Girlguiding in Ruishton: We meet at the village hall, all girls are welcome to come.
We take part in a huge range of activities, develop skills, share experiences, make new friends.
Rainbows, aged 5-7 years. Mondays 5.15 – 6.15pm. (Hazel Ellis 01823412485)
Brownies, aged 7-10 years. Fridays (Kay Allen 01823444426)
Guides, 10-14 years. Mondays 6.15 – 7.45pm. (Cath Ellis 01823442398)
Rangers 14-18 years. Variable evenings, 7 – 8.30pm, meetings led by the girls with adult support.
Guides (history)
In 1970 a guide unit under the leadership of Jenny Trood and Jo Reeves, and assisted by Young Leader, Sandra Verrier, was started in the old school. The Guides eventually moved to the new school and now also meet in the village hall.
Twins Claire and Louise Reeves, aged fourteen, have received their Queen’s Guide awards from Kay Black, their District Commissioner. The twins are both members of the Ruishton company of Guides, and of the youth group at the Rowbarton church, Taunton, Somerset. They are members of of a family with a long history of involvement with the Methodist Church, and are the great, great grand daughters of Dr Joseph Wood, a former President of the Primitive Methodist Conference.
Brownies (history)
Ruishton Brownies were started in 1963 by Pam Moore and Audrey CaIlen. 1st Ruishton, as the Pack was called, met in the Scout Cabin in Ruishton Lane and later moved to Ruishton Old School. After 4 years, in 1967, there were too many members for one pack and so 2nd Ruishton was formed under the leadership of Audrey Callen and Enid Jenkins. Both Packs met at the Old School on the same night in the 2 classrooms.
In 1977, because of the drop in numbers, it was decided to go back to one Pack again and by then the new Ruishton School had been built and the weekly meeting was moved to the new premises. At the present time the Pack, or Unit, which it is now called, meets in the Village Hall, and the numbers average 24 with a waiting list.
The Unit has had a succession of dedicated leaders over the years and is now served by 2 warranted Guiders and a Unit Helper.
Cubs and Scouts (history)
The earliest record of scouting in Ruishton dates from 19 December 1920.
The earliest record of scouting in Ruishton dates from 19 December 1920, when Miss M.E. Whish reported the closing of the 28th Taunton (Ruishton and Henlade) troop because she was leaving the area. In 1921 the vicar of Ruishton, Reverend H.S. Pugh, was involved in an attempt to restart the troop with the School Attendance Officer, Mr Alfred Trimby, as the Scout Master. The new troop became known as 29th Taunton (Ruishton), but it folded the following year.
The next attempt to form a local Scout troop was in 1929. District minutes record a letter received from Mr E.J.(“Peter”) Clarke of Woodlands, Ruishton, on 10 July 1929, requesting permission to form a new troop. Permission was granted, subject to Mr Clarke being able to locate a headquarters and an experienced Assistant Scout Master. The new troop was registered as 28th Taunton (Ruishton and Henlade) and the old school was hired for meetings at a charge of 1 shilling per week.
In 1932, Rover Scouts John Barrington and William Bryant drew up plans to erect a Canadian-style log cabin to provide the troop with its own headquarters. The site was donated by Peter Clarke’s mother and the foundation “stone” was laid on 1 April 1933. The construction itself took several years, with a lot of help from other Rover Scouts in Taunton District. The spruce logs were carted from Staple Fitzpaine to Ruishton, where they were stripped and the half-joints were cut, before being placed on concrete pillars. Each layer of logs was laid on a bed of oakum and 12-15 inch steel spikes were driven into ½ inch holes drilled every 6 feet along the structure. The stone for the fireplace and chimney was brought by trek cart from a derelict building behind Ruishton church.
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Hiking -
Troup of 1974 -
Scout Hut Opening -
Scout camp 1930’s