Parents

Scout Group Running Costs

Running a Scout Group is a costly business. The costs include:

• Building and Contents Insurance
• Building Maintenance
• Utilities
• Fire Safety Equipment and Maintenance
• Minibus Insurance, Road Tax, MOT and Repairs
• Capitation Fees (including Insurance) to the Scout Headquarters in London
• Funding / Subsidising Activities and Camps
• Equipment - new and replacements

These costs soon add up and total nearly £10,000 per year. The Subscription Fees that we charge only amount to approximately 50% of these costs so we have to find the other 50% somewhere. We attempt to do this by Fund Raising events but we are restricted in what we can achieve by 2 factors. Firstly, the Committee needs non-Regular Volunteers and secondly, as parents lifestyles change, traditional methods of fund raising are getting supported less and less. We therefore, urge all parents and carers to reverse this trend and support their children by joining the Committee and actively taking part in all Fund Raising activities.


An alternative to organising Fund Raising events would be to raise Subscription Fees. With a Group of approximately 55 members, an increase of £1 per month would raise an extra approximate £600 towards our shortfall.

Subscription Fees

Subscription Fees are to be paid by Calendar Monthly (including August) Standing Order.

If there is some reason that you cannot pay by Standing Order please talk to your Child's Section Regular Volunteers.

To pay Subs by Standing Order you need to know the following:



To enable us to allocate monies received to the correct child's account, please can we ask that you:


Please ask the Regular Volunteers of your child's Section for details of the current Monthly amount or ask us via the Contact Us page. One of the Committee members will provide you with the information that you require.

Subscription Fees (or any other money that we get) DO NOT get paid to any of the Regular Volunteers or Committee members. They are all volunteers who have to cover their own expenses.

Parent's FAQs
Click on the question to see the answer.

How can my child benefit from joining Scouts?
What are my responsibilities as a Parent or Carer of a Squirrel/Beaver/Cub/Scout?
We're moving to a new area, can I transfer my child to a new Scout Group?
My child is moving up a section; what do I need to do to help them prepare.
Is my child insured?
How much does it cost to send my child to Scouts?
What do Squirrels/Beavers/Cubs/Scouts wear and where can I buy it?
Where do the badges go?
Why is there a waiting list?

If the answer to your question is not on this page please contact the relevant section Regular Volunteers as indicated on the relevant page of this site or click here to go to the Contact Form. The email account is monitored on a daily basis.


How can my child benefit from joining Scouts?
In an independent survey of over 2,000 parents of Scouts, nine out of ten parents said Scouting is worthwhile and nine in ten said that their children find Scouting enjoyable.

As your child progresses through Scouts you should be able to see signs of the impact their Scouting adventure has on them. Parents tell us Scouting gives their children more confidence, responsibility and a broader set of friends. Scouting can help develop your child’s social skills and encourage self-sufficiency, and gives them access to activities and opportunities that may have been otherwise unavailable to them. A huge number of parents agreed that since their child joined Scouting family life was easier and they were ‘nicer children to live with’.


What are my responsibilities as a Parent or Carer of a Squirrel/Beaver/Cub/Scout?
Having a child in the Squirrels/Beavers/Cubs/Scouts isn't just a case of taking your child to the meetings.

Scouting is a totally voluntary organisation. That means that the Regular Volunteers do not get paid a single penny for all the time that they put into Scouting. Most of them have full-time jobs and many of them use some of their employments annual leave to run activities such as camps.

There is no such thing as expenses in Scouting.

Meeting nights take a lot of advance planning, so do the numerous activities that the Regular Volunteers organise.

The end result is that being a Scout Regular Volunteer costs that person not only a lot time, but a lot money as well.

It is the responsibility of ALL Parents and Carers to support the Regular Volunteers by helping them:

Raise money for all the activities and equipment that your child needs to enjoy the comprehensive programmes that the Group has.
Provide transport to activities when requested.
Provide help to look after the children on activities where a ratio of Adults to Children needs to be higher than on meeting nights.
Without your constant support the Group WILL fold.


We're moving to a new area, can I transfer my child to a new Scout Group?
If you're moving to a new area, transferring to a new Scout Group can be great way of helping your child settle in and make friends. You should let your child's current Regular Volunteer know as soon as you can that you're planning to move. When you know where you're moving to, you can contact the local Group directly. Click here to go to the Scout Association's web page that will provide details of Scout Groups in your new area.


My child is moving up a section; what do I need to do to help them prepare.
When the time comes to move up to the next age range, a young person can have mixed feelings: excitement at moving on, sadness at leaving friends behind. Making the transition as smooth as possible goes a long way to helping your child settle into their new section.

First of all you need to check what the process involves with your child’s current Section Regular Volunteer as it can vary locally. You might need to put your child on a waiting list for the next section or, in some cases, it may happen automatically. You should also ask whether the new Section Regular Volunteer will be in touch or if you have to contact them first. Also be aware that meeting time and day will be different in the next section.

If your child has friends in their section that they want to move up with, make sure that the Section Regular Volunteer knows about this so that they can help if possible. This could also be a good opportunity to arrange sharing transport to and from meetings.


Is my child insured?
All young people and adults taking part in Scouting activities are covered by The Scout Association's Insurance Policy.

How much does it cost to send my child to Scouts?
Running a Squirrel Drey/Beaver Colony/Cub Pack/Scout Troop/Scout Group is not cheap.

Most off-site activities are usually charged separately but maintaining the Scout Headquarters and the equipment used during activities costs a lot of money. I’m sure that you realise how much the cost of running your home has gone up in the last few years, well the Scout Group is suffering similar increases. Scout Groups are not like most youth organisations that get money from local councils or other government departments; they are totally independent and totally rely on subscription from parents and fund raising events.

Please contact the relevant Regular Volunteers to find out how much the 166th (Mickleover) Derby Scout Group subs currently are.

Having said all this, cost should not be a barrier to anyone taking part in Scouting and if this is an issue you can speak to the local Section Regular Volunteers or Group Scout Regular Volunteer in confidence.


What do Squirrels/Beavers/Cubs/Scouts wear and where can I buy it?
Each section has its own uniform and all wear the same Necker. Necker colours are unique in each Scouting District. The 166th (Mickleover) Derby Scout Group Necker is Oxford Blue with a Gold trim.

Neckers can be obtained through the Regular Volunteers of the relevant section. The rest of the uniform can be purchased from Derby’s own Scout Shop:

Derby Scout and Guide Headquarters
120 Osmaston Road
Derby
DE1 2RF
01332 372658
Open Mondays and Thursdays 7pm - 9pm only

Or purchased online - There are number of online stores that sell Squirrel / Beaver / Cub / Scout uniforms, but I would recommend a store that is easy to return incorrect sized items, or one of the other shops in Derby that sells them.

It is not necessary to buy your child a uniform before they start their Scouting section. It is recommended that you wait until the child has ‘settled-in’ before getting their uniform. The Regular Volunteers will tell you when the time is right.


Where do the badges go?
The placement of badges on uniform varies between sections. These PDF diagrams will help you:



Why is there a waiting list?
Due to a shortage of Regular Volunteers there are currently 60,000+ young people waiting to join the Scouts in England. Our Group is no exception.

If you feel that you may be able to spare a few hours on a regular or ad-hoc basis, please read the ‘Help’ page of this web site and / or contact any one of the existing Regular Volunteers.