Scouting is not just another youth club or a baby-sitting service. It is something of a way of life and has an ethos that pervades the aspirations of its members.

From time to time, we will ask for your help with individual meetings. Meetings sometimes require more adults than we are able to provide as appointed leaders. Without your help they will not happen. A rota of parents may be arranged to help or you may be asked to help with individual events. When asked, please help if you possibly can; without you help, we will be unable to offer your children the very best possible Scouting. As it is a requirement of the Scout Association that most adults helping with Scouting are DBS (CRB) checked, you may require such a check. This is simple and quick and the check costs nothing.

When events are held away from the meeting place, it is usually easiest to ask parents and carers to take their child to the event. Parents also often agree among themselves to take each other’s children, too; this is a great help to everyone. If activities are too far from home, we will arrange transport.

Leaders put in a very great deal of hard work. Please support them as much as you can and try to comply with occasional requests for help. If leaders invite parents to a meeting, please try to attend.

Whenever children go on an extended activity, you will be asked to give your permission by completing a form. It will ask for a contact in case of emergency; please ensure that the contact is available throughout the duration of the activity. You will also be asked about your child’s health; please be completely honest about this as it helps ensure your child’s safety. Indeed, please do not wait to be asked if there is anything whatsoever that we ought to know at any time. All information will be completely confidential and only passed to other leaders on a need-to-know basis.

Scouting is fun! Why not consider becoming a regular helper, or even a leader, and joining in the fun and satisfaction that we all derive from Scouting? We are always short of adult help and need enough adults to ensure safe operation. The help you give can be tailored to fit in with your other commitments, so please volunteer even if you can help only occasionally. Please, at least, help when asked to do so by your section leader; it will usually not be more than once or twice each term. Without such help, we may have to cancel meetings if we believe that we have inadequate adult help for safe operation. Please talk to the Section Leader or Group Scout Leader, whose contact details are in this leaflet, to see what you can do to help the group and your own children; no pressure will be put on you and everyone can help in some way. We need all sorts of help in addition to leaders!

There are only two events each year which we really encourage full attendance of all our members; the annual St George’s Day Parade in April – the nearest Sunday to April 23rd – and Remembrance Sunday. Please do everything you can to ensure that your child attends these. However if your child is unable to attend we expect the section leader to be advised in advance.