2006 marked the 30th anniversary of the start of the Bala Canoe and Kayak Training Weekend for Scouts.  Fortunately I haven't been organising Scout Bala for that long, although it can feel like it at times!  Like many others I started attending Bala as a Venture Scout and managed to get my British Canoe Union one star without capsizing and a Charge Certificate to boot!  How times have changed and mostly for the better I might add!  If someone had told me then I would be running the event now, well I can tell you that what I would have said that wouldn't have been too polite!

Its a Wallasey Scouter called George Hudson, who has to take the credit for the weekend.  He took the plunge, so to speak, and started the weekend way back as a member of the now disbanded Merseyside County Water Activities Committee.  The weekend now has a life of its own and participants come in from all around the region, not just from Scouting, either, although we do try to ensure that everyone has the same philosophy - fun!

Hope you enjoy the weekend as much as previous 6000+ participants have over the years!

Alison Bell
Scout Bala Organiser