7th Lichfield Scout Group FAQ
Where do we meet?
Our Scout HQ is in Ash Grove, Lichfield, WS13 6ET
[+ click the image above for a larger version]
How do I join the group?
In the first instance you should contact Cath Babington on 01543 251089 or email waitinglist@7thlichfield.org.uk.
Should my child be in Beavers, Cubs or Scouts?
Beavers is open to Boys and Girls of age 6 to 8
Cubs is open to Boys and Girls of age 8 to 10.5
Scouts is open to Boys and Girls of age 10.5 to 14
What can I do if the waiting list is full?
7th Lichfield is a very popular and successful Scout Group and as such, places in the Group are in high demand. Unfortunately you may have to wait in turn for a place to become available. To ensure a fair system for all, places are offered strictly in the order in which they were placed on the waiting list.
Please mention if you are interested in becoming involved in the leadership of the group. We can always find a place for children who's parents are prepared to help out.
How is 7th Lichfield Scout Group structured?
At 7th Lichfield Scout Group we cater for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. A group of Beavers is referred to as a 'Colony', a group of Cubs is referred to as a 'Pack' and a group of Scouts is referred to as a 'Troop'. Each of these is also referred to as a 'Section' and each has a section name as listed below. Because we have such a large membership we have two sections at each level.
Paget Beaver Colony - Tuesday - 5:15 to 6:15
Brown Beaver Colony - Wednesday - 5:15 to 6:15
Rowallan Cub Pack - Tuesday - 7:00 to 8:30
Maclean Cub Pack - Wednesday - 6:30 to 8:00
Boswell Scout Troop - Monday - 7:30 - to 9:30
Johnson Scout Troop - Thursday - 7:30 to 9:30
The Group Scout Leader leads the Scout Group and has a team of key people to help.
The uniformed Section Leaders each lead their team of assistants and helpers together with the young people in their section. Together they are responsible for the delivery of the programme for the young people who are members.
The 'business' side of the group is managed by a body called the 'Executive' which is led by the Group Chairman. More information on the Executive Committee is available further through this document.
What are the contact details of the group leadership?
Please see here
Where do I buy Neckerchiefs/Uniforms?
The official uniform for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts is available from ‘The Uniform Shop’ on the corner of Lombard Street in Lichfield and also Buxton and Bonnet in the Three Spires Precinct. Uniform neckers (the scarf) are available from your leader for £2.50. Don't buy the neckerchief from the shops in town as they do not have the right colour.
Where do the badges go on my uniform?
Please see the following pictures: [+ click the images below for larger versions]
Beavers
PDF Download: http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/beaver/badges/bsuniform.pdf
Cubs
PDF Download: http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/cub/badges/csuniform.pdf
Scouts
PDF Download: http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/scout/badges/suniform.pdf
Where can I find out more information about badge work?
Beavers - http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/beaver/badges/
Cubs - http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/cub/badges/
Scouts - http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/scout/badges/
What are the Scouting Terms?
We follow the same term dates and holidays as defined by the county schools:
January to Easter is the Spring Term
Easter to July is the Summer Term
September to Christmas is the Autumn Term
We also break for half term during the same weeks as the local schools.
Beavers and Cubs do not attend during school summer, Easter and Christmas holidays. Scouts continue to attend throughout the summer holiday and the Easter holiday but do not attend during the Christmas holiday.
When do I start paying Subscriptions?
Your child's first term in the Group is free of charge. Your child will usually be 'invested' towards the end of their first term. 'Investment' is the ceremony when your child is formally joined into the Group. You will be required to pay subscriptions (subs) from the start of your child's second term with the group.
Because our subs are payable on a quarterly basis, the payment of subs will usually follow this pattern:
Children who join during the Spring Term will start paying subs from 8th April - Q2
Children who join during the Summer Term will start paying subs from 8th October - Q4
Children who join during the Autumn Term will start paying subs from 8th January - Q1
At this time you will be contacted by a representative of the Group Executive who will provide you with the necessary details.
How do I pay my subscriptions?
At 7th Lichfield we expect subscriptions to be made quarterly by Standing Order. When you become eligible to pay subs you will receive a subs pack which will include instructions on how to proceed.
Subs are £27 per child and are paid quarterly on the 8th of January, April, July and October.
What are my subscriptions used for?
You pay £27 subscriptions per quarter which totals £108. £30 of this stays with your child's section and goes towards paying for sectional activities and supplies such as crafts/activity materials, badges and outings. The remaining £78 goes into Group funds and is used to pay for your child's personal insurance and the running costs of the hut such as electricity, water, ground rent and maintenance. In addition to covering the running costs, the Group will usually fund the purchase of larger pieces of equipment, training for leaders and various other expenses.
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a valuable source of Group funds. When you are registered for Gift Aid the Group will receive an extra 28p from the Inland Revenue for every £1 of your subs payment. So for a £27 subs payment, we receive an extra £7.56 and this provides a substantial boost to our funds.
All UK resident taxpayers are eligible for Gift Aid. You will receive a Gift Aid Form along with your subs pack at the end of your child's first term. Please help us by filling this form out and returning it to the Treasurer.
What happens when it is time for my child to move up to the next section?
Your leader will speak to you about this during the term prior to your child’s progression to their next section.
Tuesday Beavers (Paget Colony) usually move up to Tuesday Cubs (Rowallan Pack)
Wednesday Beavers (Brown Colony) usually move up to Wednesday Cubs (MacLean Pack)
Please let your section leader know if you wish to make alternative arrangements.
The move from Cubs to Scouts is less well defined as children will usually have many more commitments by this age which may preclude them from attending any particular night. We do need to balance the numbers between the two Scout troops so occasionally we may only have availability within one of the troops and not the other.
What happens when my child reaches 14?
At the age of 14 your child is eligible to move up to Explorer Scouts. Explorers are run at a district level and have their HQ in Beacon Park, Lichfield. The Explorer Scouts Leader is Nigel Theaker and he can be contacted on 01543 676285 and nigel.theaker@btinternet.com.
What does the Scout Group expect of parents?
Scouting is run by volunteers, and all money for equipment and its maintenance is raised through fundraising, or by obtaining grants. To help us succeed with this, we ask every family within the Group to help at just one of the Group's fundraising events during the year, and to support our fundraising events where possible. Please indicate on the enclosed form which fundraising events you would prefer to help with.
Parents may be asked to help out at their child’s meeting on a rota basis, and to offer their help when needed to undertake activities held outside the hut. Outings require an increased ratio of adults to children for safety and to comply with insurance requirements therefore, if there are not enough helpers, the outing cannot go ahead.
Why must I be CRB checked?
To help safeguard the young people we aim to CRB check all new parents. This ensures peace of mind when parents help with transport, camps, rotas, fundraising etc.
You will find a number of CRB application forms enclosed with this information pack and each parent should complete one of these forms. The form is treated in strict confidence. It will be checked by our CRB coordinator and passed directly to the District CRB administrator for processing.
What do I do if my child has a medical condition you should know about?
You must inform us if your child has any sort of medical condition that may become relevant to his/her time in the Scout Group. You can enter details of the condition on the registration form or you can tell your section leader directly if you would rather. Either way, this information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Please don't try to hide the condition, it may do more harm than good. We strongly believe in equal opportunity for all children and guarantee that your child's condition will not negatively affect the way in which they are treated within the Scout Group.
What do we do in the community?
We are affiliated with St. Michael's Church, Greenhill. All children are invited to the family church service, in uniform, on the second Sunday of each month at St Michael’s Church, Greenhill. We meet at 9.45 and the service finishes at about 11’oclock. There is usually a leader present at the family service who will be able to supervise your children, however that is not always the case. Therefore please assume that your children will be under your own supervision for the service unless you are advised otherwise.
In addition, we take part in two annual parades. The first is the St. Georges Day parade in late April. All children are expected to attend this parade which runs from the Municipal Police building to the Cathedral. The second parade follows the same route and is held on Remembrance Sunday. Your leaders will provide you with further details regarding these parades nearer the time.
Communications and Internet
E-mail is a fast and cost effective way of communicating information throughout the group. All communications from the Group Executive are now carried out via email so it is very important that you provide your leader with your email address at the earliest opportunity.
Your children will still receive paper based letters from their section leaders in addition to emails.
The group has its own website at www.7thlichfield.org.uk Information about Group events and fundraising activities, along with other helpful information can be found on it. We would like you to encourage your child to contribute an occasional article about their scouting experiences.
Once your child has been invested, you will be provided with a username and password so that you can access the 'secure' part of our website. Here you will be able to view an up-to-the-minute termly programme of events for your child's section and lots of media from recent events including photos and videos.
Data Protection
By indicating your agreement and signing the enclosed registration form you are giving the Scout Group your permission to store information about you and your child including any medical information that you tell us about on the registration form.
The information which is held is only that which is essential to the administration of the group and this information will not be disclosed to anyone outside of the movement. The information is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
If you have any questions or concerns with regards to data storage, please contact our Chairman Mike Armstrong using the enclosed contact details.