It’s been another brilliant year for the Group. We remain incredibly popular and simply cannot accommodate all who want to join us. Here are some of the year’s highlights:

• Beavers enjoyed a brilliant early summer weekend with our neighbourhood Vikings learning how to fight and pillage. Unsurprisingly there is no badge for that.
• An evening of indulgence and sophistication when the church hall was transformed into ‘Cubs’ Café’ with high tea and cake served to parents. It was a full house, and the Cubs did absolutely brilliantly. Thank you to everyone for your support. The Cubs were so, so excited to have you there.
• A great evening for the Scouts with their trip to see Panto at the Rose and Crown in Walthamstow. For many, it was their first independent night out without parents.
• Another golden Family Camp, and the highlight of our year. Massively oversubscribed, unbelievably well organised, and one of the most competitive boat races ever! We must tip our hats to all that that make it happen and the Explorers for running ‘It’s a Knock Out’.
• Beavers Max Owen and George Jarvis for securing their Chief Scout Bronze Awards, a first step towards greatness. Keep it up!
• Cubs’ super-successful outdoor cooking class of chocolate oranges on the campfire. Home economics on a whole new level. Many thanks to Master Chef Steve Churn for helping out.
• Congratulations to all the Scouts who performed in their annual Talent Show. Special mention to Hayri for his spectacular magic show and Maya Nichols for singing on stage solo for the first time. Honourable mentions to Laurie, Connor, Alfie, Oscar, Digby, Savannah and Oliver for their Great British Bake off Skit. Hollywood, or maybe office Christmas party karaoke, beckons!
• A truly proper bonfire night under the stars at the Mally. It had everything you would expect for that 70’s experience: toffee apples, a massive fire, homemade guys, children running feral in the dark, and one of them ending up in A&E. Thanks to Manisha Nichols, Leigh Morl, Rob Kennedy and Kate Ceeney for organising.
• And while on crazy nights, no one will forget Cubs’ epic Autumn bike ride through Epping Forest in the dark. The nights don’t half draw in quick! Special mention to Cub Max Farnell who survived a crash Evel Knieval would have been proud of.  Big thanks to those mums and dads who joined us.
• Let’s not forget Beavers for remembering the true spirit of Christmas in an exemplary carol singing performance at Tescos and Scouts who put together a world record(ish) 13 Christmas shoe boxes which will make their way to children in need. Nice one guys.  
• Scouts also put their creativity to the test with their pumpkin carving night for Halloween. The carvings were scary enough, but even more so was the eerie silence of the entire pack concentrating hard. Spooky!
• Beavers, Cubs and Scouts ended the summer term with what is turning into a tradition of hiking up to Fairmead campsite for the night – with the Scouts carrying all of their kit too. With warm weather, we enjoyed a fine evening of tent building, burgers, wide games, and unfortunate stick wars between rival tent tribes. Thanks again to everyone who helped out.
• Beavers have been further expanding on their repertoire of survival skills with evenings learning how to light fires, build dens, and whittle sticks. That makes them top candidates for ‘I’m a Celebrity’ 
• Meanwhile, Cubs put their stick fighting skills to the test with a taster session of fencing at Bancroft’s School. ‘Enthusiastic’ was how the coach described out appetite for swords, and we did look proper cool in all the kit. 
• It is worth mentioning that Scouts will finish the year with their seasonal trip to ice skating at Canary Wharf. Or as Leaders John and Steve call it, the trip to daft falling over at Canary Wharf.
• Huge thanks to Martin Chandler and Gill Poulter at HSpark Internet Radio, who spent time with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to create their very own radio programme. Do listen in at www.hspark.co.uk
• And Explorers should not be forgotten! Despite the challenges, the section has recruited new members and our older scouts will move up soon too. They are taking an interest in what they do next year and are keen to take on the Kilmuir Challenge 2019. Plus, David and Jess have been working hard to raise money for Jamboree and I know they are extremely grateful for the support of the Group at various events they have run, such as bag packing and movie night.

And we could go on as we’ve barely scratched the surface. Not even mentioned are the bake off, epic water night, knot making, and the Epping Forest Duck Champion.

However, if there has been a particular feature about 2018, it is how so many great evenings have been inspired by the parents. Think Mo’s brilliant robotics display, Hugh and Dave getting soaked at water fight night, Lindy’s fantastic Caribbean cooking for Black History Month, Sharon’s bacteria science lesson, or Alvaro in full police riot kit (have never seen the kids so well behaved). Unquestionably, it has been Beaver parents who have led the way and there is a great vibe running through the Beavers pack. This bodes well for 1HP’s future.