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Scout Troop

The Troop holds a weekly meeting at the Scout Hut in Station Road, Hampton, for two hours every Tuesday evening from 7.30pm to 9.30pm (no breaks for school holidays). In summer, the meeting may be at the Boat House.

Exceptions to this schedule are one week at Easter and Christmas/New Year, and two weeks in August, one of which will be the week of Scout Camp.

Scouting activities

Activities in the Hut, mainly in the winter months, are principally targeted at the obtaining of Scouting badges and also include: instruction in boating-related skills e.g. life saving, first aid, use of buoys and flags, knots, right of way at sea, reading maritime charts, plus in formal drills, ceremony of flags, indoor and outdoor games and sports depending on weather.

Out of the Hut, and mainly between May and September, other activities include:

• five-a-side football
• air-rifle target shooting
• navigation
• swimming
• outings to first aid competitions
• cooking
• weekly boating on the River Thames from the Group's well-equipped boat house one weekend half day.

Boating activities

Training is given by qualified instructors, with practice in kayaking, canoeing, rowing, sailing, use of the river.

Full safety equipment is supplied. When appropriate, a motorised safety boat is operated.

We hold an annual two-day long-boat trip over a weekend, usually on the Grand Union Canal, using skills learnt at weekly meetings. And we have occasional sailing weekends on the South Coast.

Camp

There is an annual one-week residential Camp, either with land-based activities or, alternate years, water-based activities, working towards gaining badges in scouting or maritime activities, acting as a Troop, erecting tents, cooking, cleaning, striking camp, etc.

Social activities

On the social side, evenings of bowling, swimming and a beetle drive take place on an occasional basis throughout the year. Members' parents and siblings are invited to these evenings.

Badges

Some of the badges that Scouts can be awarded are: Marksman, Musician, Sportsman, Fires and cooking.

Who can join

The Scout Troop is open to children aged from 10 and a half to 14 years inclusive. The Troop is divided into Patrols of about 6 scouts each, and scouts can progress to Assistant Patrol Leader and then Patrol Leader.

Our Scout Troop leader is Tony Davies, who has many years of scouting and boating experience behind him at 1st Hampton Hill. Tony is ably assisted by Assistant Scout Leader, Ollie White.

Interested ? Contact our Scout Troop on 07909 705684.

Other Scout groups, (e.g. land-based groups rather than sea scouts), are welcome to apply to operate joint events or days with this Group to give their members experience in boating activities that they might not normally have access to.