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Welcome to Edition 40 of Tails of the New Forest. This month find out more about Carnival season, brush up on the rules for the Soap Box Derby very soon, opportunities from the past and the ocean floor, plus updates from digital tools, donkeys and camps in one neat package.
Deadline for Safety Training is nearly here!
A reminder that all volunteers must complete the new Growing Roots: Safety Learning by 14 July 2025.
A huge thank you to the hundreds of you who have already completed it. This essential training ensures we continue providing safe Scouting experiences for all. If you are not sure if you have completed it since December, then ask your Group Lead Volunteer, or your relevant District Team Leader who will be able to tell you. Many will have received emails from them already about this.
If you haven’t done so already, please complete it as soon as possible — it’s vital that everyone takes part. Find full details about how on the Scouts website. You can find the module at learn.scouts.org.uk and if you have any issues logging in to the new system, please contact the Scout Support Centre by clicking the purple ‘Support’ button at the bottom or by using this form if the button isn’t there.
What’s coming up?
Carnival season is here!
June means Carnivals in many communities up and down the country, and the New Forest is no exception. For a number of our groups, there are community carnival events either run by and for the benefit of their Scout groups, or which the local Scout groups are taking part. We’ve been made aware of a couple:
Copythorne’s carnival weekend returns next weekend with the usual entertainments, floats and processions on the Saturday followed by evening entertainment. If vintage cars, tractors and machinery is more your kind of thing, the the Rally day on the Sunday may be more for you with plenty of exhibitionists and stalls throughout the day. Plus the more athletic have signed up for the Copythorne Fun Run on the Monday evening.
The Carnival Day and Rally are both taking place at the ‘Showground’ at Copythorne Scout HQ, Romsey Road, Copythorne, SO40 2PB – for those using What 3 Words, the three to use are ///paddocks.afford.outings. Meanwhile, there is also a Park ‘n’ Ride operating for the weekend events from Copythorne Parish Hall, Pollards Moor Road, Winsor, SO40 2NZ. Again for What 3 Words users those are ///fermented.sensibly.financial.
Meanwhile, the end of June sees their neighbours at Netley Marsh join in with the 6th Netley Marsh Carnival & Summer Fete. Taking place at St Matthew’s Church Hall & Field, Ringwood Road, Netley Marsh, SO40 7GY on Saturday 28th June between 1.30pm and 4.30pm with the fun, games, stalls and entertainments along with floats too.
Plus at both events, keep an eye out for the Stanley’s Own Scout and Guide band, who usually make a popular appearance at both events and I’d expect this year to be no different.
District Soap Box Derby – prepare your carts!
Don’t forget the Soap Box Derby, now in its new place in the calendar, is happening at Netley Marsh Church Hall field on Sunday 13th July from 1pm.
Please find attached the entry pack for this years Soap Box Derby below, and hopefully this year we will the first time Squirrels attending.
Start times for each section will be announced a little nearer the event, but we have more parking this year so we would like to encourage families to come along and stay for the afternoon to cheer on their groups teams in all sections. We will have refreshments available for a donation, a group of Explorers catering to raise funds for their Malawi trip and there will also be an ice cream van on site.
Save the Date: St. George’s Day as a District
Save the Date: our first New Forest District St George’s Day Parade is pencilled in for Sunday 26th April 2026.
More details will follow in the near future as to the format the day will take, but a huge thank you to everyone that has fed into these discussions to find a way we can celebrate together.
Reminders, opportunities and notices
Gone Home: John Phillips
We were saddened to hear this month of the passing of John Phillips. John was a long serving member of New Forest West District so may have been known to our friends in groups around Ringwood and Fordingbridge. In later years, he was a Scout Fellowship member, what’s today our Active Support unit. He died earlier in May and his funeral was held at Johns funeral will be held at New Forest Crematorium on Thursday 15th May. Our condolences are with John’s family and all who knew him.
Could Specsavers help you?
Specsavers have reached out to try and find some opportunities for their staff to carry out volunteer days. They can cover all of Hampshire helping at events, carrying out decorating or grounds work. If you have any opportunities for a team to come and help for a day please contact Alice, at [email protected]
Discover Hampshire Scout Heritage
Have you ever wondered what Scouts used to be like in the “old days”, even if that only means the 1990s or even later?
The Hampshire Scout Heritage team exists to record the history of local Scouting and preserve and display artefacts to educate and entertain the current membership and others who are interested. If you’d like to know more, or even better join the team, please come along the open meeting being held at 2nd Chandlers Ford HQ, Ramalley, SO53 1JG on Wednesday 18th June starting at 7pm
Celebrate World Ocean Day at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton is holding a free Open Day on Sunday 8 June, 10:00–16:00, as part of World Ocean Day celebrations. This is a great opportunity for our older young people and their families to
- visit real working marine science labs and research ships,
- take part in hands-on experiments and interactive exhibits,
- speak with scientists, engineers, and technicians
- learn about careers in oceanography, marine robotics, climate research, and more
The event is ideal for any young person with an interest in STEM subjects, the environment, or thinking ahead to future study and careers. Entry is free but booking is essential (the NOC is on Southampton Docks). Information on their website, booking through Eventbrite here or email questions to [email protected].
How do you like to receive your awards?
There are a variety of long and good service awards in the Scouts for all volunteers, not just those in uniform. When being presented with awards, as well as the certificate, you receive either a cloth badge or a brooch. This latter option is ideal for those who volunteer in roles without a uniform, such as trustees.
Unfortunately, for those who receive the wrong type it can take some time for a volunteer to send the badge back and receive the correct brooch, delaying the award presentation by weeks. Thankfully, you can now update your own preferences yourself in My Membership, to choose yourself and to ensure your certificate shows the name you want.
To update preferences, log in to My Membership, click My Profile, then Award preferences to find the options. Don’t forget to save after making any changes and if you are logging in using a phone, you can find those options by pressing the three lines in the top right corner.
Reminder: Get the Malawi Badge
In the summer 2025, a group of Expeditioners will be going to Malawi ‘the heart of Africa’, with the goal of aiding the community. All money raised from this badge will go towards community projects and resources for the people living in Malawi.
To earn this badge, simply learn about Malawi, and raise money for the project. Register and find out more at the Hampshire Scouts website.
Website
Our website has received a little bit of a spruce up this month, and we’ve secured some new tools for district volunteers that we’ll be launching gradually through the summer. If you have questions, spot a glitch and want to let us know, or have requests of what would be useful on this site to help you with your Scouting, then do let us know at [email protected].
What’s been happening?
Check out what we’ve heard from around the district below, and do let us know your news by email. Many of our Scout Groups have been busy making the most of the sunshine and lighter evenings. Plus a bravo to the young people who took part in national events this month, including marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Biggest Donkey Derby yet?
This month, two groups in Totton joined forces as 4th Eling Sea Scouts and 5th Testwood Scouts worked together to deliver the annual Donkey Derby fundraising and community fun day event. It was their biggest ever (by area at least) and saw loads of people and thirteen and a half thousand pounds raised to share between the two groups.
The biggest of thank yous go to all the volunteers who made it happen. You can also read more at the Daily Echo and Advertiser and Times websites.
All aboard for Sandleheath
All sections were out on the water this month at Sandleheath:
Stanley’s Own Group Camp
The May Day bank holiday was the perfect opportunity for Stanley’s Own Scouts to get together for a big, friendly group camp:
Testwood searching for volunteers for Tuesday Beavers
The Tuesday Beaver colony at 5th Testwood is urgently looking for new volunteers. Find out more and help out in the post below:
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 at the end of June before the 25th to [email protected].