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UNIFORMED GROUPS Morecambe Parish Church boasts almost a full range of uniformed organisations: Rainbows, Brownie Guides, Guides, Beavers, Cub Scouts, and Rangers. They meet next to the church. Each Week in Headquarters (opposite church)
Rainbows Thursday 5:15 - 6:15pm Brownies Monday 6:00 - 7:45pm
Guides Thursday 7:00 -
9:00pm Rainbows 21st Birthday Celebrations! 1st Morecambe Rainbows have, along with Rainbows everywhere, been celebrating the Rainbow Guide sections 21st Birthday. In April we joined over 400 Rainbows from the North West, at Pontins in Blackpool, where we spent the day being entertained by The Blue coats.
This month we joined 1st and 2nd Torrisholme along with 4th Morecambe Rainbows, at Torrisholme Methodist Church hall for party games and more birthday cake! We also had our own private birthday party at Johnny’s Fun Factory, with a special guest appearance from Mr Ingram, who had the honour of cutting our special Rainbow’s birthday cake. It hasn’t been all partying though. To mark this special birthday, the girls had been busy planting Sunflower seeds, lovingly tending and watering them, ready to give out after the parade service on the 11th May. We displayed photographs of the various parties and activities which the girls (and leaders!) have enjoyed during the celebrations. Sunflower, Snowdrop and the 1st Morecambe Rainbows Annual Report 2007 The Uniform Groups at Morecambe Parish Church include the 1st Morecambe Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers and also the 11th Morecambe Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. During 2007 good progress was made by all the individual groups. 1st Morecambe Rainbows Prior to June 2007 the unit was run by Karen who I had shadowed since January in order to gain an insight into the running of a Rainbow Unit. Karen handed over the unit to me in June 2007. I was definitely thrown in at the deep end with my first task as unit leader being the Rainbow Rumpus which was attended by 50 Rainbows from units across the Morecambe district. The event was a success with all Rainbows gaining knowledge of our country from the theme of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. In September following the school holidays Rainbow meeting were run with the assistance of parent helpers who gave up their time on a rota system. This system was a great success until we finally gained a new member of staff, Louise Bailey, in Oct. During this time we managed to increase the number of Rainbows from 7 to 12. In November the Rainbows embarked on discovering about Rainbows from around the world which tied into the theme of the Rainbows tree at the Morecambe Parish Church Christmas Tree Festival which was peace on earth. December saw the Rainbows having an early Christmas party which was attended by Father Christmas with his large sack of presents. Lots of fun was had by all. Alison Jenks Louise Bailey
Brownies There are 28 Brownies and a healthy waiting list. The Brownies started rehearsals in January for a show on the theme of Disney. After Easter the Brownies made crafts and in May they went on their annual pack holiday which was held at Silverhelme Campsite. During the summer meetings they enjoyed games on the field and went on a visit to Morecambe Library to meet the children’s author Jeanne Willis. They visited Williamson Park in July to see the outdoor theatre production of Pinocchio. In September rehearsals commenced for the show ‘Entertainment through the Years’ which will be performed in March 2008. The Brownies ended the year with a visit to the Apollo cinema to see the new Disney film ‘Enchanted’. The Brownies have 4 Guiders and 1 Young Leader Guides The Guides have had a busy year. They camped at Division Camp in May and Hanna and Claire gained their Camp Permits. Gemma took her Camp Licence and passed; she is now studying at Edinburgh University and returns to us periodically. In summer the Guides attended camp at the Four Nations which is the County International Camp. The Guides had a lot of fun with their sub-camp formed by all the Guides from Morecambe Division and Guides from Cramlington. At Christmas the Guides went to Marco’s for their annual pizza/pasta night and then on to the Panto, Mother Goose. In between times the Guides have worked at badges, Go-for-its, craft and attended the Big Gig. All in all it has been another busy but enjoyable year. Numbers have remained steady and finances are OK. The guides are looking forward to the New Year. Rangers Rangers numbers have remained steady. As a group the Rangers did not manage to get their trip to Switzerland organised but hope to try again soon. This year they have worked on their Duke of Edinburgh Award with one group completing their Bronze and beginning their Silver Award. The Rangers in addition attended their Division County Camp as Service Crew and had a lot of fun as they camped with other Rangers from around the country. At Christmas they went for a meal and then on to the Duke’s to see the Twits. The Rangers also arranged an Indian meal which was really enjoyable. Other items included a visit from Mrs Wellock to talk about the Guide International Centre at Sangam and also the Rangers camp at Merseymoot which is a well looked forward to event in their calendar. Beaver Scouts Report The year commenced with 14 Beavers who have worked very hard on their badges during the year. They have taken part in some new badges and have obtained their healthy eating, exercise, IT, experiment, air and creative badges. In June they took part in the fun day at Waddecar and gained their explorer badge. Also in June the Jamboree contingent visited and did an evening’s activities. Almost all the colony went on the District sleepover at Tower Wood, Windermere, and had a great time abseiling, canoeing, crate climbing and bug hunting and achieved their adventure and sleepover badges. For the Christmas Tree Festival this year the Beavers decided to make a snowman out of mostly recycled materials and had a great time. They finished the year with a Christmas party enjoying lots of fun and games. Cub Scouts 2007 was the celebration of the Centenary of Scouting. Cubs had a very busy and productive year. The number of Cubs on the role is gradually increasing with approximately 15 regular members. Cubs have worked hard towards gaining badges in IT, My Faith, Adventure, Camper, Home Help and Swimming. Some of the Cubs have also been awarded their Outdoor Challenge Badge. The Cubs have been away on three camps this year, two of which have been under canvas and an indoor weekend. The first camp they went to was the District Centenary Camp where they met Cubs and Scouts from other groups in the District, as well as having the opportunity of learning some new skills. The second camp of the year saw some of the Cubs joining with Scouts for two nights during their week long camp to celebrate the Scouting Sunrise, where everyone renewed their promises at eight o’clock in the morning round the fountain at Rydal Hall. It was a very moving experience. Other activities undertaken included the St George’s Day parade at Williamson’s Park which was unfortunately marred by rain. Along with other sections Cubs helped to clear up Ryelands Park after the car boot sale and tidied up the uniformed groups grounds, finishing the evening with a bag of chips. Scouts Report 2007 was the Centenary Year of Scouting. The Scouts wore a special neckerchief upon which they could place 4 badges once they had gained them. Scouts took part in two camps and one indoor weekend. The first camp was at Littledale for the District Centenary Camp over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. The annual summer camp was at Rydal Hall with some of the Cubs attending from Monday to Wednesday. At 8.00 am on the 1st August, together with the 9th Ormskirk Scout Group all present renewed their promise in the garden. Scouts all over the world were also renewing their promise at the same time. In October an indoor weekend took place jointly with the Cubs at Silverhelme camp site. They worked towards their Outdoor Challenge and on the Sunday morning visited Leighton Moss. Other events included St George’s Day Celebrations in Williamson Park on a very wet day which meant that quite a few planned activities could not take place; helping clear up after the Rotary Giant Car Boot Sale on Ryelands Park (another very wet day!); taking part in the District Swimming Gala and two teams of four Scouts entered the Night Hike competition in November, covering quite a few miles around Halton, stopping at bases to be tested on their knowledge of Scouting skills (more rain!!!). Also in November Joe and Jake were awarded their Chief Scout’s Gold Award, the highest award they can gain as a Scout. Along with Christopher they are acting as Young Leaders and will be attending Explorer Scouts. Once again the year ended with the District Scout Post. The year has been a struggle as another leader is urgently needed so that even more activities can be completed. Finally: A big thank you A great big thank you to all Leaders, helpers and parents for their time, skills and efforts provided to the Uniformed Groups in 2007 It is much appreciated by all members. Martin H Ellam – Chairman
Updated 04.06.2008 |