On my way to a reunion in Cumbria with my old Scout Group, I visited the site of the 1929 World Scout Jamboree at Arrowe Park in Birkenhead where Hertfordshire attended with its largest ever contingent of 171.? Remarkably, by today

Many of you will have seen recent national press releases featuring new, and the reintroduction of previously withdrawn, Scout Proficiency Badges.? The new Parascending badge reminds me that Hertfordshire Scouting has already led the way in this pursuit.? Potential achievers may like to know that as early as July 1974, Roy Lambert (16) from the North Watford Venture Scout Unit became National Parascending Champion.? Two teams from the Unit did very well in a competition dominated by the armed services and during the same year the Unit made over 1000 parascending launches. In 1985, Andrew Waklin and Andrew Asquith from the Unit took their revolutionary designed canopy

A reminder of two significant bravery awards from our unique history:

In 1947, Boy Scout Graham Carson of the First Broxbourne Scout Group was awarded the Cornwell Badge by Lord Rowallan the Chief Scout.? Graham had suffered from muscular dystrophy from the age of 5.? By the time he joined the Wolf Cubs at the age of 8 he was unable to walk and at 12 the disease had spread to the rest of his body.? His Scoutmaster commented

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HSH February 2010

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One of our most charismatic and respected Scouters, George (Jim) Dymoke Green died aged 27 on 4 May 1930.? He was Scoutmaster of the Fourth St Albans Troop, Deputy Camp Chief of Hertfordshire and Editor of The Scouter the forerunner to Scouting Magazine.

An event that has been in the news recently is the tragedy that happened over the town of Lockerbie 21 years ago this month.? This had a significant Hertfordshire connection as Venture Scout Tim Burman of the Harpenden Venture Scout Unit who was flying to America, perished here.? The news came through during the county Venture Scout carol service in St Albans Cathedral.?