Roy started with the 63rd Darley Abbey Scout Group in the late 70’s as the Group Chairman, and later took on the role of Scout Leader. Some years later his wife Sheila having been a non-uniformed Assistant Guide Leader for the 2nd Darley Abbey Guides, joined the 63rd Group as the new Beaver Scout Leader. They have very fond memories of running their sections and doing several joint activities where possible between the Beaver, Cub and Scout sections. Roy introduced back-packing to the Scouts and they spent many weekends away, accompanied by David Parker another Scouter. Their biggest challenge was the Gritstone Way.
Both Roy and Sheila were founder members of the Darley Abbey Historical Group, members of which have documented much of the history of the village in various Reports. In fact, it was this love of history and Roy’s scouting interests that led him to design the very first 63rd group badge in May 1980, which is the badge the current troop wear proudly on their uniforms today.
The badge design took its influence from two key features of the village the Boar Head Mills and the Derwent river.
Roy and Sheila Hartle kindly let us have these pictures of them in their Scouting uniforms as the Scout Leader and Beaver Scout leaders. In this gallery, we see the first origins of the 63rd Darley Abbey Group Scout Badge designed by Roy himself.
