Newcastle Scouts Newsletter | December 2022
Sent to all SAs, ASLs, SLs, GSLs
Welcome to the Newcastle Scouts Newsletter to round off 2022 and wind down for the Festive Break. We hope you have had a great year of Scouting and are looking forward to some time off. Dive in below 👇
District Commissioner’s Update
As we come to the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, many of us look at what has happened in 2022 and what we hope will happen in 2023.
Looking back, we should all be so proud with what we have achieved in this Scout District, to the Leaders and anyone who has helped deliver Scouting to the sections or supported our young people by being a Group or District Executive member, my sincere thanks to you all. The freely given gift of time spent volunteering is immeasurable, on behalf of the young people in our District thank you all so much.
Looking forward, we have some adults who are not in the best of health at the moment, and we wish them a speedy recovery to better health in 2023.
We also know of families who have fled war torn areas and have families who are not with them this festive season, can we all wish that peace will return to their homelands and they will soon be reunited with loved ones.
I know that you are all committed to Scouting, and would like to wish you and your families a peaceful and happy festive season followed by a healthy and happy 2023.
Kath Tyson
District Commissioner
Year in Review
Our amazing bounce back after covid has continued into 2022, and thanks to your help we have grown to over 1,500 Young People across the city, and more than 400 adult volunteers!
We’ve had new sections open and an increase in Explorers across the city, with an active young leader unit running regular training sessions and a great residential camp. We’ve seen growth in Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts with new sections like St. Hugh’s opening, and district events to engage all. We also welcomed Squirrels aboard for the first time this year with a thriving Lemington section!
To put it simply, Scouting in Newcastle could not succeed without you! The growth over the past year has been excellent to see and your hard work & dedication week on week contributes greatly to the District. You give Skills for Life and inspire the next generation, Specifically here in Newcastle where we now have over 1,500 young people who owe their thanks to you!
We wish you a happy holiday and hopefully some time to relax and prepare for 2023. So, on behalf of all the young people who’s lives you improve on a weekly basis – Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
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Looking to 2023
A Year for International
Members of Newcastle District go international for 2023! We are looking forward to seeing many of our Explorers & Leaders here in Newcastle embarking on the journey of a lifetime as they jet off around the globe to South Korea, Iceland, and Italy!
We give our best wishes to members heading to South Korea to represent Northumberland at the 25th World Scout Jamboree to meet with over 40,000 scouts from around the world at one of the best Scouting experiences around!
We also have Young People & Adults heading to Iceland to visit ice caves, waterfalls, geysers, and go whale watching! They will be adventuring all over and camping at the Úlfljótsvatn Scout Centre. Additionally, we have more members tackling the challenge of completing their Explorer Belt on a trip to tour Italy – budgeting, travelling, and planning this amazing trip for themselves!
District Programme
We are looking to create a range of opportunities for groups and young people across the city to come together and take part in District Events, Activities, and Camps throughout 2023. We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions to help create an engaging and fun programme for 2023.
We will also be celebrating and taking part in activities alongside the national calendar, including the coronation of King Charles & other events with scouts across the UK. Additionally, we hope to provide additional opportunities for adult volunteers to develop and socialise throughout the year. If you have and idea or wish to run an event for the District, please get in touch, we love fresh ideas!
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Recent Happenings
Young Leader Camp: Mission Possible Complete!
Young Leaders from all different sections and groups across Newcastle came together for a packed weekend of training, modules, workshops, social activities, and much more. It was a great opportunity for the Unit to come together and complete a number of Modules and additional workshops to take back to their section meetings! Find out more about what they got up to below 👇
24 Hour Challenge Complete! Over £1,300 Raised for Young Minds Charity by Newcastle Scouts Radio!
6 budding DJs and Presenters from Newcastle Scouts Radio completed the challenge to broadcast live on air for a full 24 hours, non stop! It was all in aid of Young Minds UK, a charity to help young people with their mental health. There was countless songs, requests, special features, and heaps of fun – with the team raising an amazing £1,333.75 for the charity.
Know a Scout or Explorer interested in joining Newcastle Scout Radio? Simply reply to this email to get involved!
House on the Hill Regeneration
The developments at House on the Hill are well underway as part of a project to repair and modernise the building. Looking to 2023, your ideas will start to be implemented to help create a space for activities and events, available for all groups within the District to use. The new loan system is now operational, allowing groups across the city to be able to access activity and digital equipment for free. If you’d like to get in touch about the HOTH regeneration or Loan System you can do below
Top Awards Recipients
Congratulations to all the recipients of top awards with many Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Explorers receiving their Chief Scout’s Award in recognition of their hard work. Their achievements were celebrated in style at the County top awards day, where the young people were presented with certificates and could celebrate with friends and family.
We would also like to congratulate all those who have completed their Adult Leader Training Award and received Length of Service Awards.
Social Media Success!
We are proud to have launched our new Instagram and TikTok pages as part of our strategy to engage young people in what we do at Newcastle Scouts. Explorers and Scouts from across the District have helped to contribute to the pages by creating content & ideas to promote Scouting.
We have had a great amount of success in this project and have amassed over 180,000 views on TikTok since we launched! We’d love to hear from any Scouts & Explorers interested in joining our media team 👇
I hope you’ve all had a great year and have some time now to enjoy with friends and family. Thank you to everyone for your hard work and help this year.
On behalf of the District Team, Wishing you all a Merry Christmas,
