Sunrise Celebrations in Thatcham
At 8.00am on Wednesday 1st August 2007 members of the Scout Groups in Taceham Hundred Scout District met together on the Broadway Green in Thatcham, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Scouting.
Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and their Leaders stood together on the Green to renew their Promises at the very moment when millions of Scouts around the world were also celebrating the start of Scouting.
The Beaver Promise was led by Cath Forbes, Beaver Leader of 1st Thatcham, Sharon Thompson, Beaver Leader of 1st Cold Ash, and Pete Frost GSL of 2nd Thatcham Scout Group.
The Cub Promise was led by Ian Lyford, Cub Leader of 1st Thatcham, and the Scout and adult Promise by Dave Coppock, ADC Scouts and Scout Leader of 1st Cold Ash.
District Scout Chaplin Tom Moffat was also present and everyone joined in prayers for the Scout Movement.
At the same time, five Scouts and one Scout Leader from Taceham Hundred, were also renewing their Promises, joining with Scouts from around the world, at the 21st World Scout Jamboree, which is being held at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex.
After the brief ceremony in Thatcham, which was led by Pete Frost, GSL of 2nd Thatcham, young members let off balloons, and ate hot dogs, cooked by Nick Forbes SL of 1st Thatcham Scout Troop, and Lance Preston SL of 2nd Thatcham Scout Troop.
24 Scouts, from all the local Troops, had spent the previous evening on a night hike to Greenham Common, followed by a sleepover in 1st Thatcham HQ.
Photographs by Julia Payen
Story Added: 1st August 2007S
Taceham District Centenary Camp
Over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from 2nd Thatcham joined with members of the other Groups in the Taceham Hundred District for a special Centenary Camp. The Camp was held at Rushall Farm, near Bradfield.
Cubs and Scouts camped from the Friday evening till the Monday morning, and the Beavers came on Sunday morning and joined in lots of activities, and enjoyed a sleepover in the barn on the Sunday night.
Activities over the weekend included archery, shooting, canoeing, rafting, backwoods cooking, orienteering, an obstacle course, kite making, tie dying, Cyclist Badge sessions and some hi tech rocket building and firing!
Unfortunately the rain set in on Sunday, but the activities still continued all day. The canoeing and rafting had to be cancelled, but instead the Cubs and Scouts came back to Thatcham to go ten pin bowling, which still proved popular. In the evening the campfire singing went ahead as planned, just held inside the Black Barn, rather than outside!
After a very wet and windy Sunday night, it was decided to close the camp a few hours earlier than planned. However, everyone had thoroughly enjoyed themselves in spite of the weather!
Story Added: 26th June 2007S
New Group Scout Leader for 2nd Thatcham
After a break of 6 years, 2nd Thacham now has a Group Scout Leader again. Pete Frost, who has been a Beaver Leader with the Group for 6 years, took over the role at the AGM in May 2007. He is well known to all the Sections in the Group, as he has not only helped with Beavers, but also with the Cub Pack and the Scout Troop over the years. He has also been a District Beaver Leader for two years. His experience in all Sections will stand him in good stead for his new role!
Despite his new title, Pete plans to continue helping with Beavers, and to assist with Cub and Scout camps and activities as needed.
His first job will be to help to find some new Cub Leaders, as the present Cub Leader team of Sue Carver, Chris Bryant, and David Townsend are finishing at the end of the Summer Term. They are a very experienced team, and will be sadly missed.
Story Added: 21st May 2007S
Some faces from the past!
We've recently received some photos from Chris Warrick, who was a Scout with 2nd in the early Seventies, going on to be a Leader with 1st as well as 2nd Thatcham. Anyone who was involved with 2nd Thatcham before 1988 should recognise most of the faces in this first photo. We think it was taken in July 1974, at Angels Corner, at the first Group Camp.
Standing on the right is Ian Howe, who was a popular Scout Leader from 1972 to 1977, when he became Group Scout Leader until moving away in1988.
Next to Ian is ASL Jerry Kent, (more recently the ASL with 1st Woolhampton Troop), and Richard Horlacher, who was also an ASL with 2nd. Next to Richard is Jimmy Withers, who went on to be Cub Leader with Bostock Cub Pack.
For newcomers to 2nd - from 1974 to 1992 we had two Cub Packs - Rogers Pack (named after Ray Rogers who helped to start 2nd) which met on Monday evenings, and Bostock Pack, which met on Thursday evenings. This Pack was named after Major Bostock, who also gave a great deal of help to the Group in it's early years. The Group's title of "Greenham Court" comes from the name of Major Bostock's home in Newbury, where Greenham Court School now stands.
We're not sure where these last two photos were taken. Judging by the number of Scouts in the top photo, it could have been at a joint 1st and 2nd Thatcham Troop Camp. Chris says they camped together several times because of a shortage of Leaders. If so it could have been at Seaton, in Devon.
Story Added: 30th May 2006S
Message from Ian Wallace - a 2nd Thatcham Scout in the 1970's
We've been really pleased to receive an e mail from ex Scout, Ian Wallace. Ian gets a mention in our Group History, having gained the Chief Scout's Award in 1976. He says that it is great to hear the Troop has gone from strength to strength! Ian says he is very sorry to have missed the 50th Anniversary, but is pleased to read about the many old friends who are still involved with the Group. He sends belated congratulations to fellow Scout, Richard Kirkham, who went on to become a Queen's Scout.
Ian says he has recently watched a cine film of Scout Chris Warrick, being dumped in the river at Fowey by the Scout Leader Hans, who he thinks was a leader with Chesham Scouts. Chris was pulled off an aerial runway midway over the river!
We only have a couple of photos from the 1973 camp at Fowey, and this one is of Chris Warrick and his Patrol. The tall Scout in the middle looks like Derek Prout.
Ian tells us he was keen on photography and has plenty of photos from those days - including some of Cub Leader Dave Townsend in his Venture Scout days! Dave and Ian were in the Ventures when they took part in a very wet hike along the South Downs Way.
The photo of the 21st Birthday Parade through Thatcham brought back happy memories of Boson - aka Ian Howe - his Scout Leader from those days. This photo can be seen on the second page of the "Old 2nd Thatcham Photos".
Story Added: 30th March 2006S