If you are new to the Group please feel free to attend the above meeting also but attendance will not guarantee a place but the available places will be filled on that evening.

Fota 2010
written by Catríona Spratt and Karen Reilly with some bits added by Emma.

3rd July 2010
We met at the Den at 9.30am. We left the den at 10.00am. It took us three and a half hours to get to the campsite on Fota Island in County Cork. We had lunch and then set up camp. We all pitched the tents. Then we went to get some firewood. We also got split into patrols, we were put in the Hippo patrol and Marcus is our Patrol Leader.
After that at around 7.30pm we had pasta bolognese for dinner and angel delight for desert. We also got to go to the tuck shop.
Then we all went into the forest and played “Tip the Can”. It was really really REALLY fun. When we got back we had hot chocolate and biscuits for supper.

4th July 2010
Today our patrol made breakfast and then it was time for a tent inspection. Then we all went and collected some more firewood. After that it was time for pioneering. We made a table and a gate. We also learnt how to use the axes and saws safely and how to light fires and feed them so they stay lit.
Then we had lunch. We had sandwiches, crisps, bars and fruit. But nobody ate the fruit. Catríona and I found some fish. I named some of them Steve, Bob and Justin Bieber. For dinner we had chicken curry and Brownie cake for desert.
Then we started the sports leagues, we did “elephant races” and a game called “avoid the crocodile”. These were fun but everyone got very very wet. Our patrol won the “elephant races”, but we couldn’t jump well enough to avoid the crocodile but we did come second at this.

5th July 2010
Today we went to the wildlife park. We saw Zebras, Giraffes, Lamas, Monkeys, Eagles, Leopards, Ducks and Walabies. Marcus tried to pet a Lama and it bit him on the arm. When we had seen everything in the wildlife park we came back to the campsite for dinner.
After dinner we did some more of our sports leagues. Tonights event was the “Jungle run” or obstacle course. This was really difficult but everyone managed to do it, even Ruairí who is only four, and he did it twice! During this we had to run, jump, wriggle, tie a knot and skip.
Then we had supper and went to bed.

6th July 2010
Today we finish off some stuff around the site in the morning and then we had our cooking competition. Our patrol decided to make chicken tenders and potatoe wedges with coke floats for desert. It was all really really good. Jack went with Niamh to do the shopping for our meal. We won for our main course but the tigers won for their desert. We had lots of fun cooking but not so much fun cleaning.
While we were making dinner Gavin got scalded by the water boiler but he was ok again after dinner was finished, he even played “Hippo football” (three-legged football) with everyone else. We then played our last sports league game which was the “cheetah run”.

7th July 2010
Today we were all very excited we had to get up early because we were going to Trabolgan. After breakfast the bus arrived and it only took a short while to get there. When we got there we had to find the quad bike track. There were two, one for the older scouts and one for us. I thought the quad bikes were good fun but they were kinda scary too. Everyone had a go, we got to go around the track four times.
After that we went to do the orienteering course, this was fun because we got to explore on our own and see lots of Trabolgan. Then we went to the Swimming Pool. We had some time to go to the arcade before we went swimming. This was fun and some people bought presents to bring home. Then we went swimming, this was fun but the life guard wouldn’t let anyone into the deep end of the pool. The waves were good though and we went on the slide too but it wasn’t very good.
After swimming we got back on the bus and went back to the campsite.
Then we had Tuna pasta for dinner and hardly anyone liked this but we all tried at least a little bit. We also had apple crumble for desert which was really really good.
After dinner we started to take down the boys sleeping tents and then it was time for the campfire. This was brilliant! We sang songs and then Emma and Hugh gave out the badges and the camp awards. Marcus got Scout of the Year, Bláithín got Scout of the Camp and Sarah K got most improved Scout. After lots of smores we all had to go to bed even though no one wanted to.

8th July 2010
written by Emma
Time to go home. We didn’t do much today other than pack and get ready to go. We had all our bags packed before breakfast and then got the last few tents taken down. Almost everyone fell asleep on the bus home, especially all the leaders! Thank you everyone for a brilliant annual camp 2010.

As part of the pilot scheme I believe that the Group has benefited by having greater youth participation in the programme planning and I am looking forward to seeing this even better enhanced with the ONE Programme. Well done to all the Scouters and Scouts (Trackers to Rovers) for all their hard work and making it a success for our Group.

The biggest changes in the ONE Programme are the names and age ranges. The names have not changed from the previous programme but are different from the Pilot Programme Section names. The names and Age Ranges for the ONE Programme are as follows:

It is Group policy that any six year old wanting to join the Group must be in 1st Class in the September of the Scouting year they join (September to July).

Everybody at this stage should know their new section and meeting night, check with your Scouters if you do not. Potential Patrol Leaders have been identified and invited, Cubs to Venture Scouts, to the Group Training day, hopefully 11 September if available.

If you have any question or comments on the ONE Programme please post here and someone will post a reply.

Congratulation to Emma on achieving her Gaisc Gold Award, it is very difficult to achieve and show the hard work and dedication she is capable of.

Welldone.

On the day we will have a campsite set up to show everyone what we get up to when we go away on camp. There will be some food be cooked on the fire for anyone who is in the mood for a burger or a sausage. Some may even be lucky enough to get the chance to make a smore by roasting marshmallows over the fire. There will also be some games for people to try their hands at and lots lots more.

Inside we will also have a presentation of photographs and memories from the last 70 years. At about 2.30pm we will then gather together inside the hall where you will be able to hear about what the group have been doing for the last 70 years and how we got to where we are today.

In preparation for this day all scouts will be receiving a commemorative kneckerchief this week. The scouts can then wear these with their uniform on the day and for the next year.

Hopefully this will be a day to remember and their will be lots of people their to celebrate this occasion with us!

Heres a Mythbusters document that was devised to dispell some of the common myths around the new one progeram

At the next Group Council Tony will have more details.

Just in case anyone hasn’t heard yet, we won €5000 in the AIB Better Ireland Programme, we had more than 1000 more votes than the other two groups.

Thank you to all those who voted, it was well worth the effort.

We are finding it difficult to source shamrock this year. If we do there will be the customary blessing of the of the Shamrock and we will distribute it to the rest of the congregation.

The meeting will start up at 7.30pm from March 25th and NOT 7pm as previously. We will still be finishing at 9pm.

Hope you all have a great St Patricks Day

Just like to say a big thank you to all those who helped out last Saturday at the pack-a-bag in Dunnes. We raised over €2,700 for the renovation fund.

A special thank you should go to those who, especially the Rovers, were able to stay there for longer then the three hours. Some even stayed for the whole day. We had great support from Parents as well and we could not of done it without their help, well done all.

Thanks again
Hugh