Norah Foster has been involved with Barnard Castle Cubs for 33 years and is still going strong. She talks to Chris Hollyoake about being a leader…
Back in 1992 Norah Foster responded to a plea from local Scout leaders Jack and Ken Stannard for helpers to run the Cub Scout pack in Barnard Castle. They asked Norah if she could light a Tilly lamp. When she replied yes, they said “you’re in”.
“I think they were secretly impressed,” said Norah, looking back. Then came the first night at the Scout hut and being faced with 20 boys. A bit daunting.
“I wondered what on earth I was going to be able to do to help,” she said. “The Cub leader (Akela) at that time was Jimmy Gibson and he showed me the ropes. I enjoyed it.”
The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Now, 33 years later, Norah has seen many changes in Scouting. Some were good, such as admitting girls and making uniforms much more practical; but others, such as some of the red tape, she was not so keen on.
Many adults will know Norah from either Cubs or from her day job as cook to various schools over the years – a skill that has come in very useful when cooking on camps for Cubs and Scouts.
What motivates Norah to carry on Scouting?
“It’s the fact I am helping and teaching young people some important skills for life. I want the Cubs to have fun and I really enjoy the friendship that Scouting has provided over the years.”
Scores of young people have passed through Cub Scouts over the years. Very often, Norah sees them around the town, in a shop or the pub and she finds it great that they all say “hello”.
“The biggest thing that Scouting has given me is the satisfaction of seeing my ex-Cubs grow into amazing adults. It is rewarding to enable young people to learn that they can achieve results that they didn’t think they could reach.”
Norah turns 80 this year and has no plans to retire, but maybe will take an occasional back seat. If her story has inspired you, why not come along to see what Barnard Castle Cub Scouts do. We run two nights a week for boys and girls aged eight to 10-and-a-half years. Any adults wanting to join in the fun will be more than welcome.
