IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCOUT GROUP AND HOW IT OPERATES

STAY WELL - STAY SAFE - STAY SCOUTING! 

Who runs the 8th Wimbledon Scout Group?

That is an interesting question, as there are a number of people involved in the running of a Scout Group...

The overall Manager, with responsibility for the running of the Scout Group and the development of Scouting in the immediate area, is known as the Group Scout Leader (GSL).

Our GSL is Josh Fawcett (known to our youth Members as Griffin, the name he has as Beaver Scout Leader). Contact: gsl@8thwimbledon.org 

The Scout Group is broken down into age-related Sections... Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

To provide an active and exciting programme of activities there is a Section Leader for each Section and Assistant Section Leaders to support them:

Beavers - Josh Fawcett, Beaver Scout Leader (BSL) aka Griffin. Contact: beavers@8thwimbledon.org; Rob Braun, Assistant Beaver Scout Leader (ABSL) aka Sabretooth; Gilly Blackhall (ABSL) aka Phoenix; Michael Peche (ABSL) aka Chimera; Lee Wridgway (ABSL) aka Mandrake; Kelly, Qualified Young Leader (YL) aka Pegasus.

Cubs - Will Hay, Cub Scout Leader (CSL) aka Akela Contact: cubs@8thwimbledon.org; Katherine Curran, Assistant Cub Scout Leader (ACSL) aka Kaa; Rosie Paul (ACSL) aka Hathi; Aimee Robinson (ACSL) aka Rama; Arthur Browne (ACSL) aka Mowgli; Nat Kellas (ACSL) aka Bagheera; Niall, Matthew, Finn, DofE Volunteering.

Scouts - Mark Urban, Scout Leader (SL). Contact: scouts@8thwimbledon.org; Neil Rycraft, Assistant Scout Leader (ASL); Rebecca Bolton (ASL); Abi Micallef (ASL).

We have a few 'Young Leaders' (aged under 18yrs) helping in Sections. Sometimes Young Leaders are Explorer Scouts working on their Young Leader Award; sometimes they are working on their Duke of Edinburgh Award and sometimes they are simply volunteering with us. We are very grateful to Kelly, Niall, Matthew and Finn for choosing to join in with us to learn about, and experience, being a voluntary Young Leader.

We also have an Occasional Helper, not linked to a particular Section: Our former Scout Leader, Andrew Ellam. We then also have two Occasional Helpers supporting our Scout Section, Dinesh Thomas and Jon Turner.


To help the Group Scout Leader... There is a Group Executive Committee.

The Group Executive Committee is made up purely of volunteers, many of whom are parents of existing Members of the Group, some of whom have carried on supporting us once their child grew too old for our youth Sections. The Group Exec meets an average of four times a year and discusses how the Group is operating - what successes there have been, what challenges there are and what can be done to support the continued work of the Scout Group.

All members of the Group Executive Committee are Trustees of the 8th Wimbledon Scout Group. We are a registered Charity, number 303792, and operate under the Rules of The Scout Association UK.

The members of our Group Executive Committee are:

Group Chair - Frances Haque. chairexec@8thwimbledon.org

Group Secretary - Katherine Carroll.

Group Treasurer - James Rudolph. treasurer@8thwimbledon.org

Group Scout Leader - Josh Fawcett. gsl@8thwimbledon.org

Beaver Scout Leader - Josh Fawcett. beavers@8thwimbledon.org

Cub Scout Leader - Will Hay. cubs@8thwimbledon.org

Scout Leader - Mark Urban. scouts@8thwimbledon.org

Parent rep. - AbiGail Crutchlow.  
Parent rep. - Andrew Ellam.
Parent rep. - Robin Strong.

Group Fundraising Chair - Recruiting. See ADULT VOLUNTEERS page.

We are forming a sub-Committee of the Group Executive Committee to specifcally source and help organise fundraising opportunities for the Group's funds - it costs a lot of money to run a Scout Group. The Group Fundraising Chair will operate this sub-Committee along with the support of the GSL and will report direct to the Group Executive Committee.


The Group Council and the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Once a year, at an AGM, the Group Executive presents its Report of Activities of the Group for the last year and also presents the Group Accounts. At the AGM all of the parents are invited along (and they form what is called the Group Council). Key roles on the Exec are appointed and some are by nomination and some are voted for - it's all very democratic, swift and fun and is often accompanied with either a social event or some form of entertainment from the Sections. This usually happens around May/June each year. These approved Reports and Accounts then get submitted to the Charity Commission.

So, as you can see, the answer is simple, but it's not one person - it's more of a collaboration!

Are young people kept safe in Scouting? 

We take Safeguarding and Safety very seriously (more info). All volunteers are DBS checked, and our activities and our adventurous activities must fulfill specific health, safety and operational criteria laid down by The Scout Association UK in its Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR). All of our Adult Leaders are required to regularly undertake First Aid and Safeguarding Training. We also work to comply with GDPR Legislation. Full Training appropriate to the role undertaken by an Adult volunteer is a requirement of the Appointment.


The Scout Information Centre

If you have any general Scouting questions, not specific to our Group, you can always contact the National Scout Information Centre.

Do you live in or near the Wimbledon area? Want to find out more? Contact us today! We'll be happy to have a chat about what Scouting can offer.