Jim

Plans are well underway for our Family Camp on 18^th & 19^th June just outside Exeter.  This event is open to all 2^nd Exeter Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and their family.  This years’ camp has a Medieval theme, We have loads of activities planned with activities including:

• Making Shields and Lances
• Branding your own Woggles
• Treasure Hunt
• Water Battle
• Making Pennant Flags
• The highlight for the children will be our “Wheelbarrow Jousting Competition!

All food, camping and activities is included.  We will have a Hog roast, and Campfire on Saturday night as well as our AGM which as always will include a video to show what the children have been up to over the last twelve months.

This is always really popular and we expect well over 100 participants so hope you and your family are able to join us.

This special family event will not appear on OSM but can only be booked and paid for by Clicking Here!

We hope you can make it!

It’s no surprise that some families are finding it hard to keep their heads above water at the moment.  The increases in interest rates, Gas and Electricity and even a loaf of bread are forcing some families to have to make some really tough decisions   At on average just £3 per week Scouting is a cheap hobby however when every penny counts, we don’t want the current cost of living crisis to stop our children from Scouting

With this in mind, we will launch our Family Support Fund on 1^st March 2023 to help families who are genuinely struggling to make ends meet in the hope that they will be able to allow their children to continue Scouting.  Many of our Parents generously donated to our pot last Autumn and this pot was then matched from our funds.  The port can be used to cover 25-50% of the termly subscription and also 50% of new essential uniform from the Scout Shop. 

Applications will be assessed by our Family Support Officer and Committee and is primarily aimed at families who are currently in receipt of Pupil premium but is open to all if there is an exceptional case.  PLEASE CLICK HERE to find out more and make an application if you choose. 

The increases in cost of living will have a direct impact on our Scout Group. We want Scouting to continue to grow and deliver skills for life for more young people, even during this uncertain time. This is when our young people and their families need us most.  When compared to other extracurricular activities, Scouting still offers excellent value at a cost in the region of just £3 per week.

Research with parents earlier in 2022 showed that…

• 59% of parents who send their children to extracurricular activities say the cost of living crisis has impacted what they can afford to send their children to – with their children now attending less, fewer or stopping activities
• 7% of parents are now unable to afford to extracurricular activities at all, which means that across the UK, more than 500,000 young people may be affected

(information taken from Scout Headquarters)

We don’t want the current cost of living crisis to stop our children from Scouting and so we would like to put together a fund to assist Families who are genuinely struggling.  If a family passes a certain criteria we aim to subsidise the cost of their termly subs by 25% using everything in our new pot until the pot is empty. For those of you who may consider claiming from the pot, we will share information in due course.

As a small Charity, we have limited funds and so cannot cover this cost on our own so we are hoping you may consider helping us?  We plan to create a Hardship fund which we hope that you will consider donating to. The group will then fund-match your kind donation to top up the pot. 

If those of us who are able to donate a few pounds do so, then we can support local families that are struggling and may have to explain to their children why they can’t come to Squirrels/Beavers/Cubs/Scouts anymore.  This new “Hardship Fund” will be ringfenced away from all other activities and used solely to support local families. 

W hope you can donate

Jim Taylor

Group Scout Leader

To make a one-off donation to the Hardship fund please use the following links:

To make a donation of £20 please click here!

To make a donation of £15 please click here!

To make a donation of £10 please click here!

To make a donation of £5 please click here!

After a lot of thought, we have made the hard decision not to run our Scout Christmas post again this year.  This is the second year in a row that we have had to cancel the event.  It is really important to us all, however, to deliver on a project that helps our whole community on the run-up to Christmas so this year we hope you will help us to support those in the community that is in crisis by helping us to support Exeter Foodbank.

The last eighteen months have been tough for everyone and Exeter Foodbank has been busier than ever.  We plan to organise a mass collection from all 1,000 members of Exeter District Scouts to support families in crisis this Christmas.

To help us, we hope that you will be able to donate two (or more) staple food items from your cupboard to ours!  Next time you are in the Scout Hut you will notice that the Shed at the side of the Scout Hut will have its door open and the light on.  We hope to fill the shelves with the items that the Foodbank says that they are most desperate for, (they can’t accept fresh produce).  We would love to accept your donation as soon as you can but the last date for the food drop-off will be Friday 10th December.

Last year the Exeter Foodbank gave emergency food to 8,537 local people, this, in turn, supported 2,679 children so we will be really grateful for your support!

We hope you will agree that this is a worthy cause.  We all want to have a great Christmas with our own families this year and your support on this will make sure that local families who are struggling financially will also be able to enjoy their Christmas.

Suggested items:

• UHT milk semi skimmed 1L
• Fruit juice long life 1L
• Pasta sauce
• Instant coffee
• Tea bags, (smaller packs)
• Tinned meat
• Tinned fish (tuna)
• Tinned vegetable
• Tinned potatoes
• Tinned fruit
• Noodle/pasta snacks
• Rice 500g
• Sugar
• Sponge puddings
• Custard cartons/tins
• Jams & Spreads
• Rice pudding
• Fruit squash
• Biscuits
• Toiletries ( e.g. loo roll, sanitary itmes, shower gel, shampoo, deodorant & toothpaste)

We have been without a Group Manager (sometimes referred to as a Group Scout Leader – GSL) for a while now, this role is the lynch pin of the Group, and although as a Leadership team we have been able to get by, we would love to find someone to take the helm.

Working with the Executive, the Leaders and District to ensure that a balanced programme is provided in a safe environment. A Group Manager doesn’t need previous Scouting experience, more useful is the ability to effectively manage a team along with good communication and stakeholder management skills. We are a progressive Group and embrace the use of IT to make all our lives easier, so someone who is happy to be plugged in to the group chatter and emails is ideal.  There is no set time commitment but a couple of hours a week doing admin or attending meetings isn’t unusual, there’s no limit to how many hours you can choose to spend Scouting! There is no upper age limit, but you do have to be over 18.

Full training in Policies, Organisation and Rules is provided and you’ll be supported by section leaders who have over 100 years of Scouting experience between them! 

If you might be interested then have a read of the   Scout Association Job Description

To find out more, then contact Clare on 07981 252812 , email [email protected]   find us on Facebook or Twitter @2ndExeterScouts or through our website http://www.exeterscouts.co.uk/contact/ 

If being Group Manager isn’t for you but you feel you’d like to join the Group supporting the young people more directly or join the team behind the scenes, whether you can give up an evening a month or only weekends, 2nd Exeter supports the saying many hands makes light work!

We are looking for a new Group Secretary as our current one needs to step down due to family commitments.  The role involves answering emails, typing termly Executive Committee agendas and minutes, producing termly newsletters and helping to organise Group events.  This takes on average 1 – 2 hours per week and is vital as a charitable organisation.  Please can anyone interested in finding out more email [email protected] 

Even if you aren’t able to take on this role, you can help by letting others know about it,  maybe you know someone who might be interested.

No experience in Scouting necessary, but a level of computer literacy is required.