Last year certainly was an eventful one, right up to the very last minutes! We were invited to the Scout Hut for some activities on the evening of New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, only three Scouts and three other children/ teenagers turned up! Later in the evening we were joined by the District Commissioner and his family but to start with, we were rather minimal in quantity. We played some games, such as mapping, “Harry” (which involved purple and orange lipsticks), football and a few other things. After having something to eat (hot-dogs and crisps) we set off for Ivinghoe Beacon.

Ivinghoe Beacon is the highest peak in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire. We had to hurry up the hill to get there on time, Skip still on crutches, as we’d left a bit late. When we arrived at the top, under cover of darkness, the view was spectacular, even though it was a little foggy and icy. It was so cold, I was surprised at how long we stayed up there. However, we counted down to zero, we drank some Champagne (well, the adults did), we did the inevitable hugging and, just after midnight, we set of some fireworks! Admittedly, they were a bit naff, but they still saw the New Year in with a bang! Our first investiture was then completed witnessed of course by our DC.