A CELEBRATION of England’s patron saint St George saw scout groups take to the streets of Evesham for an afternoon of events in the heart of the town.
Led by the Celebration Reed and Brass Band, Evesham scouts and members of guiding paraded along the High Street to All Saints Church last Sunday.
The Guide Groups veered away from the parade in order to gather at Wallace House for their annual ‘Thinking Day’, an event which was postponed earlier in the year due to inclement weather.
The Scout Groups and Units then gathered for a service in All Saints Church, led by the Rev Andrew Green.
His address recalled the life of St George, who was chosen by scout movement founder Robert Baden-Powell to be the patron saint of scouting as his life embodied many of the scouting values which still stand today, in spite of many changes over the past 111 years.
Great Bear Explorer Scouts and 2nd Evesham and Bengeworth Cub Scouts gave a presentation of the work of their chosen charity, Caring Hands in the Vale, who will benefit from the collection taken during the service.
As is tradition on St George’s Day, scout members of all ages renewed their Promise. A number of adult volunteers were presented with Long Service Awards of between five and 30 years in support of scouting.
The undoubted highlight of the awards was the presentation of the 70 year long service award by Mayor of Evesham Coun Richard Jones to 92-year-old Fred Sodeau.
During his 70 years in scouting, Fred held many roles from being an active scout leader to support roles in administration. To this day, Fred is a member of the District Scout Active Support Unit and enjoys being around at scouting events.
Visit www.scouts.org.uk/get-involved for more information.
