Page 20 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK FOUR Volume 1 "Northcote 1984 to 1998"

From our past experiences though, Ruth and I knew that as there were more local villages
close by, there would be a better chance of attracting more members and lastly, Carrington
was within the Boston Scout District and I knew I could count on support from that area.
It worked, those parent supporters are friends even today and in 2009, some 37 years
later the unit was still thriving.

SPILSBY WAS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT....
From the outset, parental support was almost zero and friction could be felt as we were
positive intruders. Not only intruders but “foreigners” from the South of the County.
The District Commissioner based in Skegness was most supportive of our ideas and
backed our decisions, even when we told him we needed to begin one of the newest ideas
introduced into scouting, Beavers!
Beavers are under 8 year olds, pre Cub age and introducing a small number of even
younger boys gave a natural progression into the other parts of the unit as they grew.

THE OUTING
The Spilsby Cubs had never had an annual outing. This is something Ruth and I had
always been used to, it gave the boys something to look forward to and broadened their
horizons.
“We will go to the Royal Tournament we declared in true democratic fashion.”

Ah, woe is me, but today the Royal Tournament is no more. Finished by Tony Blair and his
friends in government, as an unnecessary expense.
But to us normal citizens proud of our heritage it was part of our very being.

Cubs from the 1st Boston unit had been to the Royal Tournament several times.
Each year it was staged, the theme changed. Although military based, they used different
periods from history to entertain their visitors.

If I remember correctly, the theme for our visit with the Spilsby Unit was “St George and
the Dragon.”