The Big Walk organised by the De La Salle Scout Group in association with Waterford City Council took place on Sunday the 28th last on the new Waterford City Outer Ring Road. It was the official launch of the Group’s development fund. The event has been hailed as an enormous success by the group with over 1000 people and dogs including many families walking sections of the route. Many participants remarked on the unfamiliar views from the road which looks set to transform traffic flows around the city when it opens shortly. Highlights of the event included the musical sets played by the Barrack Street Concert Band and the De La Salle Scout Pipe Band as well as the blessing of the dogs by Bro. Columbanus. The Waterford Scout County also put on a tough scavenger hunt and had an excellent display on scouting throughout Waterford in the main marquee. The culinary high point was the constant flow of sausage sandwiches prepared by Lisa Rea and Sarah Kennedy from the 3rd De La Salle Scout Troop at their scout camp kitchen.



The group would like to extend its thanks to Waterford City Council and its many sponsors who helped to make the event such a success. Many businesses and individuals were very generous with their support and an excellent start has been made to the group’s development fund. Group Leader, David Rogers also paid tribute and expressed his gratitude to the excellent efforts of the organising committee headed by parent, Donal Jacob.



Details of the standing order fundraising drive were also distributed on the day any anyone interested is urged to return the forms to their banks by the 15th of September to ensure entry into the draw for a weekend break for two. Photographs from the event are available on the group’s award winning website at www.dlscouts.ie and the official register of all participants taken on the day will shortly be presented to Mayor Hilary Quinlan and his City Council for preservation with the City’s historical records.



Meanwhile plans and drawings for the Group’s new €350,000 Scout Centre at Gracedieu are currently being finalised and will be on display on the group’s website shortly. The new site will be in an area of the De La Salle GAA club’s new centre and the group is very grateful for their support with the site. The Scout Centre, which it is hoped will be complete in 2008, will include a new scout den with a large activity hall, band room, training and meeting room, kitchen and toilets, store, foyer and display/archive area and a climbing wall. There will also be two outside training sites. This is a mammoth undertaking for the group but having celebrated 75 years of service to Waterford City two year’s ago, the group maintains a very strong vision for its future growth and development. Today and in the future there will be an even greater need for the Scouting organisation whose purpose is to contribute to the development of young people and the realising of their full spiritual, intellectual, physical, social and cultural potential as individuals, as citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.



The De La Salle Scout Group passionately believes in this purpose and it is their central aim that Scouting will continue to make a very significant contribution to the lives of young people in Waterford City, throughout this century. The development of the new Scout Centre is one part of a wider development plan which includes the continued enhancement of all its sections through a strong and vibrant scout programme, investment in equipment and activity resources and also training and succession planning for its leadership team.



Over the years members of the group have gone on to play a major part in entertainment, business and politics both at home in Ireland and abroad. But it is perhaps the vibrant memories of great annual camps, mad weekends in Faithlegg, hikes in the Comeraghs, late night campfires, taking part in competitions, working in a patrol and strong friendships which are most important to people. Through their current fundraising initiative they are inviting past members to renew those links with the past. This is also the time of year when the group welcomes new members in its Beavers (Age 6-8), Macaoimh (Age 8-10), Scouts (Age 10-15) and Venturers (Age 16-18). Contact can be made with the group through its website at www.dlscouts.ie or through any leader.

For further details contact:Colm Ennis, De La Salle Scout Group PRO, 086-3801867