We hope you’re all having a great Easter Break and enjoying the fine weather, and looking forward to another exciting term at 3rd Chalkwell Bay! After a well-deserved Easter break, we’re diving back into the action with a vibrant programme of activities. With over 250 young people across our sections there’s plenty to look forward to, including sailing sessions, adventurous camps, and community events. Summer is the best time of year for Scouting, and we’re looking forward to getting out and about more as the weather improves. The sailing fleet has been checked and rigged ready for the season – keep an eye out on the Members’ Facebook Group for details of upcoming sailing activities.

In this month’s newsletter:

  • Summer Term Start Dates
  • Summer Band Night – Sat 10 May
  • Renewal of Promise – Sun 18 May
  • Scouts’ Derbyshire Trip
  • Summer Camp 25 – Sat 26 Jul
  • Activities Roundup
  • Dates for your Diary

Summer Term Start Dates

We’re back after the bank holiday weekend, with more fun, games, and learning new skills for the summer term on the following dates:

  • Beavers: Fri 25 Apr
  • Cubs: Wed 23 Apr
  • Renown Scouts: Fri 25 Apr
  • Solebay Scouts: Mon 28 Apr
  • Explorers: Thu 24 Apr
  • Young Leader Training: Tue 13 May
  • Dauntless Network: Tue 6 May

Summer Term Membership fees will be due on 10 May, payable through the Parent Portal. There has been a small increase this year (3%, in line with inflation) to take account of increasing costs.

Summer Band Night

Sat 10 May @ 18:30

One of the hottest social events of the summer is back for its 4th year: the famous 3rdCB Band Night!

Celebrate the start of summer, watch the sun go down with friends & family, and dance the night away to some great entertainment, including the awesome  Kryptonics and Bigger Yellow Suitcase live on stage.

We’ll have the famous Ten Green Bottles Cocktail Bar there to keep you hydrated, and Porta Via Pizza cooking up fresh pizzas, or feel free to bring your own drinks & nibbles.

All proceeds go towards supporting Scouting and activities for young people at 3rd Chalkwell Bay, so get your friends and family along too.

Tickets are £12.50 (or £7.50 for children 12 & under. Under 5’s go free).

Buy your tickets online now at 3rdCB.org.uk/bandnight.

Previous years’ events have been sell out evenings, and great fun for all involved, so don’t miss out, book your tickets today!

Renewal of Promise

Sun 18 May @ 10:30-12:00

At the start of every summer we come together to renew our Scouting promises to Do Our Best for the upcoming year. This year we will be holding the service on Strand Wharf, in the heart of Old Leigh.

We’ll meet in the small car park on New Road, opposite the Fishermen’s Chapel (by the bridge into Old Leigh) at 10:30 in full uniform, then march to Strand Wharf where we will gather to renew our promises together as a Group, then march back to The Den to finish at around 12:00.

All Beavers, Cubs, Sea Scouts & Explorers are expected to attend, in full uniform – this is one of the few events we ask all members to be there for. Parents & friends are very welcome to watch the parade and service.

All are welcome to join us back at The Den afterwards for tea & cake.

Scouts’ Derbyshire Trip

The Sea Scouts had an unforgettable Easter adventure in the Derbyshire Peak District at the start of April. 37 Scouts (plus 2 Young Leaders, and 11 adults) embraced the sunshine and tackled a packed programme of outdoor challenges, with activities including hiking, swimming, cycling, high ropes, and exploring the village of Castleton​.

We had possibly the best weather ever, hiking on sunny trails and conquering the many hills and peaks, with blue skies, big smiles, and not too much mud. 6 Solebay Scouts completed their Expedition Challenge, hiking on their own for 2 days, cooking dinner on Trangias, and camping out in tents for the night, going towards their Chief Scout’s Gold Award.

This trip was all about building confidence, resilience, and friendships – true Scouting and SkillsForLife in action.​

Huge thanks to our dedicated leaders and volunteers who made this experience possible. We’re proud of every Scout who stepped up, supported each other, and made memories to last a lifetime.

Summer Camp 2025

The summer holidays are only 3½ months away, which means one thing – SUMMER CAMP!

One of the highlights of the Scouting year, 2025 will be a Group Camp, with the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers all camping together on the Elveden Estate in Suffolk from Sat 26 July – the first week of the school holidays.

The focus of the camp is back to basics, camping under canvas with friends and learning new skills. There’s a packed programme of training, activities, games and competitions throughout the week, as well as a day or two off site to the beach or local town, and the chance to relax around the camp fire in the evenings.

Invites with details of exact dates for different sections and how to sign up will be sent out by email through the Parent Portal shortly, so watch your emails.

Activities Roundup

SHINDIGS

In Mid-March a team of Sea Scouts took part in SHINDIGS, putting on a full Show in a Day with Scouts and Guides from across Southend. A fantastic day, and great performance by the team, arranged by the talented Southend Gang Show team.

DofE Training Weekend

Our The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award teams spent a weekend at the end of March at Ark Lane campsite, brushing up on their expedition skills, learning how to read maps, prepare route cards, cook on trangias, and getting out in the woods on training hikes, ready for their expeditions in the coming weeks.

If you’re in year 9 or above, you can do your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with 3rdCB, with training and support for all elements of the award.

Find out more at 3rdCB.org.uk/dofe/

Apres Ski Party

We brought the Alps to Leigh-on-Sea on Saturday 1 March night, with our first Apres Ski Party.

A great night of partying and entertainment at The Den with family and friends. We hope you had as much fun as we did, with live DJ Tobias getting everyone dancing, the Ten Green Bottles cocktail bar, the Porta Via Pizza Van, and cooking smores over open fires.

The event raised over £1,100 for the Group, which will be going towards the purchase of a new small safety boat.

If you loved this, or feel like you missed out, then get yourself along to our summer band night on 10 May!

Scout Power Boat Training

The Sea Scouts were afloat for a rather chilly day in March learning how to handle powerboats on the Power Coxn Badge. They learned the basics of high speed manoeuvres and close quarters boat handing on the group’s Ribs, with some basic navigation and rules of the road thrown in on a trip up the creek to Benfleet.

Explorer Racing Day

The first Explorer Race Day of this year on was on Sunday 13th, and first sailing session of 2025 too.

We saw some great close racing, and lots of changing positions across the 3 races between the 7 Explorers in Zests and Topazes. Sam’s currently in the lead, but there’s 2 more days and 6 races still to go, so it’s all to play for! Well done to all who took part.

New Dinghy Sailing Instructors

Over February Half Term, we hosted an RYA Dinghy Instructor Course at The Den, added 6 new instructors to our team, ready to get more Scouts out on the water this year learning to sail.

Three adults and 3 Explorer Scouts completed the week long course in Old Leigh learning teaching techniques, the ‘RYA Method’ and brushing up their sailing skills on the water. Well done all of you!

Upcoming events and dates for your diary

  • Sat 10 May: Band Night. Evening of live music and entertainment for all the family, raising funds to support our activities. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/bandnight25/
  • Sun 18 May: Renewal of Promise. Renewing our Scouting Promises to Do Our Best for the next year. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/rop25/
  • 6-8 Jun: Scout PL/APL Training Camps. Refreshing camp skills and leadership, plus some fun and games.
  • Sat 28 Jun: Group Open Day. A chance for parents to see what your kids get up to at The Den. BBQ and boating in the sun (hopefully). See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/openday25/.
  • 26 Jul – 2 Aug: Summer Camp 2025. Save the date for this year’s camping experience. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/camp25/
  • Sun 17 Aug: Lions Duck Race. Supporting hundreds of rubber ducks racing along Leigh Creek, all for charity. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/duckrace25/.
  • 6-7 Sep: Old Leigh Regatta. It’s Back! Save the date for the hottest weekend of fun in Old Leigh.

You can see all our upcoming events and activities on the Group Calendar at 3rdCB.org.uk/events/