Scouting@home

In common with all other Scout Groups, Linburn Scouts suspended all face-to-face scouting activities until further notice. We've kept all our sections meeting on Zoom and through Facebook during this challenging time and providing lots of opportunities to take part in Scouting @Home

For five months we've being exploring the Great Indoors! Now, things are starting to move towards the new normal. We're starting some outdoors-only scouting, in small groups with all safety precautions in place. It's great to get started again - but Zoom and Facebook will remain for a while yet!

In the meantime, why not scroll down and see what we've been doing

for the past five months!

During the lockdown, our Leader teams have been providing a great variety of activities and challenges. From Graeme’s Cub Scout Triathlon, through a whole range of “do at home” activity badges to challenge award activities, plus a lot more:

• scouting skills
• photography
• local history
• searches and runabout games
• making armpit fudge
• tv-based “Family Fortunes” and "Taskmaster" sessions
• origami sessions
• TGI Weekender: national virtual Scout camp
• landscape painting
• google treasure trails and quizzes
• finding out about hedgehog hospital
• virtually visiting a safari park!
• Beavers 101: a Summer of Fun

Challenges@home

With fewer badges suitable for completing at home, our Explorers completed six weekly @home challenges set by the Leaders, a total of 18 various activities and challenges:

Cooking   Crafts   DIY   Games   Health   &   Study

Delighted to confirm seven of them completed this chunky challenge, earning some smart t-shirts and hoodies.

Group camp@home Weekend: June 2020

We even held a Group Camp. All Sections took part in this 24-hour camp@home, from noon on Saturday 20^th to noon on Sunday 21^st. More than 70 young people actually participated - packing their rucksacks and sleeping in back garden tents or in makeshift shelters and dens in their house. We could probably add a few adults to that total!

Each section had different activity challenges, so 24 sessions took place, along with opening, closing and morning flagbreak ceremonies on Zoom, a camp fire, bingo sessions treasure hunt, movies and a late-night round the campfire chat for Explorers.

We had a great response to these activities with hundreds of photos on facebook to prove it. Leaders and youngsters were very grateful to parents as they were the stand-in Leaders for most of the time and we hope that they enjoyed being able to take part with their children.

Connect @home

From their own homes, our young people were able to take part in Jamboree on the Internet - Special Edition and connected with other young people all over the world. 

At  a challenging time of social distancing, JOTI enabled them to connect together from 3-5 April through chats, workshops, challenges, DJ parties and daily JOTI Live shows! The educational programme offered a safe space to cope and remain encouraged to continue being leaders of positive change.

We're looking forward to October when JOTI returns for the regular annual gathering of Scouts on the internet!

Safest Cubs in town - again!

A team of Cubs from our Forth Pack (Mondays) won the District Safety Shield competition. This competition was won last year by our Tay Pack (Fridays) who came second this year.

This is a really good example of the great work being done in our Cub Packs to make sure that our youngsters are aware of the importance of safety across a whole range of issues.

Well done to both teams and our our adult Leaders!

Family Night at the movies

A big thank you to the many parents and youngsters who braved the horrible weather back in February to come along to our family Evening in Abbeyview Community Centre. The hall was packed and it was great to see your interest and support of what we do.

The evening launched with a “Pirates of the Caribbean” style attack by dozens of very scary pirates - otherwise known as our Beavers and Cubs.

Thanks to all the families for entering into the spirit of the event and getting your youngsters fully disguised as pirates. We didn’t dare to hope for so many!

Lots of badges and awards were presented to the young people in the Hall including four top awards to Cubs Emily, Kellan, Rory and Aaron.

Explorer Scout Ben G received his 10-years award, which although a small badge, represents a major commitment by a young person to be involved from age 6 to 16 (so far) and the many activities and experiences through those years.

On the big screen, we had a news presentation of recent activities plus trailers for upcoming attractions. The main feature was a tribute to Hollywood with activity photographs from the last 40 years to represent famous movies.

Finally, lots of photos taken on the red carpet and many cakes were eaten!

Wintercamp 2020

Our first Scout & Explorer Wintercamp for three years was a hectic weekend of adventure activities provided by Fordell Firs and those organised by our own Leader team.

The youngsters took part in caving, climbing tower, crate climbing, archery, the 3-G swing and tomahawk throwing. We also had a wide game, a big movie quiz, t-shirt design, campfire, bread-making, expedition foods, firelighting in bad weather, survival tips, clothing and equipment for all weathers and, of course, our regular late-night movie.

Significant badge presentation of 100 nights away award to Explorer Scout Ben M. That’s more than three months at camp. Impressive!

Technicolour Beavers!

Both Beaver Colonies spent a meeting night creating technicolour  masterpieces as they learned how to tie-dye t-shirts.

This is just one of many opportunities youngsters have within the Beaver programme to take part in creative activities.

As you can see from this photo of our Bruce Colony (Thursday) Beavers, they really enjoy showing off the results of their hard work!

Beavers Christmas Good Turn

For Christmas 2019, our Beaver Scouts wanted wanted to help some of Fife's most vulnerable families.

Our two Colonies then set about organising a collection of toiletries, hats and scarves for homeless people.

Ruth Young, from Frontline Fife was able to assist the Beavers by letting them know what was most needed. She is seen in this photo (from the Dunfermline Press), collecting the items from some of the Beavers and their Leaders to ensure that they would reach the people most in need.

This was a part of their work for the Community Impact Activity Badge. The Beavers themselves decided that they wanted to help the homeless.

Beaver and Cub weekend at Fordell Firs

Our Beavers and Cubs took part in their own one-night sleepover activities in the Henderson Building at Fordell Firs.

Beavers arrived first, on Friday evening and became spies. First came a series of training activities, including creating false identification papers, becoming masters of disguise and learning to write in secret codes.

This was followed by a series of secret missions on Her Majesty's Secret Service - testing the Beavers newly-acquired skills to the limits in the great outdoors!!

The Beavers headed home of Saturday afternoon. In the evening, more than 30 Cub Scouts arrived for their event. 

This was the first weekend after Hallowe'en so the Centre had been transformed into a spooky wonderland in keeping with the creepy theme of the first part of the event.

Of course, the second night of camp became another first night and wasn't just as quiet as normal! Sunday saw the Cubs taking part in a variety of Scouting skills activities, including pioneering and ropework.

Big Day Out to Time Capsule

A group of Scouts and Explorers enjoyed a very busy day at this popular attraction in Coatbridge.

First, a session in the water park - swimming, rapids,  flumes and slides plus a huge bucket of water that spills all over unsuspecting swimmers every twenty minutes or so. Everyone seemed to like this and getting all of the group back out at the end of the session was challenging!

Then after lunch, it was off to the ice area to spend ages putting on boots only to find that they were too big or too small, then slip, slide and fall over quite a lot!

Summer Adventures at Lochgoilhead

Scouts and Explorers took part in Summer Camp 2019 at Scout Adventures Lochgoilhead. The young people enjoyed a week of exciting and challenging activities - including climbing, abseiling, archery, sailing, kayaking and canoeing.

The Survivalist Activity Badge was on offer and over a couple of days, most completed the shelter-building, firelighting and other survival skills required - including a sleepout night. Other Scouts chose to complete the Climber Activity badge.

The weather was incredibly varied - alternating throughout the week between sunshine, rain and thick mist. The group also had a day visit to Helensburgh and a treasure trail around Lochgoilhead, so a varied and really busy week.

Top Cubs!

A team from our Forth Pack proved that they're the town's top Cubs by winning the Mowgli Shield competition.

Competing against Cubs from all over Dunfermline District, the youngsters were tested on all sorts of Cub Scout skills, from knots to maps, Compasses to pioneering. Some have only recently joined Cubs so it was great to see them doing so well.

It also restarts our winning streak, having been top Cubs for five of the last six years!

Beavers on the trail!

Both of our Beaver Colonies (and a couple of rogue cubs) took part in JOTT, joined by parents and some furry friends. Jamboree on the Trail is a worldwide event involving scouts from all countries hiking together at the same time.

The youngsters walked around Lochore Meadows with other Beavers from Dunfermline District, before enjoying a BBQ, wide games and some songs.

A great opportunity to meet and mix with Beavers from other groups and explore the outdoors. Even the wet weather didn't put us off!! 

Big Day Out at Landmark 

On May 4th, we travelled to an adventure park far, far away! Snow, hail, dark skies and sunshine - practically all four seasons in one day, but still no problem for 50 Beavers, Cubs, Leaders and a sprinkling of Scouts. 

The force was with them as they managed to ignore the elements and have an exciting and exhausting day out at this terrific adventure park at Carrbridge.

The new, indoors and very warm Butterfly House was a welcome part of the day - except for those wearing glasses. Some youngsters still insisted on getting wet in the maze, sliding down very wet chutes and buying ice creams. Honestly, you'd think it was summer!

Guide Dogs visit Cubs

Both Cub Packs had a visit from some Guide Dogs for the Blind and their trainers.

As you can see, the dogs were incredibly calm and well-behaved despite meeting dozens of excitable 8-10 year-olds. Just goes to prove how effective the training is.

The youngsters were finding out about people who help in the community and disability awareness.

Discovering Calais Woods

Both Beaver Colonies each spent an evening exploring nearby Calais Woods, finding out about their history and the trees, plants and animals to be found there.

Youngsters from the Scout Group have been regular visitors to the woods for more than 50 years for nature studies, the countryside code and for outdoor scouting activities.

By continuing this link, we hope to ensure respect for these urban nature areas and that they remain an important part of our community.