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November 2019 November 2019
Why not try building your own bug hotel for your garden, they can be as small or a t t e n d e d t h i s
large as you wish. Or, simply leave a corner of your garden untended and pile up amazing event along
some sticks and logs. Many creatures will welcome the shelter provided and the with 2 others from our
occupants will be on hand to help pollinate your flowers and vegetables come Explorer Unit, Nathan
next year.
House and Sam
Churc hou se. I n

October 2017 scouts
Souls Moor
and explorer scouts
Despite the wet weather, the Beaver, Cub and Scout packs have also been from across Dorset
helping us on Souls Moor. were invited to a
Jamboree selection
We are fortunate that Souls Moor is a ‘Site of Nature Conservation Interest’, a camp and of the 140
designation given to the area because of the diversity of wet meadow plants who attended, 72
that occur there, some of which have been lost from many areas because of were selected to
intensive agriculture. This is why we have the 2 charming ponies there and they participate in the world Scout Jamboree in North America. After multiple
have been doing great work over training camps across Dorset where we got to know the leaders and the rest of
oiu the Summer, grazing the land and the group, and copious amounts of fundraising (quiz nights, raffles, jam and
keeping the grass sward low. Over
cake sales amongst other things) the time finally came to pack our bags for this
the past three years when the amazing trip.
ponies have been present, there
has a marked and welcome After driving up to Heathrow and flying to the USA, we started off in New York
reduction of the vigour of the taller during a heat wave and managed to visit Times Square, Ground Zero and
plants such as marsh thistle, travelled on the Staten Island ferry close to the Statue of Liberty.
meadowsweet and hogweed to Following the first night (staying at one of the local universities) and another
create a better balance of long journey, we arrived at the Summit Bechtel family reserve in West Virginia:
vegetation and allow the smaller the home of the 24th World Scout Jamboree. Over 40,000 scouts and leaders
and rarer plants and flowers to from 152 nations attended, including over 4,000 from the UK. Each unit of 40
flourish. However, the ponies don’t young people and leaders set up camp in a specified area and the Brownsea
eat everything. So, the Beavers, Island Unit that I was part of was surrounded by scouts from Hungary, Sweden,
Cubs and Scouts, a few parents and some of our volunteers put their backs into Malaysia and New Zealand.
chopping down some of the scrub and taller vegetation. The ponies joined in as
well and it was interesting to see that once the tall vegetation was cut and taken The site covered approx. 14,000 acres and was filled with all sorts of activities
away they started to eat the underlying grasses. the You can see the action in ranging from climbing, white water rafting and stand up paddle boarding, to
the photo below. cultural activities such as learning about scouting and life in different countries. I
found the cultural interaction particularly fulfilling, speaking to the French scouts
The cut material will be taken away from site as reducing the fertility of the land in their mother tongue, tasting traditional Malaysian food and exchanging
will also help the less vigorous plants to grow. Anyway, a big thank you to all the badges with South Korean scouts.
helpers – a great job and no complaints about the rain!
With the closing ceremony completed, we departed for our big city visit to
The pond on Souls Moor was formed to provide a constant source of water for Washington DC where we visited museums and galleries as well as attending a
the ponies, but also provides an additional habitat for wildlife. It has been b a s e b a l l g a m e a t t h e B a l t i m o r e O r i o l e s s t a d i u m .
colonised with some plants, frogspawn and young frogs have been seen and The final stretch took us to spend three days in Dorchester, Ontario, Canada.
dragonflies flying over the water. Following expert advice we propose fencing off Here we met up with other of the UK units and also had the opportunity to learn
part of the pond. This will help to pond side poaching by the ponies, still allow about the indigenous culture. In addition, a visit to Niagara Falls was a great
them to have easy access to drink and at the same time allow for the growth of way to round the trip off with the boat trip getting us very wet!
pond edge plants which would add to the ponds and in the future be great for
pond invertebrates. Scouting has given me the most amazing opportunities and this three week trip

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