This week, the This is Haslemere team had the absolute pleasure of visiting one of the many local scouts groups within our community - the 1st Hindhead Scouts. We visited on Monday to spend the evening with the group's Cubs. It was an energetic and fun-packed session where Assistant Leader (and local science teacher) Hilary got everyone involved in a brilliant hands-on experiment to design the most effective helicopter. With stop watches at the ready, the Cubs paired up to see which design would stay in the air the longest, all working torwards their Science badges. And of course, during the evening there were also plenty of chances to run off steam with some friendly but competitive games of dodgeball!

The Hindhead Scouts are a fantastic local organisation, entirely run by volunteers. What struck us most is what a diverse group of volunteers this is. Michelle has been involved in the group for the past five years. With a scout hut next to her home when growing up, as a child she longed to join the scouts but was unable to since girls were not permitted back then. Her husband was lucky enough to experience the joys that scouting can bring, growing up in Chiddingfold where he was a member of the 1st Chiddingfold Scouts. Both were passionate about giving their children the opportunity to enjoy the scouts as they grew up. And Michelle has made sure that this was possible by giving up an extraordinary amount of her time as a volunteer in Hindhead. She currently juggles everything from the role of Treasurer to Fundraising Manager to Social Media Manager as well as most things inbetween! Not to mention doing all this alongside a full time job and raising two children!

There can be few more passionate local volunteer groups to be a part of. Other volunteers we had the pleasure of meeting include Tamsyn who is the Cub's Leader, Peter (who was a scout here as a child) and Jed (who is also a fire fighter). The new mayor of Haslemere, Jean Arrick, is also one of the volunteers.

In fact, there are currently 10 volunteers that ensure that Hindhead Scouts can run efficiently and successfully. Each bring something different to the group. There are a couple more currently going through the onboarding process including DBS checks and minimum training modules.

However, as the organisation is run entirely by volunteers, they can only operate if they have enough volunteers to meet safety and safeguarding requirements set by Scouts HQ.  And, even with the new volunteers currently in training, they simply don't have enough. Sadly, 1st Hindhead Scout's fantastic Group Lead Volunteer, Keith, who has played a pivotal role in the group over the last few years, is also moving on to a new district. His departure will certainly leave a big hole. 

However, even before Keith's departure, the Scouts group was already sometimes unable to run due to insufficient volunteers. Since Jed is a volunteer firefighter, he can be unavailable at short notice. And, with only two leaders in Scouts, they can't take on camping activities. The group try and work around this by linking with other local Scouts groups but sadly, the lack of volunteers isn't just restricted to Hindhead - it's an issue across the country.

And, whilst Hindhead's Beavers and Cubs currently have enough leaders, most are parents of existing members so may not always continue when their child moves up a group. As a result, the group are constantly needing to look ahead to ensure that they can continue to operate.

Hindhead Scouts have ambitious plans too. Sadly, they will be unable to realise these without more help from the local community. They would love to open a Squirrels section for younger children aged 4-6 years old. But they're not able to at the moment due to lack of volunteer help. 

We spent less than 2 hours with the Cubs on Monday but it is so clear how much the volunteers enjoy being part of this team. And certainly, there is much to entice people to join. Join as a Leader and you can shape the programme that you want to run. Leaders can decide the kinds of activities they choose for their group to match their skills and interests. And, if you're looking to build your skills, the Scouts will also cover the costs of training courses - so if you fancy learning new skills, this is the place to go. Choose to sign up to a whole host of skills sessions such as mountain leader training, archery or paddlesports! 

How can you help?

The 1st Hindhead Scouts have launched an urgent appeal for new leaders to help run sessions. 

The current volunteer roles include the following:

Group Lead Volunteer:  This is someone who is good at leading a team (inducting new leaders, ensuring the team's training stays up to date, making sure risk assessments are done, encouraging and assisting leaders with badge work)

Assistant Leader, Scouts: This is someone who helps deliver fun, safe, and engaging activity programmes

Leader and Assistant Leaders, Squirrels: Someone who delivers and helps to deliver fun, safe, and engaging activity programmes. If you fancy taking on the new Squirrels section, there is, as yet, no fixed day for this new session. As a result, if you have time in your diary and would like to help, please do get in touch with them and they will aim to fit in with your schedule if they possibly can.  

Group Secretary: Someone who handles meeting agendas, minutes and actions

Social Media Manager: Someone who can regularly share posts about activities, events and news about the group

Fundraising Manager: Someone to coordinate the raising of funds to support the group. Funds are always needed to cover costs such as building maintenance or new equipment

For leaders and assistant leaders, they would like to have enough people helping for it not to need to be a weekly commitment - perhaps every two to four weeks instead. For Beavers the session is one hour, for Cubs and Scouts it's 1.5 hours. Once a term, leaders also get together outside of the sessions to plan the next term's activities, usually an hour or two over a pint! Scouts provides a lot of activity ideas to choose from so they're never short of something to do.

New volunteers must have a Scouts DBS and complete 4 basic training modules online. They take about 2 hours but can be done one at a time. Leader roles require 2 additional online modules. 

If you can't help give your time, but would like to support the 1st Hindhead Scouts, then they are also in need of funds. They have exciting plans to renovate the Scout Hut which is in definite need of some TLC. Whilst the Haslemere Town Council have been superb in their support for their plans, they would welcome donations from the local community via their Just Giving page.

About the 1st Hindhead Scouts

The 1st Hindhead Scouts have sessions for 3 different groups: 

Beavers is for children (any gender) aged 6-8 and currently has 15 members. It runs every Monday during term times between 4.45 and 5.45. 

Next up are the Cubs. Catering for those aged 8-10.5, it currently has 10 members. It also takes place on Mondays between 6 and 7.30 in the evening. 

Finally, Scouts is for those aged from 10.5 to 14 years of age. This group currently has 16 members, with sessions held on Tuesdays between 7 and 8.30.

They're all super popular, thriving groups. But, first and foremost, they do still have space for children to join, so if your child is interested, please do get in touch. It costs £18 per child per month.

The groups get stuck into everything from camping, hiking, and cooking to crafts, games, and community projects. Beavers explore and play, Cubs start to take on challenges and learn new skills, and Scouts dive into real adventure and leadership. It’s all about fun, friendship, and growing in confidence. 

With volunteering such a crucial part of the Scouts movement, we also loved the fact that the Scouts encourage volunteering amongst their members. The World Challenge Award is one of the top Challenge badges for Scouts. It’s designed to help young people explore global issues, reflect on their values, and make a positive impact in their community and beyond. To achieve the award, scouts need to volunteer locally. Two other badges often also include volunteering - Community Impact and Personal Challenge.

If you are interested in finding out more about joining the Hindhead Scouts, please do email them at hindheadscouts@gmail.com.