Best Troop in 2022
Best Scout Troop
The Best Young Leaders
The 2022 West Wirral Scout District AGM was held at Heswall Hall in May for the first time in three years. During the evening our Scout Section was awarded the Blackwood Trophy for the best troop that gets out and about.
Throughout the lockdowns, we continued to scout digitally with weekly zoom meetings, and newsletters; our membership retention was high, and we recruited many siblings and several parents following their involvement in our online activities, culminating in our group winning the President’s Prize for the best group in the District 2020 and 2021 at the both online AGMs.
As winners of the President’s Prize for Best Group in 2021, 4th Heswall was honoured to host the District’s first face to face Annual General Meeting and Awards evening for three years at Heswall Hall.
Our group had much to celebrate on the evening, as seven of our Young Leaders completed their training to receive their Young Leader Belts, and Alfie received the Young Leader of the year award too.
They will all now be able to wear the Sea Scout Leader cap at ceremonies, and our Treasurer will be treating them to an adult free curry night very soon.
In the summer of 2021 we returned to face to face scouting with all the necessary precautions to avoid the transmission of all covid variants, further to this, the Sea Scout leadership team made the conscious decision to organise and arrange our programme to be held exclusively outdoors, and to this day we have only had a handful of meetings in the hall. The Blackwood Award is intend for the troop that gets out there the most.
Brian Young, ADC for West Wirral Scouts, praised our team and young members for:
Their efforts and commitment to Scouting outdoors in all conditions
Promoting the Group’s activities and supporting District events
Promoting activities happening around Merseyside and UK Scouting as a whole
The David Blackwood Award was commissioned by Dave’s family as a testament to his and his wife’s hard work and dedication during their time with 1st Frankby Greasby Scout Group and West Wirral Scout District.
Dave believed in attending District and County events and getting Scouts outdoors. Commissioned in 1997 following Dave’s passing, it was first awarded in 1998 to 2nd Moreton Scouts, the inscription on the back reads…
WEST WIRRAL SCOUT DISTRICT
The important thing is to take part in these events.
BUT! if we happen to win it’s a bonus. It’s the icing on the cake.
The legacy of previous adult members has provided a fantastic set-up within the 4th Heswall Sea Scout Group which includes a well organised and dedicated committee, excellent cooperation between all the leader teams, fantastic facilities, and modern equipment that enables our young members to get out there and be active so we can Shout about Scouting on Wirral with all the amazing opportunities this provides now, and will provide for the future to secure the health and prosperity of the 4th Heswall Sea Scout Group. In 2022 we continue to grow, we have more leaders with adventurous permits, we now have two Beaver Colonies and have just started a second Cub Pack with a second Sea Scout Troop and a Squirrel Drey coming very soon.
In addition to the beautiful hand carved solid oak trophy, our group gratefully received funds which will go towards our plans to ensure we can provide exciting outdoor adventures to more young people for many years to come.
See our history in pictures here…
Read about our history here…
A Winning Team
Pictured at the West Wirral District AGM is Mark Sargent, Martin James, Andrew Everett (4th Heswall Sea Scout Leaders) receiving the Blackwood Award from Brian Young (Assistant District Commissioner (Scouts) for West Wirral District Scouts)
not pictured: Sea Scout Leader Becky Fox, all the leader’s long suffering partners, skills instructors, our admin team, occasional helpers, and of course the fantastic parents who all pull together with us to make memories for life at 4th Heswall.
