PROVING that Scouting continues even in a pandemic, Staindrop Scouts have been gaining their Gold Awards – the highest accolade possible.
Victoria Pelling, Scout Leader, said she was immensely proud of the youngsters, who completed nine challenge badges.
She explained: “There has been a lot of cooking, delivering of cakes to neighbours, shopping, and errand running for people unable to get out.
“They have been building camp gadgets, cleaning beaches, learning knots, online map reading, walking, cycling, litter picking, learning about tent care and self-care.
“Lots of bedrooms have been tidied, and there has been ironing, washing of clothes, tapestries and poster-making showing healthy eating and the importance of sleep. They have been fixing bikes, replacing lightbulbs, and learning about chemical hazards.
“The camp gadgets have often been tripods for suspending kettles and pots over a fire. One was a way of filtering water and an amazing gadget for removing tent pegs from the ground. Unusual as it is for a troop to present one Gold Award in a year, Staindrop Scouts have excelled and encouraged each other.”
Ten Gold Awards have been gained in just over a year. Their achievement has also encouraged two of their leaders to complete manager leader training.
The group also created a funny video inspired by last spring’s toilet roll crisis. The video featured Scouts, filmed individually, catching and passing on a loo roll to give to a Scout leader in need of one.
Ms Pelling said “We would have been celebrating Durham 2020, our first international camp in August at Wolsingham.
“Instead, we all stayed at home, put up tents in our gardens and bedrooms, cooked sausages outside where possible, and did goat yoga, scavenger hunts, neckerchief challenges, and built ariel runways down our stairs at home for teddy bears.
“Scouting has carried on as normal but in inventive ways as we weren’t allowed to leave our homes.”
Ms Pelling, an NHS worker, added: “Quite a few Scout troops have not carried on their Scouting but have chosen to wait till we could meet face-to-face again.
“Staindrop has embraced the challenge. I have hosted over 80 Zoom meetings as well as being redeployed to A&E earlier in the year.
“They have been amazing and kept me focused on ‘normal life’ when we were all going through something which was far from normal. I am so proud of them all.”
