Our Poacher Adventure (part 1)

For the parents of Guides going to Poacher, the last time they saw their girls was when we were cramming the coach full of too much stuff!  You'll be glad to know that we squeezed it all in and we arrived at Poacher happy and full of excitement for the days ahead.  Although the sky was overcast, we managed to put up our tents before the rain came (even though the high winds did slow us down) and ate our lunch whilst our marquee was put up.  The kitchen was set up and jobs completed (water collected and gas connected) and eventually we headed off for the opening ceremony.  We marched in with the rest of our subcamp, having got to know some of the other Guides and Scouts while we were waiting.  24 countries were represented at Poacher and it was really poignant watching the flags being raised.  We were also introduced to some of the key members of the Poacher team and had a message from the Chaplin.  Some of our girls feature in the Poacher opening video, which you can find on the Poacher 2017 website

Fortunately, the rain held off until after the opening ceremony but then it seemed to rain for the rest of the evening.  The first night at camp is always one of the most difficult in terms of sleeping and it wasn't helped by the constant sound of rain on tents but we woke the next day to clearer skies and a day full of activities ahead.

Activities at Poacher are allocated on a random basis but girls are free to swap and collect more activities or simply go and queue for an activity.  It took a little while to get used to the ticketing system but by the end of Sunday, most girls had got into the swing of things.  Another highlight from Sunday was a visit from Bear Grylls, who arrived by helicopter and did a back flip onto a giant inflatable.  I am told that when Skip heard the helicopter arrive she took off at high speed to track Bear down (apparently, she has never run so fast!) - you can see some of her pictures on our twitter feed.  Connie, one of the Rangers, managed to get her necker signed.

Our girls have already experienced a range of activities, although some like Hot Air Ballooning have been hampered by the weather (the rain and high winds have continued throughout the first half of the week) and none of our girls managed to be selected for this activity.  However Kirsten, one of our Rangers, did get selected for Gliding which was an amazing activity and Wren has some photos of this on her camera, which we hope to post when she returns from camp.

Here are some of the comments from the girls about some of the activities they have done:

Lucy:

The first activity I did was Sailing and it was so good!  The wind was really strong which made it more exciting.

Alisha:

I enjoyed learning about the African culture, when I had a go at playing on the African Drums.  It was really good and the sounds and rhythms were amazing.

Lily:

Although the weather has been unpredictable, I have had so much fun at Poacher.  My favourite thing I have done so far is Go Karts, it felt like I was going so fast but looking back at videos it was embarrassingly slow!

Kirsten:

I really enjoyed Gliding, something I wouldn't normally be able to do.

Gabby:

I really enjoyed doing the Inflatables as I could keep going on them with my friends but I hated being chased by wasps when eating my food!

Lucy:

I have really enjoyed getting to know Kirsten and Gabby really well.

Anna G:

Poacher is amazing.  The food Wren does is amazing and always filling.  The activities are really fun and nothing like we have done before.  Getting to the middle of the week, our tent is getting a little bit messy but it's nice to be all snuggled in and the fairground is amazing.  Thank you everyone and see you Saturday.

Anna R:

It is really good fun at Poacher.  I love the food and all the activities are brilliant.  The atmosphere is really nice and everyone is so kind and friendly.

Georgina:
My time at Poacher has been amazing, I have done so many activities like zip line, zorbs, segways and much more.  As well as physical activities there are also mental ones and there is a Poacher Challenge badge.  There are also off-site trips.  I love Poacher!

Lottie:
This camp I have really enjoyed the Freefall Stuntbag because it was a challenge.  I have loved the camping and activities.

Elizabeth:
I have really enjoyed going on the Rock Climbing and Abseiling Wall because I challenged myself with heights, this was a great achievement.

Katie G:
I have really enjoyed Poacher so far. Crate Stacking has been super fun and I got to do it with my friends.  All the birthday surprises (balloons, cards, presents) were amazing.

Izzy L:
I have found all my activities amazing!  Inflatables were really fun, especially with friends.  I also loved Cave Bus and Crate Stacking.

Rebecca, Neve and Lauren:
We love Poacher.  There are tons of fun things to do.  We plan on going Scuba Diving.  Our favourite activity has been Crate Stacking.

Joanna, Abbie, Abby, Marissa and Leo:
Scuba Diving was amazing.  The instructors were very nice and patient.  Cave Bus was good, as well as Cave Challenge.  Inflatables meant that we could do activities in our group of 5.

Sarya:
I had fun on the Freefall Zipline, Bowling and Go Karts.

Lara:
I really enjoyed the Micro-quads, as they went really fast.  Luckily, I didn't fall off!

Elisa:
I have had fun, it has all been amazing!

Sarya, Lara and Elisa have done so many activities - they have really got into the spirit of Poacher, getting up early to get all the best tickets.  They have done three badges already - well done girls!

Katrina, Lucy and Caitlin:
Today we played the African Drums and they were more fun and interesting than we expected!  We also did some dancing during the activity which we were a bit embarrassed about!  Luckily, none of us had to dance in the middle!  Lucy said "I loved learning the different rhythms"  Katrina said "I learnt a new skill" and Caitlin "It's my first time on camp and I'm really enjoying it"

Carmela: 
The funfair was amazing but the lines were too long!  The Inflatable challenge was great.

Anya:
I learnt that the best tickets come out in the evening, that was how I got an Aqua Park pass.  When I went, it was incredible.

As you can see, the changeable weather has not dampened the girls' spirits!  There have been a few ups and downs but there is always someone there to look after anyone feeling a little home sick or tired.  We had Christmas Day on Wednesday (a notorious 'dip-day') with Christmas jumpers, tinsel, crackers and an evening meal in the Bistro.  The girls have met Guides and Scouts from all over the World and have swapped some of those swaps you might have seen them making at home - in particular, there have been a few visits to the girls from Australia, who are in the UK for 3 weeks.

Not all the girls had a chance to comment in time for this post but hopefully we will have more feedback for our next post.

Don't forget to keep checking our twitter feed for more pictures and updates.

Sub

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

1st Downham Go For It!

Throughout May 1^st  Downham Market Guides  have been working on Go For Its.  Each patrol choose a different GFI and over four weeks completed various activities and tasks.

The final evening was run by a patrol who were doing GFI Parties. They planned and ran a Golden Guides Awards evening.

It was excellent, even included a red carpet! There was a mocktail bar and amazing cupcakes.

Guides had been asked to vote on various categories such as most organised Guide, most helpful etc. and, as with the Oscars, (although no wrong envelopes here) not everyone got a prize, but all participated.

The evening ended with an impromptu disco and dance off.

Well done Mia, Katie, Lauren and Anya it was a truly excellent night which we all enjoyed so much. 

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

I Will Survive Go For It

During the summer term, 2nd Downham Market Guides worked on their I Will Survive Go For It.  Girls practised compass work and grid referencing and were challenged to tie knots, perform first aid and eat things you might find in the wild.

We were very lucky to have Scout Leader, Bob, visit out unit and to teach all sorts of skills including fire lighting and we also went for a visit to the Scout Hut in Runcton Holme where Bob taught Archery - even Dolphin hit the target despite her belief that she wouldn't!  The evening was finished with S'mores around the campfire.

Charity Shop Chic

As part of the Ranger's Independent Living Octant, the Rangers from Clack Close all took part in the £5 challenge.  

Each Ranger was given £5 and they had to try and buy a complete outfit from a charity shop. They all did an amazing job, with some real bargains, as you can see from the photo.

Call the Cops! Personal Safety Badge

1^st Downham Market Guides were visited by Sargent Rowe, as part of their Personal Safety & Independent Living badges.

The session dealt with theft and ‘what if’ scenarios. The Guides were given photocopies of local people who had been arrested for theft and we discussed each case. It was an excellent session in which the girls all learnt a lot. The Guides were given various scenarios. Speak to your Guide and see if you get the answers right.

1.    It’s time to raise money for the Guides, You pick some wild blackberries from the hedgerow and make some delicious homemade jam which you sell at the Guides Christmas Fair. Are you guilty of theft of the wild hedgerow blackberries?

2.   You and your friend hatch a plan to steal money form the Guides Christmas Fair. You text your friend explaining the plan which is that one of you will keep watch whilst the other takes the money form the stall they are working on. Your friend text back saying “Brilliant LOL, I’m up for that. We will be rich”   A day before the fair you lose your phone and a police officer finds it in the street and discovers the texts between you and your friend. Is either of you guilty of theft though the fair is a day away and you have not stolen anting?

3.    You are walking through the park a notice a £5 note on the floor. There is nobody else in the park. You pick it up and put it in your pocket. Walking home you have to walk past the police station but you do not stop to hand it in at the front counter. Are you guilty of theft of the £5 note?

4.    You enter a supermarket and see you favourite music CD for sale. It costs £10 but you only have £6 on you. You walk over to the bargin CD display, peel off a label from a cheap CD that costs £5.99, and stick it over the £10 label on the CD you want. You walk to the check out and pay for your favourite music CD but at a cost of £5.99 which you think is much more reasonable. Have you stolen the CD?

Around the World with Guides

1^st Downham Market Guides had a really excellent International Evening. The evening was run and organised by the some of the older Guides, who are working towards their BP award.

The BP award is the Baden Powel Award and is the highest award which a Guide can achieve.

We all walked into the hall, which had been set up to represent numerous countries. On each table was food, activities, music, artefacts and information about Guiding from each of the countries. The Guides visited each table to learn about lots of different cultures.

It was a superb evening, with so much thought and planning given.   Well done girls:

Neve – Japan

Anna – Asia

Lauren - France

Rebecca – Egypt

Anna – USA

Issy – India

Katie – Spain

Mia – Malaysia

Camp Blankets

Camp blankets serve several purposes, the main one being to keep you warm around the campfire.  Lots of people 'wear' their camp blankets, although I simply wrap myself in mine!  Another equally important purpose is to sew badges onto.  If you've been a Rainbow, a Brownie and a Guide, your camp blanket becomes a record of all the things you've done and places you've visited.  Camp blankets tell a story about who you are and the experiences you've had - just ask Willow about her blanket if you want some good stories!  Here we are at Guides sewing on some of our newly earned badges...

And if you weren't a Rainbow or a Brownie, it doesn't matter!  It's never to late to start a camp blanket, so get sewing!

Chocolate Night!

We get many requests from our Guides to do the Chocolate Go For It, which aside from chocolate tasting requires the girls to think about where chocolate comes from and learn a little of it's history.  So with this in mind, our Young Leader, Dolphin, planned an evening of fun activities themed around chocolate and sweets.  To begin, we had two quizzes - one true or false and one more cryptic.  For example can you work out what sweets are being described here 'Toothless Drink'....that's right 'Wine Gums'.  The rest of the evening was spent having a Malteser relay and trying to get a Cadbury's Button from our heads into our mouths.  Enjoy these pictures below:

Our Girls Need You!

Guiding in this region is growing at a fast pace and over the past two years Clackclose District Girlguiding has gone from strength to strength by increasing their current complement to encompass:

 2 x Rainbow Units

 3 x Brownie Units

 2 x Guide Units

 1 x Senior Section Unit

Due to the high demand of girls wanting to join the movement, Clackclose District is looking to expand by opening an additional Brownie and Guide Unit.

 

Working with young people and other volunteers helps develop valuable, transferable skills like event planning, time management, leadership skills and budgeting. Do you think you could make a difference to girls aged between 7 and 14 years of age and give something back to your local community? Are you looking for a rewarding challenge and think that you could get a new Unit off the ground?  Then you are the type of person that Clackclose District Girlguiding is looking for.

 

You can choose the volunteer role that matches your skills and time. Then we will help you build skills with training opportunities suited to your role that make your CV stand out. Take our Leadership Qualification, become a trained first aider or get qualified for outdoor activities such as climbing and kayaking.

Clackclose District has an excellent support network of qualified adult leaders, so you would not be alone in your Guiding journey.  Why not come along and join us at a taster session at one of our meetings and see what the girls  get up to or check us out on Twitter @CCGirlguiding

If you are interested in volunteering, please register via the Girlguiding website:  https://enquiryv.girlguiding.org.uk.

Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung and we're feeling particularly 'hoppy' making our Easter Bunny Treat Bags.  After sewing faces, ears and the sides, we filled the bags with chocolate eggs and tied ribbon around the top.

Concentrating very hard on sewing

Some of our finished treat bags

Pamper yourself

To celebrate Mother’s Day, 1^st Downham Market Guides held a pamper night. Mocktail bar, cakes, relaxing music, candles, cucumber on eyes, hand massages, gel-nails, shoulder massage and the most successful activity our Listening Project (similar to Radio Four’s)

There was a shoe box filled with questions which the Guide was to ask their Mum/Auntie/ Carer and also questions for the adults to ask their Guide. 

A really relaxing and enjoyable evening was had by all. Well done girls J

Skip

A visit from West Norfolk Deaf Association

Tonight 2nd Downham Market (St Edmund's) Guides had a visit from Sarah from the West Norfolk Deaf Association.  She came to tell us more about the work of the charity and the services they provide.  Those who are local to Downham will know that the WNDA have recently opened a book shop in Downham Market and are planning to open another of their charity shops very soon.  But what you might not know is that these shops also provide a service to the deaf community, particularly by servicing hearing aids.  The charity is a very local charity and survives on donations and funding bids - you can find out more here

Sarah gave us some tips for communicating with deaf people, including reminding us to speak normally and not exaggerate.  Exaggeration changes the way our lips and facial expressions look and can cause confusion.  She also said we should stand still when talking to a deaf person and make sure they have a clear view of our faces, we should be aware of the light and make sure we are not in silhouette.  Towards the end of the evening we learnt some British Sign Language, including how to finger spell our names and some commonly used signs - many of which can be found on YouTube.

Thank you to Sarah for coming along and we hope to see some of our readers supporting the WNDA shop x

Flippin' good fun!

1^st Downham Market Guides tried their hand at making pancakes. Each patrol had a different set of ingredients:

·         homemade with milk, flour and eggs,

·         Batter mix in a packet – just add water

·         Batter mix in a bottle, just add and egg and water

·         Basic 30p batter mix – add water.

The homemade came first closely followed by the basic 30p batter mix.

We all had a flippin’ good time!
Skip

Looking forward to Poacher

Later this year, Girls from 1st and 2nd Downham Market Guides and the Senior Section will be heading off to Poacher - an international Guide and Scout Jamboree in Lincoln, described as the 'Adventure of a Lifetime'.  Today we had our first meeting about what to expect, what to take and what we are looking forward to.  There was lots of talk about showers and toilets - we will be hoping to shower more than once and that the toilets don't block!  There was also more positive discussion about activities and entertainment, it sounds really exciting!  Most of all we are looking forward to trying new things with our Guiding friends and to meeting lots of new people to share our adventures with.  This is the first of many Poacher blogs as we build up to the week long camp and of course, we will be blogging from the sight - so watch this space!

Surf Smart Sleepover

On Friday 10th February, girls from 1st and 2nd Downham Market Guides were very lucky to be able to have a sleepover in St Edmund's Church.  We love a sleepover in this District and we are always looking for new places to spend the night, so we were very pleased to sleep in the Church, which is an incredibly old and incredibly beautiful building.  Some of the Guides thought that sleeping in the Church might be quite creepy - especially with the tombstones just outside - but it was actually very peaceful and we all got more sleep than we expected.

Whilst on the sleepover, we worked towards our Surf Smart Badge, a resource produced by WAGGS.  The resource had loads of fantastic games and activities which clearly illustrated some of the risks of being online.  We weren't trying to put anyone off of using the internet but wanted everyone to think a little more carefully about their security online.  Here's what some of the girls said:

Anna G "I found sleeping slightly weird at first but once I had been asleep and rested I enjoyed it.  I liked being where we were and we were all nice and snuggly"

Lauren "At first it was a bit creepy but once I got used to it, it was quite nice because there was lots of things to look at, so eventually I fell asleep.  It was super cosy"

Katie "It was actually really warm once you got into your sleeping bag.  I really liked the blindfolded 'follow the leader' because it was a fun way to show how little you know about the dangers of a website"

Eden and Savannah "We enjoyed Block It, where everyone was blindfolded and held onto a piece of string.  The person in front sent directions to you.  We enjoyed the Church because it was clean and cosy.  We got to play games such as the toothpaste game and we wrote about the positives and negatives of the internet.  We made safe passwords.

Anna R, Katie C and Mia F "It was very cosy but quite cold even though the heating was on.  It wasn't creepy at all but some Guides wouldn't stop talking through the night.  We talked about internet safety and what happens when you are not safe online.  The badge was really fun!  We learned a lot of things in a fun, productive way and without scaring ourselves."

Connie, Caitlin and Anya "The activities were fun and quick so we could move onto the next one quickly.  It was cold but luckily we had lots of blankets.  We tried to get to sleep but people kept waking us up by talking"

Holly "I enjoyed sleeping in the Church because it was clean and well looked after.  We played lots of games and made a poster about the positives and negatives of the internet"

Lucy, Katrina and Megan "It was chilly but fun and beautiful.  We met new(ish) people"

Stephanie, Amber and Emma A "It was squished and freezing!  Noisy but exciting and enjoyable"

Georgina and Erin "Thank you to leaders and Father Mather for a good night and for letting us sleep in the Church.  We laughed very much, the badge was fun"

All in all, it was a huge amount of fun and at the end of the sleepover we made our internet promises - we all pledged to stay safer online by doing different things for example checking our privacy settings, improving our passwords and spending less time on our phones.

Of course, that doesn't include reading the Clack Close Blog... :)

See you next time x

Welcome to our new blog!

Hello to friends, sister Guides and generally interested readers - welcome to our new blog!  We are Clack Close District which can be found in Downham Market, Norfolk, UK.  We are very lucky in our District to have so many young women involved in Girlguiding, from Rainbows through to Senior Section there is a general excitement and enjoyment of Guiding, in fact take a look at our Twitter feed to see what we have been up to recently.

2017 is going to be another fantastic year for us, so we have decided to record some of our adventures here.  Posts will be written by girls from all Sections and Leaders will have input too - if there is anything you'd like to see here, do let us know.

So we hope to get to know you through our blog and for you to find out more about us.  Do follow, share and comment but please be nice - it makes the World a happier place!

Camp 2016