Hi All,

We’ve a few things to post here. Yes, it’s very early, but hopefully it’ll help you to be well planned!

Gear List. It WILL change so please keep an eye on the website!

Things you will need are:

• FULL UNIFORM.  We will depart in full Uniform.  No Exceptions!  Now is a great time to check you have all parts of your uniform.
• Spare neckerchief.  While not essential, would be useful as a spare, or if you wanted to swap yours etc.  (You must always have a Douglas / St. FinBarres neckerchief, so if you’ve only one with you, then you can’t swap it if the opportunity should arise).

• Hiking boots will be necessary.  Remember too that it’s VITAL to “wear in” hiking boots.  If you need to or choose to buy new boots, you MUST have them “worn in” before camp or you’ll be VERY uncomfortable in them!
• Water bottle – At least 1 litre – possible 2 x 500ml’s would be a good idea.
• Sleeping Bag  – THE SLEEPING BAG IS A MUST!  YOU WILL NEED IT!!
• Pillow (if you like.  Inflatable maybe?)
• Pillow Case.  (We think there may be pillows in the chalet but you will NOT be able to use them without a pillow case that you bring yourself.
• Track-ends/Leggings
• Warm Sweater
• T-Shirts
• Changes of Underwear
• Plenty of Socks
• Warm Nightwear
• Change of Shoes or Runners
• Shorts & Trousers
• Raingear – Waterproof Jacket & Trousers
• Warm Hat & Gloves
• Wash Gear – Toothbrush & paste, Shower Gel, Shampoo, Comb
• Towel
• Swimming costume & hat
• Tea-Towel & Dish Cloth
• Sun hat
• Sun cream & Lip salve
• Torch & Spare Batteries
• Rucksack or similar type hold all
• Day trip bag
• Sunglasses  (Nothing expensive please!)
• Walking Socks
• House shoes – the hostel are quite strict about no “outdoor footwear” to be worn inside. So something suitable. Slippers, flip flops, whatever would be comfortable.

Just for information, there are NO clothes washing facilities in the chalet.  As far as we know there are no launderette facilities anywhere in the vicinity – so either have enough of clothes for the duration or be prepared to do a hand wash yourself!

The two types of bag are important and worth considering.  The main rucksacks will be going onto the coach before we leave Cork, and will not be available again until we get to Switzerland.  So everything needed for the journey will have to be packed in the day bag.  We would recommend that this would at least contain:

• Change of clothes
• Washgear & towel
• Water Bottle  SUPER IMPORTANT
• Swimwear

If it’s small enough, it might be nice to have the sleeping bag in the day bag?  While not essential, it would add to the comfort on the journey, both on the coach, and possibly on the ships.

Money

Totally get that a lot of people nowadays live in an electronic world – and use Revolut or similar for nearly all their spending. BUT…

Where we are in Switzerland is very rural. There are zero guarantees that all cards will necessarily work. Were that to happen, we wouldn’t be in a position to give you money to carry you over.

So…

We would strongly suggest that spending money is brought in Swiss francs – at least some of it. (i.e. not relying on your card for everything.) We will be, as usual, offering a camp bank system whereby we can take care of any cash for you until it’s needed.

Obtaining Swiss Francs:

It’s come to our attention that not all of the Irish banks will supply foreign currency at this stage- even on order. So this is also something that needs to be looked into in advance. We BELIEVE that Bank of Ireland and AIB do allow you to order foreign currency. Please check it out with your bank!

That’s about it for now.

PLEASE keep checking this website.  All new information will go up here.  Travel information will go up here.  Also, we would anticipate that the “gear list” above will be changed / added to.  If that happens, you’ll read about it here!

Contact any of us with any queries – camp24@douglasscouts.ie

Yours in Scouting,

Adelboden 2024 Team!.

On Thursday 29th the bus departed at 3.00m in the morning and Summer Camp 2023 officially commenced.

Bus to Ferry to trains followed by lunch and another bus and then we were at Silver Cross

We got started straight away setting up tents and camp. The sun acted as both a positive and a negative in that the weather was wonderful but tiring especially after the journey.

After camp was set up there was some free time before we had dinner.

Friday 30th

After the traveling yesterday it was not much of a surprise that we had a late start today

We started off Camp with a light day onsite.

This consisted of a shelter making demonstration for bivvying and then practice. Following that, the scouts and ventures split into 6 patrols and then partook in some team bonding activities. This included Flag designing and making, coming up with Patrol names, assigning roles; Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, Scribe etc. Claiming Huts and Fires. At the end of the day we all got a lovely surprise trip to Costa Coffee.

Saturday 1st

Today was spent mostly out in Swansea.  We went to the Leisure Centre: Which was a very cool swimming pool with multiple slides. After the LC we got to spend time on the promenade where we witnessed some of an awesome airshow and then wandered into a fair with many different stands for example a Lego minifigure stand, and Ferrets. We also had a brilliant encounter with both Batman and Spiderman.

The day came to a close with some card games and Tarot reading.

Sunday 2nd

Today’s primary activity was an Inter-Patrol Cooking competition. This was won by a 6th scout patrol group who made Burgers.

Other activities included; Putting up tents without sight and/or hands.

Traversing a minefield with a ‘Scout’ (Ha)

Blind Obstacle course & Cup of Water

Disabling bombs and rescuing civilians from between burning buildings.

Cooking breadsticks

Camouflage hide and seek in the woods.

Another Late night ended the week with exciting discussions regarding Aliens and Life on other planets.

Monday 3rd

Today started at 10.00am with a Hike into Morriston which lasted about an hour and a half. We then continued on for a further half hour to Swansea AFC Stadium where we stayed for 2 hours. We decided to return via a more direct route back to camp from the Stadium. Highlighted conversation on the journey back was about James Gunn and Mark Reeves’ DC movie adaptations.

Finally Monday came to a close with a coloured themed Inter-Patrol eating challenge

Beige – Whistling Crackers   Blue – Cheese   Red & White – Uncooked Pasta and Jam   Red – Chili Pepper   White – Cake   Yellow – Lemon   Green – Olive

Tuesday 4th

Today was spent in Oakwood Theme Park. The most enjoyed ride was probably Speed -A rollercoaster with a near vertical drop, loop-the-loop, and corkscrew- or Vertigo -A slingshot-like-ride where up to three people were drawn up to what must have been at least the height of a seven story building and then let swing down.

While at the Theme park the Ventures engaged in some delightful Plotting.

Once back at camp everyone partook in some Jovial Birthday Celebrations which ended with a Woodland Disco. Highlighted Songs include; Ra Ra Rasputin, Mr Brightside, California Girls, and Footloose.

Wednesday 5th

The day was spent onsite and started out with avoiding ‘spiderwebs’ in the forest by climbing or crawling. Following that we delighted in trialing the much talked about  Spiderland. One person went through a total of 13 times.

After cleaning up from Spiderland we all were challenged by a Quiz about our Patrol Leaders. We know them so well. After that we got to trial laser tag in the woods we then got to partake in crate stacking and the aforementioned plotting was executed.

Thursday 6th

We had a dark and early start today at 03.30am and traveled to Rhosilli where we went Coasteering; Coasteering involved swimming along the coastline, climbing and then jumping off Cliffs and it was outstanding and an incredible experience.

When we returned to camp we took down shelters and repacked patrol boxes and some other site items to lessen the workload for later. Then we had a number of hours of free time where we laid back; read together, played games and, notably, built a wonderful bandstand with a porch, roof, decorative leaves and flowers and carved wooden rings.

In the evening we got to meet Explorers from the area and enjoyed an excellent Barbeque with them. The night was spent socialising and playing Uno.

Friday 7th

The second last day of Summer Camp was spent taking down camp, packing bags and generally preparing for the journey back to Cork. After finishing packing early. We got to spend 1.6 hours in Swansea and then a further hour and a half at the LC. The markets in Swansea were the highlight of the time there. Upon returning to camp we prepared for the last campfire which included collecting firewood and getting songs prepared. We found Frogs which definitely would make a list of the best things to happen on camp. At the campfire we got the results of the Interpatrol competitions the overall winners being A Ventures patrol called Baskets

The final competition was a pronunciation competition of the longest place name in Welsh; llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

The last night was a late night with some goodbyes.

Saturday 8th

The travel back was bittersweet considering people were happy to be home but no doubt sad camp was over.

Nevertheless many wonderful memories were made and experiences had.

We are very grateful to all the leaders and everyone who was involved in making Camp happen and running it.

Thank you all very much, Míle Buíochas, Diolch.

Katie Byrne.

Dear Scouts & Parents,

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New year as best you could given the circumstances. 

Since our last update before Christmas a lot has changed and the situation with Covid19 continues to develop and unfortunately escalate around the world. 

Following todays announcement by Scouting Ireland all Douglas & St. FinBarres Scout Group indoor meetings and outdoor activities are suspended until further notice and our return to regular Scouting is going to take longer than expected. 

The leadership team are however looking into the possibility of running virtual meetings or virtual activities where possible.

The constant negative news articles and the waiting to hear the daily numbers are putting a huge amount of pressure on everyone but there is light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccines beginning to roll out and we will look back on this eventually and know we came together by staying apart.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate in contacting myself by email at vickieswanton@douglasscouts.ie

Yours In Scouting,

Vickie Swanton
Group Leader – Douglas & St. FinBarres Scout Group

As we watch the flames of 2020 fade away we wish all our members, scouters, family and friends a very Happy New Year and welcome 2021 with a renewed spirit.

Scouting certainly didn’t go the way we expected in 2020, some sections did manage a few local activities and even a few online meetings.

Thank you to our members for continuing to show us your support. Thank you to all our Scouters for doing what you could in running activities and online meetings.

Roll on 2021 where we’re sure we’ll meet around a campfire once more!

2020 has been a very challenging year for everyone and for Scouting it has been no different.

We hope to return to Scouting of some form shortly and continue on in January for all our sections. This of course can change and will depend on Government, HSE and Scouting Ireland guidelines.

The Group Secretary sent out an email to all our parents on Monday last to ask for confirmation if your child will be returning to Scouting with us so we can plan for the coming months.

We would appreciate it if you could let us know by replying to dsfgroupsecretary@douglasscouts.ie as soon as possible and if you could please mention your childs name and the section they are in when replying we would appreciate it.

If your child does not currently wish to return but changes their mind in the future we will of course welcome them back.

If you have any questions please feel free to email dsfgroupsecretary@douglasscouts.ie or contact the Group Leader, Vickie Swanton at vickieswanton@douglasscouts.ie

Hello everyone: it’s been a while so here is an update for all our members.

The Group Council prepared our ‘Roadmap to return’ and this was shared with our Scouters at a virtual meeting on July 28th.

Following on from the government’s announcement on Tuesday evening the Group Council must review our plans regarding our return to regular Scouting.

At the moment and in line with our own roadmap we will continue to permit planned outdoor activities but now with the revised numbers of 12 youth members and 3 leaders and only with our Covid19 declaration completed in advance.

Resuming our regular weekly meetings is still under review but in line with government guidelines these will not occur until mid September at the earliest

Changes to the Group Council of Douglas & St. FinBarres Scout Group have been made and we’re thrilled to announce that Vickie Swanton has been appointed as our Group Leader.

Following Eoin Fields decision in January 2020 that he would step down towards the end of this Scouting Year the Group Forum met virtually in May and unanimously agreed that Vickie would be nominated for the position of Group Leader of the Douglas & St. FinBarres Scout Group, this decision was ratified by the Group Council and Eoin officially stood down on June 8th. The County Commissioner has been informed and Vickies details will now be forwarded to Scouting Ireland for approval.

Up to this point Vickie had held the role of Group Secretary and also that of Assistant Cub Scouter.

Vickie has been a member of Douglas Scouts since 2008 and has previously held the roles of Beaver Leader, Assistant Scout Leader and Cub Scouter. Vickie comes from a Scouting family and her fiancee Mark, her mother Wendy, her father Nick and her brother Cian are all current members of our Group.

The Group Council, the Group Forum and the leadership team of all our sections wish her well in her new role and look forward to supporting her and helping her to lead Douglas & St. FinBarres into the future.

Sean Taffee was duly nominated and elected to the role of Group Secretary and we extend our congratulations to him also

Hello fellow Scouts and Parents,

Given the updated announcement from the Government today we will continue with our decision to stop ALL Scouting activities, including but not limited to, weekly meetings, weekend activities, Group Councils, Group Forums, scouters forums, section councils, quarter master work, for our members, both adult and youth.

We are doing all this in the best interest of our Scouters and our youth members.

Section leaders have already canceled any activity they had planned until further notice.

The Governments update restrictions runs until April 19th, we will be working along the same timelines and we will keep you updated as the information comes to us.

As always, remain calm and focused, and thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation.

With regards Camp 2020; that is now under review and we will provide those going with an update at the weekend.

If you have follow up questions please email me eoinfield@douglasscouts.ie.ie or the Deputy Group Leader conorcrowley@douglasscouts.ie

Yours in Scouting,
Eoin Field – Group Leader

Hi All,

As you can all imagine, like everyone else, our thoughts are all centering on Covid-19 at the moment. And how it’s affecting us all in our daily lives & affecting our friends and families.

We also have, as you can imagine, been discussing ongoing Scouting – and in particular our upcoming Summer Camp in Swansea in July / August of this year.

While everyone acknowledges that the Covid-19 situation is constantly evolving, as of now we’re currently still planning Camp 2020 as if it is going ahead as planned. This may change of course, and if it does, we will notify you as soon as possible and will refund all monies paid.

Most importantly – Please keep safe and look out for each other.

As ever – please contact us with any queries to: camp20@douglasscouts.ie

Hello fellow Scouts and Parents,

Given the announcement from the Government this morning we have taken the decision to stop ALL Scouting activities, including, but not limited to, weekly meetings, weekend activities, Group Councils, Group Forums, scouters forums, section councils, quarter master work, for our members.

We are doing all this in the best interest of our Scouters, and our youth members as of 6pm this evening. This means the meetings in the hall tonight, will NOT be going ahead.

Section leaders will now cancel any activity planned until further notice.

The Government advice runs from 6pm this evening until March 29th, we will be working along the same timelines and we will keep you updated as the information comes to us.

As always, remain calm and focused, and thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation.

With regards Camp 2020 we will make a decision on that in due course.

If you have follow up questions please email me eoinfield@douglasscouts.ie.ie or the Deputy Group Leader conorcrowley@douglasscouts.ie

Yours in Scouting

Eoin Field, Group Leader