After a two-year hiatus a good many of our members were able to proudly parade our colours with other groups from the district. Meeting smartly at the hall, we paraded down West Hill and through the town centre, without impaling any shop signs or pedestrians, before joining the district and taking our place by the bandstand. The weather was very kind to us and after the formalities, we joined the parade around the park, receiving the grateful applause of flag waving parents and public; something our young folk have missed out on.
Having booked this camp for Easter 2020, it was a matter of changing the list of attendees and a new risk assessment. 7 leaders arrived at camp @13:00 to get set up and shop for the food, with 35 Explorers and Scouts arriving from 6pm to the first supper of 1/4lb burgers, followed later by cake and hot chocolate. Saturday morning started early with porridge, cereal and bacon sandwiches, followed with 3hours of crate stacking, leap of faith and zip wire activities before a lunch of sandwiches, soup, crisps and fruit. After lunch everyone went on a pre-planned hike in groups, which took @3hrs. Saturday’s evening meal consisted of Spaghetti Bolognaise and garlic bread. Temperatures plummeted on Saturday night, so it was good forethought that we had booked ‘The Village’ at Thriftwood, which consists of heated huts and a fully equipped tented kitchen and dining area, although 8 Explorers and 5 leaders still preferred being under canvas, but everyone arose well slept, even the explorers who had spent most of the night at around the campfire. Breakfast on Sunday was again cereals followed by a cooked breakfast of sausages, baked beans and eggy bread, which went down very well. Activities on Sunday consisted of fields games, rounders, an Easter egg hunt and the all-important trip to the providor to load upon confectionary and camp souvenirs. At the end of camp, we awarded some prizes for various activities and issued everyone with a camp badge for their camp blanket and dismissed promptly at 15:00. Despite the weather being fresh, we were lucky to escape rain and saw much blue sky; looking forward to the next camp already…..
p Scout Leader, Paul, presented some leadership awards and spoke of the troubled couple of years we’d had and thanked everyone for their efforts in keeping Scouting going. After enjoying some refreshments and biscuits with members of the church we returned to the hall and dismissed for lunch. The celebrations continued in the afternoon at Gravity, Bluewater, where we enjoyed a session of trampolining.
With the revision of COVID restriction and guidance on Scouting activities we managed to arrange at short notice a Hammock Camp at Thriftwood Scout Camp Site.
I would like to thank all the leaders involved volunteering their time, giving up a week of work, as well as the camp site team at 
With the advance forecast looking somewhat inclement, it was decided that we would switch from our usual pitch at Thriftwood to ‘The Village’, comprising of a large permanent marquee with refrigeration, gas range, lighting and running water, together with 5 x 6 person bunk sheds and 1 x 4 person, the extra cost was well within contingency and given that it included all the gas we needed and saved us the fuel to transport all the tentage, tables, benches etc., was money well spent. The bunk rooms accommodated the Scouts, leaders and for the first time, 4 selected cubs from the Phillips Pack. The Explorers braved the elements in their tents, but with the experience they have gained from years of camping, they were snug as a bug.
uting at the Dartford Masonic Centre for their Craft Fare. Always lots on offer so please come along.
