On Friday evening 23^rd December District Chaplain Rev'd Sarah Brough, District Commissioner Frank Kitchener, Ken Lyndup (Group Scout Leader of 1st Chiddingfold Group), and John Stone (PRO) took the Peace Light to Guildford Cathedral where it was received by Canon Nicholas Thistlethwaite during the Evensong Service.  Frank gave a brief resume of the history behind the Light and Ken read a short prayer.

Haslemere and District Scouts are doing their best to get the light distributed more widely, and it is their wish that its distribution may bring Peace and Friendship throughout the world.

The International Peace Light from Bethlehem arrived at Bentley Copse, the Surrey Scout Campsite at Shere, on Friday 16th December at 8.00 p.m.  The flame will have started its journey at the Grotto of Christ's birth and with help from Scouts and Guides from many countries it is distributed around the world, so that people can burn the flame in their homes and churches over Christmas.

Leaders from Chiddingfold collected the light that evening, and on Sunday 18th December at 10.00 a.m. the Rev'd Sarah Brough received the light from two Chiddingfold Scouts into her Church at St. Mary's Chiddingfold  at the start of Morning Service, where it will remain over the Christmas period. At the end of the Service 70 Christingles were handed to the children and some of the congregation, lit from the Peace Light, and taken away to be lit in their own homes over Christmas.

Also during the Service the District Commissioner Frank Kitchener presented Alan Martin with a 20 year service certificate, and Ken Lyndup the Group Scout Leader presented the Group's former Chairman Roger Clough with a well deserved "Thanks Badge" for services to the Group.

On Sunday morning 20th November, misty to start then glorious sunshine, Cub Scouts from Hindhead & Churt with their Leaders Sue Styles and Andrew Grenside and a number of parents, spent the morning cutting down invasive pine trees on Frensham Common.  Supervised by Steve Webster, Waverley Countryside Officer, hundreds of trees were cut, dragged across the common and stacked beside the track ready to be taken away.  Over the last couple of years the Dartford Warbler had disappeared from the area, and so a few scattered trees were left as song perches in the hope of tempting the birds back.  Steve was very grateful for the work done and said that without this kind of help it wouldn't happen, as the job was very manpower intensive.

In the afternoon Churt Cubs went back to collect wood from the cut trees to make Christmas gifts.

Churt & Hindhead Cub Scouts with their Leaders and Steve Webster in front of a pile of cut trees.  A good job done!

I was sent this poem and decided it was definitely worth sharing:

How can we forget these grim days?

For today it is Remembrance Day

The men shrieking and wailing in war

Their deaths silenced

But no more

We must remember the day of the war

With a bang and a rattle

They lived no more

Thrown in a ditch

Or left to rot

How can we forget these grim days?

For today it is Remembrance Day

The surviving men built a wall

To remember the men

Who saved us all

In the fields

Where these poppies grow

They rustle and blow

For we must remember the day of the war

Where the men stood

But lived no more

How can we forget these grim days?

For today it is remembrance Day

for who saved the day

Were forgotten

In these pointless graves.

By George Edser

Grayshott Scout Group

On 16th November as promised the 5 Explorer Scouts, Rabbie McGowan (Grayshott), Matthew Slade & Michael Stanley (Haslemere), Emily Collins-Wingate (Fernhurst), and James Knatt (Chiddingfold), lucky enough to go to the Jamboree in Sweden, gave a presentaion with slide show at the 1st Haslemere H.Q., which was very interesting.

On the day of departure Heathrow was awash with Scouts and their identical Jamboree holdalls, resulting in an hours delay for the Haslemere Scouts, but so excited time didn't really matter.  The first day in Copenhagan was a sight to behold for the locals, with 3,500 Scouts in various colours of neckerchiefs.  Power boating and a party were two of the items on the agenda.  On arrival at the site tents had just been erected when the heavens opened, and from then on it rained continuously for 3 days, followed by a long hot spell, and more rain when they were packing up.  Most of the 40,000+ young people had arrived by coach but some came in a London taxi, others on bicycles, and some on foot!

In the Town Centre of Haslemere's site they had an English tea shop where other Nationalities were welcome, and Haslemere Scouts visited other countries to sample their food too.  There were many activities on site to try apart from the usual games, making friends, and swapping badges/uniforms etc., and everybody had one day off site to spend with a Swedish Scout Group.

After the Jamboree the Scouts spent 3 days home hospitality (HO-HO) with Scout families in Sweden and other countries. Emily spent her break with a Sea Scout family on their boat in Finland.  Michael with his family spent most of his time swimming but remembers a 1/2 hour of hail stones as big as paint balls.

All agreed that it had been a life changing experience of a lifetime, and thanked all those who had been instrumental in getting them there.

Plans are already ahead for the next Jamboree in 4 years time to be held in Japan.

On the evening of Remembrance Sunday at St. Lukes Church, Grayshott, the local Scout Group took over the Church for a very different, and more poignant Service for the youngsters.  With some pews turned around at the back, a large screen with scenes of poppies, service personnel on patrol in Afghanistan, bombings, troops relaxing off duty, and repatriation of a body from a war zone, all made the Service more relevant for the youngsters.  Organised by husband and wife Scout Leader team Laura and Dan Miles with music provided by family members, the significance of the Service really hit home, particularly after the Scouts had all been given a slip of paper with a picture and brief circumstances of a soldier killed in the last year.  All were different, and during the service one by one they were displayed reverently on a pin board.

At the end of the Service the District Commissioner Frank Kitchener presented Wood Badges to Laura & Dan who had completed their Leader training.  Laura also received a 5 year service certificate, and Mark Fosberry, an Asst. Cub Scout Leader with Grayshott Scout Group received his Certificate of Appointment.

With reports up and down the country of memorials being vandalised, bronze plaques being stolen, and in some cases statues being cut from their plinths to be sold for scrap, it was very gratifying to see Camelsdale Scouts on Saturday morning cleaning up the War Memorial at Camelsdale ponds ready for the next day's parade and service.  They scrubbed the stonework clean, edged and weeded the paths, and their Leaders replaced some of the broken stonework.

The work was supported by the Mabel Grant Trust, who are working to get the whole area around the memorial and the pond tidied up.

At their meeting in Chiddingfold Baptist Church on Thursday 10th November, Police Constable Ralph Swindells of Haslemere Police, chaired a discussion among the young men and women who were Explorer Scouts there.  The main topic of discussion was anti - social behaviour and excess drinking by young people in the area.  There was some minor disagreement about whether or not parents should be informed; whether friends should be "shopped" and parents informed where that friend was covering up for a supposed sleepover; but overall Ralph got his message across, and his visit was much appreciated.

Afterwards Claire Morris, D of E organiser, presented Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards to Megan Aslett, Molly Spicer, and Iona Williams.  The Awards were competed for over a period of 6 months and included a 2 day expedition carrying all their kit over the South Downs, when it rained continuously for the whole weekend.  They also had to carry out some form of voluntary service, improve an existing skill, and take up something new of their own choice.

The District Commissioner Frank Kitchener then presented Certificates of Appointment to Mark Downer and Jon Taylor, both Asst. Explorer Scout Leaders with the Unit.  Jon was also presented with a 10 year Long Service Certificate.

At their meeting this week Camelsdale Cubs spent the evening trying out their cooking skills, and at the end of it their Leader Mark Russell said, "35 Cubs, 1 1/2 hours, 35 2 course meals, Chef's Badges awarded all round. 

Master Chefs don't know the meaning of stress!"