1st Bingham Scout Group

Introductory Guide

To


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This is a simple guide to the two Scout Troops (Orion & Perseus) at the 1st Bingham Scout Group.

It aims to give a little bit of a glimpse at what it is to be a Scout for the new recruit and is also designed to be a source of information for the new Scout parent /carer – please keep hold of it for future reference!

We hope you will find it useful. First, here’s a brief guide to the group….

The 1st Bingham Scout Group is comprised of the following sections:-

Aquila Beaver Scouts (6 - 8 years) – Methodist Centreon Tuesdays

Lynx Beaver Scouts (6 - 8 years) – Church House on Tuesdays

Pegasus Cub Scouts (8 - 10½ years) – Archbishop Cranmer School, Aslockton on Wednesdays

Gemini Cub Scouts (8-10½ years) – Carnarvon School on Tuesdays

Orion Scouts (10½ - 14 years) – Methodist Centre on Thursdays

Perseus Scouts (10½ - 14 years) – Church House on Mondays

Polaris Explorer Scouts (14 - 18 years) – Church House on Fridays

Each of the sections is run by its own leadership team and all of the Leaders come together, with the Group Scout Leader (GSL) for regular meetings to ensure that the organisation of the Group and the programmes are running well.

To run the administration and finances of the group we have a Group Executive Committee comprised of volunteer parents and others (plus section leaders). Extra volunteers to sit on this committee (it meets about 4 times a year) or to help with fund raising and other events are always welcome.

For further information about the Group or the other sections, or if you think you might like to volunteer to help in some way, please see the Group website at or contact the GSL: John Green on 01949 875057 ().

The two Scout sections are called the Perseus Scout Troop and the Orion Scout Troop. Each troop consists of Scouts who are between 10½ and 14 years old. They may have joined after being members of a Cub Pack or they may be new to Scouting. When they are 14 they may have the opportunity to move up into the Polaris Explorer Scouts (subject to the availability of spaces).

The troop is part of the 1st Bingham Scout Group, which in turn is part of the Rushcliffe Scout District in the County of Nottinghamshire.

Troop meetings take place (during school terms) at Church House on Monday (for Perseus) or at the Methodist Centre on Thursday (for Orion). Both meet between 7:15pm and 9:15pm, although there are times when we may need to vary the times & venues slightly – you will always be informed first.

Who’s in charge?

At Orion:

The Section Leader is Jenny Barber (currently on maternity leave), assisted by Andrew Peters, Cat Griffiths & Kathryn Brown

Jenny can be contacted on 07707 634010

(email: )

Alternatively:

Cat can be contacted at on 01949 875164 or 07952 752366

(email: )

At Perseus:

The main contacts are James Milnes &Jez Stratton assisted by Marie Milnes

They can be contacted

Jez 01949 850720, James 07504 736991, Marie 07530 717276.

All of the leaders are volunteers.

Parent / Carer Support

As is usual in Scout Troops we run a Parents rota that we encourage all parents to sign up to when the child joins. DON’T PANIC!! All that means is that once in a while we may ask you to help out at meetings (or maybe on an outing). We feel that this allows you to see exactly what is going on in the troop whilst providing the leaders with an extra pair of hands (and eyes and ears!).

Any parents wanting to help out on more than a very rare/occasional basis will need a DBS check. This is normal practice in any organisation where you will be dealing with children.

For any of you who are willing to get a bit more involved there are two ways you can do this:-

Become a ‘helper’. This means that you are willing to help out on a regular basis and will become more involved. This is a good way to break yourself in gently if you would like to become a…

Leader (or assistant). This means that you will undertake a basic training programme and will wear uniform at meetings.

Any help you can give will be welcomed with open arms. As you will appreciate the successful running of a Scout Troop is very time consuming.

If you feel you are able to help, in whatever capacity, please have a chat with any of the leaders, or contact the GSL, John Green, via the website or 01949 875057.

Subscriptions are £30.00 per term, payable at the start of the term (anyone who has not paid by half term is liable to be excluded – but if you have financial hardship issue please speak with the section leader or GSL). Subs cover general meeting and venue costs, insurances, administration and weekly programme costs. Extra costs will be payable for other activities, camps, trips etc.

Scouts meet for up to 2 hours each week (during school term time) where they will take part in and learn outdoor skills, games, creative activities and various challenges. The emphasis is on enjoying themselves whilst learning new things, at the same time having respect for their fellow Scouts and for other people and things.

Uniform

Scout wear a uniform, this is a simple green shirt with the Group necker (lemon and emerald).

They also have a woggle to hold their necker in place. Both necker and woggle are provided by the Scout Troop.

The new Scout

When the Scout first arrives he/she will be introduced to the other Scouts and grouped in a ‘patrol’. Each ‘patrol’ is led by an older/experienced Scout known as the ‘patrol leader’. The troop often work in their patrols or in larger groups depending upon the activity.

Over the first few weeks the new Scout will be introduced to Scouting. They will be encouraged to think about themselves, about helping others and about the wider world.

In time for their investiture they will need to have their uniform. During the ceremony they will be given some badges. These need sewing onto the uniform as shown below.

The Scout will be asked to recite their promise and the Scout Law. Don’t worry if your child is concerned about this, as there is often more than one Scout being invested at a time and they can always repeat it after the leader.

On My Honour, I promise that I will do my best
To do my duty to God and to the Queen,
To help other people
And to keep the Scout Law

The Scout Law is:

  1. A Scout is to be trusted.
  2. A Scout is loyal.
  3. A Scout is friendly and considerate.
  4. A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts.
  5. A Scout has courage in all difficulties.
  6. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.
  7. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.

Be Prepared

The Scout programme is based upon the Challenge badges. Each badge represents a different development area in a young person’s life. The seven badges are:-

  • Adventure
  • Community
  • Creative
  • Expedition
  • Fitness
  • Global
  • Outdoor

Not all elements of the programme are covered every week, but over time the careful planning done by the leaders will ensure that all aspects are covered.

Sometimes it is not possible to cover everything at normal troop meetings. Often we will go out and about doing such things as wide games, hikes, climbing wall, cook outs and swimming. We also take part in several camps per year, usually one Group camp, Survival Camp, Summer Camp and Patrol Camp.

Through the delivery of a balanced programme, and with support from home, the Scout will have the opportunity to gain a wide variety of activity badges and challenge badges.

Detail about all of the badges can be found on the Internet or by asking one of the leaders. We have a file that you and the Scouts can refer to at meetings and/or borrow and take home.

Also on Twitter:@BinghamScouts

And Facebook: