Ever thought of volunteering at the scout group. It’s probably a lot easier than you thought…

I’m really busy. The group is running well now without my help.

Everyone’s always really busy, children and parents alike. Children need taking places to do their sports, music lessons, then there’s work and home life to juggle, the kids to be fed, the shopping needs doing, then help out with the homework, not forgetting to visit relatives… this is life on a weekly basis for your child’s leaders as well. Unfortunately the section meeting needs preparing, we need to buy the ingredients for the Pancake Night or book the session at the climbing wall, sort out the Jimmy’s badges to hand out next time, pack away all of the kit for camp, clean the hut toilets, order the archery equipment, chase the subscriptions, attend the fundraising meeting, email out the weekly notices and turn up on time. Your child might attend for only an hour or two a week but in the background a few people are putting in many, many times that. Unfortunately this often leads to someone getting burnt out and packing it all in, causing a crisis and affecting the quality of the Scouting on offer dramatically.

Only two hours a week? Yeah right!

Whilst it’s true that Scouting will take up as much time as you want to give it, we’d appreciate any commitment that you’d be willing to take no matter how small or infrequent. There are a variety of areas where your time would be a huge help to the running of the troop even if it was only an hour once a term or even once a year. Perhaps you could help out a section meeting once a month or with a bag packing event that runs once a year. The alternative is that a small band of volunteers have to do an awful lot of work. Irrespective of how many leaders you think there are, every single section is crying out for more help. Having a few extra bodies often makes the difference between success and chaos.

I’m not very good at fires and map reading. I really wouldn’t be any use.

There are a large number of areas where you could really make a difference without going anywhere near a compass. You might have a hobby that you could teach the cubs or you don’t mind helping manage some of the group admin, take minutes at the exec meeting or help with managing the group equipment. Then again, maybe you’d like to learn with us and next time teach someone else.

Areas we could do with help include:

Maintaining the equipment stores
DIY/cleaning at the hut
Admin for the group
Fundraising events
Taking minutes at meetings
Section (beavers/cubs/scouts) meetings (however infrequently)
Setting up/Striking camps
Catering on camps
Helping with activities (weekdays or weekend events)

We’d like to create a system whereby a lot more people were involved helping out as much or as little as they were happy to do without being a burden on anyone's time. A larger team would mean a better level of Scouting on offer and a happier, more effective and supportive team.

What is in it for me?

We’re all volunteers at the end of the day, but helping out could mean making a difference to the local community, getting to know others, spending more quality time with your children or learning a new skill (every wanted to know how to light a fire and boil water in a paper bag?). If you’re active perhaps you’d like to join us for an activity like biking or hiking. We could always help you develop a sport such as climbing, kayaking or air rifle shooting and become a nationally recognised coach. Or maybe coach the cub football team. It can add something to CVs or work towards DofE or just your own sense of well being.

Who can help out?

Anyone. There is a place for mum, dad, older siblings, relatives, cousins and friends. Why not make it a family affair? We’d ask that you complete a CRB check before helping out at an event but most people will have already completed this as parents of children in the group.

Want to know more?

Contact your child’s section leader or email the group for more details. Give us an idea of what kind of activity you’d be happy to support with and what time you think you could afford. Feel free to start small; you could always commit more once you’ve seen what it’s like.

Thanks for your support.