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Scouts: Start Your Engine

2012-02-18T19:24:10.502Z

Exhilarating, exciting, and intense are some of the words scouts used to describe Thursday night's high speed adventure indoor karting in Durham.

We were split into groups of 6 or 7, with one goal in mind, to set the fastest lap we could in the session. Before setting off, we were given a full safety briefing, during which you could feel the excitement building.

Once on the track it took a little time to build up speed, getting used to the layout and to the steering on the kart, but then it was full throttle as we tried to get the best time. Faster scouts had to navigate their way between backmarkers who refused to leave the racing line, leading to some great overtaking manoeuvres.

There were a couple of scary looking spins along the way, but rest assured they were entirely harmless and the marshalls carefully managed the situation. After 40 laps of racing, there was a clear winner as Carl (surprise, surprise another sport which Carl is good at) set the fastest lap.

3rd Washington Scouts aims to provide opportunities for young people to have new adventures across the year, through our Tuesday night programme and additional weekend activities and camps. Find out more about Scouts at 3rd Washington.

Scouts' Frostie:24

2012-02-13T17:14:58.964Z

World Class Outdoor Adventure Meets World Class Science...

48 scouts and their volunteer adult leaders from 3rd Washington joined 500 other scouts at Frostie:24 last weekend. The event, run by Durham Scout County challenged young people from the Tyne to the Tees to undertake a seemingly endless number of activities at their Durham adventure centre before boarding a fleet of coaches at 1am to travel to Newcastle’s Centre for Life. The 24 hour challenge began at 11am on Saturday and having bounced on seven metre high bungee trampolines, abseiled from a 60ft climbing wall, mountain biked, cooked food 'Bear Grylls style in the woods, the scouts partied on into the evening, celebrating common friendships and enjoying being a part of a big, growing youth movement.

As temperatures plummeted, scouts set off for Newcastle to begin the nocturnal part of the challenge. The Life Science Centre's attractions promised to keep the scouts amazed for much of the early hours of Sunday, with its Planetarium, Science Theatre, Motion Ride and permanent Human Life exhibition as well as the brand new 'make-it' activity area which was unveiled earlier in the day as a brand new attraction for half term.

But just in case that wasn't enough, the Scouts themselves brought an inflatable assault course, giant 12 metre slide and gladiator games as well as a pop up cinema to show 'Bang Goes the Theory' episodes to get everyone in science mood. The scouts in house stage team ensured a lively atmosphere truly brought science to life!

By 4am, with boundless energy left, scouts enjoyed the Skating@Life rink, opened for a special dawn skating experience – very much in keeping with the Frostie:24 theme.

Organisers at Life were pleased to be able to accommodate the idea "We have some amazing facilities here" said Kathryn Brame, group events organizer "the exhibition space seems even more exciting at night and takes on something of a magical quality.”

By 6am, the scouts‟ logistical feat began again, moving the participants back to Durham for a hearty breakfast and an early morning fitness session! Off-road buggies churned the mud, and craft activities continued in the heated 200ft marquee for those feeling a little less energetic!

At 10.30am, boys and girls gathered for the Final Act, a closing ceremony and party to mark the end of 24 hours of world-class fun. 550 tired-but-content young people then left the site, taking not just bags full of washing home, but a sense of pride that they are part of the UK‟s largest coeducational youth movement.

“My youngest has just returned from #frostie24 very muddy and tired. Volunteer leaders deserve a medal”, tweeted a parent from shortly after the event closed.

See More Pictures from Frostie:24 online now!

Frostie is an annual event for scouts in the North East Region. This year's event is unique as it’s the first time that the event has run non-stop over a 24 hour period. It is one of several events the Scout County run to support its membership in the delivery of outdoor adventure.The event is organised by volunteer adults who are trained to a nationally recognised standard by the Scout Association.

Beavers @ Oxclose: A Brand New Adventure

2012-02-04T17:44:58.328Z

This week, 3rd Washington Scouts opened the doors to a new Beaver Colony in the West of Washington. The Beaver Colony, the youngest section in the scouting family, opened with 12 young people on Tuesday 31st January 2012, a further 4 Beavers are expected to join next week. Through an active programme, our young people will have the chance to make friends, play games, go on visits and help others.

Making friends was top of the agenda on Tuesday night as Beavers enjoyed a night of games and getting-to-know-you activities. There's loads more to come during the first programme, leading up to a big launch night where Beavers will be invested.

The Group welcomes three new volunteers to run the section - Janet, Gemma and Nicola (or Rusty, Bubbles and TicTac as they will be known to Beavers). The names come from the book Friends of the Forest which is a book written specifically for Beavers.

Could you join us as a flexible volunteer? If you have a skill that you could teach our young people or have an hour to spare each week, then we'd love to have you on board. Contact one of the leader team or visit www.hls-scouts.org.uk/volunteer.

Beavers @ St Andrews: Beavers Have Talent

2012-02-06T20:23:05.259Z

There was an air of anticipation at beavers this week as they lined up hoping to show off their star qualities in a music and dancing extravaganza.

Our very own Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell took their places at the front, hoping to spot the next big thing. Kingfisher played the roles of Ant and Dec throughout the night and kept the crowds cheering.

Beavers performed as individuals and as groups, bringing together an array of instruments and sounds as well as those with rhythm showing off some moves on the dance floor. After a night of huge fun, we can confirm that beavers have talent.

Beavers will be showing off their talents at the next parents night and finished the night by practicing the song they will be performing.

From the beavers through to the scout section, our balanced programme helps our young people to develop confidence as individuals and as part of a group. Find out more about beaver scouts at 3rd Washington.

Cubs @ Oxclose: Exploring the Science of Adventure

2012-01-31T23:41:41.798Z

Cubs @ Oxclose flashed, banged and popped their way into their new programme by taking on the science badge. Last week brought the physical world: some weird sounds, energetic energy and some buzzing electricity. Cubs were challenged to repair circuits to make the buzzer buzz, to see if they could see sound, and, to test some household objects to see whether they were acids or alkali's. Cubs made easy work of it all, and so, this week, it was time to turn up the heat (literally) and move to chemistry, with a special, mystery scientist!

The night began with cubs arriving at the science lab, with the guest already waiting, then, cubs hung up their coats and then put on their safety goggles, then, the fun began. The night started with making hydrogen, and, then testing for it. Cubs had to react magnesium with hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen, and, cubs learnt how to test for it; listen out for a squeaky pop! The Bunsen Burner's were turned on and the spills lit, and the popping began, small pockets of hydrogen were forming within the cubs' test tubes.

After that rather noisy introduction, cubs then moved onto flame testing, and they had to test 7 different metals to see what they were by putting them inside a Bunsen flame and seeing which colour it burned; potassium was lilac, copper - blue, and sodium - orange. Then, to make things a little more interesting, cubs were then asked to make a sparkler out of filings of iron and some hydrochloric acid and, the materials certainly worked their magic as before anyone could say 'bang' the whole room was full of sparkles.

Cubs Testing for Methane

As the night progressed, neutralisation was next - turning an acid neutral, and then, alkali, and, then, back to an acid. This was done by a rather cool magnetic stirrer and a dash of universal indicator, so cubs could see the difference between the states. Finally, the end of the crazy night was nigh, but, there was one more trick up the scientist's sleeve - methane, and bubbles of it!

Cubs were finally challenged to light bubbles of methane to see how fast it would react, some were scared, however, after a while, the methane induced fear was over and it was back to lighting the room up with an instantaneous orange glow (see the videos for more). Next week cubs will be entertaining one and other as they take on the next challenge of the BadgeFest programme - the entertainers badge, and, you can see all of the action as the night unfolded in the photos zone.

BadgeFest is a programme in which cubs participate in a wide variety of activities, ranging from the elements of science, to a circus act, this makes a balanced and diverse programme for an equally diverse cub pack.

Scouts: Ghosts, Geocaches and a Great Time @ Gainford

2012-01-30T20:27:01.390Z

'There's a first time for everything', and this weekend certainly was a weekend of firsts, first of many nights away of 2012 and the first nights away as Scouts for many of our young people. As ever it was a packed weekend full of opportunities to make new friends, learn new skills and to have fun.

Scouts spent Friday night playing team games and getting to know each other ready to work together on Saturday morning. After a run to wake everyone up and a tasty sausage sandwich, Scouts were ready for the four activities that ran up to lunch. Scouts learned about using a GPS as they tackled our geocaching expert's challenge to race up Gainford's Spa fountain and find the cache, as well as pancake flipping (we know it's a little before pancake day, but it's good practice!), how to play kabaddi and a couple of lively games on the Xbox Kinnect. You can see from the photos that some of the pancakes did not go entirely to plan, some were barely recognisable as pancakes.

After lunch, we unpacked our walking boots and headed up to Egglestone Abbey for a scenic stroll along the Tees to Whorlton. There was plenty of laughs as Scouts found opportunities to roll down hills, splash each other with water and play tag. Scout took turns to navigate (using both GPS and good old map) to keep us on the straight and narrow as we headed along the banks.

Saturday evening challenged the imagination of our young people as we headed back to Egglestone Abbey for a wide game in the dark. Leaders split the group in two. Those who had never been to the abbey by night were led to the crypt for a fright. Phil and Danni jumped up from the darkness scaring Scouts to the amusement of those who'd been there before. There were still more frights as patrols explored the Abbey during the widegame, hunting among the ghoulish shadows for the illusive stick of life, avoiding the vampires played by the leader team.

Back at Gainford HQ, two mystery men arrived to tell ghost stories by candle light. One of the men was particularly mysterious wearing a long dark coat and black hat. He told of the Hand of Glory and how the ghostly occurrence haunts the Old Spital Inn. As the Hand of Glory struck, silence fell across the room. The candles flickered. The men disappeared as quickly as they arrived (we later found out he was none other than Gainford's Scout Leader, John Moore and Teesdale's DC Colin Clarke)

Scouts spent Sunday morning playing games and pioneering. Scouts worked together in to build a structure which they could monkey across with impressive results. Visit our image gallery to for more photos from the weekend.

Scouts can find out about more opportunities to experience nights away on our camping pages and can look forward to an exciting year of outdoor adventure.

Scouts: Gainford Got Us Grinning

2011-02-20T21:08:56.377Z

Last weekend Scouts enjoyed their first nights away of 2011. Our young people enjoyed a weekend packed full of activities which challenged Scouts to use their skills to solve problems, to work as a team and to stretch themselves but above all to have a great time.

On Saturday morning, Scouts tackled our geocaching expert's challenge to race up Gainford's Spa fountain using their GPSs to guide them, tried their hands at pancake flipping (not to be done in doors if this weekend taught us anything) and learned how to play kabaddi.

In the afternoon we unpacked our boots for a scenic walk along the Tees from Egglestone Abbey to Whorlton. Scouts took turns to navigate (using both GPS and map and compass) to keep us on the straight and narrow as we headed along the riverside. At the end of the three miles, the leaders looked more worn out than the Scouts!

Saturday evening challenged the imagination of our young people as we headed back to Egglestone Abbey for a wide game in the dark. The ruins of the abbey cast a ghoulish shadow across the playing area and provided hiding places aplenty for vampires.

Back at Gainford HQ, a mystery man in a long dark coat arrived to tell ghost stories by candle light. He told of the Hand of Glory and how the ghostly occurrence haunts the Old Spital Inn. As the Hand of Glory struck, silence fell across the room. The candles flickered. The man in the long dark coat disappeared as quickly as he arrived (we later found out he was none other than Gainford's Scout Leader, John Moore)

Scouts spent Sunday morning back outdoors playing games and pioneering. Scouts worked together in to build a structure which they could monkey across with impressive results. Visit our image gallery for more photos from the weekend.

Scouts can find out about more opportunities to experience nights away on our camping pages and can look forward to an exciting year of outdoor adventure.

Cubs @ Oxclose: Let's Do This!

2012-01-18T22:34:28.551Z

Badgefest has arrived and kick started 2012 for Cubs @ Oxclose as they sprung into action after the long winter break with the launch of their new programme this week, as, in much anticipation, the mysterious details of the programme were finally revealed...

To get back into action, Cubs first played a fast-paced, tense game of lifeboats to get everyone even more excited (in particular about the coastguard visit). As the night progressed, the mood became even more tense as more and more activities were gradually revealed, and the rumours confirmed; bangs and flashes in a real science lab, an exclusive tour behind the scenes at a cinema, another hands-on experience to learn how to care for even the most smelliest of animals, a magic show, an Easter-egg hunt, a swimming frenzy, a sleepover, a non-stop tour around a working farm, and much much more! That's 6 badges!

As ever, the latest copy of the programme is online in the downloads area and photos will be appearing as it happens in the photo zone.

Cubs @ Oxclose have a varied, active programme which involves many different types of activities to try and encourage cubs to explore their own beliefs, values and strengths.

Scouts: Spring to Action

2012-01-15T18:01:55.519Z

This weekend, 30 Scouts and their volunteer leaders got back outdoors for a crisp winter's walk near Rowland's Gill. After their first full week at School, young people were eager to get back outdoors - enjoying fresh air, jumping over small streams and spending some time having a laugh with their friends.

A 10am start meant something of a welcome lie-in and some extra time to dig out the walking boots, hats and gloves. We set off from Chopwell Woodland Park on a woodland trail in search of an elusive bird of prey, the Red Kite. Scouts walked together catching up with old mates and with some new friends who've recently joined the troops from Cubs.

"...being outside in the ice is really good," said 10 year old Daniel, "...it's a real buzz!"

Everyone decided, that walking was a great way to get back into Action in 2012 and many couldn't wait for their next weekend away near Barnard Castle in two week's time!

Gainford weekend is an opportunity for our younger Scouts to experience their first nights away as Scouts and to learn some new skills while having another great time outdoors.

Scouts and their families can log in to see more photographs in our online gallery.

Scouts from 3rd Washington, recently discussed 'Why i-SCOUT': They concluded that because of lively outdoor programmes, they got to meet friends, have a good time and enjoyed opportunities to try different things.

Scouts: Blast Back into 2012

2012-01-11T17:00:54.280Z

This week, Scouts from 3rd Washington launched their Back to the Future Programme. Based around the Promise Challenge,scouts will be exploring their beliefs and attitudes as a Scout.

Being a Scout means something. Scouts have a set of values that help them become better people.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that having such values leads to being boring. Programme highlights include working with a graffiti artist and a visit by a real-life Judge..... that's mixed up among a walk out in the country, Frostie:24, Camp Fire and much more.

Scouts have a much better time in life than many other young people. Our Promise Challenge explores ‘being a scout’.

Download a copy from our Downloads Section.

Scouts at 3rd Washington take part in a balanced programme. Through activity, the programme offers young people personal development opportunities that are physical, intellectual, spiritual and social.

Scouts: Spreading Christmas Cheer

2011-12-30T12:31:20.012Z

This Christmas, Scouts have been spreading cheer around Washington and Wearside by singing carols and helping in the community.

In the week before Christmas, Scouts were welcomed at Manor Care Home where a group of 12 Scouts sang Christmas carols for the old folks and brought smiles to their faces. The reactions of the audience certainly made the practicing worthwhile! Huge thanks to the Scouts who represented the Group at the event.

Scouts have also been working with Wearside Women in Need, a local charity aiming to support women and children who are fleeing domestic violence. They also run a drop in centre 5 days a week on Speculation Place for homeless people where they can use the washing machine, have a shower, or access a clothing store where they can get extra clothes to keep themselves warm.

Scouts spent a day shopping and sorting food parcels for WWIN, which for the people that the charity supports, is often the only gift they get at Christmas time.

3rd Washington Scouts aims to have a positive impact on the local community. The Group challenges young people to explore their values, to work with different groups of people and to adapt to the situations they encounter outside of Scouts. Find out more about our role within the community and projects we have undertaken including clearing snow for old folks and supporting the Salvation Army.

Scouts: Getting Our Skates On

2011-12-24T19:30:15.430Z

This week we rounded off our Christmas programme with an ice cool activity. Over the last few weeks, we've been thinking of others as we've made nativity animations, practiced Christmas carols, made Christmas sweets to die for and helped the Salvation Army prepare hampers. This week was the first opportunity in the programme for both troops to see each other and a brilliant chance to have fun with friends (120 of them between the 3rd Washington and 1st Fatfield Scout Troops).

For some of our young people, this really was an adventure as it took them time to get their balance and they clung onto the wall for dear life. Others were much more confident from the outset, although I'm not sure that we had the next Dancing On Ice Stars or Torvill and Dean in our midst.

A happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year from all at 3rd Washington Scout Group. The next meeting for Scouts is 3rd January 2012.

And the Winner Is...

2011-12-19T23:00:21.202Z

Cubs and Beavers have been entering our online Christmas competition over the last couple of weeks to win a copy of the Scouting Adventure Annual 2012 and tonight we can announce the winner.

Our congratulations go to Becky from our Oxclose Cubs Section

Becky wins the fantastic book full of stories and activities and we hope she'll show off some of the skills from the book at Cubs next year.

Becky answered our quick question correctly after reading about the Beavers celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Beaver Scout Section and was picked out at random from the correct entries. Look out for more chances to win in the next year.

Find out more about our Beavers and Cubs sections.

Reflection at Christmas

2011-12-19T21:20:14.770Z

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts took part in the Christingle Service at St. Andrews this weekend. Reverend Stephen Dallin led the service which encouraged everyone to take some time out to enjoy the peace of Christmas and consider his theme, 'What's in a Name?'. Over 200 people packed into the church many of them Scouts and their families.

Young people were involved from the beginning as Scouts helped make the Christingles on Saturday and then read at the service on Sunday. Ryan read a passage from the Gospels and Gabrielle read from 'The Word on the Street', a modern telling of book of John from the bible. Malcolm sang a solo, Let There be Peace on Earth, for the congregation and did a brilliant job, a proud moment for the Group. Well done Malcolm!

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts received a Christingle and the Reverend (with the help of some young people) explained the symbolic nature of the orange, the fruits, ribbon and the candle before we sang Away In A Manger by candlelight.

After the service, many scouts and their families enjoyed a hot drink and some social time before braving the cold outside.

3rd Washington Scouts are proud of their involvement in their local community. We encourage all young people to explore their faith and through family events like Christingle, enjoy 'doing their duty' to God.

Scouts: Taking Christmas Outdoors

2010-12-18T15:45:32.998Z

Today, Scouts from 3rd Washington took to the streets of Concord to bring some festive cheer to local shoppers. Members of the Group joined local church members and friends from St. Andrews. Chris and Andrew Turnbull's brass skills were instrumental in leading the singing despite the sub-zero temperatures.

After the Christmas rendition, Scouts and their leaders served hot tea and toast to warm up the hardy 'choir'.

A fun morning was enjoyed by everyone, once again reinforcing the group's presence at Christmas in our community.

See more photos in our members' area

Malcolm Glass, a steward at St. Andrews Church later wrote to thank the Scout Group for their help;

Would you please extend on behalf of St Andrews grateful thanks to the Scouts for the refreshments provided and served on Saturday during our Carol Singing morning in Concord. They were very welcome indeed to the frozen group of singers and band members who braved the elements. Please thank all those who in any way contributed to Saturday’s success. St Andrews are very proud of the association between themselves and the uniformed organizations that meet in our church and the leaders do a fantastic job with these young people. May we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year where we hope the work with the young people goes from strength to
strength.

3rd Washington Scouts leads adventure for 130 young people each week in the North and West of Washington. The group is a major provider of youth activities in the town and recognises the importance of community cohesion. Read more about our community involvement.

Scouts: A Very Messy Christmas

2011-12-17T11:49:36.487Z

There ain't no party like our Christmas party as Scouts found out this week as we threw our annual Christmas Bash

As is traditional, the party manic and messy and we made the most of the opportunity to wind our PLs up (all in good humour!). Setting the tone for the night at St Andrew's, Carl welcomed everyone and called PLs up to receive instructions for the first game, only to cover them with silly string.

The games kicked off with pass the parcel, Matty and Callum won some very festive hats during pass the parcel, who knew we had a little elf among us. The mummies game quickly followed and Matty's patrol produced a mummy that would have made any Egyptian proud.

At St Andrew's, we tried a new game called Cheetos face where Patrol had to stick Cereal to their patrol leader's face, our PLs were particularly good sports covered in squirty cream.This was quickly followed by the Mars bar game.

The final game of the night was the welcome return of the Angel Delight game, another Christmas Party favourite and yet another messy game. If you've never played the game before, it starts with a "sand castle" of flour with a sweet on top, players take it in turns to slice away a section of the castle and if the castle falls, you have to eat the sweet without using your hands. As a forfeit, you then have to find a sweet in the angel delight (or porridge) without using your hands again. Try keeping a steady hand as you cut the flour while your patrol are willing you to knock it over!

Huge thanks to all of the Young Leaders, Adult Leaders and parent helpers who helped to make the night a huge success!

Next week is the final week of the Christmas Programme and we're off to the Ice Rink. Meet at St Andrew's Church at 7pm, wrap up warm, and know your shoe size.

Beavers: Sleepover Christmas Cheer

2011-12-09T20:20:05.391Z

Last weekend our youngest section enjoyed a fantastic festive sleepover at Fatfield Scout HQ.

They spent the weekend getting crafty, making gifts for their parents including a calendar and Christmas sweets. Beavers' snowmen creations looked excellent, made from chocolate cake mix, icing and a Lliquorice Allsort for a hat.

Later in the weekend, there was a surprise visitor as Santa dropped in to see what Beavers wanted for Christmas. Lets hope they've all been good this year!

Beaver Scout is the youngest section in Scouting and is for young people aged 6 to 8. Find out more here.

Cubs: Lights Camera Action!

2011-12-09T19:12:17.596Z

Last Saturday, Oxclose was packed with celebrities and movie stars as James Bond, Harry Potter, Mama Smurf and many other A-listers walked the red carpet to the Cubs Lights Camera Action event.

The event brought together Cubs from across the Houghton-Le-Spring district for a fun filled day of activities as is traditional for the district cub section in the run up to Christmas.

Bases included the Incredibles challenge and Fat Sam's Grand Slam. At the incredibles challenge Cubs showed they would give Mr Incredible a run for his money when it comes to strength and speed.

Cubs enjoyed the cinema food on offer, making their own popcorn on a base and sampling Danni's delicious candyfloss. Throughout the day there were opportunities to get crafty, Cubs made mini chocolate Christmas puddings (very tasty), reindeer baubles and reindeer dust, all of which they got to take home.

The Cubs section is for young people aged 8-11 and our young people enjoy an active and balanced programme throughout the year. Click here to find out more.

Beavers and Cubs Christmas Competition

2011-11-30T22:19:48.077Z

Win a copy of the Scouting Adventure Annual 2012 by entering our quick Christmas competition for Beavers and Cubs.

Just enter your name and contact details on the left and answer our simple question. Don't worry if you don't know the answer, you can find it on our website.

The draw takes place on Monday 19th December 2011 and the winner will recieve the prize at their next section meeting.
One entry per young person.

Find out more about Beavers and Cubs at 3rd Washington.

Christmas Competition

Celebrating 25 Years of the Beaver Scout Section

2011-11-30T20:15:54.812Z

This year will marks the twenty fifth anniversary of the Beaver Scout section as a section within Scouting and Houghton-Le-Spring Beavers celebrated in style with a huge 80's themed party.

Beavers and leaders looked fantastic in their 80's fancy dress, with everything from a Rubik's cube to Adam Ant to a pair of ghostbusters arriving to save the day. 'Suggs' spun the 80's tunes on his vinyl in the corner and got the party started.

There were games a plenty and Beavers enjoyed musical statues, pass the parcel and there was lots of dancing. Jonathan popped in just in time for the birdy song much to the amusement of the Beavers.

Beavers enjoy lots of crafts, making friends and trying new activities. Unfortunately more young people want to join our Beaver section than we currently have places for, so if you can give up a little time to join our vital, flexible volunteers to enable more young people to participate in Scouting, please visit our volunteer pages.

Recognising the Role of Scouting in the Community

2011-11-25T23:35:17.523Z

We know that Scouting makes a huge contribution to developing young people and their role within their local, national and international communities, so we're proud to share the news that our GSL (acting) was shortlisted for a community champion award at the recent Pride of Wearside Awards.

The reward for the nomination was a chance to suit up and enjoy some glitz and glam at the Stadium of Light along with young people in the city who have shown bravery and courage to overcome difficulties and other members of the Wearside community who spend their time as volunteers enriching the lives of others.

"It was a great occasion", said Jonathan, "It was a real priviledge to be nominated and I'm proud of the work that the team of volunteers who make up the Group and the District do to promote opportunities for young people to develop as citizens in Washington."

3rd Washington Scouts recognise their role within the community and through our balanced programme, we provide opportunities to become more confident as active citizens in the local area. Find out more about the role of Scouting in the community and how you can become a volunteer and the roles we have available.

Beavers: Christmas Chill - 3rd and 4th December

2011-11-25T23:03:18.625Z

Next weekend is Christmas Chill sleepover for Beavers, details are as follows:-

When: 3rd and 4th December

Where: Fatfield Scout Hut

Cost: £18

Contact: Eddie Wright (0777 317 4395)

Kit List: Download

Sign up: Forms must be brought to Beavers on 1st December

Beavers will enjoy Christmas crafts, fun and games, carols and there might even be a suprise visitor to spread some Christmas joy.

Download the flyer, kit list and med forms.

Scouts: Illuminating Adventure

2011-11-20T17:32:26.299Z

Spectacular and breathtaking are two of the words which Scouts used to sum up last night's adventure. PLs and APLs from the Group joined thousands in Durham City to visit Durham Lumieres 2011. Lumieres is Durham's biennial festival of light and brings together art from across the world to illuminate the streets of the city.

The walk around the city was magical and every time we turned a corner, we found a new exhibit to challenge our ideas about art. Around Millenium Square, we encountered Utopia, a large neon sign on the former ice rink. Flickering on the roof, it made us question whether there was really such a thing. Next we headed over the river to see 'Binary Waves', which is an installation which reacts to the radio and mobile phone signals around.

As we wandered the city, Scouts marvelled at the 'Marquess of Londonderry' situated in the Market Square which had been transformed into the 'I Love Durham' snowdome of light, complete with pink neon lights and a gigantic globe covering the statue.

As we walked up Bailey street, we saw the 'Pimp Pallets' exhibit which at first glance was just an open wheelie bin, but as we looked closer, we realised that it was actually art. Whether we quite realised that was a bold statement about the use of colour in the urban environment, I'm not so sure.

The jewel in the festival display was the ‘Crown of Light’ which depicts the Lindisfarne Gospels as a stunning 20 minute slideshow projection across the whole of the front of the famous Durham Cathedral.

Our method for giving young people the opportunity to learn by doing is called the Programme. The Programme is a continuous progression of training, activities and awards that covers everything that young people do in Scouting from the age of 6 to 25.

'We Will Remember Them'

2011-11-13T16:46:15.851Z

Today, over 100 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Adult Leaders, Exec Members, parents and friends from 3rd Washington joined other scouts from the District at Washington's Service of Remembrance in Washington Village.

We sang some hymns, joined in prayers and listened to readings before the bugle marked the traditional silence to start the Act of Remembrance by playing The Last Post. Along with hundreds of local people we remembered those who fought in two World Wars and people who have suffered as a result of conflicts to the present day.

'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them' (Ode of Remembrance)

Leaders in the Group were extremely proud of the young people who attended in their smart uniform and all of whom showed impeccable behaviour that was appropriate, solemn and respectful.

3rd Washington Scouts are proud members of their local community and encourage young people to take part in community occasions such as Remembrance Sunday. This supports our work in showing empathy for others and developing better local citizens.

Scouts: Festive Blast Programme

2011-11-08T19:46:44.255Z

Tonight the Scout Troops launched their Festive Blast programme. Scouts will take on a very different community based adventure this winter and take part in a number of events and activities to put a little back.

After we've helped the Salvation Army pack hampers, sang carols to members of our community and made home-made sweets to distribute to others, we'll have a truly icy blast as we join our friends at Fatfield Scouts to take over the Centre for Life Ice rink in December.

Quite a build up to Christmas!

Download a full copy of the programme here

(and the rota for members here)

Support the Group when you Shop Online this Christmas

2011-11-06T22:21:10.683Z

This Christmas you can support the Group while you do your Christmas shopping online and it won’t cost you a penny. Using Easyfundraising.org.uk 46 supporters have already raised £650 and you can contribute too.

How to sign up

1) Visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/3rdwashingtons and register for an account.

2) Before you shop online, visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk, sign into your account and use their link to visit your online shop.

3) You’ll then be able to shop as normal and 3rd Washington Scouts will receive a proportion of the advertising revenue that is paid to Easyfundraising.

Funding raised goes towards subsidising activities and keeping the cost of adventure down.

Please download the letter below if you can share with family, friends or colleagues who also shop online, the more supporters we can engage the more funding we can raise.

For more info, visit our fundraising pages or contact web@3rdwashingtonscouts.org.uk