Latest news with #ScoutAssociation
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Buckingham Palace Just Shared New Photos of a Surprising Royal Family Member (And It Had Me Doing a Double Take)
If there's one thing the royal family is known for, it's keeping busy. Whether it's Prince William and Kate Middleton's whirlwind trip to Scotland or Meghan Markle making her debut as a guest on a podcast, royal family members always seem to be on the move. Luckily for royal watchers, much of their work is shared publicly through social media. A quick scroll through the official Royal Family Instagram account offers a glimpse into the engagements of Duchess Sophie, Princess Anne, and, of course, King Charles and Queen Camilla. But a recent post caught my attention for a different reason—it featured a royal we haven't seen much of lately: Prince Edward. Buckingham Palace shared a trio of photos showing the Duke of Edinburgh at a Scout Association event and it was a refreshing surprise. In the first photo, Prince Edward is seen standing across from a group of scouts, cane in hand. The second captures him seated among others, waving as scouts pass by to greet them. The third shows him standing next to Chief Scout Dwayne Fields. 'A wonderful day honouring young awardees of The King's Scout Award - the highest recognition in Scouting adventure and skill development,' the April 28 post was captioned. 'At Windsor Castle, The Duke of Kent joined Chief Scout Dwayne Fields to congratulate the recipients - and to celebrate 50 years of His Royal Highness's work with the @Scouts Association!' The last time I remember seeing Prince Edward featured was about a month ago, when the palace posted a slideshow of him visiting Mumbai Stadium. There, he was seen speaking with students participating in his International Award Program (IAYP India), which supports young people in reaching their full potential. Prince Edward isn't the only one connecting with the Scouts recently—Kate Middleton also released two surprise videos earlier this month, championing both the organization and the importance of outdoor learning. Can't wait to see what the royals do next. Want all the latest entertainment news sent right to your inbox? Click here. Body Language Expert Says Meghan Markle Had an 'Emotional Shift' While Discussing Prince Harry
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wakefield boy receives top Scout award for cancer bravery
The family of a nine-year-old boy who is being treated for brain cancer have said that being a Cub Scout allows him to be "normal again".Harry, from Wakefield, has medulloblastoma and has undergone chemotherapy and Scout Association has awarded him the Cornwell Badge in recognition of his "extraordinary strength, resilience and determination".Harry will now get to meet a member of the Royal Family - an experience he said he was "really excited" about. Harry returned to his Cub Scout pack, 25th Wakefield (St John's), last summer after nine months of hospital treatment."I didn't know as many people as I knew [before surgery]," he said."It was tough but I met loads of new people and I didn't give up on what we were learning about." Harry's parents, Owain and Lisa Evans, are both medics - his father is a children's orthopaedic surgeon and his mother is a neonatal Evans said her son had to "relearn everything" after his treatment."To begin with, he was quite nervous, but he's been taken such good care of that now he just loves Cubs," she Evans added: "He's been on some pretty good adventures that we didn't think he'd be able to do 18 months ago." Charlie Boyes, Harry's Cub leader, said: "He is the most resilient kid I've ever met."She said leaders had worked hard to ensure Harry could take part in activities and camps, as he "doesn't want to be any different to his peers".The Scout group's lead volunteer, Laura Stephenson, said she cried when their award nomination was approved."I actually put him in for a different award, but the panel came to the unanimous conclusion that the Cornwell Badge was better," she said. Harry also received a video message from the Chief Scout, television presenter and polar explorer Dwayne Fields, who said his strength and courage were "an inspiration"."Your positivity, your resilience and that great Scouting spirit you've got has inspired everyone around you," he family will be guests at the Scout Association's achievement event at Windsor Castle in April. The Cornwell Badge The Cornwell Badge was inspired by the actions of a Scout in 1916 and is still awarded today for courage and devotion to Cornwell was a Scout in an east London troop, which was dissolved when World War One began and its leaders joined the armed forces. Jack had left school and was working as a delivery the age of 15 Jack was accepted into the Royal Navy. He ended up serving in the crucial Battle of Jutland aboard HMS role was to set the sights of the gun he manned so it could be fired accurately. After several direct hits, Jack was one of the few men left standing to operate the weapon. He was seriously injured but remained alone at his post awaiting died of his wounds at a hospital in Grimsby and his body was returned to London for burial. His mother, Lily, did not realise that the Navy would have paid for his funeral, and he was instead interred in a shared bravery captured the public imagination, and he had been mentioned in reports of the battle. He was seen as an ordinary boy who had become a national hero, and he was later reburied with full military honours. Hundreds of Scouts lined the route for the was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry, which his mother received from King George Scouts set up a memorial fund named after Jack and the Cornwell Badge was launched later in first Scout to receive it was Arthur Shepherd, who was 15 and part of a troop in Middlesbrough. He on a Coastguard patrol in Whitby when the hospital ship Rohilla sank nearby. The Scouts helped to rescue victims and recover had to walk across narrow cliff ledges to deliver messages in a gale while being lashed by waves. The rules have changed over time and now all 6-25-year-olds who are members of any Scout section are eligible. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Visit America's historic love motels before it's too late
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). At first glance, Cove Haven Resort in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains — 100 miles north west of New York City — might pass for a run-of-the-mill roadside motel. Pulling into its car park, low-slung buildings stretch endlessly toward the horizon, their pebbledash exteriors capped with flat iron roofs. But look closer and the magic starts to reveal itself: doe-eyed resident deer frolicking on the lawn, hand-painted heart signs swirling with whimsical lettering and an amorous couple fastening a golden heart-shaped locket to a nearby fence. Still, nothing quite prepares me for the moment when I ease open the door to the Champagne Tower suite — where a 7ft-tall champagne-glass whirlpool bath stands bubbling in the heart of the room, like a sudsy shrine to love itself. A rose petal trail beckons me upstairs to the boudoir, where a circular bed, unapologetically narcissistic in its design, reflects endlessly onto the mirrored ceiling above. Equal parts old Hollywood glamour and fabulous kitsch, entering the space feels like stepping into Liberace's wildest dreams. Impressive stuff, but I'm still baffled as to how this fantasyland came to be nestled into the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, a rustic landscape otherwise dotted with industrial plants and Scout Association retreats. The answer lies in the hotel's Garden of Eden Apple suite, where a cherry-red, heart-shaped bath takes centre stage in this windowless sanctuary. It was this sweetheart tub that played a key role in transforming the Pocono Mountains into a honeymoon hotspot after Cove Haven Resort introduced it in 1963. The brainchild of owner Morris Wilkins, the heart-shaped whirlpool bath is said to have come to him as a vision in the dead of night. Before this eureka moment, nothing about the rural Poconos had particularly screamed romance. Instead, a post-war petrol shortage made it a quicker drive for East Coast lovebirds than Niagara Falls, while the dawn of the sexual revolution drew soulmates looking for a more racy, playful escape. Then, in 1971, Life magazine published a double-page-spread photo of a blushing couple spooning in one of those heart-shaped baths, officially pinning the self-proclaimed 'Land of Love' to the map. Soon after, more adults-only resorts sprang forth, each more flamboyant than the last. Poconos local Carole Turcotte, who now runs a farm market in the area, remembers those glory days vividly. Dressed in a gold-trimmed slinky toga that channelled the goddess Aphrodite, Carole had once worked weekends as a cocktail waitress at Cove Haven's sister property, Paradise Stream. 'This was the 1980s, when the resorts were still thriving around here,' she tells me when I pop into her store for supplies. 'The resort was filled with young couples on their honeymoon or celebrating anniversaries, so there was a really lively, happy atmosphere,' she recalls fondly, adding that wholesome evening entertainment included Mr and Mrs quizzes and nightly comedians at the resort's nightclub. Unfortunately for the Poconos, the course of true love never did run smoothly. By the 1990s, newlyweds' expectations had shifted dramatically, while the romantic resorts remained frozen in time. Classy escapes to the cobbled streets of Europe or the sun-soaked sands of Caribbean beaches now enticed, leaving America's love motels as little more than a campy relic of a bygone era. And so it was for decades, until the flames of desire were unexpectedly fanned for a fresh generation. On my way to meet one such newcomer, I make my way through the hotel's cocktail lounge — a vision in pink and glittering gold that has me feeling like I'm strutting into the disco-groovy 1970s, complete with an all-you-can-eat buffet serving nostalgic cheese blintzes. I meet hotel guest Laura Heisey in the hotel's indoor swimming area, where a waterfall cascades down a fake rock wall that could be a set piece from The Flintstones. Laura and her partner discovered Cove Haven Resort just 18 months ago, but the Pennsylvania pair are already on their fifth visit. 'We live in a busy household with teenage kids, so we come here as a couple for a little break. We've already booked our next stay for Valentine's Day,' she shares, adding that while the furnishings may be a little time-worn, there's a comforting familiarity to the place. 'The staff are always the same people. But what really keeps us coming back is the vibe — it reminds me of the holiday camp from the movie Dirty Dancing,' she laughs. Like most younger guests, Laura discovered the Land of Love through the internet. The recent renaissance can be traced back to Juno Calypso, a London-based photographer who spent a week in a Poconos pleasure palace, photographing herself in retro suites for her 2015 cult series, The Honeymoon. The eerie images caught the attention of US creatives Margaret and Corey Bienert, who, in 2018, decided to also check in. It was a game-changing decision — one that inspired them to travel the globe in search of fabulously themed hotel rooms, all lovingly documented on the A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour Instagram page to 667,000 followers and in their Hotel Kitsch coffee table book. But it also impacted Margaret on a more personal level. 'I'd grown up super religious, and anything focused on love, romance and sex was kept hidden away. So, walking into that room and celebrating that side of myself felt truly life-changing,' she says of their debut stay in a suite with a dusky pink freestanding tub and a prism of mirrors lining the walls. 'Visiting these sexy hotels became my therapy,' she adds with a wry smile. Despite a revival of interest among hip, vintage devotees, the Land of Love is hanging on by the thread of a shagpile carpet. Its honeymoon hotels have mostly shuttered, including the 50-year-old Pocono Palace Resort — previously used a backdrop in a Marc Jacob's fashion shoot and a music video for the singer Lucy Dacus. It was sold in May 2024 for a reported $17.8m (£14.6m) and won't be reopening as a couple's retreat. Cue an impassioned online campaign via the A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour socials and a page. Only two love motels remain in the Poconos today: Cove Haven Resort and Paradise Stream Resort. I drive 30 miles north to visit the latter. Turning into Lover's Lane, a bordello-red sign — heart-shaped, naturally — welcomes me to the Land of Love. Looking around, it's as if one of the mid-century postcards, shot in glorious technicolour and for sale in the giftshop, has been brought to life. Couples play indoor mini-golf, hit a strike at the duckpin bowling alley and tuck into lobster ravioli drenched in sherry cream sauce as they watch the nightly cabaret — just as their grandparents once did. I leave them to it, as a bubble-gum-pink foaming sweetheart tub calls me. Margaret's earlier words echo in my mind as I approach my honeymoon suite: 'If you want to see these historically important motels, go now. They won't be around forever — and they just don't make them like they used to.' To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
14-02-2025
- National Geographic
Visit America's historic love motels before it's too late
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). At first glance, Cove Haven Resort in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains — 100 miles north west of New York City — might pass for a run-of-the-mill roadside motel. Pulling into its car park, low-slung buildings stretch endlessly toward the horizon, their pebbledash exteriors capped with flat iron roofs. But look closer and the magic starts to reveal itself: doe-eyed resident deer frolicking on the lawn, hand-painted heart signs swirling with whimsical lettering and an amorous couple fastening a golden heart-shaped locket to a nearby fence. Take a bath a la Dita Von Teese in the towering champagne-glass-shaped whirlpool of the namesake hotel suite. Photograph by Margaret & Corey Bienert Still, nothing quite prepares me for the moment when I ease open the door to the Champagne Tower suite — where a 7ft-tall champagne-glass whirlpool bath stands bubbling in the heart of the room, like a sudsy shrine to love itself. A rose petal trail beckons me upstairs to the boudoir, where a circular bed, unapologetically narcissistic in its design, reflects endlessly onto the mirrored ceiling above. Equal parts old Hollywood glamour and fabulous kitsch, entering the space feels like stepping into Liberace's wildest dreams. Impressive stuff, but I'm still baffled as to how this fantasyland came to be nestled into the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, a rustic landscape otherwise dotted with industrial plants and Scout Association retreats. The answer lies in the hotel's Garden of Eden Apple suite, where a cherry-red, heart-shaped bath takes centre stage in this windowless sanctuary. It was this sweetheart tub that played a key role in transforming the Pocono Mountains into a honeymoon hotspot after Cove Haven Resort introduced it in 1963. Heart-shaped tubs became the main draw of these 'love motels' in the Poconos. Photograph by Margaret and Corey Bienert The brainchild of owner Morris Wilkins, the heart-shaped whirlpool bath is said to have come to him as a vision in the dead of night. Before this eureka moment, nothing about the rural Poconos had particularly screamed romance. Instead, a post-war petrol shortage made it a quicker drive for East Coast lovebirds than Niagara Falls, while the dawn of the sexual revolution drew soulmates looking for a more racy, playful escape. Then, in 1971, Life magazine published a double-page-spread photo of a blushing couple spooning in one of those heart-shaped baths, officially pinning the self-proclaimed 'Land of Love' to the map. Soon after, more adults-only resorts sprang forth, each more flamboyant than the last. Poconos local Carole Turcotte, who now runs a farm market in the area, remembers those glory days vividly. Dressed in a gold-trimmed slinky toga that channelled the goddess Aphrodite, Carole had once worked weekends as a cocktail waitress at Cove Haven's sister property, Paradise Stream. 'This was the 1980s, when the resorts were still thriving around here,' she tells me when I pop into her store for supplies. 'The resort was filled with young couples on their honeymoon or celebrating anniversaries, so there was a really lively, happy atmosphere,' she recalls fondly, adding that wholesome evening entertainment included Mr and Mrs quizzes and nightly comedians at the resort's nightclub. Heartbreak hotel Unfortunately for the Poconos, the course of true love never did run smoothly. By the 1990s, newlyweds' expectations had shifted dramatically, while the romantic resorts remained frozen in time. Classy escapes to the cobbled streets of Europe or the sun-soaked sands of Caribbean beaches now enticed, leaving America's love motels as little more than a campy relic of a bygone era. And so it was for decades, until the flames of desire were unexpectedly fanned for a fresh generation. On my way to meet one such newcomer, I make my way through the hotel's cocktail lounge — a vision in pink and glittering gold that has me feeling like I'm strutting into the disco-groovy 1970s, complete with an all-you-can-eat buffet serving nostalgic cheese blintzes. I meet hotel guest Laura Heisey in the hotel's indoor swimming area, where a waterfall cascades down a fake rock wall that could be a set piece from The Flintstones. Laura and her partner discovered Cove Haven Resort just 18 months ago, but the Pennsylvania pair are already on their fifth visit. Cove Haven Resort became a honeymoon hotspot in the 1960s. Photograph from Hotel Kitsch by Margaret and Corey Bienert 'We live in a busy household with teenage kids, so we come here as a couple for a little break. We've already booked our next stay for Valentine's Day,' she shares, adding that while the furnishings may be a little time-worn, there's a comforting familiarity to the place. 'The staff are always the same people. But what really keeps us coming back is the vibe — it reminds me of the holiday camp from the movie Dirty Dancing,' she laughs. Retro revival Like most younger guests, Laura discovered the Land of Love through the internet. The recent renaissance can be traced back to Juno Calypso, a London-based photographer who spent a week in a Poconos pleasure palace, photographing herself in retro suites for her 2015 cult series, The Honeymoon. The eerie images caught the attention of US creatives Margaret and Corey Bienert, who, in 2018, decided to also check in. It was a game-changing decision — one that inspired them to travel the globe in search of fabulously themed hotel rooms, all lovingly documented on the A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour Instagram page to 667,000 followers and in their Hotel Kitsch coffee table book. But it also impacted Margaret on a more personal level. 'I'd grown up super religious, and anything focused on love, romance and sex was kept hidden away. So, walking into that room and celebrating that side of myself felt truly life-changing,' she says of their debut stay in a suite with a dusky pink freestanding tub and a prism of mirrors lining the walls. 'Visiting these sexy hotels became my therapy,' she adds with a wry smile. Despite a revival of interest among hip, vintage devotees, the Land of Love is hanging on by the thread of a shagpile carpet. Its honeymoon hotels have mostly shuttered, including the 50-year-old Pocono Palace Resort — previously used a backdrop in a Marc Jacob's fashion shoot and a music video for the singer Lucy Dacus. It was sold in May 2024 for a reported $17.8m (£14.6m) and won't be reopening as a couple's retreat. Cue an impassioned online campaign via the A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour socials and a page. Only two love motels remain in the Poconos today: Cove Haven Resort and Paradise Stream Resort. I drive 30 miles north to visit the latter. Turning into Lover's Lane, a bordello-red sign — heart-shaped, naturally — welcomes me to the Land of Love. Looking around, it's as if one of the mid-century postcards, shot in glorious technicolour and for sale in the giftshop, has been brought to life. Couples play indoor mini-golf, hit a strike at the duckpin bowling alley and tuck into lobster ravioli drenched in sherry cream sauce as they watch the nightly cabaret — just as their grandparents once did. I leave them to it, as a bubble-gum-pink foaming sweetheart tub calls me. Margaret's earlier words echo in my mind as I approach my honeymoon suite: 'If you want to see these historically important motels, go now. They won't be around forever — and they just don't make them like they used to.' How to do it: offers suites from $255 (£209), room only. offers an eight-night package to New York and the Poconos from £1,690 per person, including return flights from Heathrow to New York on Delta Air Lines, two nights room-only at the Gallivant Hotel, Times Square, seven days fully inclusive car hire, three nights bed and breakfast at the Cove Haven Resort in Lakeville and three nights room only at the Paradise Stream Resort. Cove Haven Resort offers suites from $227 (£186), room only. Paradise Stream offers suites from $255 (£209), room only. America As You Like It offers an eight-night package to New York and the Poconos from £1,690 per person, including return flights from Heathrow to New York on Delta Air Lines, two nights room-only at the Gallivant Hotel, Times Square, seven days fully inclusive car hire, three nights bed and breakfast at the Cove Haven Resort in Lakeville and three nights room only at the Paradise Stream Resort. National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click To subscribe to(UK) magazine click here . (Available in select countries only). Save $5 on a Nat Geo Digital Subscription Your interests, backed by facts and science—now only $19 SAVE NOW
