Six inches of snow greeted campers who will be making the trip to Finland between July 20th and 28th later this year.

The briefing was a chance to meet up with contingent members and pick up some general information about the event which will be one of the international highlights of the year.

"The weekend was a lot of fun and it was great to meet up with the people who will be sharing the adventure," said Cheshire's ACC Explorers, Hannah Lapworth.

A few spontaneous snowball fights aside, the group were taken to London for a scavenger hunt where tasks included getting a photo outside the Finnish Embassy, a photo of as many forms as transport and tourist spots as they could, finding foreign Scouts, and fitting as many people into a telephone box as possible.

"Its been fantastic to meet everyone from across the whole UK who will be heading to Finland with us this year, I'd say that it could be the best contingent I've ever been involved in" added Richard Taylor UK Contingent Manager

The next briefing weekend is in May... Follow the contingents progress on Twitter @UKRoverway2012

http://www.roverway.org.uk/

The Scouts have formed a partnership with Cheshire-based charity, Lubwe (Zambia) Fund, to raise money to provide wells for clean water.

At the county's international camp, Chamboree 2010, more than 3,000 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers took part in a series of activities aimed at raising awareness on global issues including the need for more clean water supplies.

Every bottle of water sold at the camp saw a donation made to the fund, and groups including 6^th Wilmslow, 1^st Congleton, and 1^st Sutton have continued fundraising since the camp. One group, 1^st Davenham, has raised £1,000 - enough to dig a well of their own.   In total, some £3,500 has been raised.

Now the first two wells have been dug in the rural communities of Chabu Chifulu and Nshimba, each one providing clean water for around a thousand people. Provision has been made to provide local maintenance and water testing for the lifetime of the wells.

The donations have been acknowledged through plaques on the wells themselves.

"We are extremely pleased to see that our efforts have resulted in two life-saving wells being dug which will provide vital water supplies for people most in need," said Deputy County Commissioner Dave Hopley who co-ordinated the Cheshire Scouts' effort through Chamboree.

As part of the 2012 Cheshire Challenge you could consider raising awareness of the clean water issue, and contributing to more wells from "Scouts in Cheshire".

The Duchess, who joins 66,000 girls and 40,000 female leaders in Scouting, will help out at groups close to where she lives. Her Royal Highness also hopes to help with activities in other parts of the United Kingdom as opportunity arises.

Flexible volunteering

The announcement comes as a great endorsement of Scouting's commitment to allow adults to volunteer their time on a flexible basis. The Duchess will help run a variety of activities relevant to her skills and interests. This could include running games, teaching first aid or cooking on campfires.

Chief Scout Bear Grylls gave a delighted reaction to the news: 'The Duchess has an incredibly busy life, which makes it all the more inspiring that she has chosen to volunteer alongside us.'

'Over the last few years it has been our mission to make it easier for adults who volunteer with us to give as much or as little as they are able - it is how we change our society: many people doing a little bit.'

The chance to inspire

Helping give young people a taste of everyday adventure through fun and practical activities, The Duchess will have the chance to inspire the leaders of tomorrow.

Jack, 9, a Cub Scout in Cheshire said: 'Best news I've heard for a while! So proud to be a Scout, the Princess is a very welcome addition to our Scouting family!'

Despite six consecutive years of growth, there is still a need for more adults to volunteer with us, to provide opportunities for over 33,500 young people who are waiting to join in the UK.

Many hands make light work

It's great that The Duchess can find time in her schedule to help Scouting develop the
lives of young people in her local community. Flexibility in volunteering is the way forward. And something we encourage here in Cheshire!

Get involved

If you'd like to know more about the flexible volunteering opportunities in Scouting in Cheshire, visit our join pages.

More than 40 people including DESCs and local leaders attended the event hosted by CAMO Network of Warrington.

Formal wear was ditched in favour of Santa outfits as Cheshire Network saw out its ninth year with a feast of turkey and all the trimmings.

Attention on the social side will now turn to Network's 10th Birthday Ball at the Stobart Stadium Halton in Widnes on March 24th.

Cathy Bland ACC Cub Scouts said "A terrific well done to all the young people who swam. Team spirit between the Cubs and Scouts was impressive. The competition was stiff and there are some excellent young swimmers around, but it was great to see everyone taking part 'do their best'. A successful first joint event.  Thanks to all the Leaders and Helpers who made this happen."

Scouts:

• 1st - Macclesfiled & Congleton
• 2nd - North West Cheshire
• 3rd - South West Cheshire

Cubs:

• 1st - North West Cheshire
• 2nd Macclesfield & Congleton
• joint 3rd - Chester & Mid-Cheshire

Click here, for a full list of medal winners. Apologies for any errors in name spelling - naturally all the super swimmers were out of breath when they told the judges their names. Some of the sheets also got a bit splashed.

A number of Cheshire Police recruits (Intake 23) undergoing formal initial training, completed a charity bike ride of 23 miles around Delamere Forest.

Forest Camp Activity Centre was used as their base and camp site staff provided an energy lunch and a hot three-course meal at the end of the event which the students helped to pay for.

The event raised £ 849 for the Mercian Regiment Benevolent Fund is aid of those soldiers who have suffered horrific injuries in recent engagements.

Cheshire Scouts provided the campsite facilities for free in support of this event and made a significant contribution to the catering for the event, which was prepared and cooked by Campsite Manager Dave Metcalfe.

"We were glad to be able to help such a worthwhile initiative which raised a fantastic sum for a good cause," said Dave.

A presentation ceremony was held at Warrington's Parr Hall at which more than 250 Scouts from across the county attended, watched by their proud families.

The awards were handed out by David Briggs, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, who expressed his admiration for the hard work that had gone into achieving this award - the highest available to the Scout section.

"Completing the Chief Scout's Gold Award takes an incredible amount of dedication and commitment, so it's quite an achievement for all these young people and we are delighted to have had so many recipients," said acting County Commissioner Graham Phillips.

A special presentation evening was organised by the local authority to reward all the leaders and supporters from the Widnes and North West Cheshire districts who have more than 20 years' service with the Movement.

The event was held at the Stobart Stadium's Karalius Suite in Widnes and more than 70 Scout leaders from the two districts were awarded certificates by Mayor Cllr Keith Morley.

Cllr Morley also presented County Commissioner Graham Phillips, on behalf of the two district commissioners, John Duley and Val Thomason, and former North West Cheshire DC John Frodsham who stepped down earlier this year, with a keepsake of the occasion to mark the authority's thanks for the years of volunteering service given by Scout leaders.

"The work of Scout Districts within Runcorn and Widnes benefits families and the wider community by encouraging young people to act responsibly, be team leaders and develops them into responsible citizens of the future," said Cllr Morley.

Halton Council has supported Scouting for a number of years through its Splash grant funding programme which has allowed local groups to develop and run more adventurous activities, and through its Area Forums.

"It was a fantastic gesture by Halton Council to organise the presentation evening and we are delighted that our commitment to young people is held in such high regard," said County Commissioner Graham Phillips.

This year saw the highest attendance for far with 145 participants and staff - representing 572% growth in just three years.

"The Halloween camp has yet again been a huge success and the rate of growth over the past three years is just one indicator of its popularity," said DCC Dave Hopley.

As a key component in the county's Moving In, Moving On programme it helps strengthen links between Explorers and Network members.

"The numbers of Explorers at this event who are getting to work with people from Network can only help smooth the transition between the sections," added Hannah Lapworth, ACC Explorers.

Activities this year included human table football, muddy assault course, rafting and, of course, the infamous pumpkin smash.

All participants were put into District teams to compete to win the Halloween Champions Shield, and the winners from 24 teams were from Warrington.

The weekend racked up some pretty impressive statistics with the camp catering team getting through 7kg of bananas, 7kg of apples, 8.5kg of biscuits, 60.5kg of potatoes, 16kg of carrots, 13kg of broccoli, 26kg of peas, 60kg of baked beans, 3kg of Yorkshire puddings, 12kg of cereal and 100 pints of milk.

250 pumpkins also failed to make it through the weekend activities.

Following the camp, social media was buzzing with positive messages and the #iscream hashtag adopted for the weekend was very much in evidence on Twitter.

Honeybun1Dluvax tweeted: Halloween Camp was AMAZIIING!!!!! OMG! WOW!         #ISCREAM ;) tehe! And the wide game with the zombies!!! omg!!! LOOOL!!! :'D   LOVED IT!

Adam Forshaw, County Scout Network Commissioner, praised the efforts of all those who contributed to making the event so memorable.

"I have to thank everyone that has helped in the running of the Halloween camp, without them we wouldn't be able to make it the success it has been." 

A £60,000 investment has been made in providing a new climbing wall at Forest Camp at Sandiway and a Zip Wire at Tatton Park.

Explorers from across the county were amongst the first up the new climbing wall on Sunday when the activities were officially launched with a double celebration.

"It was an honour to be one of the first to use the new wall, and I'm sure a lot of people are going to have a fantastic time using both the wall and the zip wire in the years to come," said Charlotte O'Brien, from Alderley Edge Explorer Scout Unit.

Funding for the new equipment has come from the surplus generated by Chamboree 2010, Cheshire international camp, the development fund from campsite fee, and from the Alan Hull legacy fund - a sum bequeathed to Scouting in Cheshire by former leader Alan Hull.

"This is one of the projects that provide a lasting legacy for Scouting thanks to the generosity of Alan Hull who was a much-respected leader for many years and remembered the Movement in his will," said County Commissioner Graham Phillips.

Guests at the opening included North West Regional Commissioner Chris Harris and County Chairman Peter Mather and they travelled between both camp sites to see the new equipment in action.

 "Young people from across Cheshire will be seeing the benefit of these new adventurous activity equipment installations and we're sure they will get a lot of enjoyment out of using them," added Mr Phillips.

The Zip Wire at Tatton was opened by Knutsford town mayor Cllr Stewart Gardiner before the first descents were made.