In the Countryside …..
In Spring 2022, the cub section enjoyed four sessions, designed and delivered by Caron, Imogen, and the Naturally Connected team (https://www.northpennines.org.uk/) . Especially welcomed, as it marks the end of a series of Lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. This was a chance for the young people to get closer to and deepen their appreciation of the natural environment, with the help of skilled and experienced people, demonstrably passionate about what they do.
The program kicked off with a visit by the Naturally Connected team to our scout hut, armed with all things OWL, ID cards, calls from the different UK species, and even the pellets owls leave behind. Cubs engaged enthusiastically, naming different owl species and facts, and picking apart the pellets to examine the remains of owl meals (the bones and fur of small mammals (grizzly)).
Next, in March and early April, the cubs went on three visits to Bowlees Visitors Centre. Visit one: a walk to Gibsons Cave, building refugia big enough for a multitude of animals, den building, and even campfire smores. Visit two: more smores of course! learning about the Green Man lore and making giant nests to fit the entire cub pack. Visit 3: a fantastic journey back through geological time with Naturally Connected’s own geologist Naomi, who took the pack to see fossil evidence of when Teesdale was in fact a warm tropical shallow ocean floor teeming with life, then on to see the Great Whin Sill, a huge igneous intrusion that dominates the landscape in Teesdale and other parts of the north for the last 300 million years. And, you guessed it more smores!
The Cubs spent time with each other learning and playing, team building in the best possible surroundings and in the capable hands of Caron and her team. A big thanks to the Naturally Connected team from everyone at 12th Darlington Cubs!
Akela
12th Darlington Cubs
Drey have been on a Expedition hunting