It is our 2022 AGM this Friday
Download the AGM pack and read the details here!
Category Archives: Group
News and Info for the whole Group
4th Sevenoaks Leader on Queen’s Honour List
We are very pleased to announce that Jo has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the Jubilee honours list for all the work she did for young people during the pandemic.
Well done Jo!
I would like to thank all for your support. Without all who volunteer your support and your enthusiasm, Scouting would not happen at the 4th, Seal or in Sevenoaks.
In my youth I was a Guide achieving my Queens Guide award, then a Venture Scout. The adults that supported me, of which there were many, inspired me to be the person I am today.
Scouting has had a profound impact on my entire life and all I wish for is that we all are able to have the same impact on the young people we care for and of course I hope, to ensure all of us adults have lots of fun as well, as find reward for yourselves along the way as I certainly have.
Jo Brookbank
In addition to being the Groups Scout Leader at 4th Sevenoaks (St John’s) Scout Group, Jo is Joint District Commissioner for Sevenoaks District Scouts.
Scouts Hike for Ice-cream
Chapman Scouts hiked their way from Otford and Kemsing to our Scout HQ
They managed to go via a shop for a cheeky ice cream (and other treats – don’t tell the parents!).
Having started in two different villages, the two groups bumped into each other just at the point where the routes joined together.
Perfect timing!
We’re going on a chip hunt, we’re going to find a big one, we’re not scared
Swift troop went searching for chips on Friday.
On a beautiful May evening, 35 of us went for a stroll across the fields and woods to the West of Sevenoaks with the promise of deep fried potatoes as a prize. Groups started from different locations and converged on Tom Bells Chip shop in Station Parade.
Most of the scouts took a turn navigating, and all arrived with enough time to queue up for their prize. A couple of the groups were so quick they even added on a bonus loop!
May Camp at Hammerwood
The scout troops spend the weekend camping at Hammerwood Scout Camp, on the edge of the Ashdown Forest near East Grinstead.
It was a back-to-basics camp with the scouts cooking all their own meals over wood fires.
Menu for the weekend was
- Hotdogs & hot chocolate for supper after pitching camp
- Cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms and toast
- Tea/coffee/squash, fruit or a biscuit for for mid morning snack
- Do-it-yourself wraps for lunch + fruit tart
- Tea/coffee/squash, fruit or a biscuit for mid afternoon snack
- Chicken and vegetable curry and rice for dinner followed by sponge puddings and custard
- Hot chocolate for supper
- Choice of eggy bread / omelette and cereal for breakfast
- For end-of-striking camp snack the scouts made Smores using enormous (‘EPIC Huge’) marshmallows
The scouts managed a good number of activities into the weekend when they weren’t cooking.
- The brushed up their archery skills
- They set tracking trails for the other teams to follow
- They all had chance to perfect their axe and saw skills
- They tried their hand at whittling – either tent pegs or cutlery
- They also managed to play quite a few wide games – without injuries!
Cubs May Camp
Our first 2 night outdoor camp in over 2 years took place at Mill Lane last weekend. The older Beavers, soon to become Cubs, joined us on the first night, sleeping indoors and enjoying a hot dog and chocolate around the campfire.
We focused on camp skills over the weekend, cooking twice on fires, pizza wrap for lunch and foil vegetable and meat parcels for supper as well as dutch oven Jambalaya. We used saws and axes, making mallets and fire strikers.
Apprentice Flavour Maker
The Scouts from both troops have been trying their hands at Sales, Marketing and Product Development…
They took part in an Apprentice-style challenge to design a new flavour of crisps, to develop it, and market it to the rest of the troop.
Finally, Sir Jason and Sir Emily Sugar made their final pronouncements and decided on winners.
We are not sure that we have found the Next Big Thing, but we did come to the conclusion that cinnamon flavoured crisps aren’t as unpleasant as they sound, and hot-chocolate powder doesn’t go with anything, and definitely not Cajun seasoning…
(Click any photo to open a bigger version that you can scroll through)
Should you want to try this with your troop, it was based on this OSM activity
45 Scouts night hike around Otford and Shoreham
Scouts from the 4th (St John’s), 9th (Seal) and 15th (Otford) went on a night-hike on Friday.
45 Scouts in seven separate groups spent the evening walking the footpaths of Otford and Shoreham on a night-time navigation exercise. Despite the weather trying its best to discourage everyone, they all set early on Friday evening.
Scout teams walked one of two courses, and each course could be clockwise or anti-clockwise, and with or without a leader. We also had a secondary start point at Shoreham Station to give us some more capacity
The main course included Otford, Romney Street, Shoreham. The other one was a little flatter that missed out Romney Street but went further towards Farningham.
All of the navigation was done by the scouts, although the groups with leaders did have someone on hand to make sure decisions were actually being taken an scouts weren’t ‘just following the path’.
The scouts did really well. All the groups finished, although we did have a couple mid-course retirements and one of our (unaccompanied) groups showed itself to be ‘navigationally challenged’ (compare to the actual routes at the top of the post). In the end they walked further than anyone else!
Some of our scouts had a mid-hike sing-song
The night finished with a hot-dog (or two), a mug of hot chocolate and a cookie before bed. 🌭☕🍪🛌💤
We entered seven teams into the Monopoly Run this year!
We entered the Monopoly Run for the 5th time this year, this time managing to enter seven teams (with help from Seal Scouts).
The Monopoly Run brings the board game to life as teams of scouts race around the streets of London, trying to be the first in their game to reach a specific location for each square of the Monopoly board. For example, the Jail square corresponds to The Clink prison museum on the South Bank and the location for Regent Street was Hamleys toy shop.
The seven teams were:
Accidental Volunteers
Board Surfers
Brute Force
Robins
Team Work
The Chancers
The Talent Pool
The End
By the end of the day we had 42 exhausted scouts and 14 very weary adults. Everyone enjoyed most of the day and everyone left having ideas for what they would do next time!
The scout leaders were extremely please that, above all else, everyone got there and back safely!
The Talent Pool managed to get 5th overall more by luck than anything else.
