When we invite your young person to come along to a section meeting for the first time, it can be quite a daunting experience for them, and we understand this. It can take 2-3 weeks before they get comfortable and start throwing themselves into the evening!
For this reason, we won’t talk to you about money or uniform until we’re absolutely sure that they’re settled and happy.
Costs are as follows;
£15 joining fee – a one-off fee covering the cost of the neckerchief, core badges and section t-shirt.
£35 termly subscription fee – due in the first three weeks of each school term (Sep, Jan and Apr), the subscription fee covers insurance, rent, Scout HQ fees and resources for our weekly meetings.
The cost of uniform ranges from £15 to £21 depending on your section and we ask parents to buy this themselves. We don’t supply uniform.
Any other activities outside of the regular weekly meetings may also have a cost and this will depend entirely on the activity in question. As an example, a typical weekend camp for cubs or scouts will cost around £55-£60, and a sleepover for beavers may cost around £25.
Finally, we feel very strongly that none of our young people should miss out on scouting purely for financial reasons. We have access to funds to ease the financial burden felt by some families, and we also have a lot of flexibility when it comes to payment terms (e.g., instalments etc). We always ask our families to come and talk to us if they need some help, in complete confidence.
After about 6-8 weeks after joining, we arrange for the young person to be invested. the investiture is a simple ceremony where the young person will be asked to make their promise in front of the section and will be presented with their group scarf and core badges to become a full member of the group.
The promise is specific to each section and is age appropriate but essentially is a commitment to follow certain rules and behaviour as per our Scout values – Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief and Co-operation.
After the investiture, we expect the young person to turn up to meetings smartly dressed in their uniform. We encourage the young person to take responsibility for their uniform each week although this can be tricky when they’re at the younger end of the scale! We feel it’s important as part of the young person development in taking responsibility and being accountable.
As well as possibly taking part in, or supporting activities, parents and carers can also have an influence on how the group is run. We often ask for parental volunteers to help support us at a weekly meeting or on camp. As we are a group run entirely by volunteers, things sometimes crop up where one of our regular volunteers can’t make it and we will reach out for help.
And of course, if any parents or carers have a great experience whilst volunteering and want to become more involved, we welcome that and will provide whatever support and training is needed!
Away from the scouting side, our group is also incorporated as a charity and has to be governed and run in accordance with the Charity Commission rules. To do this, we have a Board of Trustees which meets regularly to overview governance of the group, review the group finances and discuss group strategy. All parents, carers and adult volunteers automatically become part of what is termed the Group Council and encouraged to stand for, nominate or elect & support members of the Board of Trustees at our annual AGM. Your input and support can make a massive impact on what we can offer & achieve.
An explorer, adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne's been seen in BAFTA nominated Channel 5 series Race to the Pole, on BBC Springwatch, Countryfile, National Geographic and Disney+.
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