All posts by David Goodwin

Supporting the Coronation of King Charles III

The 23rd Bromley were delighted that a number of our volunteers were chosen to support the Coronation celebrations for King Charles III.

They were part of 540 Scout members across the UK, overseas territories and commonwealth Scouts who helped ensure everything ran smoothly. They were nominated and then selected from 1000 Scouts.

They spent a few days spent at Giwell Park (the home of Scouting) for training and meeting other team members, before helping at a variety of events in London over the weekend.

Matthew Higginbottom, aged 20 said: “As a Scout, I promise to do my duty to the King, therefore I was privileged to have had an opportunity to fulfill that promise during such a momentous and historic occasion. My duties were to provide assistance and wayfinding to the public during the screening of the concert in St James’s Park on Sunday evening. I was able to contribute to the smooth running of the event and ensured that everyone was able to enjoy the celebrations. This opportunity also allowed me to make new friendships with Scouts from across the UK and Commonwealth as we celebrated together at Gilwell Park over the course of the weekend with a variety of activities.”

Charlotte Miles aged 19: said “I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Kings Coronation in London and volunteer at St James’ Park for the Coronation Concert screening. I was stationed at an information point to help the public with directions and providing information about the event. I also gave out flags and emergency contact wristbands to families. I feel extremely grateful and privileged to have been selected to represent Scouts at this historical event, as it was such an incredible opportunity that I will never forget! As well as the Coronation, I also really enjoyed staying at Gilwell Park for the weekend and meeting all the other Scouts from the UK and Commonwealth. It was great to learn about others experiences of Scouting across the world and come together to share stories and songs!”

Quiz Night Raises over £600

There wasn’t a spare seat in the HQ (literally!) for the Fundraising Committee Quiz Night on Friday – with just under 100 people in attendance.

Our expert quiz master Paul Gubby arranged a fantastic set of questions which was great entertainment for all taking part. Well done to all who took part – and in particular well done to the winning team!

The event raised over £600 for the Scout Group – which will help us to continue to provide affordable Scouting for our Young People. We want to thank everybody who supported us at the Quiz Night – we appreciate how difficult times are at the moment, so are grateful for every penny we receive.

Finally, thank you to the Fundraising Committee, in particular David Wilcox and Paul Gubby for putting on a fantastic event.

Race Night Tickets on Sale

Tickets for the Fundraising Committee Quiz Night on Saturday 22nd April 2023 are on sale – more details can be found here. Tickets cost £5 per person and can be paid for online (PayPal) or with cash on the night. You can also sponsor a Race for £25, or a horse for £5.

Gang Show Back with a Bang

After a break due to Covid, it was great to put on another Gang Show at the end of January. It was a fantastic success with over 130 Young People involved in putting on two brilliant performances to over 250 audience members.

We are delighted to confirm that the event raised over £1,500 from ticket sales. £200 of this will be donated to the Brownies who joined our event, with the remainder being put towards the ongoing cost of managing the group.

In addition over £850 was donated to the retiring collection which is being put towards our HQ Improvement Project – which is starting to pick up pace.

We understand how difficult times are at the moment, the group are really appreciative of the support that we received from everybody who attended the Gang Show.

Christmas Sleigh Collection Raises Over £1,000!

On Friday evening our Group Chairman, Colin Goodwin, had the pleasure of collecting a cheque for £1,020 from Bromley Rotary Club. This was a result of the group helping with the Christmas Sleigh Collection on two evenings last month.

Thanks to the volunteers who gave up their time on two cold evenings, and to everybody who donated. The funds will help us to provide high quality Scouting experiences for our Young People.

Snow Queen raises £2,850

Huge thank you to everybody who came along to our Pantomime last weekend. Around 400 audience members were entertained across four different performances of Snow Queen.

We are delighted to confirm that the Pantomime raised £2,850 – the majority of which will go to the Scout Group, with a small amount also going to the Jamboree fund.

We understand how hard things are for families at the moment and genuinely appreciate every penny that people gave.

Thanks also to every member of the cast and crew, without your hard work, enthusiasm and dedication the Pantomime wouldn’t have been a success.

Plans are already being made for the Pantomime and we are looking for more people to be in the cast. More details will be shared in due course.