The "Rough Guide" to Badger Hill Scouts

 General Information about all sections

Last updated :26 June 2008 11:48

This on-line guide has been put together as a reference for Scouts and their parents. It contains information about a host of relevant things about Scouting in general, and about the Badger Hill Scout Group in particular. It can be read from beginning to end if you fancy a change from the telephone directory, but is more intended as a work of reference. Some of it is dealt with in more detail on the individual section pages, but this should give you the general idea of what's going on. Additionally the sections have "information packs" which are given to young people and parents when they join that section, and which contain a lot more detail about how the section works and what it does. This information is updated frequently and we don't cover it here.

The term "Scout" in this guide generally means the boy or girl who is a member of the group, whichever section they are in. The correct terms for Beavers, Cubs, & Explorers are Beaver Scout, etc , which then gets shortened to Beaver, Cub or Explorer. So far so good............. but then just to confuse the issue members of the Scout section are correctly known as just "Scouts", and the Scout Troop itself is often also described as "Scouts", so where there could be confusion between a Scout (any section), Scout (Scout section) and the actual Scout troop itself,  we'll try and distinguish, assuming we haven't lost you already.

Any bad links, speel-chucking errors and other nit-picking criticisms are the responsibility of the webmaster, but as it's his first effort, please don't shoot the pianist, he's doing his best. Helpful comments and positive suggestions are welcomed at: Webmaster@badgerhillscouts.org.uk, Unhelpful comments and other suggestions may be passed on to him in person (at your own risk)!

What is Scouting?

Scouting is a world-wide uniformed movement with the aim of developing young people into responsible citizens. This is carried out through fun, challenging and adventurous activities. A Scout Group can consist of up to three sections, all open to girls as well as boys:,

At 14 Scouts can move onto Explorer Scouts which cover the age range 14-18, and after this to the Scout Network which covers from 18-25. Explorers are District based although they can be linked to a Group, and the Scout Network is County-based.

The Badger Hill Scout Group has the following sections:

The programme for Explorers and Scout Network is effectively the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme with a few Scout related additions, and the cut-off age of 25 in Scout Network is also the maximum age for completing the Gold level of the D of E Award. Membership of these sections is also open to "lapsed" former members of the Scout and Guide movements, and to young people who haven't had any previous involvement in Scouts or Guides at all.

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A Brief History of the Group

The group was started in the early 80’s by some supporters of Scouting locally, principally John and Ann Bingham, who saw a gap in the provision of Scouting for the rural villages between existing groups in Barton, Shefford, Ampthill, Flitwick, and Haynes. It was known as Pulloxhill Scout Group until January 2000, after the village and hall where the meetings were initially held. Scouts soon outgrew the small hall at Pulloxhill, and moved their meetings to Flitton Church Hall, leaving the Cubs and the equipment store at Pulloxhill. At this stage we didn't have a Beaver Colony, and for many years our Scouts moved on to the Shefford Venture Scout Unit as we didn't run our own Ventures either.

In 1999 the group was offered the chance to merge with the 4th Ampthill and Woburn (Houghton Conquest) Scouts, which had been struggling for some time for various reasons, but still had their own Scout HQ on Badger Hill at Maulden. The merger was agreed, and the combined group was re-named Badger Hill, moving all its sections and equipment to the Maulden HQ. With the move to a larger home of our own, the chance was taken to start a Beaver Colony, and following the major overhaul of the Scout programme in 2001-2, an Explorer unit was started in March 2002. A second Cub pack started in January 2003, and a second Scout troop in September 2006. The rest, as they say, is history.

Current membership (November 2006) is around 130 boys and girls across 4 sections, with a forecast to be 150+ by the end of 2007.

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Promise and Law

The underlying values of Scouting are written in the Promise, which has slightly different versions for different sections reflecting the ability of members to appreciate what they are agreeing to as they grow older. Members are asked to accept this as a list of values before they are invested as members of the appropriate section. Additionally, Cubs & Scouts and Explorers agree to keep the Scout law, which basically hasn't changed since the beginning of Scouting in 1907.

The Beaver Scout Promise:

I promise to do my best to be kind and helpful and to love God.

The Beaver Scout Motto

Fun and Friends

The Cub Scout Promise

I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Cub Scout Law

The Cub Scout Law

Cub Scouts always do their best, think of others before themselves and do a good turn every day.

The Scout Promise: (for Scouts, Explorers, and Leaders)

On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Scout Law.

The Scout Laws:

1. A Scout is to be trusted.
2. A Scout is loyal.
3. A Scout is friendly and considerate.
4. A Scout belongs to the world-wide family of Scouts.
5. A Scout has courage in all difficulties.
6. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.
7. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.

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Membership of the Sections

Age limits for the various sections are noted in the "What is Scouting" section above, and there is usually a fair amount of flexibility either way on age when moving between sections. Beavers can't start before their 6th birthday because of legal restrictions imposed by the Children's Act 1988, BUT if a parent of a potential Beaver under 6 is prepared to make a commitment to become an Assistant Leader or a regular Helper, it is possible to take the child. This is because the parent will be present with the child at all times and so the restrictions of the Children's Act do not apply. There is also no requirement to go on any waiting list for a child whose parent is becoming a Leader or Helper.

We generally try to move Scouts between sections in twos or threes rather than singly, and account is taken of the Scout's wishes and abilities. Badger Hill is an open group; this means that is it not sponsored by any church or school, and membership is open to any young person of the appropriate age, regardless of religion or race. In reality the intake to any section depends on whether there is a vacancy within the theoretical maximum, which is decided by the leader in charge who knows the resources he or she has available. Scout Association rules set a recommended maximum of 36 for any section, even if it has a full complement of leaders, after which a second Colony/Pack/Troop/Unit should be considered.

At present we have one Beaver Colony feeding into two Cub Packs; Badgers which meets on Tuesday evenings and Moles meeting on Wednesdays. These two Cub Packs then feed into two Scout Troops; Hunter meeting on Mondays and Avian meeting on Fridays. Both packs and troops take Cubs and Scouts from our complete catchment area, and there is no selection based on where a Cub or Scout lives or which school he/she attends. Wherever possible we endeavour to transfer children with their known friends but we also have to achieve balanced packs and troops - see item 5 in the list below.  We therefore cannot guarantee a place other than at the pack or troop offered, but if you do have a genuine problem with the night offered please contact the Group Scout Leader through the webmaster.

When places become available, they are offered to youngsters following these criteria which are not listed in any order of priority:

1. Those who move into the area who were already Scouts in the area they came from.
2. Scouts already in Badger Hill Group whose parents are leaders/helpers in the Group, or whose parents take an active role on the Executive Committee.
3. Any youngster not already in Badger Hill Group, but at least one of whose parents is willing to become a regular active supporter of the group, either as leader or assistant in one of the Group sections, or as a member of the Executive Committee.
4. Scouts already in Badger Hill Group , when they reach 8 years to move up to Cubs, 10½ to move up to the Scout section, and 14 to move up to Explorers..
5. The need for us to maintain a balance of ages, genders, and geographical distribution between the two Cub Packs, and between the two Scout Troops.
6. Younger brothers/sisters of Scouts already in the Group.

In all cases, both date of birth and date of entry to the waiting lists will be taken into consideration.

Membership enquiries should initially be made to the Membership Secretary at badgermemsec@badgerhillscouts.org.uk  who has the current position of all sections on numbers and waiting lists. Please put "waiting list" as the subject, and click here for a list of the details  which you will need to include in your email.

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The Group's Leaders

Almost all adults in Scouting, including uniformed leaders, are volunteers - that is they give their time and effort for free. The Beaver, Cub, Scout or Explorer Leader has overall responsibility for his or her section, and the activities which members take part in. All sections can have Assistant Leaders (who are uniformed), and helpers (who are not uniformed). The Section Leader delegates responsibilities to Assistant Leaders, and in the Scout Troop to older Scouts when appropriate. This continues in Explorers where the young people take increasing responsibility for the way the Explorer unit operates and what it does.

Any adult in contact with any of the young people will be required to fill in a form for the Criminal Records Bureau to establish whether that person has any criminal record of offences which would make it inappropriate for them to be in contact. This obviously includes leaders, but will also be done for any parent who is likely to come into contact for anything other than the briefest period; it is totally confidential and the group is only told that you are "cleared" or "not cleared", not why. This system is now gradually superseding the Scout Associations own system which for many years had a very good track record of identifying anyone who presented a potential risk, and prevented them having any contact with young people involved in Scouting.

Each section has its own team of leaders and they are run independently, although active links exist between all the parts of the Badger Hill Group. The Group Scout Leader provides support for all the sections and is charged with the task of developing Scouting throughout the group. In addition to the uniformed leaders, there is a dedicated team of parents who are responsible for keeping the group running through such activities as fund raising and maintaining the group's equipment and buildings. The efforts of these people are co-ordinated by the group chairman, Richard Draycott.

Virtually all the leaders have or have had children in the group; for details of who they are see the main home page on this site

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Behaviour and Discipline

One of the ingredients of a good Scout Group is underlying discipline. All members are expected to behave well and appropriately. As all the sections are fairly large, this is essential and inappropriate behaviour will not be accepted. Generally, minor incidents will be dealt with by a "ticking off" and if the culprit has got the message, that's the end of it. More serious examples, such as repeated bullying, will result in a child's parents being contacted, and actions agreed on with the individual and his/her parents to put an immediate end to it. Whilst leaders always try to be aware of an individual Scout's circumstances particularly where these may be difficult, continued anti-social conduct cannot and will not be tolerated in an organisation in which both leaders and youngsters are there by choice and primarily to enjoy themselves. Individuals may be asked to leave if the leaders feel it is necessary, and this has occurred. See also items 3 & 7 in the Scout Law above!

These measures may seem obvious, but it is important that all members are aware of what is expected of them. Sixers, Patrol leaders and other older Scouts in particular will be asked to set a good example to the younger members of their sections and the group in general. Explorers generally set their own disciplinary standards and make decisions on a collective basis, with guidance from the leader only where needed or requested.

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Newsletters

All sections produce Newsletters and information about forthcoming events and their week-by-week programme. These are usually given out at meetings, and may also posted home, particularly if there is information of direct relevance to parents as well as to the Scout. The Group also produces an occasional newsletter and information about fund-raising events which is distributed by similar methods. We also aim to have the web version of the newsletters in the appropriate section on this website.

The older the Scout, the less likely it seems that newsletters handed out at meetings are seen by parents, so we suggest making a habit of asking whether anything was given out when the Scout returns home. Alternatively, hold Scout inverted by his/her ankles, shake gently, and see what drops out of the pockets! (We don't wish to know about non-Scouting items).

Explorers being more activity based and not always meeting on the same night in the same place every week, tend to communicate mainly by email, SMS, MSN, or phone. (The Explorers understand the acronyms!) Details of the programme are in the Explorer section of this website.

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Uniform

Scouts is a uniformed organisation. For non-uniformed youth groups, please see under Youth Clubs in the phone directory. All members are expected to wear uniform for section meetings, when arriving and departing from events, and for parades. The only exceptions to this are for specific events such as wide games, where "old clothes" or whatever will be notified in advance via the newsletters, and in the Explorer section (see below). Members should take pride in their uniform and do their best to look smart. The group scarf is royal blue with a gold edging, and is common to all sections. This is usually supplied by the section at the time of investiture. Additionally uniform consists of :

(compulsory items in normal type, optional items shown in italics)

Beavers

Cubs

Scouts

Explorers

The complete uniform catalogue, including illustrations, can be found at  www.scoutbase.org.uk

For all sections we have a group blue t-shirt in various sizes with the Badger Hill name and the Scout Logo. We keep a small stock, but these are usually ordered up in batches when there is sufficient demand, to avoid having money tied up in stock.

Ampthill & Woburn District doesn't have it's own "Scout Shop", but several of the larger neighbouring districts in Luton and Biggleswade do - details are listed further on under the equipment section, or "Kick-off" in Flitwick carry most items in stock. Some items of second hand uniform are kept by the various section leaders, who are also glad to receive any out-grown items which can be recycled.

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Commitment and Obligations

Members of Badger Hill Scout Group are expected to take an active role in the activities of their section. The following should be considered the minimum commitment from a member:

The latter two events are the only two occasions during the year when the whole Group is on formal parade, and the dates for both are known well in advance. It is therefore expected that ALL members will be present unless there is an unavoidable reason for absence, discussed by the members parents with the leader beforehand. Village football teams, etc are not normally an acceptable reason !

Numerous events and activities are organised for members of the group, and we hope that they will want to take advantage of what is on offer to them. If a member cannot attend any meeting, we would appreciate a phone call preferably from him/her, or his/her parents if this is not possible, rather than just an unexplained non-appearance. Virtually all of our sections are running waiting lists, so should a member be absent for two or more weeks in any four without an acceptable explanation (illness, family holidays, and so on), he/she may be asked to leave in order to make the place available for someone who is more willing to attend regularly. All sections do badgework which requires regular attendance to achieve the badges, and it becomes very frustrating for a leader to spend his/her free time preparing beforehand, and then have people not bother to turn up without explanation or apology because there was something better on TV.

This applies to the Scout and Explorer sections just as much as to Beavers and Cubs, but we realise that at Upper School, exams, coursework, homework, etc, place steadily increasing demands on free time, and there are occasions when a last-minute decision to attend or not has to be taken. A phone call, txt or email to the leader before or after the event, will still be appreciated.

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Parental Responsibilities

It is assumed that by allowing them to join the Group, parents of Scouts will be supporting their children in their Scout activities, and also supporting the Group that provides them. There are many ways in which this support can be given:

In order to maintain the quality of Scouting which is offered to members of the group, a considerable amount of help is needed from parents during section meetings and at camps and events. We always need help on an occasional basis as some events or activities need more adult man (or woman)-power than others. If you have any time to give or would just like some more information, please contact a section leader or the Group Scout Leader.

When your child joins, we ask you to fill in a form with his/her details and, particularly in the Scout section, with some basic details about yourselves and your interests. This isn't to satisfy leader's curiosity (although you'd be amazed.....) but to know what resources are available within the group. There is an extensive range of Proficiency Badges in specific areas which can be obtained, most of which require someone with knowledge of the subject to instruct and/or assess the Cub or Scout, and it is an enormous help to the leaders if someone who knows the subject can take on the supervision for a short time of a small number of youngsters doing a particular badge. We've never had a parent do this and afterwards say "I didn't enjoy that"!

Help doesn't necessarily have to be by directly working with the young people, indeed a great deal of work is done behind the scenes by helping to organise and run fund-raising activities, decorating and maintenance of the hut, etc. The chairman of the Executive Committee is always glad to hear from anyone willing to help, and it is not necessary to be "on t'committee", although if you want to join the Executive Committee you won't be turned away!

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The Patrol System

The patrol system is used in the three younger sections although with different names - Lodges in Beavers, Sixes in Cubs, and Patrols in Scouts - the term "patrol" in this paragraph can be taken to apply to all sections. The principle is the same in each section, in that each patrol consists of approximately six boys and girls of varying ages and abilities, with one (not necessarily the eldest, or a boy!) as the patrol leader, and a second as deputy. In Beavers and Cubs, the wishes of the youngster and certain criteria such as not having brothers/sisters in the same patrol and avoiding known potential personality clashes are taken into account, but the leaders tend to make the final decision on the composition of patrols and appoint the patrol leaders. In the Scout section, it is mainly the existing patrol leaders who decide, with advice/guidance/suggestions from the leaders only if needed or requested. The criteria looked for are ability to get on with, and to command the respect of their peers, which often doesn't lead to the biggest or oldest candidate.

The patrol leaders work with the adult leaders to plan the activities for the section, and in addition the older members help to train the younger members. Activities are generally run based on the patrol system, particularly for Cubs and Scouts when they are outside, or away camping. Occasionally youngsters may be transferred from one patrol to another, with their agreement, on a temporary or permanent basis to keep the age and ability of the patrols roughly in balance with each other. If, for any reason, your child is unhappy in his patrol he/she should firstly tell the adult leader, or if you suspect there is a problem, please contact him or her yourself. Hopefully we spot such problems early, but sometimes they are not so easy to see - if we don't see them and no-one says anything, it's difficult to do anything about it.

Explorers do not operate a formal patrol system, but divide themselves into smaller sub-units on an informal basis when the activity or occasion requires it.

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Section  Meetings

At present, meeting times are as below, all at the Scout HQ at Maulden unless otherwise arranged beforehand. None of the sections normally meet during state school holidays, again unless arranged otherwise.

Details and times of meetings can be requested by email or phone, if you can't find the current newsletter. (or never received it - see Newsletter section above!), and the web version of the latest newsletter will normally be found in the appropriate section of this website.

Particularly with Cubs and Scouts, meetings can take place at other venues away from the HQ and parents are asked to make their own transport arrangements if possible. If this proves difficult then the appropriate Leader can usually help find a lift on a one-off basis.

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Older Cubs and Scouts.

The Scout section has some activities during the year to which the older Cubs (Sixers and Seconders) are invited as an introduction to the Scout Troop, to get to know the other Scouts and the leaders and to make the transition between sections easier. The Scout troop also run specific events for their older Scouts, Patrol leaders, and Assistant Patrol Leaders, which are geared more to the interests and abilities of older boys, and are invited to Explorer Unit events in the same way as older Cubs go to Scout events.

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Financial Matters

Scouting costs money, and we get very little National  or Local government aid. The leaders do their best to offer quality Scouting for the lowest possible cost, and the main source of income for the group is the membership subscription paid by all members.

For the 2007/2008 year, this is £11 per month payable to the main group account. Of this, a percentage goes to pay County and National Capitation fees, and the routine running costs of the group such as water and electricity, insurance, etc. Money for new equipment, HQ improvements, and other "one-off" items is provided by the fund-raising events run by the executive committee, and by extensive pursuit of grants from local authorities and charitable organisations as well as donations from any likely source. Our normal method of payment is by bank standing order which greatly reduces the administrative burden of collecting, chasing, and banking cheques and cash, and enables our leaders to concentrate on running their sections rather than tackling paperwork. If payment by standing order is not possible, please discuss this with the section leader. We have been asked if we can operate a direct debit system, and this would be great from our admin point of view, but the charges demanded by the banks to set up and operate it make it completely unviable for us to do so - sorry.

We will also ask you to sign a "Gift Aid" form, assuming you are a standard rate taxpayer, which enables us to recover significant sums of the tax you pay from the Inland Revenue.

If at any time you need to give us a cheque SPECIFICALLY FOR SUBS ONLY, it should be made payable to Badger Hill Scout Group. Cheques to pay for individual section events, such as Cub or Scout camps, weekends away, etc should be made payable to the individual section as listed below:

Sometimes, we ask for a contribution towards activities undertaken over and above the "normal" section night activities. These tend to occur more in the case of Cubs, even more with Scouts, and even more still with Explorers, where we might be paying for the use of outside facilities, instructors expenses, camp site fees, etc. Scouts have an annual camp for 8 days in the school summer holidays.. Explorer activities tend to be more ambitious and as a consequence more expensive, but the aim is to even out the financial burden by spacing out the more expensive events, and all sections also make maximum use of the considerable resources available with the Scout movement in the way of equipment, instructors,etc. Explorers also do their own fund-raising for specific activities as needed.

Camps and Trips

Payment for these usually consists of a deposit when a Scout signs up and then a balance closer to the event. Deposits are NOT refundable, as we use them as deposits for activity and site bookings several months in advance. It is sometimes possible to refund the balance for a camp if a child falls ill, however, this depends on the nature of the trip and the number of participants.

Financial Help

It has been a principle of Scouting since it started in 1907 that it should be available to any interested young person, and the ability to pay should never be a limiting factor. Please contact the Group Scout Leader in the strictest of confidence if we can offer help in any way. You can contact her direct or send an email to  Webmaster@badgerhillscouts.org.uk giving your contact details which will be passed on to the GSL.

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Activities and Supervision

Part of the appeal of Scouting is the provision of adventurous activities whether they be canoeing, climbing or a walk around a campsite in the dark. The Scout Association has strict rules regulating these activities and specifying when appropriately trained instructors are required. It is worth noting that Scouting had these rules for many years before some of the accidents (not involving Scouts!) of recent times occurred, prompting government action to inspect and license activity centres, closely following and in some cases adopting the guidelines which were already in operation in Scouting.

Sometimes instructors will be from Scout sources, and are often former Scouts who have pursued an initial interest in a particular activity started in Cubs or Scouts, and gained their own nationally recognised qualifications. On other occasions we use external centres with their own instructors, but we always check the accreditation of the centre and the qualifications of the specific instructors we use, before we hand over supervision of the Scouts. On most occasions a leader will be present, if not actually participating him/her self. (Why should the Scouts have all the fun?) On all Scout events, a first aid kit is carried and all leaders are trained in first aid as part of their training. Scouts also get first-aid training during the year just in case it's the leader who's injured.

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Equipment for Camping and Hiking

This section applies mainly to the Scout troop and Explorer Unit, but can be of use to Cubs at camp, and also as an indication of things to come for Beavers!

Most expensive items of camping equipment, such as tents and stoves, are owned by the Badger Hill Group. However, Scouts are asked to own some items of camping equipment which we are unable to provide for everyone. For items which are not age/size dependant such as sleeping bags & rucksacks it is worth buying decent quality, as if properly looked after these should last for years. The group has a contract with Cotswold Camping whose nearest branch is St Albans (or by Mail Order) which gets a minimum of 15% and on some items more, off all purchases on quoting our contract number - see Cotswolds details in the next section. Clothing tends to be outgrown long before it is worn out, so top quality is neither realistic or necessary. We often have some recycled items such as boots and uniform, so please ask what is available - we are also glad to receive anything you no longer need which could be used by someone else.

A full kit list will be issued for camps and trips, and there is a typical list on the Kit List page on this website, under the Scout Section.

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Equipment Suppliers

Camping Equipment:

Camping Equipment & Uniforms:

Group scarves are normally supplied by the section your son or daughter is joining, but if you should need to purchase one  yourself, the colours are officially described as "Royal Blue with Gold edging". There are several different shades of gold and yellow in the colour charts, but these are the Badger Hill colours.

Last Updated : Thursday, 26 June 2008 11:48

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