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Welcome to our group!

scouting since 1994

1st Blackwater Valley is a traditional Scout Group serving the Ash Vale and Mytchett area since 1994, now over 25 years old (more than a quarter of a century!). We meet at Carrington Lane Recreation Ground. You can find us on What3Words(wasp.poppy.stops) or Google Maps.

Today we have leaders who were Beavers in our group (see Leaders) and over those twenty-five years we have acquired a Scout Hut in 2003 which we are now looking to renew (see Our Scout Hut).

We are proud owners of a minibus named “Long John Silver” and a trek cart (see Vehicles), all of which allow our sections to decide whether they want to do something, rather than ask, “can we?” We also used to own a large red coach named “Mildred”, but sadly, in 2024 we had to make the difficult decision to sell her because of the cost of operating and maintaining.

News

Nov
28

A Very Special Day!

The morning of Saturday, the 22nd of November 2025, saw the unveiling of a plaque by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey that commemorates the rebuilding of our Scout Hut and the persons and organisations that made it happen. The event was attended by Cllr. Carla Morson (LibDem), Shaista Salim of your Fund Surrey, Mr and […]

Nov
28

Quiz Night November 2025

Last Saturday, our group hosted our Quiz Night. It was a very special day as that morning our newly refurbished hut was reopened, and it was great to see so many people attend the quiz in the evening. We raised £348 for group funds, which was brilliant. On behalf of everyone who attended, we would […]

Sep
26

UPDATE ON PROGRESS

Trustees and leaders from our Scout Group, along with the owner of Keen Construction, have met with Cllr. Carla Morson, Cllr. Fiona White, Your Fund Surrey representative, Shaista Salim, Clerk to Ash Parish Council, Ali Whatmore and the Parish council Head Groundsman, Kevin Graham-Wilson, at the Scout Hut to review progress. As is evident from […]

Jul
27

Summer Camp 2025

This year’s summer camp was held at the Nantmor Mountain Centre, which our group has visited on several occasions. It offers excellent access to Snowdonia National Park for hiking and camping, and is exceptionally beautiful at this time of year!

Jun
01

Weybridge 5k, 10k & Half Marathon

Today we were out helping runners stay hydrated at the Weybridge 5k, 10k & Half Marathon. We take great pride in taking part in these community events and thank the organisers for inviting us. Well done to all the runners!! More photos from the event can be found here: photos.runthrough.co.uk/galleries/weybridge-5k-10k-and-half-marathon-june-2025

May
30

Scout, Senior and Rover Summer Camps

We are excited to announce the following summer camps, we will update everyone with more information as we get closer to the events: Scout and Senior Summer Camp 27th July – 1st August 2025 This year, our Scouts and Seniors will head to Nantmor Mountain Centre to partake in some hiking around Snowdonia National Park. […]

May
17

Skip Johnson Challenge Hike 2025

Four members of 1st Blackwater Valley entered as a team for this year’s event alongside Scouts from Hungary, the Scout Association, and 1st Mortimer, a fellow independent Scout Group. Peter Johnson, and ex Royal Marine, was the GSM of 1st Mortimer for over 50 years and he was a co-founder of the BPSA. He and his wife […]

Apr
27

Goodbye Canvas Store

While it is essential to maintain our group in the present, it is also vital to build it for the future. This weekend, some of our leaders were removing our old canvas store, which was beyond repair. To prevent mould, our canvas must be stored in a clean and dry environment. Sadly, over the many […]

Feb
11

Punchbowl Marathon 2025

Last weekend we had a small group of members take on the Punchbowl 20 mile marathon, which they successfully completed in 6 hours and 56 minutes. It covers some challenging terrain and beautiful scenery. 

Nov
25

Christmas Fair 2024

A great big thank you to all who attended our Christmas fair last weekend, and we raised just under £500, which was fantastic. Don’t forget our quiz night is approaching on the 7th of December and it is not too late to submit your team by getting in touch here.

More News….

Section Updates

Nov
08

Beavers & Cubs: Shortbread and Sparklers

This week, our Beavers and Cubs joined forces to bake some lovely shortbread in our new oven at our renovated scout hut, then, to finish the evening, they enjoyed some sparklers as part of their bonfire night celebrations.

Jul
10

Seniors: Long John Service

Every year, our seniors complete a full service on our minibus Long John Silver. It includes replacing the air filter, performing a full oil change, changing the fuel filter, inspecting tyres and brakes, as well as looking for any other issues which may cause an MOT failure. Afterwards, they learn how to prime the engine […]

Jun
25

Cubs: Hedgehog Pencil Holders

Over the last two Wednesdays, the Cubs have been making Hedgehog pencil holders. They all had fun with the saw and found out how hard a hand drill is, but they were all very proud in the end. Well done all!

Mar
27

Seniors: Using their loaf!

Our seniors put their baking skills to the test and made some bread. One of our leaders lent them a coalman’s oven which fits handily over one of our coalman’s cookers. They made some great loaves, which were delicious with butter and syrup!

Mar
26

Scouts: E1/E2 Hike

We would like to congratulate our scouts for a great hike around E1/E2 this evening. We even found a landmark we had never visited before! It is a bridge under a railway line.

Nov
14

Seniors: Master Cook Badge

This week our seniors undertook their Master Cooks badge. Their menu: Starter – lamb sausage shakshuka Main – beef and multi-bean chilli with pasta Dessert – Camp doughnuts Congratulations on a fantastic evening of food!

Nov
06

Beavers: Poppy Making

This week our beavers were busy making poppies for Remembrance Sunday, out of the bottoms of plastic bottles of all things! A bit of paint and they look fantastic. They then distributed them around the local area for people to find and take home.

Oct
26

Seniors: Survival Camp

This weekend our seniors planned a survival hike as part of their Bushman’s thong award. It involved a four mile hike and very little in the way of kit! It was a fantastic weekend for all.

Oct
23

Beavers: Firework Safety

This week our beavers were learning how to have a safe and enjoyable bonfire night, including the basics of using sparklers. And toasting marshmallows of course!

Oct
10

Seniors: Wood Store Update

This week our seniors starting stacking our new wood store ready for the winter.

More Section Updates….

 

 

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