TABASGO (Thurnby and Bushby Active Scout and Guide Organisation) was formed in the autumn of 2006 when a small group of us got together to form a social and fundraising group. Our aims are to raise the profile of Guiding and Scouting locally, to encourage community cohesion, to support the current leadership and hopefully to find a few more volunteer leaders!

In December we held a very successful family Christmas craft afternoon and our official launch was at our Scout and Guide Group AGM in mid May 2007. We had intended to hold a campfire and a variety of outdoor activities, but I think we had the wettest Friday evening on record! Even all that rain didn't seem to dampen anyone's enthusiasm and while the parents relaxed in the tent, the children enjoyed themselves designing a wildlife garden and doing a rain-soaked scavenger hunt!

We applied to Leicestershire County Council for a substantial grant from their ‘Better Communities' fund and were shocked in February to learn that we had been successful!

An important part of our bid was to run a series of taster workshops open to the whole of the local community and the first of these took place on Saturday 30th June 2007. We held a Circus skills workshop for the under 8s, the over 8s (which included adults of all ages) and a 2hour session for adults who would like to teach circus skills. The paticipants enjoyed learning new skills such as toothbrush twirling, peacock feather balancing and plate spinning.

The next workshop was on First Aid skills. It took place on Saturday 17th November. It was open to anyone aged 12 or over and was run by a trainer from St John's Ambulance. It was well attended and the participants had lots of fun tying each other up in bandages! They will now receive a certificate which is valid for 3 years.

We are hoping to run the course again in the Spring - with both childrens and adults workshops. We have tailored the workshops so that the participants will gain a badge or qualification by the end of the session.

On Saturday 8th December we are holding our second Family Christmas Craft Afternoon. It will take place from 2-4pm at Thurnby Scout and Guide HQ. You will have the opportunity to make a wide variety of crafts. We will also be holding a raffle and you will be able to choose from a wide choice of refreshments. The cost will be £3 per person or £5 per family with a maximum of 3 children.

Our intention is to hold taster workshops covering a huge range of topics from healthy eating through crafts, keep-fit, pet-care and diy to gardening and alternative therapies. If you have any suggestions for workshops please get in touch.

We are accepting online bookings for the workshops. Priority will be given to local residents initially.

If you would like any further information, or to book a place, please send us an email.