Cambridgeshire Scouts

"Don't be gutted Mum, but you've just missed the best camp ever"

The words from this Cub Scout to his leader Mum about Plus 2 probably say it all - and would hopefully be echoed by the other 369 boys and girls who were lucky enough to come and enjoy the fun.

How it All Began

2007 saw a worldwide celebration of the centenary of Scouting. In May that year we in Cromwell District held our first all Sections Camp since Beavers began.

Plus 2 aimed to build on the success of that event, and take the young people even further on their scouting adventure through zones based on land, sea and air. Activities were planned to be a mixture of favourite and new, traditional and modern - suitable for all ages.

Planning began in earnest in late autumn 2008, as a team of volunteers was pulled together from across the District.

"Plus 2" 1st~3rd May 2009

After months of hard work from all involved the day finally arrived - Friday 1st May. From early morning a steady stream of volunteers and equipment began to arrive on site - from a field kitchen to scaffold poles and rubbish skip to First Aid teams.

From 5.30pm a steady stream of very excited Cubs and Scouts began to descend on the Ivo Leisure Centre Car Park, accompanied by leaders and parent helpers alike. Mountains of kit bags and tents soon began to appear as Groups checked everyone in. At 6.00pm the Groups took their turns to then book in with the Plus 2 Team and make their way across to Copley, safely seen across the road by a collection of helpful Explorer Scouts.

On arrival at Copley everyone made their way to the allocated camping areas and worked together to get the hundreds of tents put up.

At 8.00pm an opening ceremony took place, before the Cubs headed off for some wide games whilst the Scouts had to build their bivvies ready to sleep in. Eventually Cubs headed to sleep in their tents whilst the Scouts settled down in their bivvies - and, at some stage in the early hours, everyone was finally asleep..........

As daylight dawned on the Saturday morning a few early risers learned waking Akela (or any other leader) was not a good idea, and something they would quickly learn never to do again. Scouts had to pack away their bivvies and everyone on site tucked in to a full cooked breakfast. It never ceases to amaze us how many youngsters are surprised to find they need to do their own washing up though!

Throughout the whole of Saturday and on Sunday morning all the Cubs and Scouts were able to take part in the various activities offered in the land, sea and air zones (details below). All the Scouts present also took part in ScoutBurst on the Saturday afternoon - going out into St Ives and the surrounding area in small teams to work on various projects which benefitted the local community. As reward for their hard work, all Scouts taking part in "ScoutBurst" received a mounted shilling, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the former "Bob-a-Job" week.

At 12noon on the Saturday, 140 very excited Beaver Scouts gathered at The Waites and made their way round to Copley to join the adventure, banging home-made drums and blowing whistles just in case they weren't noticed! Whilst on site they too took part in the Air and Sea Zones, with their own special Mini Adventure to finish off activities.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, the Mayor and Mayoress of St Ives, the Chairman of Huntingdonshire District Council and a local Councillor all attended for over an hour and a half on the Saturday afternoon to see the youngsters in action. They presented shillings to Scouts on one community project they visited, with the Cambridge Evening News sending along a photographer to record the event.

Mid afternoon saw everyone parade with flags around to the Parish Church to take part in a renewal of Promises Service, where about £180 was raised for the charity "Riding for the Disabled". During the Church Service various Awards were presented to some of the adults present.

The day for the Beavers finished off with a traditional campfire before heading home tired, dirty and very, very happy at 7.30pm. As the Beavers sang their hearts out during the campfire one person summed up the mood of the day perfectly - "You forget how magic all this is, don't you?"

The Cubs and Scouts had yet more activities to enjoy, which included swimming in the Ivo Pool for the Cubs, before they all also took part in a traditional campfire.

For many of the youngsters it probably felt like no sooner had their head hit the pillow than it was time to wake up, enjoy another cooked breakfast and take part in yet more exciting activities being offered.

After a buffet lunch it was time for a closing ceremony that of course included numerous thanks and presentations. For once we were also able to give thanks for a District event on this scale that had dry weather throughout!

Groups then headed back to strike camp and make their weary way home, but not before checking the mountain of lost property on the way out! The only question on most of their lips was "When can we do it all again".

So, any volunteers.....................?

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