Misbourne occasionally appears in the local media, we have been in the paper, and on the radio, and also on Regional TV. Here is a summary of some of these articles

Local Newspapers The unit recently appeared in the Bucks Free Press about our big trip to Canada - Getting ready for the bears - Up hill and down dale... - Privileged duo serve at Queen Mum's funeral Two Venture Sea Scouts were among just 60 volunteers selected to attend the lying in state of Her Majesty The Queen Mother last week. Tom and Maxine, jumped at the chance to travel to Wesminster to assist members of the public who flocked to Westminster to pay their respects to the Queen Mum who dies on March 31. The pair were on a Venture Scout's Camping trip when they received a telephone call telling them the sad news, and offering members the opportunity to serve at the state occasion. Tom and Maxine volunteered straight away for the once-in-a-lifetime experience and travelled up to Scout Headquarters at Baden Powell House for a briefing last Thursday. The Venture and Queen's Scouts were split in to three groups of 20 for round-the-clock shiftwork assisting members of the public waiting to sign th books of condolence. Tom and Maxine were among a privileged few allowed to stand vigil in the Queen Elizabeth Hall by special permission of Her Majesty The Queen for their help in the run up to the funeral service on Tuesday. On the Day of the funeral they lined the route of the royal courtege as it travelled to Windsor. Tom and Maxine are among Scouts invited to attend the annual St George's Day Service and Parade on April 21 to acknowledge their service. Article adapted from the "Amersham & Chesham Free Press" - Sea Scout's farewell to Betty Stansbury MISBOURNE Venture Sea Scout Leader Betty Stansbury has been honoured by scores of members both past and present for her 35 years of service to the organsation she co-founded. More than 50 scouts attended a retirement party for Mrs Stansbury, 65, (pictured left) at Great Missenden Memorial Centre. This followed an exhibition illustrating the many foreign expeditions and activities she had organised. Janet Pascoe, secretary of the Great Missenden group, said: "To have someone lead a unit for that length of time is absolutely exceptional. She has done a fantastic job and has got a great team together to offer a wide range of activities." - Sea Scout surprise from the Far East A ROAMING sea scout made his former leader's day when he made a special trip from the other side of the world just to give her a present at her retirement party. He surprised all the members of his old unit when he flew in from the Far East and walked in, unexpectedly, to their 35th anniversary bash - after he heard they were to honour their retiring leader. Ken Baker, a member of the Misbourne Venture Sea Scout Unit when it was formed in 1964, flew in especially for the reunion to pay tribute to leader Betty Stansbury who is retiring after 35 years. The Saturday reunion party was held at the Memorial Hall, Great Missenden. Mrs Stansbury said, "Ken walked in carrying a box of Singapore Orchids and an engraved tray. It was a complete surprise." "It was a flying visit, he flew in on Saturday and left on Sunday for Brunei. I don't even think his family had time to see him." The sea scout unit held an anniversary exhibition, including photographs of the unit's oversea's trips, and a party for more than 50 members past and present, on Saturday evening. Mrs Stansbury and her husband Guy, who also is a former leader of the unit, were guests of honour and were presented with Eurostar tickets to Paris, as well as some spending money. The couple set up the unit in 1964, when it was one of the first mixed units in the country. Now, Mrs Stansbury is retiring after 35 years as leader and assistant Peter Mace is taking over. Mrs Stansbury was also made an honorary life member of the Sea Scouts at the celebration.

Regional TV Some while back, La wrote to our local ITV company - Carlton - commenting on the external image of Venture Scouting. She requested a slot on their program "Your Shout" to try and redress the balance. Your Shout is a 2 minute program where the viewer is shown putting across their view. It is watched by about a million people across the South East. Every week, the producers of this program receive about a hundred requests for 'shouts' and La's letter was chosen to appear. On Tuesday 6th April, a number of our unit's members went down to Longridge - the National Water Activities Centre near Marlow - for a day's filming. They were pictured canoeing, kayaking, rafting and climbing.
The script was as follows: SCRIPT FOR "YOUR SHOUT" - JUNE 10TH "DYB DYB DYB, DOB DOB DOB. That's what everyone thinks of when you tell them you are in the Scouts, but all that went out with flares and flower power." "In two years of venture scouting, I have never once said DYB DYB DYB, worn knee length socks or spoken to Akela; but one mention of Scouts and everyone automatically thinks of the same old boys around the campfire image. People think all Scouts do is help the elderly across the road. Although helping the community is a small part of our programme, there's a lot more to what we do. We participate in activities like canoeing, sailing, climbing and lots of other high adrenaline sports - the sort of things we might never get to try if it weren't for Venture Scouts." "We only wear uniform on formal occasions and it's much more up to date than the old knee shorts and hats." "I think the Scout movement is very modern organisation. We even have our own website for people to contact us and find out more information 90s style." "People still think of the scouts as a boys sort of thing to do, but since 1976 girls have been allowed and now make up a third of total membership. In 1994 there were more than 31,000 Venture Scouts and a third of them were girls." "I think Venture Scouting is a good way to spend your time; particularly in this era of video games and the internet. Sailing a boat forces scouts to work together as a team. If they don't, they could well end up in the water!" "But that doesn't mean you have to be super-fit. The activities we do cater for everyone and members only have to do as much as they want." "Dynamic, exciting and fun; that's the scouting I know. DYB DYB DYB - that's old hat."

Local Radio The unit was recently featured on local radio station elevenSEVENTY. They broadcast on (surprise, surprise) 1170 AM in the South Bucks and East Berks area. It was an advert for the upcoming Yetties concert, but also included a brief plug for the unit generally. It went on air at about 7.20am on Tuesday 30th November 1999. The feature is available here in realaudio format. It is about two and a half minutes long. Enjoy!