Sandstone Scouts' Kandersteg Trip

What a thrill, the 1st Sandstone Scout Group (28 youngsters and 8 adults) have just returned from their first ever overseas camp which comprised an 8 day alpine adventure to the International Scout Centre at Kandersteg in Switzerland. Surrounded by mountains and at an altitude of nearly 4000 feet above sea level, a great time was had by all.

Action-packed from start to finish, the Scouts enjoyed fabulous weather in which to undertake their programme of activities. White water rafting, a high ropes adventure course, climbing, hiking, a Rodelbahn toboggan run and a visit to a water park were just some of the fantastic opportunities in which the group were involved.

Keen to immerse themselves in the local culture, the Scouts also joined the community of Kandersteg to celebrate Swiss National Day (1 August) which by coincidence is also the 'Birthday of Scouting'. In this respect, the Scouts involved themselves in cultural activities, a celebratory carnival, participated in a huge parade of over 170 Scouts from 33 different countries and enjoyed a quite massive display of fireworks.

Leader of the Camp, Mike Jones (Tattenhall) began planning this overseas camp at least two years ago. That said, he insists that the success of the trip was due to the superb conduct of the Scouts themselves who acquitted themselves quite brilliantly.

'Camping for a week with people that you don't see very often is always a tough challenge, especially with such a busy programme. I'm very proud of each and every Scout that attended the camp, who were all an excellent example of our Scout Group and of the local area. We had an excellent group of young people by our side on this trip, I can't praise them enough. I would also like to extend a special thank you to the other adult leaders who agreed to take a week off work to help make this camp possible'.

Meetings of the Sandstone Scouts are held at Bickerton and the group is gaining in popularity. They have already added a second Beaver section (ages 6-8) and a new Cub section (ages 8-10.5) will start in September. A Second Scout section is due soon. Further to this, the Group now welcomes 14-18 year olds for their Explorer Scout Section.

www.sandstonescouts.org.uk