Sunday 22 April 2007

Jackie and I collected Beth (grand-daughter) from her mother Rhiannon, and headed off to Watford for the Boy Scouts’ centenary St George’s Day Parade. Beth was very excited, and was pleased as anything to get her picture taken with the Pipe Major.

In Watford, there are nearly twenty different groups of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. Altogether, I would guess about 600 joined the march from the Harlequin Centre to Cassiobury Park. Jackie, Beth and I started by keeping pace with the band, but then fell back to enjoy an ill-deserved ice-cream before rejoining the throng at Cassiobury Park for the main celebration.

The event had the theme of Past, Present and Future and began with a rousing rendition of Jerusalem. I have always enjoyed this subversive hymn and it was thrilling to hear it sung with such vim by the Boy Scouts. The other most memorable moments were provided by Scouting veterans Normal Hicks and Gordon French who gave a glimpse of what things were like when they joined the Boy Scouts in 1937 and 1949 respectively. We also heard about a recent Scouting trip to Africa, and from Roger Sands on the future of Scouting.

It is fashionable to be cynical about the Boy Scouts. But the movement survives and endures, and has successfully re-invented itself to shed its more militaristic and nationalistic baggage. With all the usual concerns about the youth of today etc etc, what other organisation can gather together so many young people and engage so many adult volunteers? Maintaining links between generations is absolutely critical for sustaining a healthy functional community. Indeed, it is perhaps the Holy Grail of community cohesion.

During Renewing Our Promise, Beth distinguished herself by asking in a loud voice: “Can we go home yet”? We mollified her by whisking her off for a quick drink and a bit of cake at the lovely Cha Cha Cha Café.

Back with the Boy Scouts, I quote from the service paper:

We all say together

O God, you have made us all,
But we are all very different.
Each of us is unique and special,
And we all have different gifts and abilities.
Please help us to use all that we are
And all that we have
To fulfil our promise to each other,
to our community, and to you.

I was never a Scout myself and as a lifelong atheist I cannot embrace any form of prayer. But theology apart, this prayer reflects a commendable commitment to honest human endeavour and to equality and to community. Sooner or later, all of us will have to choose between this and the cynicism and selfish consumerism so prevalent around us.