Happy Birthday to Tom Manthorpe, our Group President, who is 90 today!

Last night at Fellowship Tom entertained the group with tales and photos from Troop camps back in the 1960s!

This coming Sunday is Group Church Parade, and it will be a special service to celebrate Father’s Day. Please arrive at the HQ at 9.45am, and arrange to be picked up at 11.15am.

After the Parade we hope to take a photo of the whole Scout Group for use in a group calendar which will be raising funds for those going to the World Scout Jamboree. Therefore it would be great to see as many Young People and Leaders there as possible.

If you have any questions about Church Parade please contact your section leader.

This coming Saturday, 9th June, will be our annual Group Sports Day at Norman Park Athletics Track.

There will be track and field events for all sections to take part in throughout the day, as well as some special events at the end for parents, supporters, leaders and young friends.

Registration for participants is open from 12.30 with the first race starting at 1.00pm.

There will be a BBQ and refreshments on sale throughout the afternoon.

If you have any questions, please contact your section leader.

Fingers crossed for good weather!

It is with very deep sadness that we have to announce that Mick Golding passed away peacefully this afternoon (Tuesday 22nd May) after a short illness.

Mick joined Kim pack when he was 8 years old and has been a permanent fixture in the group for the last 51 years. He helped in both Scouts and Cubs and was the best Quarter Master we’ve ever had! He always turned up to help at Jumble Sales, Sports Day and the Christmas fair and that’s not to mention all the hundreds of camps he must have been on.

Mick has been a true and loyal friend to many of us over the years and we are sure that many people have happy memories of time spent with him in and out of Scouting. We encourage people to share these memories in the comments below…

On Tuesday 19th June, the Fundraising Committee are putting on ‘A Night with Elvis’.

This entertaining evening will include a 3 course meal, and will take place at the Village Cuisine in Farnborough, where you will be treated to some of the best Indian / Bangladeshi food in the local area!

The event starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £25 (not including drinks). Please spread the word to anybody you know who might be interested. All profits will go to support the group in putting on affordable Scouting activities for our Young People.

To book tickets please contact Paul Gubby – pgubby@aol.com 07914284810.

Hurricane Beavers have been very busy with an engaging and fun programme – they’ve completed 6 badges already this year!

Well done to everybody who has achieved the Space Badge, Cooks Badge, Experiment Badge, Communicator Badge, Disability Awareness Badge and their My World Challenge Badge!

Here are some photos of them completing their Experiment Badge:

Thanks to the leadership team for putting on such a great Scouting programme for all of the Young People!

On Thursday 10^th May, the Explorer Unit had a really thought-provoking visit to the Al-Emaan Mosque in Keston.

Omar, the Mosque Director, showed everyone around their place of worship and the Explorers then took part in 3 workshops. One to understand more about the Islamic religion, another to learn more about the importance of praying, and finally to hear about the huge positive impact that Muslims have had on the world we live in today. Did you know that various different Muslims were involved in the development of the first ever clock, were one of first people to consider flying, were involved in the creation of the first ever camera and were pioneers of the medicine we use today

The evening was finished off by witnessing evening prayers at the mosque, and a final chance to ask any questions. Throughout the evening the Explorers were very respectful to their surroundings and asked some very engaging questions. The fundamental beliefs behind the Islamic religion are very much aligned to Scouting principles, and other religions. It was great that the Explorer Unit were able to get an understanding of other cultures and religions that they come into contact with in every day life. As Omar mentioned to the Explorers “In a time where peace and harmony amongst people of different faiths and cultures is of greater necessity than ever”.

At the 23rd Bromley we are very lucky to have our own hall to use for all of our Scouting activities. However we are aware that there are a number of ways in which the hall can be improved. For example we only have one female toilet which is somewhat of an issue given some sections are predominately made up of girls.

Therefore the group are looking to start a “HQ Improvement Project” in order to upgrade the facilities that are available for our Young People and Leaders to use.

We are therefore hoping to get a team together of parents, guardians, friends and group supporters who are able to help us drive this project forward. For further details please click here.

Thank you to everyone from the group who turned out on Sunday 22nd April for the Bromley District St George’s Day Parade. The parade took place at Crofton Junior School in Petts Wood and was attended by The Mayor of the London Borough of Bromley.

Baden-Powell chose St George as the Patron Saint of Scouting as the story of St George show him overcoming adversity – therefore every year Scouts throughout the UK all meet together locally in order to renew their promise.

Later this month Sandra Goodwin, our Assistant Group Scout Leader, is undertaking the challenge of a lifetime. She is running the London Marathon in aid of Cancer Research UK.

On Sunday 22nd April she will be running 26.2 miles around the capital. Cancer will affect most of us, either directly or indirectly, at some point in our life and so by raising funds for this great charity Sandra hopes to help them to work towards beating this cruel disease.

You can sponsor Sandra at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=SandraGoodwin&pageUrl=3