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All prepared for 100-year celebration

29/ 5/2007

MORE than 500 scouts, beavers, cubs and explorer scouts enjoyed the Bank Holiday weekend with a special centenary camp at Ashworth Valley in one of the biggest local gatherings the movement has seen in years.

It was jointly organised by the Rochdale and Middleton scouting associations to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of scouting by Robert Baden Powell in 1907.

The older scouts camped out on Friday and Saturday nights, while some of the younger beavers spent the night in the Pack Holiday Centre on Saturday.

Ashworth Valley warden Doug Sutton said: "It was an absolutely brilliant weekend. Everything went like clockwork and even though the weather was a bit cold on Sunday morning, everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly."

The weekend consisted of a variety of events ranging from climbing, abseiling, rifle shooting, archery, go-karting, grass sledging, face painting and candle-making to more traditional Scouting crafts such as building camp fires.

There was also a static display of the history of scouting in Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood.

Visitors over the weekend included former scouts, along with the mayor, Councillor Peter Evans and Jim Dobbin, MP for Heywood and Middleton, whose constituency takes in Norden, Bamford and Castleton.

The field development officer at scouting's national headquarters, Peter Hodgson, also dropped in over the weekend.