Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages. Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our website may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please Contact Us to answer your query directly.

Financial

How much will it cost?

All members of the Scout Group pay a regular subscription to cover membership fees, group running costs and the majority of activities. Full details of the current subscriptions are detailed in our Group Subscriptions page.

The other costs incurred are for trips, camps and occasional activities that members take part in. We believe that costs should not be a barrier to anyone taking part in Scouting. If you feel this is an issue, you can speak with one of our Leaders in confidence.

If you are a UK taxpayer we will ask you if you would be willing to complete a Gift Aid form enabling us to reclaim money back from the Inland Revenue.

How is the Scout Group funded?

The majority of the costs for running the Scout Group are met through the subscriptions paid by the section members each term. These cover the normal costs of running weekly meetings, paying for our headquarters and meeting the membership fees for the Scout Association. Where additional activities are run by the sections such as visits or camps, these are charged at cost to each attendee.

Other, less regular, expenditure such as new camping equipment or repairs to the headquarters are met by funds from the group raised by letting the hall to other users and other fundraising activities such as running the food stall at the village fireworks display.

Do the Leaders and Helpers get a salary?

No they do not. The Scouting Association is a registered charity and everyone involved as a Leader or Helper gives their time voluntarily to Scouting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages. Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our website may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please Contact Us to answer your query directly.

Joining the Group

Who can join the Scout Group?

The 1st Cheddington is open to both boys and girls aged from 6 to 14 from Cheddington and the surrounding area. The Beaver section is open to boys and girls aged 6 to 8 years, Cubs 8 to 10½ years and Scouts 10½ to 14 years.

Do you admit girls?

All sections are open to girls and boys.

Is the Group open to all faiths and do you attend Church Parades?

The Group (and the Scout Association as a whole) is open to young people of all faiths and backgrounds. All members are encouraged to develop their own faith as part of our progressive programme. We are not linked to any church and so do not take part in regular church parades. We do, however, participate in the annual Remembrance Day service in the village which is traditionally held in one of the two village churches.

At what age can my child join?

We have various sections for young people aged between 6 and 14. Beaver Scouts are for ages 6 to 8. Cub Scouts are aged 8 to 10½ and Scouts from aged 10½ to 14. After this there is an Explorer UNit linked to the group for ages 14 to 18. Subject to room being available, a young person may join at any stage - e.g. you do not have to have been a Beaver Scout to become a Cub Scout etc.

How can I guarantee my child gets in?

The simple answer is you can't; the 1st Cheddington is a hugely popular group with a lengthy waiting list. To give your child the best chance, it is advisable to get on the waiting list as soon as possible. Most of the young people who join Beavers at age 6 stay with the group through the sections and this severely limits the number of places open for new members in the Cub section at age 8, and the Scout section at age 10½, as we guarantee all members a place in the next section.

Can my child join a section without starting at Beavers?

Although the vast majority of members come directly from our Beaver Coloniy or Cub Pack, there are occasionally places available to new members. These places are offered to people on our waiting list.

How does my child join Beavers, Cubs or Scouts?

Joining is easy, just let us have your child's details using the Joining Form and we will add them to the waiting list. If the waiting list is empty then they will be able to join straight away; we will let you know and they will be able to come along to a meeting night and be introduced into Scouting. If there are no spaces currently then your details will be held on the waiting list and we will let you know when your child can join.

What happens after the joining form is completed?

After completing the joining form, it will be emailed to the Scout Group and added to our waiting list. We try to contact you by telephone or email within a week of submitting your details but sometimes things happen so if you have been waiting for a long time please contact us.

In what order do people join off the waiting list?

Generally we take the young people off the waiting list in the order their details were put on the list providing they have reached the age required to join the section. However, we reserve the right to modify this order when circumstances are appropriate such as giving priority to siblings of existing section members or children of leaders. Please see our Membership Policy for details.

Why is there a waiting list?

Put simply, the 1st Cheddington is a very popular group and each section has a limit on the number of children we can accept, due to the number of leaders and physical room / health and safety.

Will my child enjoy being a member?

We hope that your child will enjoy becoming a member of our Scout Group. Children are welcome to come to a few meetings before they decide whether Scouting is for them. This will give them time to make friends and find out what we do. They do not need to purchase a uniform until they are ready to be invested which is normally after four or five weeks. This means you will not have to outlay any money only to find after a couple of weeks they are no longer interested.

What is the minimum age I can sign my child up from?

The Beaver Scouts are the youngest members of the Scout Association which caters for children aged between six and eight. Your child must therefore be six years old in order to join the Scout Group.
You can however register your child's interest in joining our Scout Group at any time. We can then contact you when your child is nearing their sixth birthday to see if they are still eager to join and hence start the arrangements for their first visit to the Beaver Colony.

Do we have to live close to the meeting location?

The simple answer to this is no. At the end of the day as long as it’s convenient for all concerned it does not matter where you live. In practice, the majority of our members live in Cheddington itself or one of the surrounding villages.

What if we live far away from the meeting location?

If you feel that you live too far from our meeting location, or it is inconvenient to attend 1st Cheddington Scout Group, we can put you in touch with another Scout Group that is more convenient to you.

What will my child need when joining?

Nothing is required for the first few meetings until your child decides they would like to continue attending; this gives your child the opportunity to decide whether Scouting is for them before you make any outlay. Once your child decides to be invested then full uniform will be required. All the badges, the scarf and a woggle are supplied by the group as part of the investiture ceremony.

Handbooks are also available for all sections; please see the relevant section leader for details.

It is also likely that some more specialist equipment will be required for particular activities e.g. sleeping bag for camps. These are not needed immediately and full details will be given by your Section Leader at the time.

Is the uniform compulsory?

The Scout Association is a uniformed organisation - in practical terms this means that all Beaver and Cub Scouts should possess the relevant sweatshirt and Scouts a shirt. The scarves and woggles are provided by the Group. Children need not wear uniform in their first few weeks whilst they decide if they wish to join permanently so there is no need to rush out and buy anything until you are certain that they wish to join.

Where can we buy the uniform from?

The best place to buy uniform is our District Scout shop at Weston Turville. Full details can be found here.

Uniform can also be purchased from a number of local suppliers. Full details can be found on our information page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages. Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our website may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please Contact Us to answer your query directly.

Meetings and Activities

When do you meet and how often?

Normally all sections meet once a week during term time.
Beavers meet on Mondays or Thursday evenings, Cubs on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, Scouts on Friday evenings and Explorers on Monday evenings.

Where do you meet?

All sections normally meet at our Scout Headquarters in Station Road, Cheddington. Occasionally meetings will be held at various other locations, but you will be notified of these well in advance.

What do you do?

The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Internationally, we have over 28 million young people enjoying the benefits of Scouting across 218 countries.

In practical terms this means providing a range of indoor and outdoor activities for young people which encourage them to have fun. This can be anything from learning to light a fire to cooking to playing games to craft activities.

Cubs and Scouts are given the opportunity to go camping where the traditional aspects of Scouting such as campfire songs are mixed with a whole range of physical activities such as climbing, walking, games and archery to name but a few.

Will my child be insured when on Scouting activities?

Yes, all members of the Scout Association are covered under a Personal Accident and Medical Expenses Policy.

Who are the Leaders?

All leaders are volunteers and many of them have been scouts themselves or are parents of existing Scouts. Full details of our leader team are available here. They are all vetted by the Scout Association. Subject to the relevant child protection checks, anyone can be a leader. You simply need to enjoy helping young people. Full guidance and training is provided. If you are interested in being a leader please Contact Us.

How can I help?

Parents can always provide valuable help for the group in all sorts of ways. These include:

• Parents rota, to provide occasional help at weekly meetings
• Support activities such as helping a leader with an administrative task or organising an particular activity
• Maintenance activities for our headquarters such as helping on the grass cutting rota
• Helping with weekly meetings, outdoor activities or fundraising events etc.
• Assistant Leaders, uniformed to help out with meeting nights and camps etc.
• Executive Committee Members, to help out with fundraising ideas etc.

Please contact the Group Scout Leader if you think you can help.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages. Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our website may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please Contact Us to answer your query directly.

Miscellaneous

How do I become a member of the website?

For security reasons, certain information on this website is restricted to registered members only. To obtain an account, please use the 'Create an account' link on the left hand side of the home page. Once you have completed your details, a link will be sent to your email address for you to verify this is correct and then an administrator will enable the account. Please note that this could take a couple of days. You can contact the administrator of the website at any time.

What's the Law and Promise?

The relevant Law and Promise for your section can be found under ‘Information’ in your section’s area of the website

How can I become a leader?

The group always welcomes offers of help from adults (18 and over). You would normally start by helping out on a regular basis and build up experience and responsibility over time. All leaders and helpers are subject to CRB checks and checked for suitability before being allowed to be alone with young people. The Scout Association also offer training for all positions. If you are seriously considering becoming a leader or have been a leader with another group then please Contact Us.

What does the scout executive committee do?

The scout executive committee is made up of a mixture of leaders and parents who meet regularly to plan fundraising activities for the group and organise group events. They oversee the allocation of group funds, maintain all group equipment and organise fundraising events. An AGM is held every year to which all parents are invited during which the officers are elected and the financial audit presented. The executive committee would welcome any parent wishing to join at any time.

My question has not been answered

If you still have a question that has not been answered here, please ask us using the Contact Us form.