Jump to:
| What’s Coming Up?
| Reminders, opportunities and notices
| What’s been happening?
Welcome to Edition 41 of Tails of the New Forest. This month loads of opportunities and dates for your diary, look back at Carnival season and busy beavers, plus jamboree and free activity camp for those with additional needs.
Deadline for Safety Training is eleven days away!
A reminder that all volunteers must have completed the new Growing Roots: Safety Learning by 14 July 2025.
Thanks to many of your hard efforts, 86.3% of all the volunteers in the District have completed the Safety learning since December. This essential training ensures we continue providing safe Scouting experiences for all. We take the safety of all our Scouts extremely seriously.
If you haven’t completed the eLearning, please complete it urgently. Anyone who has been unable to complete it by the 14th July will not be able to attend overnight activities, will not be able to attend activities without full supervision by other volunteers who have completed it, and may be suspended until they complete it to allow them time away from Scouts activities to complete it.
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?
District Soap Box Derby – final checks!
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. The cut off date for notifying us of teams is Sunday 6th July – details are in the pack below.
Start times for each section will be announced once we have all the entries, 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.
Join a Water Safety Management course
Spaces have become available for a National Water Safety Management course, which is the essential qualification needed to take Scouts swimming when there is no lifeguard present. Organised by leaders within the district, this is happening within easy travel distance at Swanage on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th July 2025.
Provided by Land & Wave, this external qualification costs £290, however funding may be available from your District or County to help with costs. You must be:
- Aged 16 or over
- A competent swimmer with reasonable fitness
- Comfortable swimming in open water (the course includes sea swims – but it’s July in Swanage, so conditions should be pleasant!)
This is a rare opportunity, as these courses are not frequently available and this one has been arranged specifically for our group. We currently have two participants confirmed, and we’re looking for more to make the course viable. If you’re interested but the cost is a barrier, please still get in touch – we want to make this accessible for everyone. Contact: Jackie Heath, Malawi Expedition Leader
Chameleon Camp – 20th July
Held at the beautiful Ferny Crofts, Hampshire Scouts’ Chameleon Camp allows every young person a chance to succeed at an adventurous activity. Now in its third year, it is specifically designed for participants with additional needs, so they can benefit from a camp with total inclusion at its core.
Taking place on Sunday 20th July 2025, and right on our doorstep, there is one more reason to recommend it to any young people with special needs: it’s completely free.
Thanks to a generous sponsorship by Pennyfarthing Homes, all 60 spaces are completely funded. Find out more about the sponsorship, the event and how to join at the Hampshire Scouts website.
Come along to our District AGM
The New Forest Scout District AGM takes place on Friday 11th July at Harry’s Island at 7pm. Find out details, RSVP, and the agenda on this post on our website.
Youth Council returns
Develop leadership skills, discuss how to make a difference and have your say. Youth Council returns on Friday 10th – Sunday 12th October and we want our District represented among the range of Scout and Explorer voices from across the County.
Details and how to get involved on the Hampshire Scouts website.
Reminders, opportunities and notices
Join the World Scout Jamboree!
Applications for Scouts and Explorers to attend the next World Scout Jamboree in 2027 in Gdansk, Poland, have opened!
We’re super keen that every Scout and Explorer who is eligible (born between 31st July 2009 and 30th July 2013) from every troop and unit in the district knows about the event and has the chance to attend. Those who don’t end up joining the jamboree have for the past two occasions been offered places in alternative international experiences instead, so what’s stopping you?
Applications close on 19th July. Find out more about the event and how to apply on the Hampshire Scouts website.
Leaders, please help us spread the word to all through this poster and QR code.
Sailing opportunities
There are some sailing opportunities over the summer holidays with spaces. The two initial ones do not need any experience, the final one is a group looking for an extra member – you don’t have to be doing DofE for any of these, if you just want to go for experience.
Sailing Residential on Yacht (DofE/KSA residential if 16+ but open to ALL explorers)
When? 7 to 11 July 2025 Where? Southampton to Southampton
Cost? £350 Experience? None needed Interested? Book here
Sailing Expedition on Yacht (DofE/KSA expedition if 16+ but open to ALL explorers)
When? 26 July – 2 August Where? Southampton to Southampton
Cost? £630 Experience? None needed Interested? Book here
Sailing Expedition on Weyfarers – additional person needed
When? 11-13 July Practice; 15-19 August Qualifying Where? Solent Cost? £100
Experience? Needs to hold personal permit for sailing (Weyfarers), VHF licence a bonus
Interested? Please email [email protected]
Learning: Looking to improve your skills?
Join the Hampshire Learning team to learn and develop skills for you, with sessions throughout the weekend covering topics like Backwoods cooking, knots, science, Young Leaders, ‘Little Pickles’, OSM and more! Plus, a campfire on Saturday evening.
The Skills Weekend takes place at Ferny Crofts on the 4th and 5th October 2025.
You can take part in one session, or stay for the full weekend at Ferny Crofts if you prefer. Accommodation and food available.
Learning: Wood badge courses
Leaders
Calling all section team leaders and members! If you’ve completed your Growing Roots learning and want to branch out to earn the wood badge, then this weekend course contains everything you need!
The Wood badge learning weekend takes place at Ferny Crofts on 25th & 26th October 2025.
Modules covered: 8 (Skills for Leadership), 9 (Working with Adults), 13 (Growing the Section), 16 (Introduction to Residential Experiences, 18 (Practical Skills), 19 (International)
Food and accommodation provided, plenty of networking opportunities.
Managers and Supporters
The County Learning team have a couple of weekends coming up, perfect to arm managers and those who support adult volunteers with the skills to be a great people leader and complete their wood badges:
What: Skills of Management learning course
Where: Holiday Inn, Eastleigh
When: 15th & 16th November 2025 (Non-residential, must attend both days)
Details and Signup.
What: Meeting the Challenges and Achieving Growth learning courses
When: 14th March 2026 and 15th March 2026 respectively
Details and Signup.
Are you a badge collector?
The ninth annual Chandler’s Ford badge collectors meeting to buy, swap or sell Scout and Guide badges is fast approaching! You can find the Hampshire Scout Heritage team there with their stall, selling and swapping badges.
Where: 4th Chandler’s Ford Scouts, Hiltingbury Rd, SO53 5NP
When: Sunday 13th July 2025, 9am – 3pm
Entry: Adults, £2, Under-18s, Free.
Refreshments available, open to both Scouts and Guides
Information: John Leeks 07766 622 162 or Brian Calver 07769 958 111
District Diary
What’s been happening?
Check out what we’ve heard from around the district below, and do let us know your news by email. We’ve got lots of updates from the Beavers from across the District, two groups take time to look back on the year, and the Scout and Guide Band have been busy!
Expedition Challenge
We love hearing your stories but goodness, was this one absolutely fantastic!
Last month, Scouts took to the forest to take on the Expedition Challenge award, planning their own route and being prepared for what awaited them. We could tell you more, but instead we’re going to hand over to Scout Luke who has written an absolutely fabulous and detailed account for you all! Check it out on our website.
Busy busy Bee-vers 🐝
Beavers from 1st Poulner forged links with a local beekeeper this month to learn about these vital pollinators. Then, just a few weeks later, they were blasting off with fantastic bottle rockets:
Meanwhile, at 5th Tetswood, their Beaver colonies have been out making a difference for Volunteers week with a couple of litter picks around Calmore:
Busy Carnival season for the Band
Goodness have the Stanley’s Own Scout and Guide Band been putting in the hours this month! First, they were at the Copythorne Rally Day, performing on a different stage ot usual:
Then a week later you could find them in the Totton Carnival in the blazing sun:
(Catch them in this YouTube video if you want to catch some of their performance)
Before finally, rounding off this month, by being a key part of the Netley Marsh carnival:
Bravo to all of them!
Copythorne Carnival
Speaking of the Copythorne Carnival, alas high winds forecasted meant the tricky decision to cancel the carnival day itself. Fortunately, plenty of fun was had on the Vintage Rally day the following day:
The biggest of thank yous go to all the volunteers who made it happen.
3rd Ringwood getting stuck in
This month was 3rd Ringwood’s Group Camp with al sections in attendance. For the first time, this included the Squirrels:
Then later in the month, the Squirrels could be found off to the allotment to complete their Let It Grow badge:
Busy years to celebrate
4th Eling look ahead this month on their year to come and did so with a video of the year:
While 1st Fordingbridge help a summer raffle alongside their review of the year and AGM with plenty of winner also celebrating!
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 July before the 25th to [email protected].