We hope you’ve all had a fantastic summer, and are ready to get back into Scouting. While we may not have been running weekly meetings, the Group has still been busy all summer with activities on and off the water. All the while the leader team have been working hard in the back ground to write new and fun programmes, not to mention putting together Old Leigh Regatta for a weekend of great entertainment tomorrow and Sunday.
Welcome to our new members joining, we hope
In this month’s newsletter:
- Old Leigh Regatta
- New Safety Boat Arrives
- Quiz Night
- Summer Camp
Autumn Term Dates
We’ll be starting back for the Autumn Term on these dates and can’t wait to see you:
– Beavers: Fri 5 Sep
– Cubs: Wed 10 Sep
– Renown Sea Scouts: Fri 5 Sep
– Solebay Sea Scouts: Mon 8 Sep
– Endeavour Explorers: Thu 4 Sep
– Dauntless Network: Tue 2 Sep
– Young Leader Training: Tue 9 Sep
Old Leigh Regatta
Old Leigh Regatta is almost upon us, a weekend of family fun across Old Leigh hosted by the two Sea Scout in the old town, and we need your help to make it a fantastic weekend.
We’ve got a weekend long family street festival ready to go, with so much on offer. The road is closed and filled with stalls, games, entertainment, live music, sailing and competitions between the Sea Scout Groups. It’s one of our biggest fundraising events of the year and a huge amount of fun.
If you’re coming into Old Leigh tonight for Beavers or Scouts, there is very limited parking as we set up in the car park, so please walk down or park on the other side of the railway line if you can.
We need help from youth members and family over the weekend to run stalls, games, help set up, and take part in the competitions on and off the water, please sign up for a few slots at: https://signup.com/go/gkaqHQX
We also need donations of cakes for the Scout Tea Tent (must be nut free and all ingredients listed). Please drop these to the Den Friday evening from 5.30, or Sat/Sun morning.
Come down in your 3rdCB polo and scarf and join in the fun!
New Safety Boat in Service
We’re pleased to announce the arrival of our newest addition to the 3rdCB fleet, our new small safety boat that is to replace Rodney as a dinghy sailing support vessel.
The 4m Humber Assault will share the name of her predecessor (a nod to our history and one of 3rdCB’s original two Sea Scout Troops), arrived at the end of July, and after a run in period has already been put through it’s paces during Cadet Week, a Ray Day and sailing sessions over the summer.
This is the culmination of lots of fundraising activities over the past couple of years, but we’d like to especially thank Kathy Ingoldby, who secured a £10,000 grant from Nationwide to turn it into a reality.
Quiz Night
Sat 11 October @ The Den
Our next family social event is just around the corner. We’re running a Quiz Night at The Den, hosted by the fabulous Quizmistress Holly Whiteley, to support our activities at 3rdCB.
Gather your crew and test your trivia skills in a fun-filled evening for all ages!
👨👩👧👦 All families and friends welcome (u 14s must be accompanied by an adult)
🧠 Mixed topics for all knowledge levels
🍿 Bring your own drinks and snacks
🪑 Tables of 8 – book early to secure your spot!
💷 All proceeds go to supporting our amazing Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers – helping young people gain skills, confidence, and adventure!
Tickets are £7 (or £4 for u14s)
Let’s make it a night to remember – full of laughs, learning, and community spirit!
Activities Roundup
Group Summer Camp
The highlight of summer – we had a great time at Group Summer Camp in July! Over 150 young people and dozens of adults took over a corner of the Elveden Estate in Suffolk for a week, camping together under canvas.
We created a whole mini village (including running showers and 2 kitchen sinks!), learning how to light fires, cook meals for patrols, working together in teams, playing games from football to wide games in the dark, and singing songs around the camp fire.
Highlights of the week were watching England’s Lionesses win the football (yes, we could get TV in a field), and the final night party in the marquee, as well as trips out swimming and to the high ropes at Go Ape for the Explorers.
The full photo album will be out soon.
Dates for next years camp are
25 Jul – 1 Aug 2026!
EYC Cadet Week
We were invited to join Essex Yacht Club for their annual Cadet Week again this year, a week of racing, sail training, games and entertainment in the evenings. We’re always so impressed at how the level of sailing improves during the week, from the top end sailors (top 3 spots taken by current or formed 3rdCB!), down to those who are still developing their skills on the water.
Thank you EYC for the invite and making us so welcome. Well done to everyone who won prizes or awards, and of course thank you to all the 3rdCB safety boat crews who gave up their time to support the week.
Next year is pencilled in for 24-28 Aug.
Yantlet Sailing & Wild Camping Expedition
You really can’t beat an overnight sailing exped to another county, gathering driftwood to cook dinner over, and sleeping round the campfire under the stars.
The Explorers and Sea Scout PLs did exactly this over the summer, sailing over the Thames Estuary to the deserted Yantlet Beach to camp out for a night in bivvies, cooking over a driftwood fire, then sailing back the next day. This is what the Scouting spirit of adventure is all about!
Ray Day
Always a fun day on the water, the Scouts and Explorers sailed the fleet out to The Ray, a big sand bank off Chalkwell, for a day out on the water. While the sun didn’t shine as much as we’d have liked, it was still warm and a great day to get in lots of sailing practice.
We did some racing, some RYA training, played with spinnakers and drove the RIBs, as well as lots of swimming and a picnic on the bank.
Old Leigh Duck Race
The Scouts helped Leigh Lions with their annual Duck Race in August, helping 1,500 yellow rubber ducks race along Leigh Creek, raising money for good causes (and a very kind donation to 3rdCB).
A fun sunny afternoon messing about in the creek (and some mud). Thank you to everyone who helped out with the race, and collecting all the ducks back in at the end. Don’t worry, we caught every single one!
Upcoming events and dates for your diary
- 6-7 Sep: Old Leigh Regatta. The hottest weekend of fun in Old Leigh. We need your help running stalls and setting up. See
- Tue 16 Sep: Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Intro Evening. Find out more about DofE and how to sign up. Scouts/Explorers in Yr9+. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/dofe-intro25/
- Tue 7 Oct: Guzzlers AGM and Social. Catch up with old friends with a quick AGM then social in the Mayflower. See 3rdcb.org.uk/event/guzzagm25/
- Sat 11 Oct: Quiz Night. Family fun putting your quiz knowledge to the test. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/quiz25/
- Sun 9 Nov: Remembrance Day. Honouring the fallen at Southend Cenotaph (Scouts & Explorers). See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/remembrance25/
- Sat 6 Dec: Christmas Carol Service on Strand Wharf. 1600 start. Get in the festive spirit. See 3rdCB.org.uk/event/xmascp25/
2026 Activities – Save the Date
- 28 Mar-4 Apr: Scout’s Easter Activities & Hillwalking Trip (Derbyshire)
- 25 Jul-1 Aug: Summer Camp
- 24-28 Aug: EYC Cadet Week
You can see all our upcoming events and activities on the Group Calendar at 3rdCB.org.uk/events/
Summer Activities Gallery
