SKIPS LYNX 'n' toys

Welcome to the home of my hobbies, what I do and what I do it with.  Browse away, and if anything takes your fancy just email me and I will send you all the details you want.

My name is John Moore and I am the Scout Leader of Staindrop Scouts, and more recently the Assistant District Commissioner for Scouts in Teesdale.

I took my Promise and Law as a Cub Scout back in 1972 whilst a boy in Darlington.  Did you know subs were 3p a night - extortion!   Sudden rearlisation !!!!!!! that means this is my 28th year since making the promise !!!!!!  Now I feel old.

I took my first leader warrent out as an assistant Scout Leader in June 1984, then as Scout Leader in the December of the same year when, whilst a Soldier, I took over the 1st Verden Scout Troop in BSWE (British Scouts in Western Europe).

After being posted from Germany I took over as the Scout Leader of 1st Barnard Castle Scout Troop.  During my time at 1st Barnard Castle I was able to use the Patrol Leaders Council to its full extent which meant that the Troop grew from one Troop of eighteen Scouts to two Troops of thirty plus in each.  

In 1991 Staindrop Scouts had lost their Leader and the Troop was being held together by a non warranted parent.  The Troop had no equipment and seven Scouts.  As a District we could get no-one to help so I decided that I would run 1st Staindrop Scouts as well as the two Troops in Barnard Castle.

It did not take too long (about 18 months) before I decided that it was impossible to continue running three Troops and I handed in my notice to the Barnard Castle Group.  This was not too difficult as at Barnard Castle we had an excellent Leader base and a chap called Mark Fell - an ex Scout and Venture Scout of Barnard Castle who was able to accept the responsibility of Scout Leader.

Staindrop Scout Group now consists of a Beaver Colony, a Cub Scout Pack, a Scout Troop and one of the largest Venture Scout Units in the County.  Due to the size of our hut (or the lack of size) the Scout numbers have to be limited to 24 maximum - and at the moment we have exactly that - 24 Scouts and a waiting list.  Staindrop by the way is a small village consisting of less than a thousand.  This is real rural Scouting thriving and its as good as it gets.

At Staindrop we use the Patrol system to its full.  The Patrol Leaders do the programmes, help organise the activities, in fact as Scout Leader I feel redundant half the time.  We have two of the best Assistant Scout Leaders you could wish for with Wayne Hall and Kevin Butler.  Both of which are ex Scouts and Venture Scouts.  Wayne completed the Coast to Coast walk with 5 others for his Chief Scouts Award.

In 1995 I developed an interest in planes - not things like Cessna's and other boring light aircraft (Spam cans) but microlight flexwing aircraft - proper flying - with the North Yorkshire Flying Club.  I completed my training in 1997 and gained my Private Pilots License for Microlights.  I have my own two seater aircraft which I have flown around most of the UK this year alone - in fact when in Popham earlier in the year I bumped into some Scouts from Hampshire.  The leader wouldn't go for a flight though - bah.