The achievements of young people and volunteers in North Wales were celebrated on the 27th of January as Clwyd Area Scouts hosted their annual awards with a black-tie dinner – which saw guests accompanying their ball gowns and dinner suits with Scouting neckers.
Taking place at the Little Theatre in Rhyl, the ceremony was attended by volunteers and young people from Clwyd’s four districts of Flintshire, Llangollen, Vale of Clwyd, and Wrexham, as well as special guests Rhian Moore, ScoutsCymru Chief Volunteer, and Ann Jones OBE, ScoutsCymru Vice President.
Kevin Field, who has been the Volunteer Lead for Clwyd since August 2022, said: “One of the events I was sure that I wanted to organise every year was an awards presentation to celebrate the success of our young people and volunteers, and to give us a chance, as an Area, to come together and reflect on the year just gone and look forward to the year ahead.”
He added that this year, he and his team wanted to take a fresh approach to the awards. He added: “The awards categories were designed to be slightly quirky but still have a real meaning under them, so they weren’t just throwaway awards that were comical.”
Categories included the Trailblazing Trendsetter Award which celebrates the member who fearlessly takes on new challenges, setting trends that inspire others to follow. Another Award was the Enamel Camel Award given to the member who has carried a lot of weight this year, above and beyond their normal role/responsibilities, and in difficult circumstances.
The awards were met with laughter, tears, and celebration by everyone in attendance and ScoutsCymru would like to say congratulations to all the winners. To find out more about each award click here.
⭐ Zen Master – Callum Melluish – Buckley St Matthews Scout Group
⭐ Trailblazing Trendsetter – Jamie Barlow – 41st Wrexham Scout Group
⭐ Super Connector – Rob Hilton – 41st Wrexham Scout Group
⭐ Spark – Ethan King – 1st Overton-on-Dee Scout Group
⭐ Smooth Operator – Mark Sayer – 1st Overton-on-Dee Scout Group
⭐ Needle and Thread – Amanda Littler – 1st Johnstown Scout Group
⭐ MacGyver – Robert Griffiths – Bishops Own Scout Group
⭐ Heart of Gold – Paula Blundel – 1st Mynydd Isa Scout Group
⭐ Entertainer – Lucas Jones – Fusion Explorer Scout Unit
⭐ Enamel Camel – Matthew Vickerstaff – 3rd Prestatyn Scout Group
⭐ Don’t Kiss the Chef – Anne Hughes and Julie Edwards – 2nd Rhyl Scout Group
⭐ Camp Crusader – Daisy White – Penycae Explorer Unit
Outstanding Achievement in Scouting Awards were presented to several young people and volunteers in the area who have gone above and beyond in their duties and have embodied the Scout laws and values. Some examples of this include completing every Beaver badge, willingness to help everyone no matter the problem and inspiring younger sections with resilience and positivity, especially evident through their Jamboree.
⭐ Amelia Sayer – Bishops Own Scout Group
⭐ Beth Hughes – 1st Bistre Scout Group
⭐ Jack Edwards – Phoenix Explorer Scout Unit
⭐ Jamie Barlow – Atlas Explorer Scout Unit
⭐ Joseph Crowe – 2d Rhyl Scout Group
⭐ Kirstie Jones – 1st Mynydd Isa Scout Group
⭐ Phil Harrison Royle – 1st Bistre Scout Group
⭐ Ralph Davies – 1st Saltney Ferry Scout Group
⭐ Sue Lloyd – Clwyd Scouts Area
⭐ Tamsin Harrison Royle – 1st Bistre Scout Group
Commissioner’s Commendations.
⭐ Sue Lloyd – Clwyd Area
⭐ Dan Reynolds – 1st Mynydd Isa Scout Group
⭐ Andy Blundel – 1st Mynydd Isa Scout Group
As well as the awards throughout the evening guests heard a presentation from members of Dinas Emrys: Unit 10 about their experiences of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea this summer.
The Jamboree group reflected that while it was not a straightforward trip to South Korea – Scouts from across the world experienced a heatwave, flooded tents, sewage spills and an evacuation – it was one where they all grew as individuals and experienced a new culture in Seoul visiting palaces and museums, eating at Korean food markets, and an International cultural exchange hosted by Lotte Hotel in Seoul. Harri Chambers, a member of Unit 10 said: “The Jamboree was not what we expected but the best time to be alive.” See more of Unit 10’s adventures here.
The group added how inspired they had been by Iestyn Nevatte their Unit Leader who had gone above and beyond while in South Korea to make the trip a life-changing experience. Iestyn was then recognised by Aimee Curtis, Youth Lead, and a member of Unit 10, on behalf of the whole unit with a Commissioner’s Commendation.
⭐ Iestyn Nevatte – ScoutsCymru
Members of K2 Explorers from Wrexham and Blaze Explorers from Flintshire also spoke about their international scouting trip to Croatia, which included horse riding, scuba diving, water parks, and visits to local towns including Rovinj. The trip along with the World Scout Jamboree was supported by the new Area Horizon Fund – which supports Scouting members in Clwyd financially to take part in opportunities they may not otherwise be able to participate in.
To find out more about their adventure check out their Facebook pages.
K2 Explorers https://www.facebook.com/k2esu
Blaze Explorers https://www.facebook.com/blazeExplorers
Aimee and Esme, Clwyd’s two Youth Leads, also spoke about the future of Youth Shaped Scouting in the area, including youth forums to gather ideas and opinions from the area’s young people, and relaunching an active Network programme for members aged 18 to 25. Kevin also gave an update on Transformation – the UK-wide process of change for Scouting which will simplify and improve the volunteer experience. Clwyd is one of the ‘early adopters’ of Transformation, meaning the area has been trialling the new system before it is rolled out nationally. Kevin praised the team for their dedication and commitment to support these changes across Clwyd.
⭐ David Morris – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
⭐ Russel Lodge – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
⭐ Jacob Jones – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
⭐ Jan Joyston – Crosby – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
⭐ Dan Reynolds – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
⭐ Sheila Dawson – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
⭐ Mike Dawson – Clwyd Area Transformation Team
Aimee Curtis, Clwyd Youth Lead, said: “The evening was a great success, hearing many inspiring stories and celebrating many great achievements throughout the Area.”
Kevin added: “All in all, it was a very successful evening, and it will become a yearly event. We learnt a lot from it and the next one will be even better!”
