Wilton Scouts centenary celebrations

Our centenary year is now some two thirds gone. We enjoyed a fantastic party in May and now are all looking forwards to a mass camp for members past and present that is planned for September 18th-20th 2009. Then as the year ends we will hope to say goodbye to our Centenary with a bang!

If you have any ideas for events or fundraising please contact us.

It would also be great to hear from any former Wilton Scouts, so spread the word and get in touch.

The birth of the Scouting movement was in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell put his ideas of activities for boys to the test with an experimental camp on Brownsea Island. With the publication the following year in 1908 of his book Scouting for Boys there was an explosion of interest not just across the country but across the world. As the book enjoyed record sales, groups of boys everywhere were forming themselves into patrols and putting the ideas to the test themselves. By 1909 there were already some 107,000 Scouts and the foundations of the Scout Movement to establish some sort of organisational control over this new phenomenon.

It was in 1909 that Scouting first reached Taunton. The first troop formed here appears to have formed at the YMCA. Wilton was a close second, founded in August 1909. Later in the same year groups of boys from Trull, Pitminster, Staplegrove, Gloucester St, Queen's College, St Andrews, Bishops Lydeard, Bagborough and Bathpool also joined the action. When in 1914 the YMCA troop closed Wilton officially became the 1st Taunton (Wilton) Scout Troop, and has remained strong to this day.

Since that time the Scout Movement has expanded to include the Cub Scout section (1916), the Senior Scout section (1917) - which soon changed its name to the Rover Scouts, and later to Venture and now Explorer Scouts. Beavers, for the youngest members of the movement, joined the Scout movement in 1986.

If you want to find out more about the history of Scouting why not start at www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/history.

We think that 100 years of Scouting in Taunton is an excellent excuse for a party and warmly invite you to join us in celebration. Long may there be a Wilton Scout group in Taunton!

Activities so far

9th May 2009: Party with ceilidh in the church hall for all current and former Scout members.

19/20th September 2009: Mass camp at Huish woods. See the article in the Somerset County Gazette

An Illustrated History of Wilton Scouts kindly compiled by Bob Camp and Bob Dunning

The Scouts will be marking the centenary with a year of adventurous activities. We have set ourselves the challenge of each participating in 100 Scouting activities, and walking 100km over the course of the year. Some of the extra adventurous activities lined up so far are: diving, climbing, canoeing, gliding, with many more to come.