On the 25th and 26th September the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts of the 14th Ayrshire Scout Group (Prestwick) lead by Active Outdoor Pursuits in the Craigengillan Estate, Ayrshire got wet with a wide range of water sport outdoor activities.
An aspect of Scouting that applies to all sections (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and beyond) is to try new things and push yourself. The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts did exactly this with some adventurous activities on the Group Activity Day.
The young people went on a Gorge Adventure. This revolved around a gorge (Dalcairney falls) where the young people scrambled up and down a naturally formed gorge, jumping into deep pools and sliding down naturally formed rock flumes, an sailing down cliffs into the water below and walking behind waterfalls. What could be more adventurous than that! But they didn’t stop there, they also learnt to Stand Up Paddle Board on a mega board and canoe too.
This event was particularly useful for the all the young people who are working towards their Adventure Challenge Badge, which is needed for their Chief Scout’s Bronze, Silver and Gold Award.
After they had completed their activities, they were still full of energy and excitement, until they realised they still needed to carry the canoes back to the trailer. I am sure they all slept soundly that night.
Beaver Gregor McCallum said ‘I literately had the best day ever!’
Jamie Pitt (Cub) said ‘it was brilliant and so much fun! And I can’t believe I jumped off a cliff. Thank you everyone!!’
James Buchanan a Scout with the 14th Ayrshire Group said ‘I had an absolute ball on the activity day, the best experience of my life!’
Watching the Scouts having fun, being a team, helping each other made me think becoming a Scout Leader was totally the right thing to do! Hearing the Active Outdoor Pursuits instructor Matthew telling me he’d never had a group chanting each other’s name to encourage one another was amazing! Great bunch of young people we’ve got! Joanne King, Scout leader for the 14th Ayrshire Scout Group (Prestwick )
Fiona Hainey Group Scout Leader for the 14TH Ayrshire Scout Group (Prestwick) said ‘our incredible Scout leaders all believe that amazing things happen in the great outdoors. We hope to guide the young people to learn leadership, teamwork, resilience, initiative, and the world famous Scouting heritage and values too. We hope to inspire young people to reach their potential and learn skills for life while having fun and adventure and developing friendship along the way.’
We would like to thank Arnold Clark Community Fund and the Voluntary Action South Ayrshire (VASA) for their generous grants making this activity day affordable for all to enjoy. It was great to started the 2021/2022 Scouting year off with a bang. Reinforcing excitement and adventure as a key building block in young peoples development. The 14th Ayrshire Scout Group look forward to having many more experiences in the future.
If you are interested in helping out with Beavers (boys and girls aged 6 to 8), Cubs (boys and girls aged 8 to 10), Scouts (boys and girls aged 10 to 14), or Explorers (boys and girls aged 14 to 17) or helping in the background with things such as building maintenance, finances etc, please contact Kyle and Carrick Scouts using the link below.
If you would like to join Scouts Association in South Ayrshire we have groups across the Kyle and Carrick District. Find more information on Kyle and Carrick Scout District
http://www.arnoldclark.com/community-fund
http://www.voluntaryactionsouthayrshire.org.uk/
http://www.activeoutdoorpursuits.com/activities-in-ayrshire/
Kyle & Carrick District Scouts 