1st Lydd, 1st New Romney and 1st Dymchurch join together for a District day out on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

Young people and volunteers from our three Scout Groups came together to celebrate a special year for Scouting. In 2026, Squirrels celebrate five years nationwide, Beavers 40 years and Cubs 110 years—a wonderful reason for a shared railway adventure.

Setting off from New Romney

Everyone met at New Romney Station for the first journey to Dungeness. Delays meant our stop was shorter than planned, with time for a toilet break and a brief look at the outside of the old lighthouse before boarding the train back to New Romney.

Back at New Romney, the young people visited the Model Railway Exhibition before heading outside to enjoy the children’s playground.

At lunchtime, 1st Dymchurch and 1st New Romney ate in the Conservatory, while 1st Lydd stayed outside for lunch in the playground area. Afterwards, all three Groups gathered in the Conservatory for the presentations and birthday celebrations.

Celebrating our Scouting community

Guests included Kathy Blanc, known in Scouting as Willow, who established Kent’s first Beaver Colony at New Romney in 1982, Beaver Leader June Trengove and Cllr Paul Thomas, Chair of Folkestone & Hythe District Council.

Willow and June received special Beaver 40th birthday neckerchiefs and woggles.

There were also two special presentations. Claire, a Scout Leader with 1st Lydd, received her five-year service award. Fin, a Beaver Scout from 1st New Romney, received a bravery certificate and badge following a nomination from his Beaver Leaders. Congratulations to them both!

With birthday cake to share, there was time to celebrate together before boarding the train for the next part of the day.

A trip to Hythe

Our next journey took us to Hythe Station. This was another brief stop, with time for a toilet break before catching the return train to New Romney.

By then, it had been a long day, particularly for our youngest Squirrels. With the young people getting tired, 1st Lydd and 1st Dymchurch decided to finish their outing at New Romney.

Although the timings meant less time at our destinations than expected, the outing brought our three Groups together to mark these Scouting milestones.

Six-year-old Luna, a Beaver Scout with 1st Lydd, summed up her day:

“I love being a Beaver Scout. I get to try loads of fun things and learn new things with my friends. This has been the BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER!”

Thank you to the staff at the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, our leaders and all the adult supporters who helped make the District outing possible.