The Jim Wale Conker Cup was eventually won by George Murphy, after a marathon final against Oli Lewis.  This was spread across three Scout evenings.  The conkers started to go soft and were like rubber so the winner was the lad with the most accurate shots out of ten swings.

We also competed in the district football competition, held at Evans Lane in Kidlington.  This was a well organized mid week event that was very popular and supported by nine troops on a sunny evening. We had a A and a B team, the B team won all of their games, the A won three games and drew their fourth. They both played each other in the final, with the B team gaining the honours. Well done to both teams.

On the 6th of June, the Scouts joined the annual Aquacamp held at Linch Hill Park near Stanton Harcourt. The lads all participated in water and land based activities which included Kayaking, gig, sailing, dragon boat racing and land based water games. We were unbeaten in the Dragon boat races and due to some skulduggery came third in the sailing race. The lads cooked the breakfast each morning which consisted of a full Fourth-monty – beans , sausages, bacon, toast, mushrooms and fried eggs. They managed to get ready, cook breakfast, eat it and wash up all in under 1.5 hours – a new record! Tea, as a treat for this camp, was chips, burgers and coke all prepared in the cook tent, which went down very well with the lads. (A special thank you to Cumnor butcher Micheal Cain for providing the excellent burgers).

Finally, we would like to welcome our five new Scouts who have recently joined our troop – Mathew Fogden, Tom O Leary, Mathew Davies, Issac Shaw and William Barley.  They will soon be invested. We have still room for more.

Andy Job
Scout Leader

The Cubs (8½-10) buddied up with 2 other Cub packs to camp at Youlbury, Boars Hill, for a weekend of medieval fun! The construction and then destruction of the huge junk modelling castle was a highlight!

The Beavers (age 6-8½) have just enjoyed a county Beaver Space Odessey camp, at Horley campsite, near Banbury.

The Scouts (age 10-14) also participated in a major county camp. Aquacamp is an annual weekend of water sports, at Linch Hill, West Oxfordshire. Activities included kayaking, dragon boating, sailing and raft building – all provided by volunteer leaders, so an amazing weekend for only £30!

Our Cubs joined around 90 other Cubs at the Horspath Athletics track for a day of sports and athletics. Well done to Mikey and Tommy who picked up the gold and silver medals in the 50m!

Our Scouts entered two teams in the District football competition, and we ended up with a 4th A vs 4th B final! The 4th won, unsurprisingly!

Buzz Explorer Scouts (14-18) enjoyed a ‘hunger games’ themed survival skills camp at Youlbury. Bear Grylls would have been proud of them as they dealt with rabbits for dinner, built temporary shelters for sleep and learned axe throwing skills!

As I write, famous adventurer and Chief Scout Bear Grylls has just made a surprise visit to Youlbury Scout Camp Site (Boars Hill), to join the celebrations as hundreds of Oxfordshire Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers were presented with achievement awards, including some from the 4th Oxford (by Matthew Arnold School) and 15th Oxford (based at Botley Baptist church).

Explorers (14-18s) is one of the fastest growing sections in the Scouting movement and we are delighted to be able to announce the launch of an Explorer Unit in September 2014. Buzz Explorer Unit is an existing successful Explorer Unit that is moving to the 4^th Oxford Scout HQ (by Matthew Arnold School) to provide adventure for young people in Botley, Cumnor, North Hinksey and Dean Court area, working closely with both 4th and 15th Oxford Groups.

Whether you are new to Scouting or not, here are just five reasons why you should join Buzz!

Try different activities! We do all sorts at Buzz; from archery to zorbing, we have a go at it all! Our programme offers lots of different activities so whatever your interests, we are sure there will be something you love! Camping, hiking, ice skating, bowling, cooking, campfires, climbing, canoeing, fencing….

Make new friends! Join Buzz and you will meet other fun, thrill-seeking, adventurous people like you! We are 14-18 year olds from all over Oxford. We are people who want to have a laugh, meet others and take part in something a little different.

Get outdoors! We know what it can be like when you are stuck inside at school or at home so we try to offer lots of outdoor activities! You will have the opportunity to go on camps (not always in a tent!), travel to different places and countries, meet up with other Explorers and try new, exciting things.

Learn exciting things, achieve awards! Not only will you have lots of fun, but we work towards The Duke of Edinburgh Award, the Explorer Badges and the Queen’s Scout Award. These not only give you the opportunity to try new things and have different experiences, but they look great on your CV or university application!

And finally have fun! But don’t just take our word for it, come along and see for yourself! Buzz meets on Tuesdays from 7.45pm-9.30pm.

For further information please contact us via mail@thefourth.org.uk, or the Buzz Leadership Team directly on buzzesu@gmail.com

I was a Cub/Scout/Venture myself, back in the ’70s and ’80s. I got involved again 5 years ago as a leader, and have just joined the 4th Oxford Group as their Group Scout Leader. Why did I get involved? As a parent of four, I saw the great benefit Scouting contributes to the development of young people in achieving their “full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.”

Of course, in the way it delivers that objective, Scouting today is quite different from when I was a kid in the 1970s.

Scouting for girls! As I write, International Woman’s Day has just passed, and Scouting UK blogged in celebration of some of Scouting’s female heroes (www.scouts.org.uk/news). Since 1991 girls have been welcomed to join any section.

Scouting for minecrafters! Recognising changes in culture, there is movement afoot to introduce a badge for keen players of minecraft! Other recent badges encourage young people to explore IT or PR, alongside more traditional Scouting badges, rewarding proficiency or endeavour.

Scouting for explorers! An exciting hot-off-the-press development is that an Explorer Unit, catering for 14-18s, is opening in Botley very soon! We’re looking forward to providing ongoing personal develop and support to 14+ in those critical years as they grow into young adulthood.

Scouting for busy people! Like many of us, I’m busy! One thing that enabled me to become a leader was an emphasis on flexible volunteering. To support a growing movement we’re looking for more helpers, either to work with the young people or behind the scenes. Whatever your skills and availability, please get in touch and let’s talk!

Andy (Group Scout Leader)

On Saturday 8th February seven of the Fourth Oxford Cubs competed in the first Oxford Spires District Kub Kar Challenge in Kidlington. Working from some special Canadian Kub Kar Kits, which consisted of a block of wood, five plastic wheels and some nails, we were left to see what we could create …

We had a slightly delayed start to our Spring term so our Kub Kar preparation was somewhat truncated but, with the help of a stolid gang of parents, all of the Cubs spent one of our cub meetings shaping our blocks of wood into a car shapes and attaching our wheels. The following week we painted our vehicles and then the following weekend we set off to race!

With almost 100 Cubs from eight different Packs (ourselves, Marston, Littlemore, Kidlington, Blackbird Leys, Old Marston, Thame and Yarnton) present for the challenge, the atmosphere was buzzing and exciting. After being weighed and checked for compliance with the rules, the cars were each assigned a number and placed in their garages ready for the contest.

There were four main competitions, one for the best looking car, one for the car that travelled the furthest and the two for the fastest cars.

Three of our cars got through to the second round of the speed competitions but unfortunately we were unable to lift any of the medals this year. We all had a super afternoon and the Fourth Oxford Cubs participated really well and were a credit to the group. Next time we will be better prepared and we are already looking forward to the next chance to race.