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Section
Group Events
Group Information
District/County/HQ Info
Community
Website
WELCOME PACK
Introduction
Thank you for showing an interest in 1st Kesgrave Scout Group. It is our aim to provide relevant and exciting Scouting for the youth of Kesgrave. We are a strong, active Group providing camps, activities and events such Kesgrave Kapers (Gang Show) as well as the regular weekly meetings which are held at the Scout Hall during term time. There are four Scouting sections within the Group which cover all ages from 6 to 18 and each section has its own programme of activities suitable for its age group.
The Group was formed in 1927 and moved into its old headquarters in 1972, the present headquarters was opened in 2004. The Group comprises three Beaver Colonies, three Cub Packs, two Scout Troops, and is associated with a District Explorer Unit (approximately 243 members in total excluding explorer scouts). The Group belongs to the Deben Scout District, which covers the area from Kesgrave to Leiston.
The Explorer Scouts and Scout Network Sections are District based but have been included below for completeness.
Beavers
Beavers meet on Thursday (closed) and Friday evenings. Children join Beavers when they are 6 years old and remain in the section until they are 8.
The Beaver motto is 'Fun and Friends' and the children undertake a wide variety of activities including working for badges. When possible we offer the children the chance to camp with a parent to see at first hand what happens when the older children go to camp.
Cubs
Cub Packs meet on Monday or Wednesday evenings. Young people join Cubs when they are 8 years old and move up to Scouts when they are 10½.
There are a number of awards and proficiency badges for the children to achieve and they have a handbook, which lists these or details can be found at www.scoutbase.org.uk. The Cubs usually take part in at least one camp a year and a number of Section, Group and District activities including competitions, canoeing and church parades
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Scouts
Scout Troops meet on Tuesday or Thursday evenings from 7.15-
Explorer/Network Scouts
By the time Scouts are 15 years of age they must leave the Troop and move on to the District based Explorer Unit. At present this section has about 20 members and have been on a number of camps and activities such as fishing, golf and horse riding.
When the young people are 18 they move on to the Network which is a County based organisation which started on 1 Jan 2004
Leaders
All the leaders put in a lot of effort to run their section. It is not just an hour a week. There is preparation for weekly meetings, activities to organise and attend at weekends and Group management meetings. The leaders are all volunteers and are NOT PAID for the time they give. They are using their spare time to provide activities and opportunities for members of the Group and will often need help and support from parents.
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Scout Group Management
The Scout Group is led by a Group Scout Leader with the support of the Group Executive Committee. This committee consists of the Group Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, Section Leaders and parent representatives. The Committee is responsible for the maintenance of the HQ, Group finance, public relations and fund raising which in our Group is managed by a separate Fund Raising Committee.
Fund Raising Committee
This committee comprises parents and supporters of the Group. Its aim is to raise funds to finance the Group so that the leaders can concentrate on running their section. Events include jumble sales, Christmas card collection, etc. Further details of fund raising activities can be found on the fund raising section of this website.
The People
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Financing The Group
The Group is financed in two ways: by membership fees and fund raising. Each member is asked to pay membership fees of £24.00 per term for 2008/09 and this is collected termly. We run a gift aid scheme for the payment of fees, which allows the Group as a charity to recover the tax paid by the members' parents. All parents need to do is sign the membership envelope and we recover £18.20 per member per year.
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Scout Group Headquarters
The Scout Group moved into the new Headquarters in January 2004. The land is leased
from Tesco on a 125-
The Hall gives us a much wider range of facilities and will be used by the Group every night of the week but we do hire out the halls for Birthday parties, other community groups, meetings etc and if you require further information then please go here.
We are now using the new hall to its full potential and it is helping scouting to expand in Kesgrave.
Each Section has its own uniform. For the Beavers this is a turquoise sweatshirt, for Cubs a green sweat shirt, Scouts a teal green shirt and Explorers wear a beige shirt. All sections wear the Group scarf, which is royal blue. Activity trousers are also available, but school trousers are quite acceptable. There are also T shirts/shorts/fleeces etc but they are entirely optional. The uniform may be purchased from the a number of locations including the National Schoolwear Centre, 40 Westgate Steet in Ipswich, Craftability, St Lawrence St, Ipswich and online at the Scout Shops.
When a young person joins a section we advise that the uniform is only purchased when they are ready to make his promise (usually after 3 to 4 weeks). When a member moves from one section to another they may wear their old uniform until they acquires the new uniform. The scarf should not be worn until the young person has made his promise in each section.
Occasionally the Group has second hand uniforms for sale and enquiries should be
made to your section leader. The Group has its own royal blue T-
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The Group produces a newsletter (Herald) once/twice a term, which contains the dates and details for Group events. Keep this safe, as it is very important. Details of events relevant to a single section will be provided separately by the section leader. We also have a monthly column in Kesgrave News in which we report on recent events and future fundraising dates.
Details of group activities can also be found on this website and reports and photo’s can be found under reports and photo’s.
CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) Forms
As we often ask parents to help on rotas and at camps and events we need to ensure that all our children are kept safe and therefore you will be asked to complete a CRB form when your child joins the Group.
We often take photographs at camp and other events to publicise our group. We assume that most parents are quite happy for these pictures to be used in Scout publicity, the website and other publications and the children are not usually individually named. Please let your section leader know if you have any objections to photographs being taken and used.
We hope your child enjoys his time with us but if you have any cause for concern please discuss it with your Section Leader. If this does not resolve the matter please contact the Group Scout Leader. The Scout Association does have a complaints procedure which can be viewed at www.scouts.org.uk/complaints.
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- Become a leader, assistant, instructor or help at meetings -
You don't need special skills just enthusiasm and commitment. Training is provided. Why not visit a meeting to find out what is involved.
- Become a parent representative -
Put your views forward about how the Group should develop. There are only three executive committee meetings a year.
- Help with fund raising -
To keep the Group running effectively requires a great deal of money. We have a HQ to run and maintain and kit (camping equipment, canoes etc) to purchase and renew. Please support us by joining the fund raising team or help by taking part in the numerous fund raising events we run each year.
- Help with section activities -
There is always a need for help at activities such as providing transport, putting up tents, catering or making a few buns. Most sections run a parent rota for help at meetings. Please make sure you help when it’s your turn.
- Support your child -
There are numerous activities and badges to be undertaken and your child will need your help to achieve his full potential.
If you would like any further information or you feel that you would like to help in any way then please contact Celia Comber, Tel: (01473) 622185, email celia.m.comber@btinternet.com or complete this online form. To join the waiting list please contact Karen Turner (01473) 611472 or email karen.turner9@btinternet.com.
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