Russ Parke has been awarded an MBE for services to Hampshire Scouting. This award is well deserved especially for all the time he has and continues to devote to HSX. WELL DONE RUSS!!!! Photos and more details to follow.
What a great weekend we just had….
It was the 3rd Annual HSX Christmas Quiz Weekend featuring the 1st Annual HSX Adventure Race which also featured a Christmas meal and a forum… Busy Times…
Anyway, the 1st HSX Adventure Race was great. Chris Laws done an amazing job at sorting the course and setting it all up ready to be used on Saturday morning. So after a short briefing the teams were ready to go… We had a mass chasing start with all seven teams starting at the same time, we then had four hours to get to the finish point, whilst visiting as many checkpoints as possible… Don’t forget though that it rained all of Friday night and within 15 minutes of starting Jamie & I and Steve & Tom were up to our wastes in freezing waters…. Also, Jamie nearly “drowned”… whilst approaching one river, Jamie & I commented on how deep it was, Jamie said he was happy to test it’s depth.. This resulted in him being up to his neck in the river…. I crossed elsewhere… (for those of you who are thinking why didn’t we find a bridge, the spirit of the Adventure Race is as fast as possible and finding bridges wastes time!!)..
The results were….
Category Team Position
Veterans Bram & Ollie R 1st
Veterans Jamie K & Alan B 2nd
Veterans Richard Brimelow & Paul Pepper 3rd
Newbies Richard Batstone & Pete Rawlinson 1st
Newbies Steve & Tom R 2nd
Newbies Bertie & Ross 3rd
Newbies Hayley & Rebbeca DNF (Retired early)
Well done and thanks to all, especially Lawso for organising it…
All day Team Malawi had been preparing the Christmas meal for the staggering 50 people who would be eating.. The food was great, thanks and well done Team Malawi….
During dinner, Russ was also presented with token of everyone thanks for the time he has given to HSX over the years… Thanks Russ for everything..
Then we had the Quiz….
As always the controversial HSX Christmas Quiz sparked controversy….
Jamie & I, delivered an amazing quiz, which everyone loved… Even though Round 1 the blind chilli challenge started us of with a potential melting pot… Highlights were, the spot prizes from Geek Squad, the facial pain shown whilst eating the chilli’s, the “How much do Russ’ pants weigh” question and obviously Jamie & I being amazing..
An important note here is that Jamie & I have now retired from doing the quiz, the three years have taken their toll on our personal lives and relationships, so we’ve decided to pass the reigns onto someone else… Volunteers wanted please…
erm… Once again thanks to Jamie & myself for this…
On Sunday we had the HSX Annual Forum…. The forum was a fairly slick affair with Craig leading it as the new Mr HSX… Craig now has a new committee helping him…. The dates for next years training weekends were also given out…
Also, Lake District, Easter 2009 will be organised by Jamie, Bram & myself… No info currently available, but o be given it when it’s available, please contact HSX….
Alan
You may notice the website offline or acting strangely. Fear not, all will be back to normal soon (with a proper address bar, hopefully) ~ Ian
Like the look of this…
…then join Hampshire Scout Expeditions for their six week expedition to Peru in the summer of 2010 and experience South America!
You will get the chance to soak up the atmosphere Peru’s capital Lima, get a feel for the culture and way of life of the local people, get a sense of adventure and achievement in the Andes, carry out a community project and walk the Inca trail to one of the most iconic historical sites in the world, Machu Picchu.
But that’s not all! You will become a member of a well trained team, learn new skills, and make great memories and friends that will stay with you for the rest of your life! Training will commence early in 2009 and will take you all over the country from team building in the New Forest to winter training in the Cairngorms of Scotland.
HSX is a County Scout Group that has members aged 14 and above from all over Hampshire. We have had many years experience running international expeditions all over the world, from Belize to Tanzania.
Are you up for the challenge, aged between 13 and 18 and want to know more? Contact Alex Porter.
E-Mail: alex_d_porter@hotmail.com
Tel: 07717365060
Hampshire Scout Expeditions would like to invite any Hampshire Explorers to join us at our annual Survival weekend. The event will not only teach participants valuable outdoor skills, but will also give an insight into what to expect should you consider joining HSX.
Dates: Saturday 30th August 2008 starting at 09:00 - Sunday 31st August 2008 finishing about 17:00.
Location: Ferny Crofts, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, SO42 7YQ.
Cost: £10
Activities: Including survival skills, climbing, first aid, navigation, team building, hiking and more!
If you would prefer to arrive Friday night then you will be able to camp, but please let us know. If you are interested or have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch. The weekend will finish with a BBQ on the Sunday afternoon, a good chance to meet the current members of HSX.
Please email Alex (alex_d_porter@hotmail.com) to register your interest or to ask any further questions.
A small group of 6 members headed to the Peak District last weekend for a spot of climbing. The weather was not on our side either day, Saturday’s rain made even the most sheltered routes rather challenging, but there were still some successful climbs completed. Sunday’s wind blew the rain away, but the blustery conditions made balancing on two feet impossible at times, let alone balancing on the rock. Despite the weather, the weekend was considered a success. The facilities and location of Don Whillans Hut were excellent, and there are plans to return with a larger group next year.
A camping skills based training weekend took place simultaneously at Ferny Crofts.
The Chief Scout, Peter Duncan, presented a short film to a keen crowd at Baden Powell House (22/05/08). The motivating tale followed the Nepal team as they embarked on their summit attempt of Island peak last summer. The Sky High team lead the Scouts towards the challenging 6189m summit, with Peter in tow. Several of the Nepal team successfully summited, showing how, as a team, Scouts can achieve anything. The film then went on to report on the successful summiting of Everest by the Sky High Team.
The floor was then open for the audience to ask questions to members of both Expedition. Many thanks to Peter, and all those who attended.
Russ Parke also took the opportunity to announce that he has now stepped down as Leader of HSX, passing the task to Craig Gregory. This announcement will come as a shock to many, as anyone who knows Russ understands that he has been behind everything HSX has achieved in 22 years. Russ will of course remain closely linked with the group. Best of luck to Craig and the promising future of HSX.
Just 12 months ago the Shy High and Nepal 07 teams were in the himalayas celebrating the Scouting centenary in there own special way. The lime light was especially on us all with Chief Scout Peter Duncan behind the camera following our every step.
To say thank you to so many that have supported us and followed our progress we would like to invite you and Family/Friends to a night at the Intech Centre, Winchester for a talk from the Sky High Team and others, possibly Peter Duncan. 21st May 7.30pm in the auditoriumThis will hopefully include exclusive footage of the no-cut Nepal 07 Video edited by Scouting HQ. Besides that it will give us all a chance to get together and catch up.
Also, Peter Has organised a Launch of the video to Scouting as a whole. This is will take place at Baden Powell House, London on the 22nd May at 7.00pm. Everyone is also invited to this. Please let me know of your availability as soon as possible as it is only a month away and we will get invites out to everyone wishing to join us.
Thank you, Dave King
HSX came 3rd in the county over 18 5-a-side tournament in Eastleigh on Sunday 6th April.
The Team: Richard Brammall, Christian Burkett, Patch Coughlin, Mark Henbest, Tom Percy and Alex Porter.
Cheers for coming along, hope you all enjoyed it!
This Easter saw 57 participants enjoy a rather cold, but beautiful trip to the Lake district.
The event this year was open to Hampshire Explorers, who wanted to get a quality weekend away, with activities including hiking, climbing and a 120ft abseil. The trip also coincided with the second training weekend for the 2009 Malawi team. All the activities were run by HSX members. The commitment to training young leaders was also apparent with the 4 HSX members completing their SPA (Single Pitch Award) climbing training over the weekend. Photos of the weekend are now available on this site.
