Welcome to the Scout Troop HomePage
The Troop welcomes any boy or girl, aged between 10 and 14 years. From 14 to 18 a Scout may become an Explorer Scout. Young leaders are selected from age 16, should they wish to take on the responsibilities involved. It is not necessary to have been a Beaver or a Cub Scout previously. We do however currently have a waiting-list for those wishing to join.
Young people invited to join from the Cubs or the waiting list are welcome to attend to take part in our meetings and activities for several weeks to experience “life in the Troop” before making a final commitment. Given that we do have a waiting list however, we would be grateful that if your child decides NOT to join, that you let the leaders know formally as soon as possible. Just “not turning up” deprives another would be scout the opportunity of joining.
Normally, we can arrange for new members to join a Patrol of their choice, hopefully with other Scouts who are friends.
Click on the menu bars below for more information about the Troop for parents, Scouts and Explorers. To close the section click on the same menu bar.
Activities
We run a wide range of activities, recent examples have included hikes, camps, cycle trips, sailing, hill-walking, canoeing, visits to places of interest, conservation projects, as well as the occasional visit to ten pin bowling Laser Quest.
The Troop normally runs a summer camp. We alternate camps in the UK and abroad. Venues abroad in recent years have included Austria, France, Switzerland, Italy. Venues in the UK have included Yorkshire, Northumberland and the Lake District. In 2005 we undertook an expedition for the Explorer Scouts to Kenya. In the summer of 2008 we are returning to Kenya. Unless otherwise specified camps are usually held during the first week in July.
Programme
Communication
Subscriptions
Our fee is £30 per school session. This is higher than Cub fees, but we would point out that it normally includes the vast majority of events during the session:
- regular Friday night Troop nights
- any visits arranged during the session e.g. Hillend Skiing, ten pin bowling
- a weekend camp
We may make an extra charge for activities that are quite expensive or that only a smaller number of Scouts attend. Summer camp and sailing activities are also charged separately.
Gift Aid allows the scouts to claim back income tax and this increases our funds by up to 25p in the pound of subscriptions paid, with no additional cost to parents. We would encourage you to use this facility and download a Gift Aid form here.
Prospective members are welcome to take part in our full programme for several weeks to help them decide whether they wish to join or not. The vast majority do want to become Scouts and are invested within a few weeks.
It is only at this point that subs are payable. If subs have already been paid to the Cub pack, or a new Scout has only participated in the final part of the session programme, Scout subs will start from the following session.
Fundraising
Safety
Code of Conduct
Parental Assistance
Mixed Scouts
Training
Zodiac Nights
Patrol Leader
Special Requirements
Leaving The Troop
There are many reasons why Scouts leave the Troop. In cases when a particular problem, concern or worry within Scouts is the reason, it is usually best if you contact us before a final decision is made. Too often we hear about problems that could have been overcome if we had known in time.
In particular, we must pay a subscription for every Scout to the national Scout organisation - and if a Scout remains on our membership list we must pay! It seems unfair that everyone else in the Troop should have to cover these costs, and that our treasurers and administrators and PL's spend time contacting Scouts on our membership list, only to find they have left many weeks previously
We would like to clarify that outstanding fees must be paid until a Scout leader is notified directly by a parent that their child wishes to leave the Troop.
