24th Ilford North West Scout Group

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24th Ilford North West Scout Group

We’re a local Scout Group based in Gants Hill, East London. Welcoming new young people across all sections: Beavers (6–8), Cubs (8–10½) and Scouts (10½–14).

A weekly break from screens in East London: games, teamwork and practical skills in a friendly local Scout group, with camps and outdoor trips throughout the year. We run weekly sessions full of games, teamwork and practical skills, with camps and outdoor trips throughout the year. Message us to find out more or come along and see what a session is like.

13/08/2026

First things first: the tiger was real. His name is Steve 🐯
(Lost? Scroll back to our invitation post)

The evening began with games on the lawn, some of them run by our Scouts themselves, who patiently coached kids and grown-ups alike on their axe-throwing technique (the kids, naturally, turned out to be the better shots). Once everyone had taken their turn, we all moved inside for the official AGM part, kept short as promised: a little news from us, then the Scouts took over the screen to tell everyone about their recent adventures in their own words.

Then came the badges. The biggest cheer of the night went to Daanesh, who received his Chief Scout's Gold Award, the highest award in Scouts. Earning one takes all nine Challenge Awards plus six activity badges, so behind that single handshake sit years of effort. Well done, Daanesh! 👏

While all this was happening, a wonderful team of volunteer parents kept our wood-fired oven busy outside, so the moment the ceremony ended, the pizzas arrived, hot and fresh. And once everyone was fed, we finished the night with a quiz, which turned out to be trickier than anyone expected (be honest, do you know the world's largest lake?).

Thank you to everyone who came along, and to everyone who helped make it happen. If you missed this one, we meet at Bates Hall every Tuesday evening. We can't promise pizza and a quiz every week, but we do know how to keep kids busy with something genuinely exciting, and new faces are always welcome.

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29/07/2026

You wouldn’t expect an evening built around teamwork to start with the teams stealing from each other. But ours did.

Out on the lawn behind the hall, each of the three teams was given a bucket of water, and the aim was to keep yours topped up by raiding everyone else’s. The catch was the cups all had holes in the bottom, so getting any water home meant moving fast, and plenty of it ended up on the grass (and on the Scouts!) along the way. By the end everyone had well and truly let off steam, which was rather the point before settling into the main task ♨️

That task, counting towards their Teamwork Challenge Award, was to build something out of wooden poles, rope and tarpaulins that could move water from one bucket to another, this time without losing half of it en route. There was some head-scratching and the odd rebuild, because water has a talent for finding the one gap nobody thinks about, but once every knot was tight and every corner held, it flowed exactly where it was meant to.

The nicest moment of the evening, however, came right at the end. It was our Scout Iara’s birthday, and her parents had quietly brought along a cake, so the night wrapped up with candles, a slightly out-of-tune happy birthday and a slice of Victoria sponge for everyone. Happy birthday, Iara! 🎂

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16/07/2026

Boiled eggs and a cup of tea. Not the most ambitious menu in the world, until you have to build the kitchen first.

That was the task for the Scouts out the back of the hall. After a quick refresher from the leaders, they got the fire pits going with flint and steel, which takes a good few goes to get right. Then up went the wooden tripods they'd lashed together at an earlier session, finally doing the job they were built for, with pots hung underneath and each group handed their brief: eggs for one, tea for the other, all counting towards their Skills Challenge Award ☕

Cooking over a fire comes with one catch though: the waiting. Whoever first said a watched pot never boils must have been stood next to a Scout at the time. Still, the eggs came out just right (swipe through for Steve's seal of approval), the tea passed the taste test too, and once everything was packed away, every Scout headed home knowing they can cook over a fire they built themselves. Handy, that, for the next proper camp, when the nearest kettle will be miles away 🏕️

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Sound like something your child would enjoy? We meet on Tuesdays, 7 to 8:30 at Bates Hall. There's always room for one more!

08/07/2026

One evening back in May, we swapped our usual session for a walk around the local streets, letting a few more people around Gants Hill know there's a Scout group right on their doorstep.

We split into two teams with the leaders (much to our photographer's dismay), each with their own patch to cover, a map, and a wooden spoon: the trusty tool for posting leaflets while keeping your fingers well clear of the letterbox. A couple of hours later, hundreds of homes had a leaflet through the door.🚪

Not the usual kind of session, but a good one. The Scouts put in a proper shift for their group, and if you found one of our purple leaflets on your doormat, now you know who to thank!

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01/07/2026

After a night of awards, homemade pizza and a film, you'd forgive the Scouts for wanting a lie-in. Instead, Sunday morning at Bates Hall kicked off with something completely different: a fencing taster session with a guest instructor ⚔️

She started with the basics, how to hold the sword, how to stand, a bit of footwork so nobody went flying. Then, once everyone was kitted out in full protective gear, it was time for the bit they'd all been waiting for, actually having a go at each other (safely, and with the instructor keeping a very close eye throughout).

Turns out fencing is a fair bit trickier than it looks. There was plenty of lunging, a good few near misses, and more than one Scout discovering their footwork needs a little work. But everyone threw themselves into it and had a brilliant time, and it's not every day you get to pick up a sword and call it a life skill.

Once the session wrapped up, the tents came down with a bit of help from the leaders, and just like that, our first joint camp came to an end 🏕️

Two days, a new sport, some new friends, and plenty of Scouts trying something they'd never done before. That's really what it's all about, giving kids the chance to have a go at things they wouldn't normally get to.

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Fancy this sort of thing for your child? Come along to one of our Tuesday sessions, 7 to 8:30, no obligation, just pop in and see what we're about. You'd be very welcome 😊

24/06/2026

Tents pitched out on the green, sleeping bags at the ready, and a hall full of Scouts. We teamed up with 26th Milton Keynes Scout Group for an overnight camp at Bates Hall, and the evening began with a real cause for celebration.

Two of our Scouts, Socrates and Nuriel, were presented with their Chief Scout's Gold Award, the highest award you can earn in the Scout section at their age. Getting there is no small task — it means completing all nine Challenge Awards along with six activity or staged badges, so it takes real commitment and a good deal of hard work over time. Their awards were presented by our County Commissioner, , and it was a proud moment for everyone in the room.

Massive congratulations to you both! You've set the bar high, and we can't wait to see what you take on next. 👏

Then came the best bit (in the kids' eyes at least). The leaders handled the prep and the baking, which left the Scouts to the fun part: spreading on the sauce and piling on their toppings to each make a pizza their own. 🍕

To round off the evening, we dimmed the lights, fired up the projector and turned the hall into our own little cinema: a proper film night on the big screen with the sound system to match. A great way to wind down before everyone settled into their tents for a good night’s sleep.

Two awards to celebrate, homemade pizza and a film to finish — a brilliant evening all round. ✨

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Would you like your child to be part of evenings like these? If so, get in touch with any questions, or simply come along to a trial session — no obligation, just a chance to get a feel for the group. We meet every Tuesday, 7 to 8:30pm, and you'd be very welcome.

21/06/2026

Another session, another busy evening for our Scouts! ⚡

One group continued working towards their Electronics Badge — getting into the theory behind electrical components, from resistors and capacitors to LEDs and diodes. Not the easiest topic, but they stuck with it.

Meanwhile, the other group sat down with their leaders to brainstorm what to pack for the upcoming camping trip — figuring out what’s needed and how much of it to bring.

Two groups, two very different challenges — both getting it done. 🏕️

18/06/2026

One of our recent sessions was packed with activity! ⚡

One group got hands-on with electronics — building paper circuits using copper tape, LEDs, and coin batteries as part of their Electronics Badge journey. And yes, it actually worked! 🔦

Meanwhile, another group was busy planning our upcoming camping trip — working out what to pack and how to make it a great experience for everyone.

Learning new skills, working as a team, having fun along the way. That’s what Scouts is all about! 🏕️

13/04/2026

A few moments from our visit to Gilwell Park 🧗

11/02/2026

|| WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE STUCK? ||

Here’s one of the things we try to build quietly at Scouts: the ability to look at a mess of information… and not panic.

Real life doesn’t arrive neatly labelled. Problems don’t come with page numbers or a clear route to the answer, and a lot of the time the skill is working out how to approach the problem before you can solve it. That’s exactly the vibe in the room when a challenge first lands: lots of guesses, lots of “wait… does this bit go here?”, and the occasional hands-on-head moment when your brain hits a wall.

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On this evening, we turned two road atlases into one big puzzle: we removed the spines, covered over the page numbers and everything mixed together. The task? Work together and rebuild the map like a giant jigsaw.

It wasn’t just about geography. It was about communication, spotting patterns, and knowing when to pause, take a step back, and rethink the next move, because rarely does anything click on the first attempt. The best part was watching them push through the stuck moments: small groups taking different sections, swapping ideas, testing fits, and slowly turning chaos into something that made sense.

Sometimes the best skills aren’t taught through a lecture. They’re built on the floor, piece by piece.

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Address

Bates Hall, Behind 35 Wycome Road
Ilford
IG26UT

Telephone

+442085501168

Website

http://gantshillscouts.org.uk/

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