About the Group

Why Black Dam?

The Basingstoke Sea Scout Group (Eastrop) is based at the Roger Morris Centre, Eastrop Way, Basingstoke. The Group was formed in 1976 and was originally based at the Rucstall Community Centre, Holbien Close, Black Dam, which is why the Group was formerly called the Black Dam Sea Scout Group.

How are Sea Scouts different from other Scouts?

There are nine Scout Groups in the Basingstoke East Scouting District, but the Basingstoke Sea Scout Group is the only Sea Scout Troop.

So what is the difference between Scouts and Sea Scouts? None really, we are all members of the family of the National Scouting Association. We do wear a slightly different uniform, however we follow the same Scout training programme as all other Scouts, and edge towards more water activities. Also our ceremonies have a slight nautical flavour to the them, such as at flag break, we "Pipe" the colours.

International Role

Since 1992 the Group has taken on an International role, with camps taking place in France, Holland, Florida USA, as well as St.Petersberg and Moscow in Russia. We have a twinning link with the Argonauts Scout Group, based in St.Petersberg, and in 1996 we hosted a group of twenty Russian Scouts and leaders from St.Petersberg, who joined us in Basingstoke for a two week camp.

For 2003's Sea Scout summer camp we joined with the 1st. Basingstoke (Trinity Methodist) Scout Group, and went to the Haarlem Jamborette, based near Amsterdam, Holland where 3000 Scouts from 20 different countries joined together. The camp theme was "Typical Holland" and we were expecting all of our Scouts to come back to England wearing clogs!

The Group Sections

The Group has three sections: Sea Beaver Scouts, Sea Cub Scouts, and Sea Scouts.
The sections meet at our headquarters on Tuesday nights during school term times.

We are a mixed Group and take in both boys and girls. We were the first Group in Basingstoke to take in girls back in the early 1990's.

To find out more about each of our sections, follow these links:-

	for boys and girls aged 6 - 8
	for boys and girls aged 8 - 10½
	for boys and girls aged 10½ - 14