St. Joseph’s Triple Win: Pat ‘O’Hara competition 2019

It’s a hattrick of wins for the Scouts of St. Joseph’s Scout Group over the last three years of competition.
Luton Scouts met at Jordan’s Close Activity Centre, on the river Great Ouse at Great Barford, to compete for the prestigious honour of carrying the St. Georges Flag in next April’s parade.

St. Josephs, Warden Hill and Wardown 9th Scouts attended the competition from Friday to Sunday, proving they are up to all the challenges of camping, showing skills in setting up camp and mess tents, organising the kitchen for the meals, lighting campfires and showcasing camping etiquette.
All of this was carried out under the experienced eyes of the Scout Leaders, who were taking notes and awarding points for skills. This not only challenged the Scouts but gave them the opportunity to grow.
During the weekend, a number of Young Leaders organised evening activities and assisted with the weekend events including axe throwing, archery, rifle shooting and rafting.

The weekend was fantastic: the sun was shining, skies were blue and there were beautiful evenings on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday morning, with the cloud threatening to break, the Leaders hoped the rain would pass. Unfortunately for the Scouts and Leaders, the cloud did break soaking everything in its wake, leaving wet scouts attempting break camp before any more water fell.
All of this actually gave the Scouts extra challenges to their practical skills. They all overcome them and proved they were more than capable of coping with the adverse conditions. After everyone had packed up, they were ready to decamp the site with the expectation of a chauffeur driven saloon home to wash and eat everything from the fridge. Happy parents….

Concluding the event Libby, our District Commissioner, congratulated everyone on a very successful weekend of fun.
St. Josephs were the well-deserved winners of the competition – well done! Congratulations to all who competed. It was a brilliant experience and they all did so well, with the experience this year, it should be even better in 2020.
Thank you to the District Commissioner, Leaders, Young Leaders and Scouts for making this a wonderful weekend developing character and practical skills that left everyone looking forward to the next Scouting event.
Written by:
Paul Oakley
Luton Scouts Media Contact