20TH SOUTHGATE (ST. MONICA’S) CUB SCOUTS
Review of the Spring Term 2015
I’m sure that many of you know about the “This is your life” albums which are given to our Cubs when
they reach leaving age. Since October last year, 17 Cubs have moved on from the Pack which might
explain why the local supermarket has been low on stocks of red ring binders over the last few
months…..
The “This is your life” albums include pictures of the activities which our Cubs have got involved in, and
for those Cubs who choose to do more than just come along on a Thursday evening, the albums run to
many pages – as well as make the hard work of all the voluntary leaders worthwhile. Here are some of
the activities which were available to all our Cubs during the spring term.
Oh yes it did….. the new term activities (outside of the weekly meetings) began with a visit to the
St. Monica’s Players Pantomime Aladdin on Friday 23rd January. Our Cubs and Beavers really
enjoyed the show and well done to Paolo for demonstrating to everyone the “Penguin Song”!
During January and February five of our Cubs took the opportunity to complete their Cyclist Badge
which consisted of a practical session at the Cub Hut plus an additional workshop session at Halfords
in Enfield. The Cubs learnt how to do the “M Check” and also the “O Check” plus puncture repair and
safe bicycle riding. Well done to all of them for passing their badge and many thanks to Halfords.
Football continues to be a very popular activity for our Cub Pack,
giving an opportunity at no extra cost for the Cubs to practice
their skills and to play in a team, and during the spring term we
had regular practices and also five matches.
The 17 Cubs who moved on since October included many
experienced footballers and so our now much younger team is
taking a bit of time to settle. Hopefully they will continue
practising and enjoying their football and I’m sure it won’t be long
before we can enjoy a first win in our new football shirts – which
were chosen by the Cubs.
Another big sporting event in the spring term was the District
Swimming Gala, which was on 7th March, and our Cubs finished
in third place out of the eight Packs taking part. Special mentions
should go to our relay winning team and also to Henry who won
three medals in his first Gala, our first Cub ever to do this. Earlier
in the year 12 of our Cubs had the opportunity to try for the
Swimmer Badge and I’m very pleased to report that they all
completed Stages 1 and 2.
The other main District event in the spring term is the Chess
Competition and on Sunday 1st February our team finished in
first place – a great achievement from all the Cubs. We also
represented Southgate in the County Quiz in March –another
example of the wide range of activities which are only available in
Cub Scouting – and we all had an educational afternoon,
especially learning about different currencies of the world and
also about phobias!
It’s been a couple of years since our last Cub Pack outing (to Legoland Windsor) and on 22nd March,
21 of our Cubs enjoyed an excellent day out at Whipsnade Zoo. The weather was better than expected
and by getting there early we were able to see lots of the animals close up, especially the cheetahs,
elephants and giraffes, as well as fitting in a train ride. Many thanks to everyone who helped make this
such a successful event.
Our weekly meetings continued to include a wide range of activities (one of the parents has called
them “90 minute adventures”!) including an evening of teamwork challenges and two meetings in the
large hall – volleyball and then games and activities planned by the older Cubs.
One of our meetings focused on pioneering for part of the Creative Challenge Badge, and then our
“badge bases” evening gave the Cubs an opportunity to work towards some of the Activity Badges
including Book Reader, Communicator and Road Safety. Another meeting included the popular “Feast
or Famine” activity where the Cubs had the chance to make “eggy bread” – always a favourite, and
with the added bonus that we had an opportunity to test the smoke alarms in the Cub Hut – they all
work very loudly!
Many of you will know that the Cub Scout national programme is changing from September 2015 to
include more of a focus on outdoor activities and so one of our meetings was another night hike, this
time around Trent Park. This type of outdoor activity is what Cub Scouting is really about and it was
enjoyed by all participants, so there will be more to follow. Our final meeting of term saw us back at
Scout Park for an Easter Egg hunt plus making chocolate nests, craftwork and the start of the
competition to grow the tallest sunflower. I hope our Cubs will remember to take the sunflower out of
the pot when it starts to properly grow.
Thinking back over these activities, it’s hard to believe that the spring term is usually thought of as the
quicker / quieter term! However, looking ahead there is certainly lots scheduled for the summer term
including watching an Arsenal match at the Emirates Stadium, the District St. George’s Day Parade, a
‘mini Olympics’ challenge in the large hall after Church Parade, two camps, the District Sports Day,
some more football – including our own Sixes Tournament, canoeing and rafting (for the older Cubs)
and lots more “90 minute adventures” on Thursday nights.
Whilst we now have on average a much younger Pack than this time last year, and so less Cubs due
to move on, it will soon be time to stock up on more of those red ring binders. I hope that many of our
Cubs will get involved in lots of the available activities in the months ahead to help fill up more of these
new “This is your life” albums.