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 David Ingram — Explorer Scout
Leader
Fortunately the GSL - Derek Ray - was very experienced and we got up
and running very quickly. The troop had an Easter Camp the same year.
So it is that since that March day in 1990 I've been; Scout Leader of
the 67th Manchester, Venture Scout Leader of the "Forest Vale VSU"
attached to the 108th Manchester, Scout Leader of the Cromwell Troop of
the 4th Warrington, and the founding Explorer Scout Leader of the
Tsunami ESU (Warrington West, Cheshire).
The 67th Manchester (Our District also included the 401st Manchester)
was one of the oldest troops in Manchester - originally called the 1st
Blackley Scouts and in 1991 we celebrated our 80th Birthday. No mean
feat for a Group located in the middle of a very deprived council
Estate. There were many highlights - in 1992 I jointly organised a camp
with a friend of mine from Surrey. We took three troops of Scouts to
Haworth (Yorkshire) and camped on a green field. All the leaders were
worried that the Scouts would not get on - the standing joke was
Surrey Scout (SS): My father works in banks
Mancester Scout (MS): So does mine
SS: Mines an investment banker, what's yours doing
MS: 20 Years in Strangeways, the Police caught him at work!
Our worries were found-less and we all learned the important lesson
that outside in tents, hiking across hills, etc. All Scouts are equal -
I suppose we should have all read B-Ps account of the Brownsea Island
camp.
Keeping the 67th going was an uphill struggle, there were plenty of
leaders but cub and scout numbers fell off as the area around the
church became rougher until eventually we had to take the painful
decision to close the Group. The remaining Scouts and I transferred to
the 108th Manchester (the nearest neighbour) which was a thriving troop
with 36 Scouts and two leaders - what they needed was a Venture Scout
Unit and so the Forrest Vale Unit was born. The 108th had a huge gap in
the ages of their Scouts there were 5 Scouts aged 15 and 16 and the
next oldest was 12 - With permission from the District we started a
Venture Scout Unit with these "Senior" Scouts solving the troop's age
problem and giving the older Scouts something interesting to do.
Memorable events included going to Dartmoor for a summer camp and doing
an overnight hike from Mytholmroyd to Littleborough along the Pennine
way. After three years most of the original members had gone to
University, leaving the Unit with a new batch of young members, and at
this time we moved to Warrington to a bigger house only 100m from a
Scout Hall!
After moving to Warrington we got involved with the 4th Warrington - a
large group with two Beaver colonies, two Cub packs, two Scout troops
and a Venture Scout Unit. The Cromwell Troop needed a Scout Leader so I
reverted to running a Scout troop from 1996. For much of the time I was
running the Troop on my own with a succession of assistant leaders
press-ganged by the GSL who never lasted long - but the things ran
smoothly due to strong links between the two troops
- Geof (SL of the Jubilee Troop) and myself took it in turns to
organise summer camps - usually going to a green field site and there
was a variety of district events, including the Blakfoot Hike [no its not a spelling mistake]  which
was an annual 2-day hiking competition for all Scouts and the
Warrington Gang show. The district was very keen on mountain leader
training and I went on a fantastic weekend course to Yr Haffod in North
Wales.
When
the new programme came out I decided to transfer into Explorer Scouts
and we formed a joint unit between the 4th and 21st Warrington Scouts,
called the Tsunami Unit, we were one of three district units (Amazon
and Viking were the others). The District Units organised a launch
event and followed this up with an annual weekend in September to which
older scouts were invited, we also had an annual Christmas Camp in
December (complete with Roast Turkey) and a series of summer
expeditions, including walking the West Highland Way from Crainlarich
to Fort William and a fantastic trip to Kandersteg in Switzerland. We
also went caving, gliding and up in small aircraft. Our most extreme
event started, as these things always do, with an off hand remark:-
During the west highland way walk Craig, the district mountaineering
advisor, commented that the unit were walking "bloody fast" and "ought
to be in the Four Inns". Over tea that evening his explained what the
Four Inns meant - a hiking competition in April in the Derbyshire Peak.
All he would say was that it was a good days walk and he thought they
could do it.  The
idea took hold and we spent the winter training hard and getting
sponsorship (for the Unit, our host Groups Building fund and Francis
House Children's Hospice) even having spent weekends walking the route
in sections we still had little idea of the total distance - there were
8 checkpoints it would take us about 12-14 hours and we went over
Blackhill, Torside, Kinderscout, Rushup-edge, passed the Cat and Fiddle
and down into Buxton. The day dawned and at 0630 and 0635 our two teams
set off into the breaking dawn. Having been issued with dog tags by the
starter "take those to the finish and don't take them off!". Despite a
pleasant dawn the weather soon deteriorated and our two teams of four
walked on. Checkpoints filled us with jam sandwiches and hot sweet tea,
and the miles disappeared under our boots. Eventually 16 hours and 5
minutes after starting we walked across the finishing line. No-one who
took part will forget the experience and although we promised never to
do it again - several of us have since tried.
After 18 years working at Manchester Metropolitan University (in the
Computing and Mathematics Department, I have to confess to being a
mathematician) the offer of a job came up in Edinburgh and so leaving
the Tsunami Unit in safe hands (with plans to go to the world Jamboree
both as members of the contingent and members of the service crew) I
came north and found the North Face Unit.
There is little more to say - Its been nice being an assistant leader
(for the first time ever) and the Unit is full of great members and has
an active programme. I should add that Scouting is definitely a family
thing as Jacqualine is the Akela of a cub pack and both my sons are
involved and during a couple of trips for work I've met some Japanese
Scouts.
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