About Scouts and the Group
1st Devizes has been running since 1908, and we are just a small part of the larger Scout Association and your child is one of over 500,000 Scouts in the UK and 31 million scouts in 216 countries around the world. The experiences young people have as a Scout are likely to stay with them for the rest of their lives.
The Sections
Our Scout Group has a number of sections that all meet at the Scout Hall in term times:
| Caspian Beavers | 6 – 8 year olds | Meet 4.30 to 5.45pm | Tuesday | |||
| Tirian Beavers | 6 – 8 year olds | Meet 4.30 to 5.45pm | Wednesday | |||
| Wolf Cubs | 8 – 10½ year olds | Meet 6.00 to 7.15pm | Wednesday | |||
| Tiger Cubs | 8 – 10½ year olds | Meet 6.00 to 7.15pm | Thursday | |||
| Scouts | 10½ – 14 year olds | Meet 7.30 to 9.00pm | Wednesday |
Youngsters then move onto the District Explorer Scouts Unit (14 to 17 year olds) that meets in Urchfont/Lavington or can become Young Leaders within the Scout Group.
Group Leaders and Management
Section Leaders, along with their assistants, draw up the programmes, organise and run the activities for the young people. They undertake the Scout Association training programme. The whole operation is overseen by our Group Scout Leader (GSL). Everyone who is involved and helps to run the group does so as a volunteer for free and in their own time. Not all adults who volunteer for Scouting work with young people; there are a variety of other jobs that need to be done such as gardening and DIY to the hall, organising events, fundraising and keeping the accounts.
The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee supports the leadership team by handing the administrative aspects of running a charity including fundraising, bookkeeping, property and equipment maintenance, insurance, organising social events and community engagement. All of this helps us provide top quality Scouting for your child. The Group Committee comprises of parents, leaders and friends of the Scout Group with the main 3 offices of the committee are the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary.
Annual General Meeting
As a registered charity, we hold an AGM each year which gives you the chance to see what we’ve been up to over the past year, how we’ve spent your money and what we plan to do over the next 12 months. They are a fantastic way to meet other parents and leaders and learn about what Scouting does.
The Joining Process
After trying Scouting for a 2-3 week free trial, your child will be invited to become a member and make their Promise. By this time, you will be expected to have bought the uniform and set up their monthly membership payment.
Weekly Meetings & Other Events
Most Scouting takes place at our weekly meetings. We usually only meet during term times but this can sometimes vary. There are some events that are held on weekends. When this happens, we will always give as much notice as possible to allow you to make adequate plans. We have ‘Closed’ Facebook section pages to help keep parents up to date with information and pictures of our events.
What Do Scouts Wear?
Beavers, Cubs and Scouts must wear full official uniform to every meeting including meetings not at the hall and on trips, unless otherwise stated. Uniforms can be purchased from various shops including: The online Scouts shop and Amazon. Scarves are supplied by the Group as part of the joining process. For information on where badges go on the uniform please visit website the Scouts Association website or talk to one of the Leaders. If your child is moving up to a new section or leaving, we ask that you please offer the uniform to us for our uniform bank, as it may be of use to another child.
What Does It Cost?
Our membership fee is £11 per month (payable for all 12 months of the year), payable at the start of each month by Standing Order. This goes towards the costs of meetings such as badges, games, handicrafts and so on. This is also used to make sure our leaders receive all the training they need to run safe and exciting activities. We also pay an annual membership and insurance fee to the Scout Association out of this. Some activities, sleepovers, camps or day trips will normally be at an extra cost. You will be given plenty of notice for such events and details of additional payments required. Any badges awarded for activities that are not in the programme will need to be funded separately. We hold fund-raising events to subsidise our activities and keep the cost down for parents. If you need information about or if you have any problems relating to the membership fee or activity costs then please contact the group Treasurer. Please contact a leader for the bank details to set up a Standing Order with your bank.
Badges
We plan our program around the Scout Association awards programme and badges. There are other badges that are completed away from the normal meetings and it is also possible for your child to work towards badges themselves. The Scout website is a really useful tool to use to see what is needed to complete the badges but you can also discuss this with the leaders.
Safety In Scouting
We know that young people thrive in safe surroundings. We are committed to ensuring that Scouting is both enjoyable and safe, for everyone who takes part. As an organisation that provides exciting activities to young people we take safety very seriously. All our Leaders follow an approved Scout Association Training programme, which includes both First Aid and Safeguarding. All Leadership and Executive Roles, require an Enhanced DBS.
Volunteering Opportunities
Each and every adult involved with the Group is a volunteer who each give as much (or as little) time as they like to provide excellent Scouting in Devizes. Supported by a world-class training programme and a wealth of knowledge from our other volunteers, there are lots of ways you can get involved. Speak to the Group Scout Leader or a Section Leader to find out how. Some Group Roles require a DBS, which we apply for, at no cost to the individual.
We operate a family rota with the Beavers and the Cubs to make it easier to give a little back, without committing to helping out every week. If something else comes up that is not a problem, you just let us know and organise to switch weeks with another helper. This is allocated in the programme on OSM. It can be anyone in the family from parents, to grandparents to aunts and uncles. All we need is that the person is an adult and willing to help on the night. The family rota will be essential to support the Leaders and allow us to provide the best scouting experience possible for the members.
Who to contact and how to contact them
This is a list of key volunteers within the group:
| The Group: | |
| Group Scout Leader General & group questions | gsl@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| Group Chairman Community engagement, fund raising & committee business | chair@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| Group Secretary General committee and group administration | secretary@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| Group Treasurer All money matters | treasurer@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| Hall Bookings Hall booking inquiries | hall@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| The Sections: | |
| Casper Beaver Scout Leaders Tirian Beaver Section Leader | beavers@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| Wolf Cub Scout Leader Tiger Cub Scout Leader | gsl@1stdevizes.org.uk |
| Scout Leader | scouts@1stdevizes.org.uk |
We’re proud of our Scout Group and welcome everyone to join in our success.
