Two years after their last outdoor adventure – a group of scouts and leaders from North Yorkshire have been able to carry on camping, thanks to the generosity of developer Linden Homes.
Youngsters from 1st Sowerby Scout group (one of the oldest in the area) were able to be prepared for socially distanced fun at their camp with a distanced, sleeping in hammocks rather than tents to adhere to Scout Association Covid-safety guidelines.
Around 12 scouts and leaders attended this month’s camp in Ripon, with a donation from Linden Homes (part of Vistry Group) allowing the purchase of the hammocks.
Group Scout leader Jon Goom said the support had helped to end a long wait for the adventure-seeking youngsters.
He said: “We normally have three weekend camps per year and a week’s camp in the summer break -but the last camp we had was at the end of November 2019!
“Camping is at the core of Scouting, and it has been sorely missed by both Scouts and LeadersThe Scout Association (our governing body) has allowed camps since earlier in the year, but with social distancing rules in place we felt it would be difficult to adhere to.
“Some rules are still in place hence the hammock camp idea, as hammocks are easily to set apart from each other and we are very grateful to Linden Homes for their generosity in meeting almost half of the funding required – particularly as we have been forced to cancel some of our fundraising activity.”
But there is more good news for the group, as Jon explained: “We only had two weeks off at the start of the pandemic but managed to run on Zoom after that and throughout with all our sections, which was a steep learning curve!
“While membership dropped by a third over that period, as soon as we started meeting back face to face at the end of April, we were back to capacity which is great.”
Sales director Steve Woomble added: “We were delighted to be able to support the scouts – such a strong and established part of the community, giving the youngsters the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors after spending so much time not being able to do the things they love. Linden Homes really values helping local organisations, recognising that building community connections helps to build great neighbourhoods.”
Based in Sowerby, Thirsk (home to Linden Homes’ Mowbray View development), the scout group was started in 1910 and currently has around 80 young people in the Scout group which includes sections for all ages Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers.
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Contact: Cetti Long, Media Matters, 01733 371363; cetti@mediamatters-pr.co.uk
