On behalf of the County Team, we would like to wish all members of Northumberland Scouts a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and all the best for 2024.
This year was a special one for Scouts. And as ever, it was you, our members, who made it a success.
The Coronation of HM King Charles III brought the County together in a spirit of service. Once again, Scouts were front and centre, supporting the public and celebrating our communities.
Northumberland Scouts were so proud of our Coronation Champions, who travelled down to support this, they showed, like so many other times in our history, it was kindness that matters most.
We were especially proud to play a leading role in The Big Help Out, inspiring 7.2 million to try volunteering. These are the volunteers of the future and we’ll be playing our part again in June 2024. We saw lots going on in the county such as the Big Litter Pick Up organised by Whitley Bay & District Scouts.
We’ve also seen changes to the way we volunteer. Change is never easy, but it’s easier when we tackle it together and focus on the benefits. It’ll mean we can welcome more volunteers and young people into Scouts. We have a great team delivering this and we are very excited to bring more changes over the course of 2024.
We held so many events for our young people, adult volunteers & supporters in Northumberland Scouts. We held 2 fabulous Awards Days celebrating our young people and adult volunteers gain their top awards. A huge thank you to Northumbria University for hosting these as well as the Awards Team.
The County held 3 international visits; We saw a contingent travel to Iceland, An Explorer Scout Contingent travel to Italy for their Explorer Belt. A huge thank you to all of the adult volunteers who planned and executed two fabulous trips. Our last contingent travelled to The World Scout Jamboree in Korea and it was like no other. It was not the event we expected, and we know the members of the Northumberland Contingent faced huge challenges. But we couldn’t have been prouder of the way they adapted and continued their journey. It was a true test of our young people and volunteers’ Scout spirit, and it showed them at their best. A huge thank you to the team and all of the amazing young people for the way they adapted to the challenges.
We hosted our Bi-Annual County Camp, Camp Together where we enjoyed 4 fabulous Days in Causey Park which was amazing to see everyone back together.
It was an absolute pleasure to see some of our adults and young people at Windsor Castle in April picking up special awards.
Scouts is a family and everyone’s welcome here. Let’s keep extending the hand of friendship to all.
We find ourselves in a world still troubled with war and conflict. We’ve seen that raise tensions in our communities too. At this time of year, it’s good for us to reflect on what small part we can play in promoting understanding and reconciliation, reflecting our values of care, respect and cooperation and belief. It’s the everyday kindnesses we show to each other that creates the big change in the world.
Thank you for everything you’re doing to brighten the lives of young people, giving them the skills they need to shine. You make all the difference.
It’s been an amazing year and thank you to all the adults of Northumberland Scouts for delivering Scouting to the young people of Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.
2024 will be as busy and exciting and the whole County team looks forward to seeing you and supporting you in 2024.
Wishing you and your family a happy and peaceful new year.
Peter Thorp
County Commissioner
Northumberland Scouts
0 Comments