Woodford Halse Scouts box clever to help homeless people

Members of 1st Woodford Halse Scout Group set up camp at Dryden Hall and spent the night in cardboard boxes.

The sleepover gave the Cubs the chance to work towards various badges including Community Impact and adding to their Nights Away experiences.

They opened a soup kitchen on the night and raised £27 for the Big Issue Foundation.

Erin Holmes, a Cub, said: “I was a bit scared as this was my first night away with the Cubs, but it was really good and I learned a lot about being homeless.”

Jennie Curtis, an adult volunteer, said: “I wanted to give the Cubs a unique sleepover experience.

“The Cub Law states a Cub ‘thinks of others before themselves’ and this was a good way of demonstrating this.”

Jennie was motivated to do something for the homeless after she saw the film A Street Cat named Bob at the cinema.

She said: “I read the books and watched the film and felt I had to do something.

“Scouting has given me the confidence to try different things and this is why I decided to do the Big London walk at the beginning of March.

“With the support of the Beavers and Cubs, I have raised more than £400 for the Big Issue Foundation.

“I was delighted to see James Bowen and street cat Bob before the walk. I told him what the Scout group was doing and he happily signed a Scout group necker as a thank you for all the hard work we had done.”

Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: “Scouting is all about friendship and fun and adventure.”