Wedmore Group

Being involved with us is exhilarating. We believe that through the everyday adventure of Scouting, young people and adult volunteers regularly experience new challenges that enrich their lives and meet life long friends. All this is made possible by the efforts of our dedicated team of hard-working voluntary adults. So if you'd like to get involved and volunteer to help us produce and deliver our fun, innovative and varied programmes, we'd welcome you aboard as a member of our leadership team! Download information about our Group

Where to find us

You will find our Scout Den in Combe Lane, off Combe Batch, Wedmore BS28 4DY

Contacts

• Joining the Group - joining- in@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Hut bookings - bookings@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Group Leader - Jacqui Redman- group- leader@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Beavers - Kerry Willcox – beavers@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Tuesday Cubs - Jacqui Redman – pandacubs@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Thursday Cubs - Tony Hall – tigercubs@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Scouts - Mark Darley – scouts@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Group Chair - Rasmus “Ras” Kolind– chair@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Group Secretary - Emily Mulliner – secretary@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Group Treasurer - Gareth Smith – treasurer@wedmorescoutgroup.org.uk • Data Controller - data- controller@wedmoreacoutgroup.org.uk . . . within Moors & Coastal District • District Commissioner - DC- MC@somersetscouts.org.uk • District Explorer Section – moorscoastdesc@aol.com • District website – http://www.moorsandcoastalscouts.org.uk

Membership fees

Running a Scout Group is not that expensive, but there are bills to be paid: the utility and maintenance costs for our Den; the equipment we use on meeting nights and camps, as well as expenses when we go out and – the bane of life in the 21st century – the annual insurance fee! The majority of the group's income comes from subscriptions; however, we also use some of the money raised from hiring our Den and our fundraising activities to subsidise some activities. This additional income helps ensure that young people in our group have the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities.

Subscriptions

We don't usually collect a member's subscription until the young person feels that Scouting is right for them and they are invested in the Group. Then, the combined Group Subscription and Scout Association Annual Membership fee is collected monthly by the Online Scout Manager system that the Group uses - details of this and the My.SCOUT facility will be sent to you when your child joins the Group. The current monthly subscription is £12 - this meets the cost of: • the day-to-day running of the Section that your child is in • the running expenses of Wedmore Scout Group, including the upkeep of the Scout Den and its equipment • support from the Moors & Coastal Scout District and Somerset County Scout Association • the Scout Association's annual membership fee, which includes insurance cover for individuals while on approved Scout activities. The Group may offer financial assistance with subs and other scouting costs if a family is experiencing financial hardship. The Group will consider such circumstances on a case by case basis, and discussions will always be in confidence.

Gift Aid

Parents are encouraged to participate in the Gift Aid Scheme. The Group uses the Online Scout Manager (OSM) to manage this as this allows tax to be reclaimed and used by the Group. A Gift Aid declaration does commit to paying the membership subscription for a set period, and you can cancel it at any time. However, the Group can recover tax from your child's subscriptions by completing a Gift Aid declaration.

How much are the leaders paid

Not a sausage! Well, that's not entirely true – sometimes we do a barbecue, and then the leaders get to eat a saussie or two if they're leftover. Again, the leaders volunteer their time and skills without payment.

Parents’ Annual Presentation Meeting

This meeting is usually held at the Scout Den in June and is often includes entertainment by the Beavers, Cubs or Scouts. The evening incorporates the Group’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which approves the Group’s Annual Report and Accounts and the election of the Group Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer and other members of the Group Executive Committee. If you can bring the experience you have from working in other organisations or business and have an interest in seeing the Group prosper, you are perfectly qualified to join the Executive Committee; or at least, to help in some other way.

Hire our hut

The hut is available for parents and local organisations to hire. It has a well-lit, airy, multi-purpose hall with an integrated modern kitchen. It can accommodate instructional training and general meetings, also keep fit and comparable exercise classes. As well as social get-togethers or family gatherings or birthdays, club meetings, and visiting Scout, Guide and other youth organisations at the weekend.

What do you want to use it for?

Looking after your data

So that we can safely deliver Scouting within the Beaver, Cub, and Scout sections, it needs to hold basic information about our members, their parents or carers, and about its adult volunteers, including the Group Executive, that makes up its membership. The "General Data Protection Regulation" (GDPR) dictate how we must treat this, so our Privacy Notice describes what data we hold and how we use it to provide Scouting. There is a summary of how we do this below.

Membership Records

To help us, please fill out a Young Person Information Form, and hand it to your child's Leader. The Group will also keep details of each member's progress through Scouting (badges gained etc.). The Group uses the 'Online Scout Manager', an internet-based program with the required security levels, to hold these records. Parents have access to these records via the My.SCOUT system, which is how our leaders communicate with parents. It also provides them with various tools and automatic reminders, including: • paying for events and fees • signing up for events • viewing the programme • seeing their child's badge progress • keeping their contact and medical information up to date

Images

Sometimes photographs, digital or video images of Members of Wedmore Scout Group taking part in activities are used within the Scout Group, in District or County Newsletters and websites, are submitted to the local newspapers, or are put on display.

Consent Sheet

Certain information needs your explicit consent to keep, as does taking, storing and using photographs, digital or video images of your child. A Consent Sheet, which gives us the authority to do this, will be given to you when your child joins the Group (download a copy now) - please return the completed sheet to your child's Leader. The way that the Group stores and uses this information is set out in its Privacy Notice. Information held in by the Group may be shared within Scouting, including the Headquarters of the Association. However, we will not pass to third parties outside the Scout Movement any of the information that you provide without your consent.

Our Group’s Story

The Group was re-established in 1993, after being closed for some years - but its history goes back to the early days of Scouting The Troop was first registered in 1919, under the leadership of the Rev. Chisholm, the vicar of St. Mary's Church, Wedmore. In 1928 the Troop is recorded as having one Scout Master (Rev. Chisholm) and two Assistant Scout Masters, with 14 Scouts. The Assistant Scout Masters were Mr H Brown and Mr S Pavey. The Group is mentioned in the Local Association returns in 1932 as having 16 Scouts, two Rover Scouts and two Leaders, but seems to have disappeared some time after 1935, when the picture on the right was taken. It is likely that the Group closed during the period of the 1939 / 45 war. However, it was re-registered in 1947 with the Rev. H C T Morgan, the vicar of St. Mary's Church, as the Group Scout Master and Mr D A Kennewell as Scout Master, together with 12 Scouts. Once again, the Group appears to have closed, as records are not available. In 1965, Mrs Vera Banwell opened a Wolf Cub Pack and was later joined by Judith Hunter and Beryl Higgs as Assistant Cub Masters. In due course, in 1971 a Scout Troop was started under the leadership of Mr G B Daine (Scout Leader) with help from Mr D Johnson as Assistant Scout Leader. The Group continued under various leaders and with varying sections, until part of the hut roof was blown off early in 1990, leaving them without anywhere to meet. By November 1990, there were no active Beaver, Cub or Scout sections and only two serving officers from the Group’s Executive left, so the Group closed for a while. It was subsequently restarted in 1994 when a Beaver Colony was established; followed by a Cub Pack in 1995, then a Scout Troop in 1996. The Beaver Colony later closed in 2000 due to a lack of leaders, and the Cub Pack closed temporarily in 2006, for the same reason; but both are now running again. Work on the hut has continued over the years, and it is now fully fitted out; including the provision of central heating. The final phase involved removing the original timber cladding and replacing it with insulated wall panels, and double glazed windows; then installing an insulated roof. Download a brief history of the Group

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