The 2nd Soham Scouts benefited from the fund-raising activities of Soham Staploe Rotary Club last week. Due to revised safety and rescue procedures the troops fleet of fibreglass canoes will soon be unsuitable and need to be replaced by plastic versions.

The 2nd Soham Scouts benefited from the fund-raising activities of Soham Staploe Rotary Club last week. Due to revised safety and rescue procedures the troops fleet of fibreglass canoes will soon be unsuitable and need to be replaced by plastic versions. Each of the new canoes, together with the necessary ancillary equipment, costs £400 and at the club's meeting on Wednesday, president Barry Lonsdale handed a cheque for that amount to scout leader Colin Brook. The new craft, when it arrives, will be called Soham Staploe Rotary.

At the weekend, six members of the troop, one explorer and three leaders undertook a canoe marathon using the soon-to-be-redundant fibreglass boats. The party set off from Upware at 9.15am and arrived at Littleport, 12 miles downstream, at 3.45pm. After camping at Littleport overnight, they set off on the 11 miles to Isleham Marina on Sunday.

The scouts on the expedition were working towards their canoeing, sport and achievement badges. Leader Colin Brook said: "The boys have done remarkably well considering they had never been in a canoe four weeks ago."

Photo: GEOFF GRIGGS