The stage we use for our Pantomime and Gang Show performances every year is in need of some tender loving care. The carpet in particular has had its fair share of feet walking over it and is starting to look a bit sorry for itself.

We were on the look out for a new carpet that we can lay later in the year when we put the stage up and reached out to a number of companies to see if they could provide us what we needed. Huge thank you must go to Sommer Event Flooring who have kindly donated us a new carpet for our stage absolutely free of charge, including delivery from their Midlands warehouse!

The Scout Group and the Pantomime Society are really grateful to Sommer Event Flooring for their very kind donation – it has saved us hundreds of pounds.

More details about Sommer Event Flooring can be found online at: https://www.sommer-eventflooring.com/en/

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!”

Next Monday we are putting on an event to celebrate the Coronation – all are welcome to come along between 2pm and 4pm for a variety of activities.

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances the Race Night planned for next month has been postponed. In due course a new date will be confirmed for later in the year.

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.

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.

Tickets for the Fundraising Committee Quiz Night on Friday 24th March 2023 are on sale here. Tickets cost £5 per person and can be paid for online (PayPal) or with cash on the night.

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.

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.