City Hall Visit

Posted on 20 January 2012 by Helen

January saw an invasion of City Hall by four Explorers and three Scouts for a reception for people that make a difference to their communities in Camden and Barnet.
As well as enjoying the spectacular views of Tower Bridge and the City and inventing a new game of ‘guess the canape’, they also managed to corner Boris on several occasions for a photo opportunity. In true Scouting style, several Explorers topped off the evening by escorting a wheelchair userto the nearest Tube station, showing just why they deserved to be at the reception in the first place.

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KISC International Rover Week 2011- Bharathi reveals the inside story

Posted on 9 January 2012 by Helen

One of our Network members has just returned from a week in the snow at the International Scout Centre in Kandersteg, Switzerland. Here’s his video on the whole experience:

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8th Holborn Take Over County Awards Evening

Posted on 17 November 2011 by Helen

This Wednesday, eight members of the 8th collected awards at the Annual County Awards Evening at the RAF museum in Hendon. Once again, they showed exactly why the group still deserves it’s title of ‘The Keenest Group in Holborn’ (maybe we should change this to ‘in CCI?’), by picking up a whole host of Awards ranging from their Bronze DofE Award to the Queen’s Scout Award. Although repeatedly described as being from ‘Camden, City and Islington’, the endless display of khaki scarves made it very clear who was really behind all the success. The highlight of the evening was when the top award holders took to the stage and three out of four of them came from from the 8th!

Special mention should go to Balan and Nelly who received their Gold DofE Awards and QSA, and to David who received his Gold DofE Award.

Well done to everyone, and here’s hoping for another award-winning year!

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Haarlem Jamborette here we come

Posted on 27 July 2011 by James

This week seven Scouts, three Explorers and six leaders from 8th Holborn will set off for the Haarlem Jamborette in the Netherlands. We’ll try to post some pictures and updates on this site during the 10-day trip.

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World Scout Jamboree Training Camp

Posted on 27 April 2011 by Helen

At the same time as most of the Unit were keeping cool on the water, somewhere up in the wilds of North London, Jaye, Magda and Helen took part in the final major training camp before the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden this summer. As well as learning important skills like clothes washing and tick management, they also learned about the importance of strict time-keeping in all Scandinavian countries (we might need to work on that) and the intricacies of Finnish Sauna etiquette. Contact them for further information!

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Greater London North Unit and what they are up to, their website can be found here.

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Explorer District Camping Competition

Posted on 20 March 2011 by Helen

Between the 18th and 20th March, Magda and Remi bravely took up the challenge to represent 8th Holborn at the inaugural District Explorer Camping Competition at Chalfont Heights. The competition consisted of a variety of different challenges including navigation, hiking, cooking, first aid and pioneering. True to form, our team showed off their creativity in the pioneering, building a structure that could only be described as modern art. Although they came seventh overall, they did win the First Aid challenge; so if you’re planning on having an accident, 8th Holborn Explorers are the people to look for!

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Explorers Set Record at Southern 50 Hike- 19th February 2011

Posted on 22 February 2011 by Helen


Following our successful win of the Novice Trophy in 2010, four 8th Holborn Explorer Scouts joined forces with fellow Explorers from Hampstead and Haringey, to compete in the 30km race around the Chilterns. Despite a damp and rather nerve-wracking start as they waited for Mitchell to navigate his way via public transport to join them, both teams set out with their best feet forward. In Magda’s team were Jaye, Alex and Theo, while in Calum’s team were Mitchell, Xander and Monique.
The tactics employed by the two teams varied dramatically: while Magda’s team focussed on making good time around the course, Calum’s team decided to spend more time investigating the local environment and wildlife.
To try and keep the competing teams on track, the organisers had posted a series of checkpoints around the course, offering everything from squash and biscuits to cheese toasties. However, they didn’t reckon on the adventurous spirit of our Explorer Scouts. Not satisfied with the first 29km of the route and their collection of “trophies”, Calum’s team chose to conduct a survey of varying schools around High Wycombe for another four hours, before successfully finding their way back to Highcrest Community School, the site of the finish line.
When the final times and positions were announced, Magda’s team had made it round the course in a very respectable 8 hours and 46 minutes, despite taking a few scenic detours. Calum’s team gained a special mention in the prize-giving ceremony for their grand tour, and their record elapsed time of 14 hours and 25 minutes. Most importantly, unlike many others, both teams managed to reach the finish line intact. Well done to them all!

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Patrol Leaders Show Their Mettle at a Real Winter Camp

Posted on 10 January 2011 by Helen

Not to be put off by a snow-storm or two, on the 17th December 2010, senior Explorers from 8th Holborn and Haringey’s Wild Wolf ESU headed off to Empshott in deepest Hampshire for a weekend of leadership training. With tasks ranging from stretcher races and enemy stake-outs to leadership challenges and presentation seminars, the Explorers were able to hone their skills and try out new ways of doing things.
On Sunday, the camp took a more relaxed turn with a spectacular full roast lunch kindly cooked for them by Akela. The joint was earned by the Explorers themselves, by helping a local farmer break the ice for his sheep and clear a hedge of poisonous Laurel. Putting their problem-solving skills into action, and much to their delight, the Explorers soon discovered that the latter could be more efficiently achieved by cutting down large branches and even entire shrubs!
Before they braved the snow-covered roads back to London, the Explorers took part in the annual candlelit Carol Service at the small village church, where they were greeted with much admiration from the locals for camping over in the very basic World War I village hut. Who said Londoners were soft?

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Explorers raise over £1,600 for the Poppy Appeal

Posted on 27 December 2010 by Helen

This year the Explorers raised a massive £1,684.99 for the Poppy Appeal and even received a special certificate for Outstanding Contribution from the local branch of the Royal British Legion. Having earned their spurs last year by staking out previously unknown pitches in bitterly cold weather, this year they were rewarded with some prime spots at the London-Brighton Rally in Regents’ Street. Calum, Jaye, Nelly and Magnus worked solidly for over three hours, and were well rewarded for their efforts.

The following week, Lottie, Helen and Balan decided to try their luck at the Lord Mayor’s Show. Despite a slow start, they quickly managed to talk their way onto the processional route. As well as getting an excellent view of the parade (and nearly being run over by military bands and horses), they soon found their tins were becoming unbearably heavy. Well done to everyone that took part in the collections. More of the same next year please!

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8th Holborn visit the Poppy Factory

Posted on 10 November 2010 by Helen

On the 29th October 2010 seven Explorers, two Cubs and one Beaver Scout from 8th Holborn visited the Poppy Factory in Richmond to find out more about the history of the Poppy Appeal and meet some of the people that make the actual poppies and wreaths that are sold every November. After a talk by quick tour of the factory, everyone was soon hard at work making all sorts of poppies and wreaths (including special RAF ones using red, white and blue carnations), under the watchful eye of the experienced ex-servicemen who work full-time in the factory. If you’re buying a poppy or laying a wreath in November 2011, be warned it might have been made by a member of 8th Holborn!

After the visit and suitably decorated with poppies, most of the party took the easy route home on the Tube. However, inspired by the beautiful clear weather, some of the more adventurous Explorers headed off down the Thames Path for a spot of mud-larking. Before they reached the end of their walk at Barnes Bridge, not only had they discovered a whole host of trophies, but they had also encountered a company of wild Parrots!

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