Archive for May, 2009

As is usual at camp, the Cubs had a campfire. As the nights are a bit longer, it was possible to video some of it.

Enjoy!

The Cubs have spent the weekend camping at Kibblestone and they have all earned their Outdoor Challenge badge!

Over the weekend they have learned how to use knives and axes properly, make shelters and about knots and lashings.

Fire lighting

They also explored the camp, had a scavenger hunt and played many games.

A great weekend was had by all and it didn’t even rain!

Photos are in the Gallery.

It is with great sadness that we hear of the death of Bill Webber. Bill was for many years the Divisional Secretary and held many positions within our old District Burslem.

He also wrote a regular column in the Sentinel which promoted Scouting to the people of North Staffordshire.

Bill was of great help to the group when we restarted the Scout Troop in 1983 and managed to find our old flag at the old Divisional Office.

We offer our condolences to his family. He will be greatly missed.

UPDATE 25/05/09: This was in Saturday night’s Sentinel 

THE daughters of a man who dedicated much of his life to Scouting have described him as “very caring and devoted.”

Bill Webber, a former secretary for the scouts in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle, died on Monday, aged 82.

The father-of-three, from Sneyd Green, got involved with Scouting when he came to the Potteries as a Bevan Boy during the Second World War, rising to Scout leader in the early 1940s, before taking a post as secretary until he retired at the age of 65.

Mr Webber’s involvement with the Scouts was so strong it encouraged his daughter Jill Cooper to join too.

Tributes were led by Mrs Cooper and her sister Lynne Bradburn, both of Hanley Road, Sneyd Green.

Mrs Cooper, a 59-year-old vocal coach, said: “Even when I was three, I was presenting a bouquet to the lady mayoress at the opening of a Scout hut. Part of my dad’s work was starting up the live chaplaincy scheme for Scouts and I worked alongside him as secretary. He was a fantastic dad and got a lot of respect from people.

“I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him. We will miss him a lot.”

Mrs Bradburn, aged 52, who works as a music teacher, said she will miss her dad’s advice.

She said: “We were always proud of his involvement with the Scouts. He gave a lot of his life to it because he wanted to encourage boys to have a good life. People say he really made a difference.”

Mr Webber, who was born in London, met his late wife Jean while he was at church with the Scouts and the two of them would put on shows together during the war. The pair married in 1948 but Mrs Webber died in 2002, aged 78.

After he retired, Mr Webber became involved with Biddulph Male Voice Choir. Mrs Bradburn is also a committed member of the group.

She said: “Dad used to ask about the group even when he was ill. He was a very loving father who was very caring and devoted. He was a very special grandad and was always there for my daughter Anna.”

Mr Webber had been in and out of hospital since December and died of heart failure at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. He also leaves behind three grandchildren and his partner of more than five years, Kath Holmes.

The 74-year-old, of Cadeby Grove, Milton, where Mr Webber spent much of his time, said: “He was my best friend and wonderful to be with.

“We had a good time together and got on extremely well.”

This is part of a photo taken at the Hall in the mid to late 1970’s. It shows a framed photo of the Troop in the late 1910’s or early 1920’s (I think) and it’s the earliest photo of the Troop we know of. The trouble is, we don’t know where it is! A few members of the Group have vague recollections of it (me included), but no one knows what actually happened to it!

I really hope that it hasn’t been thrown away and I’d be quite disappointed if it has. We’re hoping it’s hidden away somewhere in the Hall. There is a rumour that it could be under the stage somewhere – I do hope so.

We have the negative of the above photo, which when it is located, I’m going to scan it with my negative scanner and hope that I get get a slightly better image.

I would be great, however, to find the framed original!

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the original, PLEASE let us know!

Congratulations to Rachael & Jodie for being appointed as Beaver Leader and Assistant Beaver Leader respectively.

The Scouts are currently doing a number of badges at the same time.

They are looking at various criteria for camping to gain their Outdoor Challenge or Outdoor Challenge Plus badges. One of the areas they are looking at is there various types of stoves available. Last night they tried a Trangia, a Coleman stove, a couple of portable gas stoves and an old Primus stove. Once all were lit, we boiled some water on each to see which was the quickest. The oldest, Primus narrowly won!

At the same time, the rest of the Scouts are doing their DIY badge and are learning about changing washers and fuses.

More photos in the Gallery

The Cubs started their Home Help Badge last night. They cooked, served and washed up after making beans on toast for themselves.

They haven’t finished yet however! They will continue with the badge over the next few weeks!

More photos are in the Gallery.

Until yesterday, we didn’t know the the details of one of our Scouts on our War Memorial. However, a chap who has been researching the details of the people listed on the Wolstanton War Memorial got in touch with us as he’d been looking at ours as well and was interested in the memorial that had been put together.

He found the details of the missing Scout, Harold Bailey, in an old issue of the the Sentinel -

Sentinel 28th September 1918
Harold Bailey killed in action on the 25th March 1918 of the KOYLI eldest son of the late Charles Frederick Bailey of Porthill & Tunstall, he was aged 19.

So he was looked up on the CWGC website and there he was.

It’s good that we’ve found this last Scout, as they all deserve to be remembered properly by the current members of the Group.