Members of Syston Scout & Guide Band playing The Last Post to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
16 years old and going strong; the Syston Scout & Guide Band annual variety show took place at Wreake Valley School on the 22nd February 2020. Sticks & Tones is written, produced and performed by band members and always promises a packed programme of music, dance, comedy and sketches. For those on stage and behind the scenes, the afternoon and evening shows are the culmination of a few months of planning, practice and fun.
The band were sorry to lose their friend Dave Lucas in 2019. Dave joined the band as a young boy, played the bugle in the band, and taught many others as a bugle instructor. Our show this year served as a tribute to him, beginning with a video celebrating Dave’s involvement and friendships in the band. A recording of Dave playing the bugle introduction to the piece ‘High on a Hill’ signalled the start of the finale.
After a Greatest Showman themed dance, the band were welcomed on stage by supportive audiences. The running order was as follows: Glenfield 1, Soldier Soldier, Royal Green Jackets, Drum Display (2009), Buglers Fanfare, In the Mood, Mission Impossible, Robin Hood, Blaydon Races. Hayden and Tom played the introduction to Soldier Soldier, and Becky played well on the Bell Lyre in her first show. The bugles played their fanfare confidently and the drummers evidenced their enjoyment of the Blaydon Races piece through their increase in volume. Band members reported that they could feel the stage shaking!
The Drill Squad performed their routine. Normally under heavy scrutiny of a panel of competition judges, the 8 strong group of band members worked well together to march and stay in perfect sync. All under the age of 18, practicing the technical routine requires dedication and concentration, which didn’t go unnoticed by the audience. Breaking competition norms, next up was an alternative drill routine to pop music, which had the audience clapping along to the dance-like routine.
In the next number, the drummers were sitting an exam, under the watchful eye of strict school teacher Pam. When she left the stage, the students began tapping a beat on their desks, but had to put a stop to it on her return. Eventually, the full cast, teacher included, are drumming loudly, under the direction of Oliver. Perhaps the most fun had in an exam ever!
Following the popular display ‘Legs Eleven’ by the girls of the band last year, the group stepped up to the mark once again with their sketch ‘Band Babes’ Dressed as toddler’s with attached; a big well done to the costume teams for their hard work!
Syston were delighted to invite the other Leicestershire Scout & Guide Bands to perform in the show. In the first half, Thurmaston took to the stage and played a mix of drum displays and popular themes. Half of the band were away at a national Guiding event at the NEC, yet this didn’t stop them. The Wallace & Gromit, and Avenger themes went down particularly well with the audience.
Chris plays Mr Bean in the allelujah sketch to conclude the first half. The most difficult part for the band was not to laugh while Alan delivered a mumbling sermon about rivers and the natural world, and Chris had difficulty staying alert.
John was the compere once again for the show; introducing the acts and offering insight into the band’s activities for the past year. He was assisted along by a couple of juggling acts from Scott, who ate an apple whilst juggling and later gave impressions of juggling styles from around the World.
Back for the second half, we kicked off with the Not So Full Monty. Cue the rip off trousers and muscular t-shirts! This sketch was done in the very first show, and was directed by Dave, and so the piece served as a tribute. A good laugh for all involved.
Whilst the stage crew collected 8 pairs of trousers from the audience, it was time for our second invited band, Oadby & Wigston to showcase their own musical talent. A fully chromatic band, we were treated to a medley containing music from the Greatest Showman and Pirates of the Caribbean, then also played the time warp – a great mix of music for us to enjoy.
The next sketch was the Play that goes wrong. It was difficult to tell if when it went wrong it was through genuine error, or whether it was a planned mistake – such was the high quality of acting! The stage crew assembled the set for the next sketch in the background.
Have you ever wondered how chocolates are individually wrapped so neatly? We were left none the wiser after the Chocolate Sketch, which saw band members try to keep up with an accelerating production under the reprimand of Emma. Sweets fly all over the place, and Cadbury’s haven’t offered us any jobs yet!
In the final sketch of the show, we learnt of the wonderful gifts brought back when My Grandmother went to Paris. For some reason, this drove a few volunteer members of the audience absolutely cuckoo.
Onto the finale, we were pleased to be joined on stage by Thurmaston and Oadby & Wigston Scout & Guide Bands. Our thanks to Neil Wright, Chairman of the British Youth Band Association (BYBA) for conducting the massed band through pieces High on a Hill, December 1963, Bugler’s Nocturne, Olympic Spirit, and Mechanised Infantry. The Olympic Spirit was a new piece to many of us, and one which we especially enjoyed playing. Syston’s trademark piece of Mechanised Infantry made a return in the encore, played at the light infantry pace of 140bpm… to start with. Pushed by an enthusiastic pair of bass drums (sorry bell lyres) we finished a little faster than this!
We are grateful to the cast, the crew, and to everyone who came to watch Sticks & Tones 2020. We’ll be back next year with more musical entertainment. The band‘s focus now turns to learning this season’s display, ready for competitions to begin in the Summer.
Written by Scott Jenkins, Band Member.
Sound like something you would like to be a part of?
Syston Scout Group are always looking for new members and adult volunteers to help make Scouting in Syston great. If you can spare a few hours a week, why not get in touch and help young people develop #SkillsForLife. Contact us on 0116 326 6908 or email info@systonscouts.org.uk
Join the adventure here – systonscouts.org.uk/join
In February Syston Scout Group have been looking at Good Health & Well-being, as part of their mission this year to understand and help towards the UN Sustainable Goals. The reasons for this was that February saw Mental Health week, International Epilepsy Day plus the world issues of the Coronavirus.
While many of the targets for this goal focus on preventing diseases and ensuring quality healthcare for all, it was important to also think about ways we can protect our own health and consider the importance of mental health and well-being.
The Young people found out how easily disease spreads and the importance of hand washing through a simulation game. The game saw the Young People put paint on their hands with three to four different groups with different colours. We ask all the young people to shake hands with the other groups. Once they had shaken everybody’s hand, they put their hand print on to a large piece of paper.
As you can see the results of this shows a mixture of colours which showed the young people how easy germs can spread.
As Scouts, we believe in preparing young people with skills for life. We encouraged our young people to get involved and learn some basic lifesaving skills. The young people where shown and got to practise the recovery position, CPR and other lifesaving first aid skills. They all really enjoyed learning how they could help people and a skill that they will always have.
Over the next few weeks, our young people will be looking at technology and the amount of different materials used to make them. Plus we have started a collection of old phones to help Oxfam in their appeal to recycle and reuse these devices in third world county’s.
Sound like something you would like to be a part of?
Syston Scout Group are always looking for new members and adult volunteers to help make Scouting in Syston great for the young people. If you can spare a few hours a week, why not get in touch and help young people develop #SkillsForLife. Contact us on 0116 326 6908 or email info@systonscouts.org.uk
Every adult who gives their time to Scouting supports the development of young people and without them Scouting and the adventures it offers simply would not happen.
On Friday 5th December, 3 members from 10th Leicester (Syston) Scout Group were invited to Leicestershire Scouts HQ.
This evening was all about recognizing adults for their hard work that they do to support Everyday Adventure & Skills for Life supporting Scouting in Leicestershire. Many award nominees gathered for the event. The awards were presented by the County team.
Anne Bodycot – Received the Medal of Merit
Anne, has been an active member of Syston Scout group for over 15 years. She has ran the Syston Beavers with great success but also gone further by helping with sections in the group.
She is always at group fund raisers and gets stuck in to the event. Anne is always open to new ideas and helps out in every level of the group and supports District and County events. She is always a friendly face for all members of the group and always approachable by current and past members.
Jackie Sheridan – Received the Medal of Merit
Jackie has been an active member of Syston Scout group for over 15 years. She has ran the Syston Cub section with success over the years with a fun and active programme. She will take on any challenge, a resent move to the Scouts section from cubs has been a great success with Jackie bring a fresh and positive attend to the section and helping the current leaders to improve the section.
Jackie is also a great supporter of the County, District and Groups events and fund raisers, which would not be possible with out her support and hands on approach.
Mark Bodycot – Received the Medal of Merit
Mark has been an active member of Syston Scout Group exec committee. Starting off as a Parent member for a number year with a role to help put together fun and active events and fund raiser for the Groups. After the acting GSL and Chair stood down Mark picked up the role as Chair/Manager. He has drove the group forward with arranging fundraisers,
equipment and giving his time to help at section evenings and camps. After 10 years in the chair role he stood down but still staying to help the group by looking after the general maintenance and support for group fundraisers.
Mark is a massive asset to the group and Syston would not be the active group it is today with out his time, effect and support for all aspects of the group.
Saturday 9th November 2019, London
Of all the parades in the British Isles, few are held in such high regard and enjoy such an illustrious history as the Lord Mayor’s Show. The parade, which takes place in central London each November dates back 0ver 800 years, serves to celebrate the day when the successive Lord Mayor is sworn into office.The parade, which snakes a 3.5 mile route across the capital, showcases a wide selection of floats and groups: charities, military units, companies, universities, youth groups and marching bands.
16 members of the Syston Scout & Guide Band paraded with the Corps of Drum Society. Together, we totalled upwards of 60 musicians drawn from ourselves, the Chesham All Girls Band and the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick among others. With our competition season wrapped up in September, we had been practicing the marches for several weeks, attending a Corps of Drums practice session a fortnight earlier and running through the music in our Wednesday practice evenings at the Scout hall.
After a 5am start, and several z’s from the rear, the minibus arrived into London well in time for our 9am sign in. in the car park beneath Smithfield Market, hundreds of members of both civilian and military bands were concealed, ready for the off. For the next few hours, the old adage “Hurry Up and Wait” was followed to the letter. The order of the parade placed marching bands periodically throughout, with 1 band to 4 or 5 regular floats. As each band filtered into the parade, the remainder of us would march forward to fill the space, then wait for another few floats to pass by, before marching forward a little more. With the Corps of Drums Society placed 86th in the running order, this sequence repeated itself no less than a dozen times. We were glad to get going!
The order of play was as follows:
Killaloe, Heraldry, Adjutant, Retreat Marches, Bugle Bells, Legs Eleven, Mud Cabin, Mechanised Infantry, Hazelmere, Jellalabad, Galanthia, Children’s Love.
The route itself began by passing under the bridge outside the Museum of London,then turned left onto gresham street. Taking the right hand bend outside Mansion House, Drum Major Chris Bodycot saluted the incoming Lord Mayor William Russell whilst the band played the march Children’s Love. We took a left down New Change, then turned right to head past St. Paul’s Cathedral. Making our way down Fleet Street, and then onto the Strand, we passed the Royal Courts of Justice and the statues of Samuel Johnson and William Gladstone, then we directed towards the embankment for lunch.
After a sandwich lunch we formed up alongside HMS Wellington for the second part of the parade. There was time for photos and it was at this point that it started to rain. The chilly November air led to some regret about leaving the coats on the bus, but we agreed that our uniform was the smarter choice. The route back was straightforward, past the London offices of the Financial Times and HSBC to Mansion House, and then retracing our steps to the Museum of London. 4.5 miles of marching in total over a 4 hour period, we then headed to the Rising Sun to hydrate ready for the journey back. The band arrived back to Syston at around 8:30, a long day, but enjoyed by all. With many of the band playing in the Remembrance service the following morning, it was time for bed.
Our thanks to Jess for organising the day and to Chris for getting us and our instruments there safe. Next year, it would be great to have more of an explore, staying over in London to enjoy the evening firework display.
Report by Bass Drummer, Scott Jenkins
Syston Scout Group held a family camp on the 7-8th September.
A welcome back camp after the summer break and a great opportunity for families from all of the Groups sections (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts & Band) to come together for a fun weekend.
The Families arrived on a sunny Saturday morning ready for a fun weekend of camping and activities. Each member of the family got a chance to choose the activities they would like to do. These ranged from Archery, Mini Cross bows, a caving experience, Climbing, Rope Making, Survival Bracelet making, Pyrography (burning a letters or pictures in to Wood) Pioneering (tying wooden poles together to make a bridge), Assault Course, Circus Skills and also Axe Throwing!
Once the Activities have finished everyone enjoyed a BBQ and then settled round the camp fire for the groups AGM, Songs, awards and comedy which kept all ages entertained during the evening.
On a cool Sunday morning, and after a hearty breakfast it was time for more activities. The activities then ended which led to the closing of Camp which saw all families leave with smiles on there faces and also some great memories and experiences.
To view photos from our Family Camp, visit our website: systonscouts.org.uk.
Sound like something you would like to be a part of?
Syston Scout Group are always looking for new members and adult volunteers to help make Scouting in Syston great. If you can spare a few hours a week, why not get in touch and help young people develop #SkillsForLife. Contact us on 0116 326 6908 or email info@systonscouts.org.uk
Remember that weekend it rained a lot at the end of July? Well we remember it very well and not just for the rain! Members of Syston Scout Group took on roles at Leicestershire International Scout & Guide Jamboree “Charnwood 2019”.
On Saturday 27th July, Adventurer Bear Grylls flew in by helicopter to the camp to cheer up 5,000 soggy scouts and guides setting up their camp in pouring rain – or as he calls it, “scout sunshine”. The TV star and chief scout was flown to Charnwood 2019, where youngsters from all over the world were setting up their tents for a week of fun and educational activities.
A total of 23 countries were represented, including Ghana, New Zealand and Malaysia, as well as boys and girls from scout groups all over Leicestershire.
Over the week Scouts and Guides took part in over 100 activities from Zorbing, bungee trampolines, bumper cars, Aeroball, last man standing, gladiator, pedal go-karts, human wakka mole, Zip line and caving as well as inflatables. Scout and Guiding activity teams provided shooting, archery, fencing, mountain bike team, laser clay pigeons and lots more. The campers got a chance to visit one of the 5 offsite trips from Warwick Castle, Bosworth, Foxton Locks, Activities round Nottingham or Water activities such as Sailing, Canoeing and more.
On Tuesday of the Camp Syston Beavers & Cubs visited the camp and took part in many of the activities and got to experience the grand scale of the camp.
Unfortunately, the week’s appalling weather forced organisers of an international Scout and Guide camp in Leicestershire to close it early.
This was a great shame, but all of the 5,000 young people took some great memories away and also have met and made friends with other Scouts & Guides from all over the world.
Sound like something you would like to be a part of?
Syston Scout Group are always looking for new members and adult volunteers to help make Scouting in Syston great. If you can spare a few hours a week, why not get in touch and help young people develop #SkillsForLife. Contact us on 0116 326 6908 or email info@systonscouts.org.uk
Syston Beavers and 700 other Beavers from around Leicestershire explored the wonders of Space. A fun packed day around the National Space centre, Making Bottle rockets, experiments, exploring the centre and much more.
Last month 2 Syston Beavers reach the top award in Beaver Scouts (Bronze Chief Scout Award). Jaiden and Blue-belle received their Bronze award and now have moved on to there next Challenge in Cubs.
Cubs from across the District gathered at Loughbrough Leisure Centre to swim for their groups to see who will win this years swimming gala. They had races and inflatables! Swimming lengths and widths and with whales, that’s right whales, the Cubs battled it out for points and to become top of the table. Syston Cubs did amazing and got 2nd!
Syston Scouts took part along with 120 other Scouts and Explorers from around Charnwood in an exciting activity over the weekend, paint balling! The young people gathered at the center for a day of messy fun.
The Scout took part in the “The Great British Spring Clean” which see just under 600,000 volunteers get involved in cleaning up the Streets and local parks to improve the environment. Well done Scouts!
The next challenge for our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Band will be the Fun Run/Walk.
Fancy a challenge? Why not raise money for your local Scout Group or chosen Charity.
On the 9th June 2019 we are running a Family Fun Run/Walk around Watermead Country Park.
There are 3 distances to choose from
3 kilometers equals just a little less than 2 miles.
5 kilometers equals 3.1 miles.
10 kilometers equals 6.2 miles.
Cost per person is £5. Why not take part as a family and even bring the family dog!
Get sponsors as an individual or as a family.
Event starts from 9am
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: ASAP!
Please register at www.systonscouts.org.uk/funrun and we will send you a info pack and sponsor form.
10th Leicester (Syston) Scout Group
0116 326 6908 | info@systonscouts.org.uk
Syston Cubs have been collecting old and unwanted clothing item and have managed to fill four large charity bags to send to #RecycleWithMichael. If anyone wants to donate some more or forgot to bring some last Thursday, send them along to Cubs on Thursday and we can fill another bag!
Well done to all of the cubs with collecting so much clothing!
On Saturday 9th March, 16 young Beaver Scouts started their quest to become a Pokémon Master! The Pokémon themed Sleepover took place at Holwell Pastures Scout Camp near Melton. Once the trainers arrived they chose their Pokémon and gave them a bit of colour. They then went on to create their own Pokéball (with a biscuit and icing). Once grabbing there Pokédex’s, they went out in the wild to find and document wild Pokémon in the area (a bit of orienteering fun). The next stage of their training went on to aiming and catching Pokémon (this is child’s archery which is great fun!). After refuelling their trainer’s belly’s it was time to become one with their Pokémon with a Yoga Pokémon story. The final class of the day was to learn all about the legendary Pokémon (A Pokémon film to finish) before getting some sleep.
The next morning the trainers woke to a white game field (it Snowed!!!) and after getting their energy up (some yummy breakfast), they stepped out to practice Pokémon battles with the other trainers (snowball fights, mostly at the leaders and even a snowman!). Once warming back up inside, the trainers hatched Pokémon from the Pokéballs (a bit of bicarbonate and vinegar to fizz the Pokemon free). After a few trainer games, the trainers where presented with their Pokémon Trainer badges (Scouts nights away badge for staying overnight at a campsite) and were sent off to continue their adventure…
Interested to get your son or daughter to join the adventure? Syston Scout Group is open to girls and boys aged from 6 years upwards. Why not sign them up to our waiting list –www.systonscouts.org.uk/join/
If you would like to give us an extra pair of hands, eyes and even feet at Syston Beavers! We’d like you to help with craft activities, help to judge games and explain things when they don’t quite know the rules. If you can give us one hour once a week to help out at Beavers, it would make a vast difference to what activities the Beavers can do.
Interested?
Contact Chris Bodycot on 0116 326 6908 or email gsl@systonscouts.org.uk
