explorer

The magazine

for Explorer Scout Leaders

December 2009/January 2010

scouts.org.uk/pol

A NEW SYSTEM

TO MANAGE

EVENTS

InTouch

How’s it going?Why review is good for you

Wanted!Explorer Scouts evade capture in Cumbrian challenge

KEEP YOUR BALANCEKEEP YOUR BALANCE

Planning programmes for 2010

explorer_120110.indd 1 10/11/2009 10:56

IFC_VA_Scouting_ExSuppDecJan.indd 6 11/11/2009 10:13

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WELCOME

Time to move on

4 Get with the planSix steps to perfect programme planning

6 Room for reviewTop tips to fi ne-tune the setup of Explorer Scouting where you are

10 South sparkIdeas of where to camp and what to do in the south and south-east of England

12 The Big QuestionHow do we get more Explorers to do weekend activities?

16 Operation DragnetAn event not for the faint-hearted

18 Game for a laughOur resident gamesters share two more

Contents

Your Explorer Scout Section Working GroupAlex Minajew, UK Commissioner for Programme Gemma Veitch, Programme and Development Adviser

Contact them at:[email protected]

Programme Team, The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Chingford, London E4 7QWTel: 0845 300 1818

ADVERTISINGRichard [email protected] Tel: 020 8962 1258

Eastbourne Explorer Scouts are currently attempting to break the world record, set in 2007, for the biggest Scout scarf. Join in by sending your scarf to Sacha Titherly, 7 Gordon Road, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3JD

Important changes to the moving on age between Explorer Scouts and the Scout Network are coming

into effect. Gemma Veitch explains all and introduces your supplement

The Vetting and Barring Scheme will start to be implemented from July 2010 in

England, Northern Ireland and Wales. One of the effects of this scheme for

Scouting will be that everyone aged 18 years old or over will need to be

registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). In order to reflect

these arrangements and to clarify the distinction between young people and

adults in the Association, it has been necessary to change the Explorer Scout

section age flexibility with effect from July 2010.

Feedback has highlighted that having Explorer Scouts aged over 18 can cause

issues in various areas, such as making correct arrangements for residential

experiences, criminal records checking, and activity permits.

Currently Explorer Scouts have until they are 18 ½ years old to move on from

the section. However, from July 2010 Explorer Scouts will be required move on

from the Explorer Scout section before their 18th birthday. This rule change is

effective across all areas of the UK.

For more information please go to www.scouts.org.uk/vbs or contact the

Scout Information Centre on 0845 3001818 or [email protected]

We’ve got issuesThere’s plenty to pore over in this issue, including some real life answers to the

big question of how to get busy Explorers to commit to weekend activities.

Don’t forget, here at Scouting we love to hear from you. Email your

comments, stories and programme ideas to [email protected]

with ‘Explorer Scout Supplement’ in the subject line.

explorer_120110.indd 3 10/11/2009 10:56

4 Explorer December 2009/January 2010

Mind the gapsLeave room in your programme for items such as

Taking the Lead activities, which can be done

regularly, and for a Unit Forum (where you get

everyone’s ideas for the next programme and allow

them to have their say on other aspects of the

section). You’ll also want time to support the Explorer

Scouts with the Building My Success process and

with making decisions about parts of their awards

and selecting activity badges.

Check your balanceCheck what you’ve already got in your

programme. Have you covered all the Programme

Zones and used a variety of methods? What’s

missing?

Fill a holePlug the gaps in your programme using themes

or ideas from your Explorer Scouts. If there

are still zones being missed, try

Programmes Online

(www.scouts.org.uk/pol).

Get with the planHow long are you planning for? Most Units tend to plan a term in advance. It’s a

good idea to do this several weeks before the end of

the previous term to allow time to contact people, make

bookings and check information. You also need to allow

the District Explorer Scout Commissioner time to plan

the District programme around what you are offering

and for the Administrator to collate the programmes

and get them sent out to all the Explorers and leaders

so they know what’s in store. Decide whether you will

meet during exam time and holidays, or whether your

programme will become more ad hoc at these times.

Set the dateDraw up a calendar covering the months you are

planning for and insert any fixed dates that you know

about such as large camps, festivals, expeditions and

training weekends. You may be able to programme in

some activities relating to these, for example expeditions

require training in advance and some night navigation

practice is helpful before a District Night Hike challenge.

Youth involvementNext get your Explorer Scouts’ ideas. Encourage

them to think about things that they have enjoyed in

the past but also to think outside of the box using some

of the ideas generation tools mentioned in The Unit Programme. Make sure that they know about the

Programme Zones and methods that we are aiming for

in the balanced programme, but at this stage we just

want ideas.

Planning a balanced programme

which will enthuse and inspire

a bunch of teenagers can be a daunting prospect. It doesn’t

have to be. Mel Brammer rustles

up some inspiration

explorer_120110.indd 4 10/11/2009 10:56

The Unit Programme, available from Scout

Shops for £5 is a guide to planning and running a

successful Unit programme.

5scouts.org.uk/pol

PROGRAMME PLANNING

Programme ZonesOutdoor and Adventure Any outdoor activities and plenty of adventure.

Physical Recreation Physical pursuits either individual or team; learning

about health issues.

Skills Learning and developing practical and social skills

and personal interests; taking responsibility,

developing self-confidence and having fun.

Global Developing a better understanding of the world

they live in; environmental, local and international

issues.

Service

Contributing skills and time to help other people.

Values and Relationships Thinking about values; understanding how

to form and develop relationships within the Unit

and outside.

Get with the plan

Ask the ExplorersAsking the Explorers what they want to do can be fraught

with danger. You might get expensive ideas like karting or

have to explain yet again that we can’t do paintball.

We asked our Unit for some ideas for the autumn and got

a range of suggestions as diverse as a luminous paint

fight, cow milking and caving. Explorers who understand

the programme are always a help here, and we had one

voicing support for a swimming evening so that he could

be assessed on his Swimmer Staged Badge. We also

operate a Unit Council, with four elected members

who work with the leaders to sift through the

ideas, decide what’s going in, check that the

programme is balanced, and take

responsibility for organising some of it.

Having done this for a year they have

a bit more of a clue about what is practical

and how much organisation something

might take.

more info

explorer_120110.indd 5 10/11/2009 10:56


Room for reviewIs Explorer Scouting in your Unit or District the best it can be? It’s time to review it

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BEST PRACTICE

The new year is a great time to review Explorer Scouting in

your patch and make changes to make things even better.

How to reviewReview is a helpful tool, based on a snapshot in time for

spotting parts of your Explorer Scout provision that may

need addressing, or for making a great provision even

better. Whether you are reviewing the provision across

your whole District, or just looking at one Unit, there are

some things to think about:

•WhotoinvolveYour list may include the following: parents, Explorer

Scouts, leadership team, District Explorer Scout

Commissioner, District Explorer Scout Administrator,

District Commissioner, representative of District

Executive, ADC Scouts, District Scout Network Leader,

Assistant County/Area/Region Commissioner for

Explorer Scouts.

•HowtodoitWill you have a meeting of all the people involved or

will you send out a list of questions by email or post?

•GatheringinformationMake sure that you have all the information you need.

What to reviewYou will want to review some or all of the following,

depending on whether you are looking at a District

or Unit:

• LeadershipDo you have enough leaders or people in other posts in

place? Are all the leaders undergoing training appropriate for their role? Are there plans for

recruiting new leaders? Have leaders recently left or are any intending to step down or change role? What is the induction process like for new leaders?

What is the diversity of leadership like? Are we

doing everything we can to make all adult volunteers

welcome and to make volunteering appealing for

a wide range of adults?

7scouts.org.uk/pol

•MembershipHow many Explorer Scouts are there in the District/Unit? How many are Young Leaders? Has the number of Explorer Scouts increased or decreased? What is the spread of Explorer Scouts

across the Units? Are some Units better subscribed than others? Why? What is the average turn out to

weekly meetings at each Unit? How many Explorer Scouts have been invested in the last 12 months?

How many Scouts are there over the age of 13 who

might be expected to move up to Explorer Scouts in

the next 12 months? How many Explorer Scouts have left in the last 12 months? Why did they leave? How many have gone on to be invested as

members of Scout Network? How many have become adult volunteers in the Movement? Is there a clear mechanism for transferring information

about young people from one section to the next? >>

How many of your Explorers have gained the Queen’s Scout Award?

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What is the diversity of membership like? Are we

doing everything we can to make all Explorer Scouts

welcome?

• Structure Are there enough Explorer Scout Units for a District of this size? Are there any geographic areas

which do not have easy access to an Explorer Scout

Unit? Are Units partnered with Groups where

appropriate and does this partnership work? Are all

Units open to all Explorer Scouts? Do the Units communicate and work well with one another to create a cohesive District provision? Are we making

the best use of the adult volunteers that we have

available in the section?

• Programme Is a Balanced Programme on offer to all the Explorer Scouts in the Unit or District? Do all

Explorer Scouts know about all the programme

opportunities available to them within the Unit, District

and beyond? Are all they all given the opportunity and support to enable them to achieve DofE,

Scouting Awards, activity badges etc? How many

Chief Scout’s Platinum, Diamond and Queen’s Scout

Awards have been achieved in the last 12 months? Are there any Programme Zones which are not covered very often or which are difficult to cover? Is a wide range of methods used to deliver

the programme? Do we offer enough opportunities for camping and nights away? Do we make use

of Nights Away event passports? Do the Explorer Scouts have opportunities to take part in international experiences? Do we do enough

of our activities outdoors?

• Youth representation Is there a District Explorer Scout Forum? Is there a Unit Forum? Was there a District Explorer Scout Meeting in

the last 12 months? Do the Explorer Scouts get the opportunity to have their say on the programme?

Can they take a more active part in organising the

programme if they wish? Are there Explorer Scouts involved with this review?

• Young Leaders Are all the Young Leaders in the District registered members of the Young Leaders’ Unit? Does the

Young Leaders’ Unit meet often enough? Is Module A offered at least every three months? Are the other

modules of the Young Leaders’ Scheme offered

regularly? Do the younger section leaders and the Young Leaders feel supported by the Explorer Scout Leader (Young Leader)? Do the Young Leaders

have access to the rest of the Explorer Scout Programme

in the District? Do the Young Leaders have a copy of the Explorer Scout Membership Pack? Are Young

Leaders invested as Explorer Scouts? Are Young Leaders undertaking the missions?

• Finance and resources Does the District Executive Committee adequately

support the Explorer Scout section? Does the DESC attend the District Executive Committee meetings?

Do all the Explorer Scout Leaders understand the way

that Explorer Scouting is financed in the District? Are Leaders encouraged to claim back their expenses?

Are the membership fees adequate to cover the needs

of the Unit or District Explorer Scout provision? Does the District Executive support the Explorer Scout section with fundraising and applying for grants?

Is there enough equipment for the provision of Explorer

Scouting in the District? Is the equipment adequately

Room for review

>>

explorer_120110.indd 8 10/11/2009 10:57

BEST PRACTICE

9scouts.org.uk/pol

insured? Is there a plan for purchase and upkeep

of equipment?

• PublicityHow often have Explorer Scouts or the Unit been in the local media in the last 12 months? Do all

Scout Troops in the District know about Explorer Scouts

and what we do? Are Explorer Scouts seen out and about at events and activities both within and outside of Scouting in the area?

Just looking at this list may be enough to give you a

headache, but when a team of you look at it together you

will find that you can answer some of the questions very

quickly. For the remaining questions, having information

about your District or Unit to hand will fill in the gaps.

It is important to be honest when reviewing your

provision – fudging your answers to make your District or

Unit look better doesn’t benefit anybody. No matter what

the results of the review, think about doing it as a positive

step. We’re all in this for the young people and we can

now start to ask for help and support to find ways to

improve what we are offering.

WhattodonextIn answering some of these questions you will have

found some areas in which you are doing really well, and

some areas that are ripe for development. The next stage

is to set some targets. What would you like to achieve?

How are you going to do it? Who is going to do it and

with what support? When is it going to be done? Be

realistic; you can only change things a little at a time!

Set about five targets and actions with a realistic

timetable and aim to have those areas improved before

your next review.

explorer_120110.indd 9 10/11/2009 10:57


South sparkThis area is about a lot more than London

(covered in a previous article), though that’s

likely to be your main point of entry. For the

purposes of this article we’re including

Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire,

Isle of Wight, West and East Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Getting therePlane: Heathrow or Gatwick Airport link to the rest

of the UK.

Train: There are a lot of train links here, mostly originating

in London. Eurostar and the Channel Tunnel also arrive

into Kent.

Road: Road links are excellent in this part of the UK.

Boat: Southampton and Portsmouth to the south will

probably be your point of departure to the Isle of Wight,

as well as being an arrival point from elsewhere in

Europe. Dover is also a busy link to Europe.

CampsitesThere’s plenty of choice for where to camp with your Unit:

Horley Scout Campsite. Banbury, Oxfordshire. Large

woodland site with small building available for up to 15.

www.banburyscouts.org.uk

Youlbury Scout Activity Centre. Oxford, Oxfordshire.

Huge campsite with a range of indoor accommodation

available and lots of activities. www.scouts.org.uk/sac

Earleywood. Ascot, Berkshire. Camping or indoor

accommodation available and some on-site activities.

www.southberksscouts.org/ew

Ferny Crofts. Brockenhurst, Hampshire. Large camping

area and two buildings available with a wide range of

on-site activities. www.scouts.org.uk/sac

Solent Scout Training Centre (Lyons Copse). Shedfield, Hampshire. Camping and indoor buildings with

some on-site activities. www.lyonscopse.org.uk

Broadstone Warren Scout Camp and Activity Centre. Forest Row, East Sussex. Huge campsite with a variety of

indoor and outdoor accommodation and some activities.

www.broadstonewarren.org.uk

Bushy Wood Scout Camp. Hailsham, East Sussex.

Woodland campsite on the South Downs, with plenty

of camping and a small amount of indoor

accommodation. www.bushywood.org.uk

Walton Firs Campsite and Activity Centre. Cobham,

Surrey. Large campsite with a range of accommodation

and activities. www.waltonfirsactivitycentre.org.uk

Adamswell Scout Campsite. Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Rural campsite with a river running through it,

ideal for back-to-basics camping.

www.adamswell.org.uk

Downe Activity Centre. Orpington,

Kent. Large site with indoor and

outdoor accommodation and a range

of activities. www.scouts.org.uk/sac

The climbing wall at Youlbury The clocktower at Downe

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REGIONAL REVIEW

In the last of our series of articles exploring what’s on offer for Explorer Scouts around the UK we visit the south and south-east of England

Paccar Scout Camp (Chalfont Heights). Chalfont St.

Peter, Buckinghamshire. Huge campsite with plenty

of indoor accommodation and a range of activities.

www.chalfont.info

Activities

Sailing and other water sports. There are several

facilities for taking to the water. Try these:

Oxford Sailing Centre, Farmoor Reservoir.

www.oxfordsailingclub.com

Southampton Water Activities Centre. www.swac.co.uk

Spray Water Sports Centre. www.eastsussex.gov.uk/

leisureandtourism/sport/clubs/watersports/spray

Bewl Water in Kent. www.bewlwater.org

HMS Victory and the Mary Rose. Portsmouth.

Visit two naval ships right out of the history books.

See www.hms-victory.com and www.maryrose.org

Coastal towns and cities. Brighton and Hove,

Eastbourne, Margate, Dover, Southampton and

Portsmouth all have something

different to offer, whether it’s the

beach and pier experience, looking at

the coastal defences which have

protected us from invasion over the

years, sea-life centres or naval centres.

Climbing. Evolution climbing centre

for indoors

www.evolutionindoorclimbing.co.uk or Harrisons Rock

outdoors www.softrockclimbing.co.uk/harrisons_rocks.

htm both in East Sussex; Craggy Island Indoor Climbing

Centre www.craggy-island.com in Guildford; High Sports

www.high-sports.co.uk have indoor climbing centres in

Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire.

Theme Parks. Thorpe Park www.thorpepark.com in Chertsey, Surrey;

Chessington World of Adventures www.chessington.co.uk

in Chessington, Surrey; Legoland www.legoland.co.uk in

Windsor, Berkshire. Get your thrills and spills on the

rollercoasters!

Castles. Dover and Deal, both www.english-heritage.org.uk in

Kent; Leeds Castle www.leeds-castle.com (also Kent);

Windsor Castle, Berkshire, www.windsor.gov.uk;

or Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, www.hrp.org.uk/

HamptonCourtPalace

Try something different by learning Scuba and Snorkelling at Stonecroft Farm Dive School, centres in

Surrey and East Sussex - www.stonecroftfarm.co.uk

Day trips. To France, the Isle of Wight or the Channel

Islands.

Outdoor Activities on the South Downs

www.visitsouthdowns.com or in the New Forest

www.thenewforest.co.uk both great for cycling, walking,

horse riding and more.

The clocktower at Downe Leeds Castle

HMS Victory

explorer_120110.indd 11 10/11/2009 10:58

We have a large Unit, but when we hold activities on the weekends we have quite a poor turn-out. How do you get busy teenagers to commit to activities on weekends or outside their normal meeting night?

Something for the weekend

Teenagers are pretty busy, but it can be disheartening for

a leader to spend several hours organising an activity

which the Explorers were keen on having in the

programme, only to find that only a handful are able to

commit to attending. Here are some responses and

suggestions to help you avoid the situation:

Remember that Explorers may be paying for the activity themselves or taking time off work for a weekend activity, so they need to feel that it is worth bothering with and good value for money.

Publish the programme at least three to four months in advance and back this up with flyers, bulk text messages or emails at regular intervals. If we send things through the post it is usually also addressed to parents/carers so they know what is going on.

It helps to have regular dates on the programme year after year so that the Explorers know to expect them and to leave space in their diaries for them, such as camps, DofE expeditions and festivals – these dates are all fixed a year in advance. We publish dates for the summer camp the previous September, along with an estimated cost,


explorer_120110.indd 12 10/11/2009 10:58

13

Q&A

so that Explorers have time to save up, arrange time off work and fit in with family holidays. Colin Laws – DESC, Loughborough District

I give hard but reasonable deadlines for things, and explain why – leaders don’t have time to chase round after so many Explorer Scouts. Send a reminder, and if they miss out on a great weekend because they didn’t get organised in time, then that’s a valuable life lesson for them. They will (hopefully) be more organised next time, as they know they’ll miss out. Chasing round after Explorers is making a rod for your own back.Ian – DESC, Farnham District

Our Sea Explorer Unit of 31 has a very busy schedule. We have our normal meeting night on a Monday; DofE focused activities on other nights of the week and a very busy weekend programme on top of this. This includes a kayak course (12 days), cardboard box camp, offshore sailing, and courses in first aid, maritime navigation, VHF radio, and pioneering. We also do regular water activity days on a Sunday. Other weekend activities include the cinema, DofE expeditions and visiting events like the Air Display in Yeovilton.

During exam time we ease up on the programme and run fun activities, barbecues, campfires, ten pin bowling and karting.

If you want to captivate busy teenagers, you have to tap directly into their interests. Getting support from parents and friends makes all the difference too. We operate a carrot and stick principle, with a lot more of the carrot!’David Sowden – ESL, Aire Valley District

‘My answer is ‘Be flexible’. Make your weekend activities nearby and flexible, so that paper rounds, weekend jobs

>>

scouts.org.uk/pol

explorer_120110.indd 13 10/11/2009 10:59


and music lessons can be fitted in. If you make your programme exciting enough, the young people will make it happen. Don’t expect them all to be there dead on time and don’t expect them to be able to stay for the whole event. Make sure they know they’ve got to tell you in advance when they are coming and going so that you can plan around them, but if you want them there at all then you have to be accommodating.’Heather Hale – ESL, Kent

‘Many of these commitment problems arise from leaders arranging activities and dates without consulting the Explorer Scouts. It might help to hold a meeting where the

Explorers set some of the dates for the next year’s activities. Most of them know when their exams and holidays are, so you should be able to arrange activities around these dates, increasing the chance of the Explorers committing. The organisers also have to understand that not all their Explorer Scouts may want to attend the activities. This is a great time for them to open up to the District/County and involve more Explorers. Most leaders appreciate a ‘day-off’ from organising events and this way they might well be able to reciprocate with an activity for others.

Mark Newman – ACC (ES), Dorset

In the next issue we’ll look at getting more support for Explorer Scouting from the District. Get your thinking caps on to help with answers to another big question:

‘We’re aware of a large rural area of our District with no Scout Groups and no Explorer Scout Units. We want to appeal to teenagers further out of town (some are half an hour or more away) but we’re not sure how to go about it – any ideas?’

>>

Calling all wordsmiths

After several years, Mel Brammer is hanging

up her fountain pen as Explorer’s sub-editor,

leaving us with some sizeable shoes to fill.

Could it be you?

C ontributing to the

supplement is key to

providing practical and

authentic support to section leaders

throughout the country. If you have

a flair for writing and a passion for

Explorer Scouting, we’d love to hear

from you.

As a leader or supporter in the

Explorer section, you’ll be well-

placed to tell stories based on your

own experience, or use your

network of Scouting friends to get

to the heart of the matter. You can

work on your own, as part of a

team, and write about the section

from a variety of angles. You’ll be

supported by the UK Programme

Team and staff from the Scouting

magazine team, so you’ll be in good

company.

Interested?To discuss this further, call Elis for an informal chat on 020 8433 7255. Terms and conditions are available upon request.

All profi ts go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).

explorer_120110.indd 14 10/11/2009 10:59

ACTIVITIES

I t is important to note that

although InTouch should make

the lives of Explorer Scout

Leaders easier through its

flexibility, it is a requirement for all

Explorer activities, including normal

weekly meetings, and not something

that can just be ignored.

What does this mean for Explorer Scouts?This means there is no longer a

specific requirement to appoint a third

party Home Contact to sit at home by

the phone whenever you take your

Explorers away. Instead you will need

to put in place the most appropriate

system for any event, activity or

meeting you run including the

opportunity to think about how the

use of mobile phones is managed.

InTouch will be implemented across

the UK between now and

1 September 2010, and your District

Commissioner will be able to let you

know when your District will be

moving across from the Home

Contact system.

InTouchAs detailed in the main magazine, the existing Home Contact system is being replaced by a new system called InTouch. Rob Lyon explains all

Full details of InTouch can be found at www.scouts.org.uk/intouch and in the InTouch factsheet (FS120075)

more info

01903 766 921

All profi ts go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).

Arrowhead Flashing LED

Adult ScarfItem code: 1027389

£12

With the Scout Arrowhead logo, this scarf is perfect for wearing on a campsite, day

or night. Replaceablebatteries (ref: 1027403)

available – two for £1

A Waterman Pen in a giftbox, in the popular rollerball

style. Adorned with the Scoutlogo. Ideal for gifts or

to treat yourself.

Sizes S-XXLThe very popular i.Scout

Hoodie makes a greatChristmas gift; it’s the

funkiest winter warmeryou’ll fi nd this year.

Sizes S-XL

Suitable for laptops with a 15” screen size, with three separate compart-ments, the middle one being padded.

Be Prepared Waterman

Rollerball PenItem code: 1024579

£22

i.Scout Printed HoodieItem codes:

1027208R (Pink)1026164R (Dk Grey)

£19.57

i.Scout Embroidered

HoodieItem code: 1026128R

(Dk grey)

£19.57

Be Prepared Laptop Bag

Item code: 1027383

£15

£12

explorer_120110.indd 15 10/11/2009 10:59


D ragnet started back in 1974 as a local event

for South Cumbria and North Lancashire

Senior Scouts, centred on the Venture Forth

base at what is now Great Tower camp site.

Originally for teams of three, it presently attracts around

300 Explorer Scouts and Network members together with

up to 100 leaders and back-up staff over the weekend. In

2009 teams for this once Cumbrian event stretched from

Edinburgh in the north to Richmond-upon-Thames

in the south.

The challengeThe aim of the competition is to walk, crawl or run back to

the competition venue, avoiding capture, within specified

boundaries over a distance of around 35 miles depending

on terrain. Coaches depart from the venue at around 10

pm on the Friday, to travel out to the drop off point.

Teams are dropped off at midnight and have one hour to

disperse before the catchers are set loose, to seek, find,

capture and with minimum torture extract a life card. On

each capture one life will be surrendered from the three

held, once all three are lost you are out of the game.

Teams are encouraged to continue walking in, but after a

minimum distance or in case of any emergency or injury,

transport is available back to base.

The winning team will arrive at the run in zone nearest

to 11 am on the Sunday morning with the maximum

number of lives. This makes the competition not just one

of brute force and stamina, but one of stealth, cunning,

teamwork and planning.

The storiesDragnet veterans regale many tales of their experiences,

after all, children of the original competitors now take part

in the event. One of the best stories must be from the

1970s when a team decided to bed down for a couple of

hour’s sleep, only to be rudely awoken by armed special

branch officers! Unbeknown to them they had wandered

into the grounds of the mansion of Ennim, just south of

Blencowe, home at the time to a certain Lord Whitelaw of

Penrith who was the incumbent Secretary of State for

Ireland!

Operation Dragnet

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17scouts.org.uk/pol

ExplorEr EvEnts

‘All Scouts like a challenge – to complete this event is an achievement for which anyone should be proud – 36 hours of navigation, sleep deprivation and evasion. Complete exhilaration followed by total exhaustion and for the victors, euphoria.’

The eventDragnet always takes place on the first full weekend in

July. This year the base was at the old school house in

Boot and teams had to make their way back from the

drop off on the Caldbeck Fells. The route and mixed

weather made it one of the toughest competitions in the

event’s history. Only four teams completed the event with

lives intact. After several years of out-of-County winners,

Cumbria managed a first and second in the Explorer Scout

event, with Ayers Explorer Scout Unit from Carlisle in first

place and Inglewood ESU from Dalston taking second.

Third was Gladiator ESU from Congleton. The winners

of the Scout Network Event were Ormskirk.

Andy, 17, an Explorer Scout from the winning team said

‘This is my third Dragnet and it is one of the toughest

challenges I have ever faced, especially this year’s event.

It’s great fun being out on the fells with my mates and I’ll

be back to defend the shield next year’. Explorer Scout

Leader Judith Bradshaw added, ‘It is great to see so many

young men and women from around the UK who are

keen for a challenge. They get a major sense

of achievement by completing the event’.

Dragnet 2010 is happening on 2–4 July, so don’t miss out! Visit dragnet.org.uk for all the details, find the event’s page on Facebook, or follow Dragnet at www.twitter.com/DragnetCumbria

more info

There are many challenging events for Explorer Scouts around the UK,

but DRAGNET must be one of the toughest and has now been running for 35 years!Operation Dragnet

Winners of the 2009 Dragnet from

Ayers Explorer Unit, Carlisle

explorer_120110.indd 17 10/11/2009 10:59


T hese two games are popular amongst our

Explorers so are played often. They are both

best indoors, and as they don’t have any

particular theme they can be played at any

time of the year.

Sticky Toffee Equipment: none

This game is quite simple and can be used to fill up the

extra five minutes you might have at the end of the night.

It is advisable for all players to remove items from their

pockets: watches, jewellery, glasses etc as this game

involves a lot of contact.

All the players except two lie down in the middle of the

floor and tangle each other up as much as possible by

crossing arms/legs with each other and grab hold. The

remaining two players then have to try and pull everyone

else out of the ‘toffee’ one at a time. They can do this by

pulling, tickling or any other sensible means, either

working individually or as a team. Once the person is free

they then help pull people out until there is no

more toffee. The last two Explorers left tangled together

are the winners.

Square Wrestling Equipment: chalk

This game can be quite rough, but if played properly is

great fun. Use chalk to divide your floor space into six or

eight large boxes, consecutively connected. Everybody

starts in box number one, and the players compete with

each other to be the last person left in the box. They

may do anything they wish to achieve this, other than

injuring their opponents (rugby tackling people out

of boxes works well!)

Once any part of your body is outside the chalk box

then you have lost that box and move into box number

two where you start all over again. The game continues

until there is only one person left in each box except the

last one. The person in box one would be the winner, box

two would come second, and so on.

Game for a laugh

Our game gurus Iona and Alasdair

share another couple of Explorer

meeting favourites

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IBC_Scouting_ExSuppDecJan.indd 6 11/11/2009 10:12

OBC_Explorer_SuppDecJan.indd 6 12/11/2009 11:19

explorer

Documents

explorer scout supplement

explorer scout leadersdecember

eastbourne explorer

setup of explorer scouting

scout association

scout network

biggest scout scarf

scout information centre