1st Bridlington Scouts-The winners of our Community Clean Up competition

All’s well that ends well!

We were thrilled to handover £500 to 1st Bridlington Scout Group, the winning group of our Scout Community Clean Up competition. We were even more pleased to also hear that the group completed our WD-40 Scout Badge and passed with flying colours too!

WD-40, multi-use, product named the Bridlington Scout troop the winners following a nationwide search of Scout Groups who had used their DIY and Scouting skills to help clean up their community.

The competition was launched to celebrate WD-40 multi-use product’s sponsorship of the DIY Scout Activity Badge and online interactive resource that teaches DIY, safety skills and tips on how to clean and protect your tools following projects.

1st Bridlington Scout Group’s use of DIY, scouting skills and their long term commitment to local community projects and groups in the area is what has won them the award.

The dedicated group works with the Salvation Army preparing and cooking meals and helping those in need.

They’ve organised a dog show from start to finish for their community and made pancakes for their local Allotment Association and the church. The Scout Group’s work with Hilderthorpe Allotment Association saw them revive a plot of derelict land and make high quality signs following vandalism.

They’ve managed a charity shop, whilst staff were taking a much needed break and even built a wildlife pond for the local people to enjoy.

In addition, 1st Bridlington Scout Group has a long term commitment to cleaning projects across Bridlington, to make the area a nicer a place to live and visit.

WD-40 Multi-use Product’s brand manager Amy Long said: “We were very impressed with the amount of projects 1st Bridlington Scouts are involved in.

“It is brilliant to see the younger generation learning DIY skills and using those skills to help the community.

“Our motto is WD-40 takes care of it and these Scouts fully encompass our beliefs.”

1st Bridlington Scout Group leader, Gary Trowbridge, said: “It is an honour to be awarded £500 from WD-40 for winning the competition.

“All of our Scouts love helping the community and for them to be rewarded for this is brilliant

“We are putting the money to one side for next year’s Scout camp and it will be used to fund our activities, it will be a great reward for all our hard work.”

We hope the group has a fantastic camp next year and enjoy taking care of themselves for a change!

LABOUR OF LOVE FOR CORNWALL SCOUT GROUP

A Cornwall Scout group who has invested plenty of love, labour and time into their Scout hut is our latest entry to be in our competition to win £500.

1st Lostwithiel Scout Group over the last two years has invested time and effort to repair damage to their HQ due to dry rot.

The whole HQ had been affected by dry rot and the persistent group took it upon themselves to rectify the problem, to make the Scout hut a nicer place to be.

In order to remove the dry rot the Scouts had to cut, replace and re board all the walls, timber frames also had to be stripped away and replaced as well as total renewal of all the floor and walls.

The Scout Group held working party days where parents and the local community would come down to the Scout hut to assist with painting and cleaning.

Scout leader, Alec Poulding said: “This project has helped the Scouts to develop their skills. The children really enjoyed the opportunity to attempt new things, getting to grips with hands on tools such as saws and hammers and have enjoyed the chance to use power tools such as drills and screw drivers for the first time.”

“Within the summer months the group is encouraged to spend time outside, they do nature trails, leaf and tree identification and fire lighting as well as litter picking to try and keep the town tidy and keep the environment as they would like to find it.”

The group is very active in the community and holds DIY evenings with fathers, friends and local trades people to showcase their skills to the Scouts.

BLOOMING MARVELOUS

Doing it for Manchester! Those blooming marvellous 20th Oldham Scouts have rescued some waste land and turned into a community garden to be enjoyed by all.

20th Oldham Scout Group based in Saddleworth village has cleared a piece of waste land on Smithy Lane just off the High Street in Uppermill, of rubbish and debris, in order to make way for a garden to be used by the local community and the Scouts.

The green fingered group were thrilled when Saddleworth Council, said that they could develop the land for the community and as an added bonus the council gave them £100 for plants and bulbs to landscape the area.

The 22-strong group has voluntarily given their time to create the community garden and they’ve used their gardening and DIY skills, learnt at Scout meetings, to make the gardening a place of enjoyment for people.

The budding group were also nominated for a Pride in Oldham award; they did not win the accolade but received a mention for their efforts.

Although, 20th Oldham Scout Group, are being taught by a fantastic gardener. Scout leader, Eddie Butterworth, who is a member of Saddleworth Gardening Club, has won the Saddleworth in Bloom award for the best small garden, for three years running.

Eddie said: “It is fantastic news that our Scout Group is in the running to win the £500. Our Scouts love maintaining the garden and ensuring that is a nice place to go for residents in the area to be.

“The council have been very generous by letting us have the land to work with and it’s an excellent showcase of our skills as a group.”

Another fantastic entry.

Don’t forget the WD-40 though guys, to clean your tools and preserve them for future use!

DOING IT FOR YOURSELF FOR OTHERS

We were thrilled to hear from 68th St Mary’s Wyke Scout Group, firstly, after hearing they’re doing the WD-40 Scout DIY badge and secondly, they’re putting those skills to good use by helping the community.

Members of the Scout group in Bradford are doing their DIY badge that will see them learn skills such as how to fix a leaky tap, hang a door and fix a lock or make a tool box.

The handy group is going to use its newly learnt skills to mend and improve the local church’s benches that are in a poor and unsafe condition.

The Scout group is going to split into four patrols and each take on a decaying bench and restore them to their former glory.

68th St. Mary’s Wyke Scout Group will start by removing the existing rotten planks and clean up the metal by using a wire brush (don’t forget guys, WD-40, can be used to clean different metal surface and can remove rust).

The following week will see the group prepare the new planks of wood by drilling new holes and bolting them onto the bench frames, finishing them off with a new coat of varnish.

We’re pleased that this hands on group will get plenty of use from our online resource and hope they will use WD-40 to clean their brushes and equipment after restoring the benches.

Scout leader, Phil Chadwick said: “Our Scout group loves any hands on activity and it is great that we can help the local church by restoring the benches for visitors.

“The Scout WD-40 DIY badge has provided us with lots of tips and teaches our Scouts valuable life skills.

“The Scouts’ work will enable the local toddler and tots group to use the benches in the summer and also the elderly people that attend the befriending service of New Horizons.”

However, 68th St Mary’s Wyke Scout Group’s good work doesn’t stop there. Once the benches have been restored, the group is going to clean up ‘Val's Garden’, a plot of garden adopted in memory of a much loved cub leader.

THE SCOUT GROUP THAT SAYS CAN DO...

In the words of 1st Bridlington Scouts they are “the group that says can do”.

We’re proud to include 1st Bridlington Scouts as part of our clean-up competition. These dedicated Scouts have committed themselves to various projects across the area and even cleaned up during their six week holidays!

Where do we start? This group has worked with the Salvation Army preparing and cooking meals, helping those in need; organising a dog show from start to finish for the local community and has made pancakes for their local Allotment Association and the church.

The Scout Group’s work with Hilderthorpe Allotment Association saw them revive a plot of derelict land and make high quality signs, after vandalism had occured. This group’s on-going effort really is outstanding. They’ve managed a charity shop, whilst staff were taking a much needed break and even built a wildlife pond for the local people to enjoy.

In addition,1st Bridlington Scout Group has a long term commitment to cleaning projects across Bridlington, to make the area a nicer a place to live and visit.

Scout leader, David Butland said: “We are an incredibly community focused group and enjoy undertaking new challenges, especially those which benefit the local community.

“All of our Scouts love to help and are constantly completing activities in their spare time."

David concluded, “1st Bridlington Scouts put a lot of time and effort into the community and the community is very grateful but if we could win the £500 from WD-40, that would be a real boost to our Scout group.”

1ST BAR HILL SCOUT GROUP GOES FOR GOLD

Members of the 1st Bar Hill Scout Group near Cambridge has proved they’ve got DIY skills by renovating their Scout hut.

The group had a massive clear out, then re-insulated and re-boarded the whole hut.

Their next move will be to refurbish the facilities and re-decorate. Hopefully they will remember to use WD-40 to clean their paint brushes!

Scout Leader, Rohan Platts, said: “We are having a fantastic time. The Scouts are really in their element and love putting their newly learnt skills to the test.

“When we are finished with the hut it’s going to be a great resource for our whole village to use, so we are finding the project very fulfilling.”

We hope to see 1st Bar Hill Scout Group using our DIY online resource very soon and developing their skills even further.

SELFLESS SCOUTS CLEAN UP

A selfless Scout group from Godalming is helping in clearing up White Beaches Campsite, a partially neglected district site, to make it a haven for all of the local Godalming district scouts and all other Surrey Scout groups and the local community.

Some parts of the site had become so over-grown and unusable that fewer and fewer Scout, Cub and Beaver groups were using it, but thanks to the 4th Godalming Scout Group, the site is now becoming a usable and a enjoyable area for all.

4th Godalming Scout Group has even invested time in building a new Scout hut made completely out of reclaimed materials.

Assistant Scout Leader, Simon Fishlock, said: “The only thing it has cost us to build the new Scout hut and clear the area is time, effort and boxes of screws.

"All the Scouts from the 4th Godalming group love to make things better for others, and their hard work, time and effort will certainly do that.”

The improved area will now be open to all Explorers, Scout, Beavers and Cubs in Surrey, in addition to being a resource for the community.

The next stage of the project will see them clear the surrounding woodland, to open the area up and make it an even bigger area to explore. This will also include coppicing of the woodland, and the group making our own charcoal on site.

The group also plans to make the area a better place to live for the wild life by erecting wildlife boxes to attract different species of birds and mammals.

They are also going to be looking at different ways of power generation, the first to be a wind turbine, which will hopefully allow them to have 12 volt lighting in their hut.

Spring clean for 1st Bulkington Scout Troop

Great news! Members of 1st Bulkington Scout Troop will complete WD-40’s DIY badge this month and put their new found skills to the test, by improving their headquarters in Warwickshire.

The troop based at Barnacle Lane in Bulkington, has cleaned and re-painted the walls of the Scout hut and improved the look of noticeboards by painting the edging in ‘Scout’ purple paint.

We hope our interactive resource gave them all the advice they needed to do the job well and that they used WD-40 to clean their brushes!

Their clean-up project saw them sand, clean and touch up the window frames as well as fill in holes.

In addition Scout Leader, Darren Keach and his team of leaders taught the 1st Bulkington Scouts how to change a light bulb safely and re-wire a plug.

Darren said: “The WD-40 DIY Scouts badge has helped teach our group to recognise safety symbols and signs. The Scouts and I have also learned what other uses WD-40 has when doing DIY jobs- including cleaning!”

Bristol Scout group helps Council clean up

A Scout group near Bristol is being acknowledged for its positive clean-up work.

145th St Christopher Scout Troop in Brislington answered WD-40’s call in their local newspaper, The Bristol Evening Post, to find Scout groups who had helped clean up their local community.

A group of 20 Scouts from 145th St Christopher Scout Group worked with Bath and North Somerset Council to clear the River Whitchurch.

For two hours, Scouts cleared the river of litter and people's discarded items, which included a motorbike and shopping trolleys.

Cub Scout leader, Derek Hawes said: “All our Scouts love to help the community. The clean-up of the River Whitchurch, allowed them to showcase their skills and make a positive difference."

WD-40 SEEKS SCOUTING SKILLS

WD-40, the multi-use product, has announced a nationwide competition to support its sponsorship of the Scout Association's DIY Activity Badge with a cash prize for the winning troop.

Scout Groups across the UK are being invited to tell WD-40 how they have used their DIY and Scouting skills to make a difference to their community. It could be cleaning up a local park, helping clean up with a litter pick or redecorating and freshening up a community centre or Scout hut.

The winning group will be awarded £500 to use for equipment, materials or resources for their group.

WD-40’s senior brand manager, Neil Gow, says: “We know there are many Scout Groups up and down the country that are making a big difference in their community using their Scouting and DIY skills to help others. We want to celebrate those good examples and reward the youngsters for their efforts.”

Scout groups wishing to enter the competition can email WD40@connect-group.com or call 01902 714957 to explain their clean up or community project. Entries will be hosted online at http://wd40Scouts.blogspot.com and all entries received will receive a WD-40 goody bag for their group.

To find out more about the WD-40 DIY Activity Badge and the skills required to pass, log on to http://scouts.org.uk/sponsors.

WD-40 HELPS SCOUTS DO IT THEMSELVES

Milton Keynes based WD-40 launched its sponsorship of the Scouts DIY Activity Badge last night with a group of Northamptonshire Scouts becoming the first in the country to gain the accreditation.

As part of the sponsorship, WD-40 has created a new interactive resource for Scout leaders and members to access the information needed to achieve the badge.

The web-based educational tool teaches Scouts basic DIY tasks and safety considerations when carrying out DIY.

It includes tips and suggestions for ways in which WD-40 can help round the home including cleaning paintbrushes, removing crayon from walls, lubricating ironing boards and preventing corrosion on DIY tools.

Also featured in the resource is a step by step guide to creating your own toolbox and features a game where Scouts must put each action in the correct order against the clock.

WD-40’s senior brand manager, Neil Gow, says: “With membership numbers soaring to 500,000, and 65,000 teenagers involved in the Association, the future of the country rests in the hands of the Scouts.

“Recent research by WD-40 found that people would rather call in a professional than tackle simple DIY tasks by themselves, but we believe by sponsoring the Scouts DIY Activity Badge and providing this interactive resource we can educate the DIY experts of the future.”

WD-40’s Nick Abrams is involved in running the 17th Kettering (St Andrews) Scout group in Kettering. He says: “The Scouts movement is very important for young people. The skills they learn whilst working towards their badges will stay with them for a lifetime.

“I’m delighted that WD-40 has been able to support the Scouts with this sponsorship and make all of the information readily available in the interactive resource.”

Nikki Mason, head of corporate partnerships at The Scout Association, says: “The involvement of companies such as WD-40 can give Scouts a real boost, providing new resources and exciting ways to pass their badges. The family brand values of WD-40 tie in superbly with the Scouts movement and we’re delighted with the joint venture.”

WD-40, the multi-use product, has also launched a new communications campaign to educate consumers on the wonders of WD-40 for cleaning. Neil Gow adds: “WD-40 is well known for its ability to fix a squeaking door or lubricate an engine, but not many people know its powers stretch much further and it can be used to clean a whole host of things from tools and power tools to alloy wheels and even removing sticky labels.”

For more information on the WD-40, including 2,000 DIY, cleaning and other application ideas log on to www.wd40.co.uk. For information on Scouting including badges, your nearest group and how to join, visit www.scouts.org.uk.