and Ian Dawson. Thoroughly deserved and well done! There are one or two other future awards anticipated so my grapevine tells me, and these will be announced as soon as details are known.

Congratulations are also in order to Bob Cockerell and Rob Clarke on the very recent award of their ‘wood beads’. I counted it a privilege the other evening to not only attend our new District Explorer Scout Unit but to present a commissioner warrant to Christine Bennett, who becomes District Explorer Scout Commissioner or DESC for short. Likewise Kerry Horgan has accepted my invitation of a district appointment as District Scout Leader (DSL) and the troops will soon see Kerry as he visits and encourages both new leaders and scouts alike.

We welcome into the district and more particularly into their Group sections a number of new leaders. Patricia Walkerdine ACSL at 1N, Paul Beardsley ASL at IN, Tara Urry ABSL 2N, Stephen Urry ACSL 2N, Carla Deehan BSL at 6N and Lorna Manfredi ABSL at 6N. I am thrilled to see so many new leaders coming into Scouting within our District, let us all make them very welcome as they settle in and take their first steps on the adult training programme. I have written on our district’s behalf to Graham and Judy on the closure of 2E to express our sincere and heartfelt appreciation of nine years dedicated leadership, Graham is hoping to help whenever needed with Explorer Scouts. As we start our autumn programme it is great to see