Jump to:
| What’s Coming Up?
| Reminders, opportunities and notices
| What’s been happening?
Welcome to Edition 33 of Tails of the New Forest. This month in Tails, Transformation latest as Compass gets switched off, Scouts events updates and lots of updates from across the District.
What’s coming up?
Transformation: Compass Shut Down
By Lynn Tatavossian, Transformation lead
Compass is being replaced soon with the new membership system integrated into scouts.org.uk. Compass will go offline for everyone on 7th November. Hampshire will transition to the new system over a seven day period starting from 28th November.
For those of you who have not yet checked and updated your Compass record, this is now a priority to be completed as soon as possible. The information on this link will guide you through what you need to do. Deadline: 6th November.
Leaders that have been on any training courses, like the residential weekends, must get those modules validated with a training advisor before the Compass freeze. Any training modules not validated on Compass will not migrate to the new digital system. Robin has already been chasing those with Mandatory Ongoing Learning expiring before the end of November to complete this before 6th November.
There are some interim processes that need to be followed when Compass goes offline. This link lists the processes to follow, some will not be relevant to your role in Scouting but a large number of our volunteers will need to use them.
Transformation: Get ready for the new system
By Lynn Tatavossian, Transformation lead
Before, during and after the Go-Live of the new digital system, HQ are running online training sessions to help you understand the new ways of volunteering and how you’ll use the new digital system.
Registration for these training sessions is now open. This is split into two parts depending on which parts of the system you need to discover. Everyone is strongly encouraged to complete Part 1. Some volunteers, like lead volunteers and team leaders will also need to do Part 2.
Under the new system, roles and training will migrate across, often to the closest equivalent role. Find out how the migration is working on the Scouts website.
If anyone needs assistance with this, you can ask for support from your line manager or drop an email to our Local Go-Live Support Team on [email protected]
Save the Date: Young Leader Rally
By Young Leader team, Hampshire Scouts
The Young Leader rally this year is 21st to 23rd February 2025 at Ferny Crofts. Costs to be confirmed depending on local subsidisation but will be up to £30 per young person. Bookings will open during November.
County Scout Section Skills Weekend
By Peter Knott, Team Lead – Programme, Hampshire Scouts
We would like to invite you to come and either learn some new skills or share your own experiences. We know that there are some fantastic volunteers across Hampshire, but we also know that we have some relatively new volunteers who are trying their best but would love to learn more.
We are excited to offer the first County Scout section skill training weekend over 15th/16th February 2025 at Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre. The weekend will be catered, but as this will be an adult only event, there will also be a relaxed networking evening on the Saturday night where you are invited to bring your own tipple if you wish to.
Please complete the following sign up form and let us know if there is anything specific you would like to learn.
Reminders, opportunities and notices
Scouts: Dates for your Diary
By Simon Down, Scout Lead – Programme team
Events coming up as agreed at the All Leaders Meeting this month:
- Eagle Trophy (Night Incident Hike) 18th-19th January 2025 (KW, SD, BS, JS)
- Scout Section Volunteers Skills Weekend 15th-16th February (Hampshire Scouts)
- Expedition Challenge Badge Weekend 9th-11th May (JS,SD)
- Patrol Camp weekend A chance for as many scouts from District as possible to camp in patrols. Weekend to be determined in April or May 2025 (BS,SD)
- Elm Trophy District Camping Competition June 2025 (BS,SD)
- Soap Box Derby 13th July
- Emlyn County Camping Comp County (100th event) 19th-21st September 2025
- Rafting Day TBC Summer 2025 (DMc, LW,SD)
- All Leaders Skills Weekend September 2025 (WT,SD,BS)
- Stag’s Head (Daytime incident hike) Autumn 2025 (BS,SD)
- Expedition to Lake District October 2025
Please try and support District Events wherever possible as we spend a lot of our time to offer your troops the chance to cover a fair few parts of the programme.
Scout Section Summer Camp for All Troops
By Simon Down, Scout Lead – Programme team
One of the ideas that came up at Chaos Camp was a scout section summer camp with lots of activities, hopefully including taking boats for water activities in the summer of 2026. This will probably take place within a couple of hours from home for logistics reasons.
This will give the troops a chance to take or send their Scouts to a summer camp and have the advantage of more leaders and activities than usual. Warren is looking for a location at the moment. Those interested are welcome to speak to Simon and Barry to find out more.
What’s been happening?
We have a bumper edition covering all the amazing things that has been happening this month and which has come to light this month too. Where to start?
Squirrel and Beaver Campfire
Early in October, our 4-8 year old Squirrels and Beavers assembled at Sandleheath for a big, friendly and fun campfire full of song, movements and tall tales. Accompanied by parents and carers, it was an afternoon full of joy. A big thanks to the everyone who came along, Waz for keeping the fire lit well and Emma and Steven for leading the campfire songs:
Scouts’ Stag’s Head
The Scouts took on the Stag’s Head Trophy day incident hike taking in navigation and team building bases as they navigated around. Thanks to Simon, Barry and the team for making it such as successful day.
“On behalf of Barry and myself, thank you all for your help today in enabling the competition to be run, we couldn’t do it without you. Despite a few navigational errors, most of the youth managed to get to all or most of the bases. The weather was exceptionally good.”
Simon Down
Final Scores were Sandleheath 1 (233), Eling (219), Colbury (214), Testwood 1 (188), Sandleheath A (170), Lyndhurst (134) and Testwood A (131).
Chief Scout’s Awards Day
It’s always good to celebrate the young people who have reached the top and achieved their Top Awards during the past year and our annual celebration activity day at Ferny Crofts was earlier this month:
Centenary Band’s Last Song
After 15 years, the Stanley’s Own Centenary Band, made up of lots of former members of the Scout and Guide band and formed to celebrate the centenary of the group in 2010, have hung up their instruments after one last performance together with the band that spawned it all:
Fordingbridge Camps and Co-op
Cubs from 1st Fordingbridge visited aircraft and castles on their recent camp:
While the Scouts hiked to Harry’s Island for a more independent camp for the young people:
(Plus you can support the group through the Co-op at the moment, details below):
Sandleheath squeeze in last Sailing of Season
Sandlheath Scouts have had a busy half-term planned by the patrols. They had two final sessions at Spinnaker, took part in some skill challenges, which included a life-size form of table football, built bivvys on the forest and followed a blind trail in the dark, enjoyed wide-games, cooked a two-course meal (reviewed by the Scout leader), sped around a cycle-trail at night and took part in Stag’s Head. They are looking forward to more adventurous activities before Christmas:
Young Leader Thea visited another section to show them her sailing skills:
Meanwhile, Avon Valley Explorers have been brushing up on their own skills. Congratulations to Avon Valley Explorers Thea Gilbert and Gus Morgan who have been awarded leadership sailing permits, which allow them to take out two people in a sailing dinghy. These are in addition to their kayaking and pulling permits awarded last year.
Thea and Gus are both keen sailors who have completed their RYA Youth Stage 4 sailing qualifications and are regular sailors at their local club. Gus has ambitions to become a Dinghy Instructor when he reaches 16 and Thea wants to be a professional yacht skipper. The permits will help both of them develop the skills they will need to achieve these goals. Youth permits are a great way to harness the skills and enthusiasm of our young people to help deliver a youth led programme.
Plus the Explorers got out on the open water with the Discovery Sailing Project, getting used to a vessel a little different to what they usually use:
3rd Ringwood’s many adventures
3rd Ringwood have had a number of adventures of the past few months, so many that we’ve had to put them in their own article including celebrating their 70th anniversary, getting outdoors finding trig pillars and discovering local heritage too. Check it out here.
Remember you can stay up to date with what’s going on on our Facebook page (/newforestscouts) or Instagram (@newforestscouts). Plus if you’re a volunteer you can be part of the Facebook group for members too. Do remember to share your stories with us throughout the month so we can share them directly and keep having great Scouting adventures.
Robin and Kevin.
Send your news and items for the next edition of Tails in November before the 26th to [email protected].