are a very precious commodity and should not be treated otherwise. As St Paul says, “Our bodies are temple of the Holy Spirit” and that is how they should remain. Fr John has stated in his report that we will be working on a resource that is in line with the teaching of the Church. We now have the date for our AGM. It is a residential one based at the De Vere Hotel at Cheadle in Manchester. The theme of the weekend is “Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the Faith." (Colossians 2:7) (Providing the Faith in our sectional scouting programmes). We also plan to have a report and presentation from our young people who will be taking part in World Youth Day in Madrid. If you are asking why have we chosen an hotel the answer is that we could not find any religious house who could accommodate us at the time we wanted, also the facilities they were offering were not of the standard we would want for our members to; i.e. some could only offer single rooms and very few could offer ensuite also their prices were no cheaper than the deal we have got from the De Vere Hotel. The accommodation here is first rate with all rooms being en-suite and easy access for those who have difficulties with stairs etc. We will have the use of our own conference room with breakfast and refreshments supplied all day ending with an evening meal and lunch on the Sunday. The AGM will take place on the Sunday morning and will be followed by Mass, the day concludes with Lunch. If you look at the details you will see there is also a day rate. Do try to come and join us for this event. This should prove to be a very interesting weekend and we have subsidised the event in order to encourage more young people to come. We have an opportunity that should not be missed. The World Youth Day in Madrid is going to be a talking point for many months after the event. As I have said many times before ‘not everyone can go to the Jamboree’ but here is an opportunity for you to mix with young people from all over the world with the same beliefs as you. The cost is nowhere as expensive as the Jamboree and the distance not too far either, so please look at our website and give it a thought but you had better be quick though for time is running out. Those who take part in this activity will be invited, as our guests, to join us for the AGM in October. I was at the recent CIGS meeting where there was a discussion on the lack of prayers, even at faith sponsored groups, at the beginning and end of meetings. It does beg the question where is God in your Scout Group, if at all. I know that we have a prayer book with prayers that would be suitable for beginning and ending meetings from Beavers to Explorer Scouts. It is a good resource and we also have prayer cards that can help. I know that when I was first involved in running a Cub Pack we encouraged our young Cubs to write their own prayers and made them into a book, which was used mostly to close our meeting. The children felt ownership and of course it went toward badge work. So please don’t let God be a stranger in your Colony, Pack or Troop, invite Him to join you! Finally may I add my congratulations to Bishop Edwin who, it has just been announced, has been admitted to the Brotherhood of St George; an award from the International Conference of Catholic Scouting (ICCS). A fitting award for a Bishop who helped us to put our case to the Scout Association with regard to our title earlier this year. Well done Bishop Edwin! To my knowledge there are only six other Catholic Scouters in the UK who have been given this award. However if you know different do let me know. Margaret McDowall – Chairperson (National Catholic Scout Fellowship).

Trophies and Awards 2011

Group Scout Leader’s Endeavour Award – This award is presented to one child who has been chosen directly by the Group Scout Leader. The award does not carry an age range and can be awarded to a member of any section. The award is given in recognition of implementing the Scouting Law’s and promise in everything the candidate does. Candidates must lead by example and be a good role model for others in the group. Kayla Trophy – This award is presented by the Leadership team. The award does not carry an age range and can be awarded to a member of any section for their commitment to Scouting. It is given to a child who has shown the most improvement of ability over the past year. Cub of the year – This award is presented by the Cub Scout Leader to the Cub of the year. Scout of the year – This award is presented by the Scout leader to the Scout of the year.

Awarded to: Group Scout Leader’s Endeavour Award – Ellie (Cub Scout)

Kayla Trophy – A Turner (Cub Scout)

Cub of the year – B Lewis (Scout)

Scout of the year – J Longley (Scout)

Financial Report Statement of Accouts y/e 21st December 2010

3rd Padiham St Johns Scout Group

Revenue

Weekly subscriptions: £ 426.00

Halloween Camp: £ 490.00

Winter Camp: £ 105.00

£1,021.00 £1,021.00

Expenditure

Memberships fees: £ 25.00

Halloween Camp: £ 450.00

Winter Camp: £ 160.00

Provisions: £ 15.95

Badges: £ 49.74

Maps: £ 7.99

Books: £ 15.91

Sundries: £ 55.28

£ 779.87 £ 779.87

Profit for y/e 31st December 2010 £ 241.13

Donations received

Ital Logistics Limited 4 tents value… £ 450.00

£ 450.00

Assets

Tents £ 450.00

Census 2011: 2010

2011

Group membership down by 19

Beavers= -10, Cubs = -4, Scouts = -5

Agenda

Thursday the 26th of May 2011

St John’s Catholic Church Community Centre 1. Welcome, Opening Prayer and Introductions. 2. Apologies for Absence. 3. As this is the first meeting there are no minutes to approve 4. Acceptance of the annual report and statement of accounts. 5. Approval of the Group Scout Leader’s nomination of Chairperson. 6. Nomination and election of Secretary and Treasurer. 7. Election of the Group Trustees. 8. Presentation of Trophies & Awards. - Group Scout Leader’s Endeavour Award - Kayla Trophy - Cub of the year - Scout of the year 9. Looking forward. 10. Any Other Business. Would you like to join the adventure? Contact Simon on 07595166769 or simonatuni@hotmail.com Make everyday an adventure

CUB SCOUTS No. of Packs: 1

m f

Age 7 2 -

Age 8 4 1

Age 9 3 3

Age 10 3 2

m f

TOTAL 12 6

SCOUTS No. of Troops: 1

m f

Age 10 2 -

Age 11 3 -

Age 12 - -

Age 13 - -

Age 14 - -

Age 15 - -

m f

TOTAL 5 -

BEAVER SCOUTS No. of Colonies: 1

m f

Age 5 - -

Age 6 4 -

Age 7 5 -

Age 8 1 -

m f

TOTAL 10

-

CUB SCOUTS No. of Packs: 2

m f

Age 7 1 -

Age 8 2 1

Age 9 9 -

Age 10 8 1

m f

TOTAL 20 2

SCOUTS No. of Troops: 1

m f

Age 10 1 1

Age 11 1 -

Age 12 1 1

Age 13 1 2

Age 14 1 1

Age 15 - -

m f

TOTAL 5 5