Our Groups - Watchfield and Shrivenham
There is a long-established and extremely active Scout Group based in Shrivenham, with its own splendid Headquarters, a great Leader team and supportive Committee.
The Group caters for young people between the ages of 6 and 18 from families in the local villages and from the Defence Academy. It provides a range of training programmes, adventures and enjoyable activities, indoors and outdoors, throughout the year.
In addition to a well-appointed 'Scout Hut', we have our own minibus, a comprehensive store of base and backpack camping equipment, plus a substantial range of high quality canoeing, hillwalking, climbing, pioneering and other activity gear.
Our Group after the Remembrance Parade, November 2009
....
The success of the Watchfield and Shrivenham Scout Group relies on it being run as a 'Family Group' which involves young people (enjoying the activities), Leaders (running the Sections) and parents (in front-line and behind-the scenes supporting and fundraising roles).
The Scouting Sections
The Group is run as three Sections plus a locally-based Explorer Scout Unit.
These are:
| Beaver Scouts | Children aged from 6 to their 8th birthday Meet Tuesdays, 16.45 - 18.15 |
| Cub Scouts | Children from 8 until they reach 10½ years Meet Wednesdays, 18.45 - 20.15 |
| Scouts | Young people from 10½ to their 14th birthday Meet Tuesdays, 19.00 - 21.00 |
| Explorer Scouts | Young people from 14 to their 18th birthday Meet Thursdays, 20.00 - 21.30 |
The Explorer Scouts, although a ‘District-based’ Unit, meets at our HQ and operates in partnership with the W&S Scout Group. Scouts from now on, when reaching their 14th birthday, are encouraged to move into the Explorer Scout Unit, whilst young people new to Scouting are also welcomed.
We are a uniformed organisation .... and proud of it! All Scouts are required to wear official 'top half' uniform (shirt, neckerchief and belt, as appropriate) with dark grey/black school-type trousers or shorts (younger Sections) grey socks and smart black shoes.
The Programmes and Activities
Each Section has its own programme of skills, challenges, games and adventures appropriate to the age of the young people. 
These are progressive and are combined with a wide range of badges for achievement in particular hobbies and interests.
The Beavers specialise in fun-based activities and games, making things and discovering new interests. The Cubs follow a lively programme of challenges, games, sports and skills. The Scouts and Explorer Scouts are highly outdoor-oriented, with a busy programme of camps, hikes, watersports, mountaineering, orienteering, pioneering, backwoodsmanship, visits and competitions. The Explorers also base many activities on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
As a youth organisation, we are governed by strict rules and guidelines. All of our activities are led by qualified and experienced adults, either from our Group Leader team or approved instructors with nationally-recognised certification.
We take part in all of the District and County events and, in all modestly, do rather well in competitions (the trophy cabinet is far too small!)
The Scout Leaders and Helpers
We are extremely lucky in having a group of dedicated, hard-working and good humoured Leaders and Helpers heading up the Sections. We cannot over-emphasise the value of the time and effort they put in to planning and running the programmes and activities for the young people, week in, week out, throughout the year.
We welcome new members to the team, whether they can offer full-time support over a long period, or perhaps a few weeks or months of specialist service to one of the Sections or 'behind the scenes'. Just get in touch at hello@wands.org.uk
Running a Group as large and active as ours requires a lot of support behind the scenes, with administration (the Group Executive Committee), fundraising (we have a Sub-committee for that too) and generally helping with maintenance of the HQ and equipment, transport and adult help on events. We have a core of really hard-working people who keep the machine running smoothly, but they cannot be expected to do everything by themselves.
We reckon our communications are pretty good, and parents will get notice of events, both Scouting and fundraising, and
requests to help with painting or tidying the buildings, repairing tents, driving youngsters to events and so on.
As a 'Family Group' we expect that all parents will be willing, even enthusiastic, to come forward to help. You don't have to join the Committees - although we do welcome members and people prepared to be co-opted. We are all busy people, but on the other hand, the Scouts is not a child-minding service. A few hours over a weekend, and maybe a day or two during the year, is we hope, not too much to ask in exchange for the youngster's enjoyment and benefits from being a member of our Scout Group.
For more details....
If you have a child who is interested in joining one of the Sections, please contact the Section leader in the first instance. You should NOT just turn up at the meeting with your youngster, as we cannot take in new members on the spot. We will endeavour to let you know when your child can start. However, all of the Beaver, Cub and Scout Sections do have waiting lists, some of them rather long!
If you, as a parent of an existing Group member, or as a newcomer to the Colleges, would like to support the Group and its activities, please get in touch with one of the Leaders or Committee members. We will be pleased to welcome you!
|
Group Scout Leader(& general enquiries) |
Dave Read | GSL@wands.org.uk |
| Beaver Leader | Lisa Neve | BSL@wands.org.uk |
| Cub Leader | Jon Bird | CSL@wands.org.uk |
| Scout Leader | Roger Padgham | |
| Explorer Scouts | Rob McGuigan | ESL@wands.org.uk |
| Group Chairman | Paul Turner | |
| Group Secretary | Joanna Morgan | SEC@wands.org.uk |
Updated 12th June 2010