POACHER here we come!

With less than a week to go, Skip and the team have been busy preparing for Poacher.  Currently, everything (including Daniel Craig!) is waiting to be packed in the coach ready to depart on Saturday.

The girls have got their t shirts with the fantastic winner of the design a logo competition printed on the back.  We also have pin badges to give away to the new friends we meet.

Excitement is definitely building and we are looking forward to letting you all know what we get up to while we're there - watch this space!

Sunny Hunny

On Saturday 10 June Guides from 1^st & 2^nd Downham Market met under a rather overcast sky in Hunstanton.

Our first stop was the Washmonster. The Washmonster is an amphibious vehicle which was used in the Vietnam War and originally cost £1 million! It was a little choppy, but we all got to see just how wonderful the Hunstanton cliffs look as well as watching the Kite Surfers.

Once back on dry land we walked onto the green above the cliffs for our much needed lunch. By now the weather was glorious and out came the sun cream. While on the green the girls were reminded about how to put someone in the recovery position, how to help someone if they were in shock. This was all part of their WaterSafety badge.

Back on our feet, we walked to the Lifeboat station in Old Hunstanton. We were a little early for our session so all the girls had some time playing on the sand. By now it was really hot! And we were glad to get into the shade of the Lifeboat Station.

The Lifeboat crew were all fantastic and showed the girls the hovercraft (one of only four in the country) and the Lifeboat. The Guides then went to watch a video of a real life rescue. The rescue took place at Brancaster beach involving young people getting caught out as the tide came in.

The Guides took part in numerous activities, including how to look out for danger when they are in the water or on a beach, what the flags on the beach mean, how to attract attention should they become cut off, how to assist someone who is in the water, how to throw a line to someone.  The session ended with a race between two of the crew and Bo, to see who could get dressed in all the kit ready for a rescue the quickest. Bo almost won, but she did have an extra pair of hands and had less kit to get into!! The Guides then presented a cheque to the RNLI which is entirely funded through donations.

A huge thank you to all the lifeboat crew for a really excellent session, and also to the girls who never moaned once, even walking all that way in the heat.

Skip

Rangers on Coastal Safari

Clackclose Rangers set off early one Sunday morning at the beginning of June, not knowing quite what to expect, for a morning of Coastal Safari.  We all met at the NT Activity Centre at Brancaster Staithe.    

After our safety talk, and once we had all struggled (some more than others!) into our very fetching waterproof trousers we were off.  Along the way Seb, our guide, taught the girls about various flora and fauna along the water line, including one plant which always grows at the very highest part of the marsh. Once on the marsh we all paired up with a mud buddy. Someone who will help you out of the mud if you got stuck. Little did we know just how stuck we would get!

Off we set out onto the mud flats. The girls were a little hesitant at first but after getting feet, shoes and legs stuck in the mud, there was no stopping them - as the photos show. 

Unfortunately the one photo we all wanted but didn't manage to capture was Bo doing the most amazing tumble (very graceful) down a mud bank and into the water. All the while her sun hat stayed on!

We finished our day off with a picnic in Hunstanton, while being serenaded (!!!) by a rock band. Then there were visits to the arcades, sweet shop, doughnut stand, chip shop, tea and coffee stall and doughnut stand again. 

It was not only our legs that ached (all that getting stuck in the mud) but also our faces and sides, from laughing so much.      

Yet another wonderful day out with the Rangers.

Skip