Welcome
to the
1st
Pucklechurch Scout Group
The
1st Pucklechurch Scout Group was formed in
1957. It is part of the Cotswold Edge
Scout District and the Avon Scout County.
The Group is a registered charity.
It owns the Scout Hut in Pucklechurch,
together with a significant amount of camping and other equipment.
The
Group consists of three sections, a Beaver Colony, a Cub Pack and a Scout
Troop. An Explorer Scout Troop,
administered by the Scout District, also meets at our Scout Hut. Each section has a Code of Conduct that each
child is expected to comply with. Since
June 2002 the Group has been of mixed sex and girls are now allowed to join any
of the sections.
Each
section has a leader and at least one assistant leader. All of our leaders undertake a structured
training programme to learn how to run appropriate scouting activities and
understand how to look after the children in their care. All leaders are rigorously checked for their
suitability to lead groups of children.
Their commitment in time and energy is great, as is the enjoyment. Currently we have new leaders in virtually
every section, so your understanding and assistance would be appreciated. The Group Scout Leader is responsible for the
overall running of the Group, supporting individual section leaders, setting
and maintenance of standards within the Group and providing a link between the
Group and parents, the District, County and National Scouting
organisations. All of our leaders are
volunteers and receive no payment for the work they do on behalf of Scouting.
An
Executive Committee oversees the work of the Group. Their role, amongst others, is to fund raise for the Group and organise the maintenance and repair
of the Scout Hut, also to support the section leaders where possible. There should be at least two parents of
children from each Section represented on the Executive Committee.
Each of the Group's sections meets at the
following times:
|
Section |
Age Group |
Meeting Times |
Leaders |
|
Beaver
Scouts |
6 to 8 |
Thursday
5.30-6.30 pm |
Sarah
Fox-Robinson |
|
Cub
Scouts |
8
to 10½ |
Monday
6.15-7.15 pm |
Stephen
Davenport |
|
Scouts |
10½ to 14 |
Wednesday
7.15-9.00 pm |
Tony Wallis |
|
Explorer
Scouts (District Troop) |
14 to 18 |
Monday
7.30-9.30 pm |
Brian
Rogers |
Meetings
for all sections are generally held only during school term times. All sections, except the Beaver Colony,
should also go on a camp at least once each year.
In
addition to these meetings, every child should attend parades and ceremonies on
Remembrance Sunday and the Sunday nearest St Georges Day (23rd
April), and also come to the Group's Carol Service.
Each
parent of a child joining our group is a member of the Group Council. The Group Council usually holds only one
meeting a year, an Annual General Meeting.
This is usually in May. At this
meeting, you will have the opportunity to discuss the Group's activities with
the section leaders and Executive Committee, and also to appoint the officers
of the Executive. You can of course talk
through a specific matter with your child's section leader or the Group Scout
Leader at any reasonable time if you feel it is appropriate.
Beavers
and Cubs rely on parent's assistance to run the weekly meetings in these
sections. You should expect to help at
one or two meetings each term as part of a Parents Rota. Also, parents of children in all the sections
may be needed to assist with activities away from the Scout Hut, such as camps,
activity days and trips. Your Section
Leader will tell you when your help is needed.
In
addition, any other help or assistance you may be able to offer will always be
very much appreciated. You may have a
particular skill that would be useful or a hobby that could be introduced, fund
raising ideas or building maintenance skills - please do not hesitate to let us
know.
The
Scout Association takes the care of children very seriously. To comply with Child Protection laws, we ask
at least one parent of every child in the Group to have completed a Criminal
Records Bureau (CRB) check. We ask this
as you will need to assist with the activities described above at some stage in
your child's Scouting life. A letter
will be provided to you with the CRB Form explaining more about the process and
how to fill in the form. Completion of
the form is very much a formality (although it is a legal requirement) and we
hope that you will take the time to do so.
The Group keeps
records of the name, address, date of birth and certain health, disability,
religious and ethnic data for each of its members. We also keep details of your child's progress
through Scouting. The Data Protection
Act calls this information, collected to help us run the Group effectively,
‘Sensitive Personal Data’. We need your
explicit consent, by signing the declaration part of the enrolment form, to
hold it. If you wish to, you can see the
data held for your child by contacting the Group Scout Leader.
We
ask you to contribute to the running of our Scout Group by paying a
subscription termly (three times a year). The Group’s Treasurer and your Section
Leader will arrange this. Currently,
three payments of £22.50 each will be due (£20 if you are a younger sibling of
another member of the group). This
amount is reviewed annually. The money
we collect goes towards the materials used at our weekly meetings, annual
capitation for National Headquarters, the County and District, and also pays
for certain personal and equipment insurance cover.
Should
you need to make alternative arrangements for payment, please contact us as
soon as possible.
Scouting has always been a uniformed organisation
and it is a condition of membership that a uniform is worn when
appropriate. Children should wear their
full uniform at all Scouting-related meetings and events, unless their section
leaders tell them otherwise. The mandatory
items of uniform are listed below; there are other items that can also be purchased
if desired.
|
Section |
Minimum Requirements for
Uniform |
|
Beavers |
Turquoise sweatshirt |
|
Cubs |
Dark green sweatshirt |
|
Scouts |
M: Teal green long
sleeved shirt; dark blue activity trousers with scout belt. |
|
Explorer Scouts |
M: Beige long sleeved
shirt; dark blue activity trousers with scout belt. |
|
Beavers and Cubs should
wear plain black or navy blue trousers (or shorts) with their uniform
sweatshirts. |
Uniforms
can be purchased either at Any Sports Ltd locally in Yate
(opposite Boots), or
Essential Clothing, Downend Road, Soundwell.
A replacement Group neckerchief can be purchased from one of the Section
Leaders.
Once enrolled, your child will receive badges to wear on his/her uniform.