Squirrels are the first and youngest section of our group, and generally meet for an hour per week during term time. They embrace and enjoy all that Scouting has to offer; being introduced to outdoor activities, having the opportunity to be creative, explore their local community and
It’s a positive, safe environment for young children to develop essential skills for life, starting them on a journey to become the active citizens and leaders of the future.
Squirrels in the summer term kept the veg and flower gardens well stocked. painting plant pots planting bulbs and seeds, and even weeding. they played water games and explored the local area.
we would like to thank our Squirrel team who have disbanded at the end of the term
Going forward we have lovely Laura as our new Squirrel leader. Laura is a teacher , has worked with SEN children , is involved in Forest schools amongst many other things. We are also inviting parents to stop and help when their child starts , they can stop just for a few weeks or come every week.
AGM report 23/24 Squirrels Section, 14th Wyre Forest (Rhydd Covert)
Time flies when you’re having fun! My second year as Drey Leader for our Squirrel section and we have achieved some major milestones! A total of 12 chief scout acorn badges were awarded, the highest achievement for Squirrels, for achieving all their challenge badges. We also saw the last of our original cohorts, who had been with us since the Drey opened in 2021, move up to our Beaver section. A bittersweet but very proud moment!
Our section leaders team has seen lots of changes too, Lucy B and Esher moving on with their children, Bella and Marie moving up to help our Beaver team in January. We welcomed Karly, Em, Sam and Kinga, all starting as parent helpers, who enjoyed the craziness and embraced the chaos to commit as full time assistants over the last 12 months. I am incredibly grateful to them all for their enthusiasm and commitment to our drey without which we would not have been able to stay open and offer more spaces to young people.
Of course the children are at the heart of what we do, we have had so much fun, watching them grow, increase in confidence, forge new friendships and exploring their imaginations.
A few highlights from the year include creating our Coronation themed duck house for the Bewdley Festival, which now takes pride of place in our Squirrels garden, a science themed Halloween party with potion making and melting ice zombie hands, learning survival skills and flameless cooking with Ration Pack food, a Christmas Party at Kidz Barn attended by Santa, our Pirate Training Academy, Space exploration and Alien ‘easter’ egg hunt, participating in out 3rd St Georges Day parade and taking full advantage of our wonderful setting in Rhydd Covert to explore nature, wildlife and develop our own garden area. This summer we also welcomed a new drey mascot, Sammy Squirrel! Each week he chooses a child to go home with and reports back on his exciting adventures.
We are very lucky to be part of a scout group with solid leadership driving our expansion and ensuring we have the financial support not only from subs but community grants to fund our activities and resources. As a Squirrel section we also benefit from additional Bewdley Rotary Club funding. Some of the larger purchases made this year include, 4 large tuff trays for messy and imaginative play and gardening tools and a vegetable planter for our garden. We have also been able to subsidise the cost of our Christmas party and invited Fizz Pop Science to run a crazy chemistry session! We have a wealth of resources to fuel imaginative play that will be used for years to come. This growth is a testament to the success of 14th Wyre Forest and the programme it can offer each section of scouting from children age 4 to 14!
