So we pulled off another JOTI and JOTA.

Faced with a host of problems including pending building demolition, leaders being unwell or unexpectedly working, equipment that was pre-tested not working, a storm demolishing gazebos, problems with antennas we pulled together a weekend for our Explores Scouts Cubs and Beavers that was nearly cancelled.

Huge thank you to Sandra Robinson for enabling us to use the mining museum. To Beaver Leader Claire Nugent and Cub Leader Siobhan Mullen for filling in for Explorer Leaders and sleeping over. To Jason Bridson at South Lancashire Amateur Radio Club and its members who came along to help. Huge thank you to our Explorers who acted as Young Leaders. A big thank you to the parents who helped us tidy up it makes such a difference to us.

As always a massive thank you to Scout Leader Karen Thorp for organising all of the extra activities and the food shopping.

You helped us to make contacts on every continent on the planet except Antartica and something like 57 countries. I think this is probably a record for us. Our scouts have operated 2m Radio, HF Radio, Skype, JOTI Cafe, and Scout Link IRC. They played PMR Lego, carved pumpkins, had a tour of the museum, learned phonetic alphabet, basics of radio operation and demolished a huge amount of pizza!

Next year we have to get Antartica and go into space.

From one exhausted leader.