What happened to tailored shorts in Scouts?

To  some of us of a certain "bone age" one mystery in modern day scouting not least in Cubs was just why from late 1967 did short trousers become an "issue" when in Scouting For Boys B.P. expressly endorsed them even to the point of giving reasons why he felt they were more practical.

From the late 1960's to the end very much of the 80's there was strong level of wearing them in lengths that mirrored school  and yet as we got into the 90's this become uncommon to the point there doesn't appear to be standard design.

Often you'll see sport or casual shorts worn if at all .

In Scouts they were eliminated totally by design.

And yet it is not uncommon to see staff out on field activities wearing them even if it seems to be a line NOT to talk about shorts as if they are some old embarassing legacy when in public settings.

For some of us, this kind of sums up how we see things based upon our own recollections and it isn't that some other groups wear them without issue such as hikers.

Resourcefulness

While publication  has not been as I'd of liked, as unfortunately I am quite ill presently, staying strong mentally is very much my focus drawing from the things I have learned over the years in fighting this viral infection I appear to have caught.

The adventures of the past for me are not just great memories but have the skills and means of coping with all I may face.

Recruitment: some observations

 Scouts is like many organizations reliant upon volunteers when it comes to delivering the various programs and yet in some respects a little different in that we can "grow our own" from those who have been in membership themselves putting back what they themselves have benefitted from.

The way we bring people in is something that is being looked at more not just from point of view of who we engage directly with the community but the process of invites and interviews as they may not be giving us a clear indication of what that person has to offer and from that the best place we have for their skills.

Traditionally we've relied more on word of mouth followed by formal interview but rather than doing that some are experimenting more with talking over tea with the individual, taking a more conversational approach to finding out more about an individual, sharing information around roles and how we can best use them.

Having had "firing squad" interviews myself I can easily why such approaches can in practise be a barrier to engagement and a unneccessary worry that puts people off.

It's not that you don't have training - you most certainly do - and support through it but does it make sense when we're lacking people to reduce our backlog  of would be scouts if holding on to the old ways isn't bringing in anything like the numbers we need?

Where did you say it was?

 

It does actually make sense to stop, review where you are and take in having checked your map, your next steps along the journey as apart from anything else sometimes paths can be overgrown in places so not immediately obvious you are still on it.

While out this week I overheard a part of a conversation which I feel is worth thinking about.

A person spent a good five minutes explaining how  it was they were unable to make a expected and arranged journey because of a combintion of poor mobile signal locally and issues with their internet saying they were unable to finding what the route was as they could not access a map.

This had consequences for them and that other person but a traditional paper map would of solved the problem!

Modern O.S. maps do have downloadable versions that you can load without needing the internet or good mobile coverage while a paper map is always there.

Scout uniform 70's style

Scout uniform I was very familiar with in the mid 1970's being very much what I saw saw my older brother getting changed into complete with belt before attending meetings and activities that I assisted him with lanyard still present and correct.
 

Dealing with situations

 

Whenever some sort of incident happens you can almost predict the way the mass media tends to run things, suggesting something that's beyond state run bodies is out of its depth as was the case recently regarding serious issues at the 2023 International Scout Jamboree in South Korea.

While there are good questions to be asked regarding how prepared the hosts were not just of the handling of way above average temperatures but of the basics such as clean toilets, and able to cope with the numbers, the response to this situation showed how the Scout Association here takes safeguarding and welfare seriously.

Not in just trying to mitigate some aspects such as timing of activities to avoid peak temperatures, the distribution of water to avoid dehydriation but in taking the decision to relocate to air conditioned hotels when it obvious things were not improving at cost coming out of reserves.

It wasn't a light decision but given the reports I saw, entirely appropriate given the risks of illness which undermines what the whole experience of the internetional jamboree is all about and why trying to ensure given how things were we do our best so that children and young people get the best from it often raising heir own funds.

I feel some of the criticism is unwarrented.

Clock towers

 Clocktowers are an intriguing thing coming in many differing forms but all fulfilling the function of  providing accurate public information of the time but most tend to be either from around a century or so ago or built into complexes such as shopping malls.

This was built by public subscription for the millennium in a village on the Lancashire/Westmorland border which keeps its mainly stone build archectectural appearence well.

Lindeth Tower

There were a number of places nearby I visited last week and this was one.

Lindeth Tower stands on an elevated site on the fringes of the picturesque Lancashire coastal village of Silverdale and offers stunning views across the sands of Morecambe Bay and the mountains of the Lake District.

Lindeth Tower was once a favourite writing retreat of the Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and today the Tower provides peaceful and secluded self-catering holiday accommodation close to Leighton Moss bird reserve and within the Arnside & Silverdale AONB.

Looking out

 

While the weather certainly could of been better while away last week it did allow for some exploring and appreciation of views such as early evening view across Morecombe Bay such as this with the famous sands in full view.

Here the impact of modern Windfarms generating electricity can be see with the pylons of the National Grid and commercial development of this stretch of coast in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The base camp view

Here is the view from the front of the guest house I was staying in showing the dry stone walls of the nearby fields which has not been cut with the bay very much in view one one of the drier moments.

Pausing along the way

On the way up to the lakes, I stopped off at Ribchester for a leg stretch and lunch break eating  a cornish pasty, attempting to go around a vistor attraction only to be stopped by a very muddy surface that I could feel myself sliding on.

The river Ribble is prone to flooding in this area and I suspect that was the issue.

By that point I bought a locally made ice cream before resuming the journey.