Hampshire Scouts Annual Report Year ending: December 2020 Published: July 2021
Inside this report... 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35
Building on our work for young people Scouts remained a 'force for good' during a tough year Always listening to the voices of young people An insight into the fun from our Beaver Scouts Reflecting on the brilliance of our Cub Scouts A busy year for our Scout section Fun-filled year for Hampshire's Explorer Scouts Providing skills for life with Top Awards New ways of delivering adult training We'll never stop changing lives in the community Keeping the smiles of young people in hospital Here's to the events to come at Ferny Crofts Discussing our past and its impact on everyone Telling our stories to more people than ever Twenty Twenty, what a year! Volunteering. It's good for you.
This publication has been produced by the Media and Communications (Perception) Team for Hampshire Scouts, registered charity number 1015788. While every care is taken to proofread this publication, inaccuracies may still arise. We reserve the right to publish and edit any reports. Designed and edited by Sam Poole. Contributors and proofreaders: Martin Rudd, Paul Bell, Martin Mackey, Thomas Orsbourne, Michael Doncom, Lucy Morris, and Oli Bills. All Hampshire images within this publication were in accordance to Covid-19 guidelines. All Scout Brand Centre images were captured pre-pandemic. Cover credit: Dave Jenkins at Ferny Crofts Mud Run 2020.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 3
"Our leaders and supporters have been amazing as they have tried to keep our young people enthused about Scouts and I would like to express my sincere thanks." Paul Bell Hampshire Scouts Chair
There's plenty going on to build on our work for young people
Paul Bell is the Hampshire Scouts Chair. You can contact Paul at paul.bell@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY PAUL BELL This time last year we were three months into Covid-19, we had already had one lockdown and Scouting was at a Red level where face-to-face meetings were banned and our leaders were battling to keep their sections open using online programs. At that time none of us thought just how long this would continue for, but since we have moved from Red to Amber, where small groups can meet outside, then we were plunged back into Red when the number of cases increased again. It has been a really tough year, around the county we have had various international and domestic trips postponed and then eventually cancelled. Our leaders and supporters have been amazing as they have tried to keep our young people enthused about Scouts and I would like to express my sincere thanks to them all.
Paul Bell
We have swapped meeting face-toface, with evenings sat looking at people in their little square boxes on Microsoft Teams or Zoom. After celebrating the largest percentage increase in our members at the 2020 Census, this year our numbers were reduced across the board. The two sections at either end of our age spectrum seem to have suffered the most. This year I sincerely hope that those members that have found online Scouts to be a challenge, both young and old, will find that when we can meet again, you are more than welcome back to share this amazing pastime with us. I would like to thank the team around me, Tom Bell as my Deputy Chair is fantastic, he is so enthusiastic and a constant support for Scouts in Hampshire and I am really grateful to have him as my Deputy. This is the last year for our County Treasurer Anthony Gosden, he is regretfully stepping down at this AGM, he has been a source of sound advice to myself and the wider Scout community in Hampshire and we have been really lucky to have him with us while finances all around us have been challenged.
James Redfearn has joined the team both as County Secretary and as the new County Operations Manager, while we gave that post a trial. It is great having James on board, he continues to be a fantastic manager for our team in County Office. Thanks must also go to our County Commissioner (lead volunteer) Martin Mackey, he works incredibly hard as the figurehead of Scouts in Hampshire, he does a fantastic job. Last but not least, I would like to thank all of the Trustees on the County Board of Trustees. It is great to listen to your points of view and hopefully you feel that you have always been respected. All around the county there are Trustees that work at a District or Group level, many thanks to you all for the time that you give to the young people around the county. As the restrictions gradually lift I am hoping that we can slowly return to normal. Over the Summer, or maybe soon after, we will all be able to return to the amazing activities that were the reason the young people join us.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 5
"To be a Scout in 2020 was one of the most unusual and toughest experiences of our lifetimes but through the Herculean efforts of our adult volunteers and young people, we will #Bounceback in 2021." Martin Mackey County Commissioner (Lead Volunteer Manager), Hampshire Scouts
Scouts remained a 'force for good' throughout a tough year
Martin Mackey is the County Commissioner for Hampshire Scouts You can contact Martin at martin.mackey@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY MARTIN MACKEY What a difference a year makes. At the end of 2019 we celebrated a year full of amazing activities and the news that Hampshire Scouts had more adults and young people than ever before. Then, on 17th March 2020, Covid-19 took over all of our lives and Scouting, as we knew it, came to a halt. However, we are nothing if not resilient and it wasn’t long before Scouting was back in a variety of new forms be it online or through the post. One only needed to see the smiles on the faces of our Scouts on Zoom and on the few occasions we were able to get back to face-to-face Scouting to know what an impact we were making. We remained a force for good providing support, adventure and challenge for young people throughout the pandemic which we’re hugely proud of. To provide our young people
Martin Mackey
with new ways of Scouting, our adult volunteers showed ingenuity, agility and leadership in ways that few had tried before. At the county level we ran webinars and online training to support our volunteers not only in Hampshire, but more widely across the country. We also ran some major events online which attracted thousands of people. We held all our meetings online including, for the first time ever, our AGM. AGMs across the county saw more people attend than have ever done when held face-to-face. We hope to take much of what we learned in 2020 forward into the future because, whilst it was not all good, it was also not all bad. I was incredibly proud at how many of our volunteers were recognised for their amazing work. A record number were awarded Commissioner’s Commendations with other volunteers receiving special awards during our ‘volunteer’s week’ and for being our ‘heroes’. Plus, the national roll of honour published in March 2021, saw more adult volunteers than ever in Hampshire receive Good Service
Awards throughout 2020 including a bumper number earning the very highest ones: six Silver Wolfs, seven Bars to the Silver Acorn and eight Silver Acorns. This year’s census showed an expected drop in the adults and young people actively Scouting in Hampshire but we remained the largest Scouting county in the UK. For 2021, we’ve set ourselves an incredible challenge which is to recover our numbers back to where they were last year (26,004) through our #Bounceback campaign. It will focus on encouraging those who left during the pandemic to rejoin, to retain our current members and, using all the tools available to us, to recruit even more new adults and young people. This will take a huge effort, but we’re confident that we have the ability to achieve that. To be a Scout in 2020 was one of the most unusual and toughest experiences of our lifetimes but through the Herculean efforts of our adult volunteers and young people, we will #Bounceback in 2021.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 7
"We’re committed to young people making decisions being as much a part of their Scouting journey as camping. We’re still working towards that..." Peter Marcus County Youth Commissioner, Hampshire Scouts
The voice of young people will always be at the heart of Scouts
Peter Marcus is the County Youth Commissioner for Hampshire Scouts. You can contact Peter at peter.marcus@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY PETER MARCUS The start of 2020 saw the way we work change, but our focus on making sure young people get to shape their Scouting journey was as strong as ever. We were forced to cancel our April Youth Council weekend, where we provide young people with the opportunity to voice their ideas about Scouts in Hampshire, but we didn’t let that stop us from making a difference. I turned my attention to supporting our team of District Youth Commissioners, they're the people responsible for youth-shaped Scouting within their area, and they adapted brilliantly to delivering Youth Shaped Scouting virtually via Zoom. It wasn’t until November that our Youth Council met and, after a long break between events, it was great to get everyone on screen together as we were joined by the Police and Crime
Peter Marcus
Commissioner’s Youth Commissioner who gave us an insight into their work, and former Deputy UK Youth Commissioner Jay Thompson who explored the importance of looking after our mental wellbeing – especially during lockdowns. The team of young people working to support Team Hampshire threw themselves into supporting various events as two of our elected youth representatives, Daniel Cooper and Haydn Allen, helped organise the County’s online campfire and St George’s Day celebration, while our third elected youth representative Joseph Dawson worked alongside our County Digital team to move Scouting online. All three of them also agreed to extend their term advising our County Board of Trustees for which I am eternally grateful. Our work to increase the number of District Youth Commissioners continues. We started the year with 15 DYCs and three deputies and ended it on 18 DYCs and four deputies. I’m confident that when I come to look back on 2021 we’ll once again see that number increase.
December saw my deputy Megan Bailey stand down to focus on university. We ask Youth Commissioners to take on an important role at a time in their lives which is full of changes and I am thankful to Megan for all the support and friendship she gave me during her 19 months in role. Throughout this year, as we’ve been focused on making sure Scouts is still there to support young people throughout Hampshire, our commitment to giving those young people a voice has been renewed. Last year I told you that we’re committed to young people making decisions being as much a part of their Scouting journey as camping. We’re still working towards that and I know that as we look ahead to the upcoming launch of a national You Shape Award, Hampshire is still at the forefront of empowering young people to make decisions about their time in Scouts.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 9
Programme "It was great seeing participants across the county join in and help us raise £775 for charity in these uncertain times." Michael Collins Assistant County Commissioner, Beaver Scouts
Picture: Michael Collins The Beaver Scouts section is open to young people between the ages of 6 and 8-years-old. Go to hampshirescouts.org.uk/beavers for information. This section forms part of the Hampshire Scouts Programme Team, led by our Deputy County Commissioner for Programme, Teresa Ginn.
Teresa Ginn
Teddy bears picnic, county camp and more for Beaver Scouts
Michael Collins is the Volunteer Manager for Beaver Scouts in Hampshire. You can contact Michael at michael.collins@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY MICHAEL COLLINS
After the highs of 2019 with our second County Camp, visits and picnics, we were planning to do the same for 2020. But, for obvious reasons, we couldn't. A return to 4 Kingdoms was planned, as was the excitement of a new land at Paultons Park and another set of picnics so that Beaver Scouts across the county could meet up for fun and games. Little did we know how much would change. In the spring we all quickly had to adapt to a new virtual way of doing things. It was great seeing the colonies rise to this challenge. Potentially, it was more novel for our younger members than it was for the older sections who were using online calls for school.
Michael Collins
Colonies and Districts had virtual meetings and sleepovers, and many joined in with the national Great Indoors Weekender for a synchronised sleepover at home. The Hampshire Beaver Scouts team didn’t want to let go of any of our inperson events until it was clear they weren’t possible. In previous years we had a local option for our participation in Murray Parish Trust’s Ginormous Teddy Bears Picnic so we quickly decided that rather than our normal large scale offering we would make this into a virtual event, while being mindful not to make it a pandemic themed event. It was great seeing participants across the county join in and help us raise £775 for the charity in these uncertain times. As we reached late summer, a sense of normality started to return with faceto-face activities being permitted, albeit they felt a little different to before with social distancing and other precautions. It was great to see the enthusiasm from leaders across the district submitting their risk assessments and
meeting outdoors initially. It was also great to see virtual Beaver Scouting continuing which was important when further restrictions came back and we ended the year with another uncertain time ahead. While I have seen far fewer Beaver Scouts in 2020 than I usually would, it has been encouraging to see how both they and their leaders have adapted to the challenges we had. I'm immensely proud to say that, whether Beaver Scouts met virtually or face-to-face, their activities continued throughout 2020 and, thanks to our volunteers, young people continued to have fun.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 11
"The highlight of the year was the appointment of Simon Mainwaring, our new lead volunteer for Cub Scouts, and team members Sean Reeves and Cam Beale, who joined sole team member Thelma Bishop-Young." Cub Scout Support Team
The Cub Scouts section is open to young people between the ages of 8 and 10-years-old. Go to hampshirescouts.org.uk/cubs for information.
Adult volunteers continue to do brilliant things for Cub Scouts
Simon Mainwaring is the Volunteer Manager for Cub Scouts in Hampshire. You can contact Simon at simon.mainwaring@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY CUB SCOUT SUPPORT TEAM
January saw our last face-to-face lead volunteers meeting and plans were put into place for a Cub Skills Swap Shop for September 2020, a presentation on Online Scout Manager and the district dashboard and the search for the next Hampshire Assistant County Commissioner – Cub Scout Section. Unfortunately, face to face activities had to be put on hold. It was a challenging year for everyone, but the leaders took the bull by the horns and welcomed the new virtual world. Most packs have managed to provide excellent activities (stargazing, cooking, craft activities, martial arts, guest speakers, to name but a few) and completed hundreds of badges. Leaders have also engaged with The Scouts and Hampshire Scouts organised events – The Great Indoors Challenges, Race Around the World, Jamboree on the Internet and and the Hampshire Camping Challenge. The County Support Team have kept leaders up-to-date with all the changes, along with providing a social distance games compendium and ran programme swap shops.
Thanks go to all the leaders and helpers who have adapted their events/activities in these thoughtprovoking times, also to all the cubs who have embraced the changes. The highlight of the year was the appointment of the next Assistant County Commissioner, Simon Mainwaring, and team members – Sean Reeves and Cam Beale , who joined sole team member Thelma BishopYoung. Simon was a Beaver, Cub, Scout, Venture Scout and Young Leader. He was part of the team that set up Network Section in Greater London South West. In 2007 he got married, moved to Waterlooville and joined the local Cub Pack. In 2018 he received the Medal of Merit. Now after more than 3 decades in the movement and in his 20th Anniversary as a CSL, he decided he wanted to give back more. Cam joined as a Beaver Scout and enjoyed his time in Cubs, Scouts and as a Young Leader. He became the Assistant Group Scout Leader, then Assistant District Commissioner Cubs (amongst a few other roles).
In his working life, he is a teacher in Winchester, and has a wide skill set when working with young people. Sean joined the Scouts when he was a young person and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects. He became a Cub Scout Leader in 2018 and, for him, that’s when the real adventure and fun of Scouting began. Working as a Solicitor he has a wide skill set and faces difficult situations on a daily basis.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 13
"We started running a series of virtual events in partnership with the communications team to bring together Scouts virtually from across Hampshire." Scout Support Team
The Scout section is open to young people between the ages of 10 and 14-years-old. Go to hampshirescouts.org.uk/scouts for information.
Speaking up, camping challenge, virtual fun, and new website
You can contact the team who manage the Scouts section for Hampshire at programme@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY SCOUT SUPPORT TEAM Scouts kicked-off 2020 on a high note with Hampshire Scouts taking part in Scouts Speak Up training at Lyon’s Copse to learn how to tell their own Scouting stories, both inside and outside Scouting. Basingstoke Gang Show spotlighted the performance skills of Scouts and Guides with another spectacular show. Young Leaders learnt more practical skills for leading Scouts, Cubs and Beavers at the popular Young Leader Rally at Runways End. Then the lockdown came, and Scouts hungry for outdoor adventures were instead confined to their own homes. It wasn’t easy to adjust, but step-bystep Scouts and their leaders adopted video conferencing technologies such as Zoom to bring Scouts back together in their families’ kitchens. Virtual programme ideas started appearing, both from Gilwell and from other Scout Troops, and new activities opened up which Scouts could do alone, from cooking to keep fit to the performing arts. The Hampshire Camping Challenge was launched – a badge to encourage young people to #campathome – either
outdoors in gardens or indoors in a pop-up tent. This continued the trend that BadenPowell started nearly 100 years ago at his home at Pax Hill in Bentley by sleeping out on the balcony! Scouts needed to log at least nine nights camping at home to achieve the badge. In parallel, we started running a series of virtual events in partnership with the communications team to bring together Scouts virtually from across Hampshire. Starting with a virtual St George’s Day Celebration and then leading to a virtual Big Campfire and a virtual Remembrance Day, these events were led by Explorers, Scouts, Cubs and Beavers and reached thousands of young people, parents and leaders across Hampshire through livestreaming. More virtual programme ideas were launched by Gilwell and adopted in Hampshire, including the Great Indoors Badge, and the Race around the World fundraising. We held virtual meetings for Scout Leaders to share their ideas, and
launched a new webpage at scouts.hampshirescouts.org.uk to promote ideas for the Scout section in Hampshire. As 2020 drew to a close and another wave of the pandemic triggered a further lockdown, the appearance of effective vaccines offered hope for a way out of the crisis - and enabled us all to look forwards to simple pleasures once again in 2021 like burning sausages on a campfire, getting lost on a hike, and humouring the Scout Leaders when they perform their favourite campfire songs.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 15
"We launched the ‘Virtual Kudu’ a series of ten challenges which included running an online fitness class, building a trebuchet, packing a rucksack blindfolded and more..." Andy Chatwin Assistant County Commissioner, Explore Scouts
The Explorer Scout section is open to young people between the ages of 14 and 17-years-old. Go to hampshirescouts.org.uk/explorers for more.
A fun-filled year for Hampshire's Explorer Scouts section
Andy Chatwin is the Volunteer Manager for Explorer Scouts in Hampshire. You can contact Andy at andy.chatwin@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY ANDY CHATWIN
This year was a different, but busy year for the Explorer Scout Section. As soon as face-to-face Scouting stopped, the team worked together to come up with a number of things to keep Explorer Scouting going online which included the creation of an ‘Explorer Scouting at home hub’ where ideas could be shared which ranged from virtual escape rooms to what3words challenges and scavenger hunts to popular gameshows which could be run online. The Camping Challenge which challenges young people to camp one night every month during the year became the #CampAtHome challenge, adapted by some of our young people and extended to all sections - we managed to get an amazing 1,200 people achieving the badge with well in excess of 10,000 nights camped overall. This was helped by two virtual camps run via Zoom for the Explorer Section with quizzes and challenges such as the best ‘tech in a tent’ and most unique camping place - which
included sleeping in a Kayak, Roof box and a Wheelie Bin! The Kudu night hike was unable to take place, first postponed in January by Storm Desmond and then by COVID19 - but that wasn’t going to stop us. We launched the ‘Virtual Kudu’ - a series of ten challenges which included running an online fitness class, building a trebuchet, packing a rucksack blindfolded and taking the best forced perspective photographs (for example a person in a boot). Well done to New Forest North Cerberus who won the competition and to Michael Doncom, an Explorer Scout who coordinated the event. Young Leaders are Explorer Scouts who help with the Beaver, Cub and Scout sections of which we have over 700 across the County supporting the younger sections. A vital part of support for this is Young Leader training, which also moved online, training an amazing 260 Young Leaders who completed an amazing 1,844 modules - thanks to
Steven Osborn, Aidan House and Michael Doncom for helping deliver this amazing programme. We managed to run our 2020 Young Leader Rally at Runway’s End in Farnborough which included developmental workshops on the themes of community, inclusion, transition to adult scouting and adventure, along with various on-site adventurous activities. All of this, as always, organised and ran by Young Leaders for Young Leaders in keeping with our commitment to youth shaped scouting.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 17
"Working with our Top Award Ambassadors we launched a Virtual Expedition Training programme online to allow young people to prepare for their expeditions." Mike Baxter Assistant County Commissioner, Top Awards
Top Awards continue to provide young people with skills for life
Mike Baxter is the Volunteer Manager for Top Awards in Hampshire. You can contact Mike at mike.baxter@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY MIKE BAXTER
This year was a different year for Top Awards - but COVID19 was not going to stop us - far from it! The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award launched #DofEWithADifference which saw some adaptations to requirements to allow the award to be continued at home. We ran several online workshops to help both leaders and participants understand how they could adapt their programme to complete their awards during this challenging time. Young people continued their volunteering at home - organising evenings for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts online; helping mentor siblings with their educational work; doing virtual volunteering - for example mapping parts of the world via Missing Maps and counting penguins via Zooniverse and supporting the most vulnerable in their community due to the pandemic. The physical section continued to be done at home whether doing couch to 5km, the press up challenge or just walking or cycling locally. The skill section saw lots of skills learnt online from music to money
management and from first aid to nuclear physics! We still managed to achieve a fantastic 103 Bronze, 56 Silver and 30 Gold awards along with 109 Certificates of Achievement for people who completed their volunteering, skill and physical sections along with 6 Queen’s Scout Awards, the highest award in Scouting. Working with our Top Award Ambassadors we launched a Virtual Expedition Training programme online to allow young people to prepare for their expeditions. Towards the end of the year, we were able to restart our Expeditions using the ‘stay at home’ option, travelling home overnight and returning the following morning. One group of Scouts completed the amazing challenge of walking the 100 miles of the South Downs Way for their Gold Expedition over six days hiking about 25 and 30km per day! Thanks must go to all the Explorer
and Scout Network Leaders, District Advisers, County Advisers, Assessors who have continued to adapt and support awards online. We look forward to catching up on all our face to face elements of the awards next year!
Explorers start small but think big, always challenging themselves to do more and be more. It all starts with an award. Learn about the awards here: scouts.org.uk/explorers/awards/ Master something you love, or try something shiny and new. If it spurs you on or stirs your interest, we’ve probably got a badge for it. Explore the various Explorer Scout activity badges here: scouts.org.uk/explorers/activity-badges/
hampshirescouts.org.uk 19
"To our surprise courses were oversubscribed and we needed to bring in more and more facilitators to feed the demand." Donna Kerrigan Hampshire Scouts Training Manager, Deputy County Commissioner for Adult Support
New ways of delivering adult training to Scout volunteers
Donna Kerrigan is the Deputy County Commissioner for Adult Support. You can contact Donna at donna.kerrigan@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY DONNA KERRIGAN The year 2020 started out full of promise. The training calendar had a full complement of training courses on offer to Hampshire adult leaders. January was, as usual a quiet month but during February we went into full swing with a residential weekend in the North of the county, Courses for Training Advisers and plans for the March Multi modules weekend and another residential opportunity at Ferny Crofts. Little did we know that these would be our last face to face meetings for well over a year. We postponed our Manager training due at the end of March hoping to resume in the Autumn! Did the training team hang up their flip charts and rest? Absolutely not, they rose to the challenge and immediately started
Donna Kerrigan
planning to deliver modules on line, through Zoom. How quickly we became experts in the use of Zoom (although we all still get caught out on Mute occasionally). Each module required rewriting to allow for interactive tasks in break out rooms, a tech team (Andy Chatwin, Peter Turner and Steven Osborne, soon to be joined by Darren Reed) was needed to coordinate this, trainers had to learn to deliver good quality learning without the usual clues of body language etc. Every delivery needed a rehearsal. To our surprise courses were oversubscribed and we needed to bring in more and more facilitators to feed the demand. We were also delivering learning to adults across the UK and in Guernsey. We had regular participants from Scotland and Wales in addition to many other counties. Hampshire, once again, was leading the way. When we realised that we were not going to be able to meet face to face for some time we rewrote the Manager and Supporter training to be delivered via Zoom.
This was particularly challenging and praise must go to Julie Mair and Andy Chatwin who led on this. We have delivered Skills of Management, Achieving Growth and Meeting the Challenges a number of times now and our material has been shared across the region (and country) for use by others. First Aid training was being revised by HQ and Mike Baxter led the way in Hampshire. Many counties started using our online courses so when HQ produced theirs a plea went out to allow people to continue to use the Hampshire version. HQ listened and it is a great compliment that the course is being used by so many. Well done Mike. Last year I said I had nothing but praise, pride and profound thanks for the team. I can’t top that but they have truly shown themselves to be creative, innovative and experts in delivering great quality learning experiences whatever life throws at them.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 21
People "It is through the ‘local Scout groups’ the community role really stands out and last year the spirit of Scouting has lived on..." Martin Rudd Deputy County Commissioner (Deputy Lead Volunteer) Hampshire Scouts
The Scouts will never stop changing lives in the community BY MARTIN RUDD During 2020 many of the larger county led activities were postponed until we could meet in person again. It is through the ‘local Scout groups’ the community role really stands out and last year the spirit of Scouting has lived on, so as well as a couple of updates, I shout out below about a few of the great community activities that I know about that have supported local communities in 2020. Hampshire Scouts in Hospitals (HSIH) – There is a full report on this wonderful Scouting outreach activity which I have the privilege of looking after, later in this report. Update on Hampshire Young People’s Emergency Response (HYPER) – We were just getting ready for the ‘formal launch’ of this ground breaking joint initiative in March 2020 when Covid hit us, so we now wait until the threat is well over and there are less calls on our colleagues in the
Martin Rudd
Police & Fire Brigade to revitalise this project and move it on. Hampshire Youth Network (HYN): This organisation is moving forward slowly, again due to the restrictions in 2020, however we are looking at several events in 2021 and also for new young people to join the HYN Steering/Action Group. ‘Shouting out’ for a few local community support events that took place in 2020 initiated by Scouts Groups/Sections: 12th Winchester Group: They supplied drinks, snacks, wash kit and moisturiser to every ward in Winchester hospital that dealt with COVID for circa 10 weeks at the hight of the hospitalisations. 29th Southampton City: The 29th’s Cubs collected food for the food bank and for The Trussell Trust which one of their Cub Leaders volunteers at. The Cubs dropped off boxes of food to her door-step and then the leader has been taking them in with her, to distribute along with the other donations to people who require support. (Note this initiative is still going strong). Waterlooville District: Attenborough Explorer Scout Unit together with 1st Clanfield Scouts did a reverse advent calendar in January called "love your
Martin Rudd is the Deputy County Commissioner for Hampshire Scouts. You can contact Martin at martin.rudd@hampshirescouts.org.uk
neighbourhood" where they collected one item every day during January, delivered them to the Scout HQ so that they could be quarantined before handing over to the Horndean and Clanfield foodbank. Denmead Scout Group: This Group usually run a Santa round the Village to raise funds for local charities. They still managed to run this under covid restrictions but without stopping and collected £300 using JustGiving - It definitely cheered everyone up while under tier 4! 1st Chandlers Ford: The Group put together a ‘holiday meals support package’ and cooked lunch at their HQ during school holidays for those young people and families who found the non-provision of school meals hitting their pockets. These are not the only Districts, Groups or Section who rose to the challenge as all good Scouts do during a time of need. Our Scout motto has always been ‘Be Prepared’ and we were and everything else that we did was a testament to our Scouting Values. We believe Scouting changes lives, which is why it is important for every young person in Hampshire to have this opportunity.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 23
"July we started weekly online meetings for young patients at Southampton. These have provided a great way to distract young patients from the restrictions." Sara Sullivan Volunteer Manager, Hampshire Scouts in Hospitals
Picture: Sara Sullivan A young hospital patient engaging with Hampshire Scouts in Hospitals activities
Keeping smiles on the faces of young people in hospital
Sara Sullivan is the Volunteer Manager for Hampshire Scouts in Hospitals. You can contact Sara at hospitalscouts@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY SARA SULLIVAN We started 2020 in usual fashion with fortnightly meetings at Southampton Children’s Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital. We were also planning our school holiday activity sessions at Naomi House and Jack’s Place. Of course all of this came to a halt. Since we couldn’t go into hospitals we had to find ways to get scouting activities to young patients. We were lucky to be able to retrieve our activity bags from Southampton and had a large amount of donated craft materials stored off the hospital site. From these we were able to put together activity packs to donate to hospitals, basics banks and local carers groups over the following months. We loaded activity sheets onto our Facebook page and shared with other groups across Hampshire and beyond.
Sara Sullivan
Our Facebook membership grew by 90 over the first four months. Our leaders also had fun in contributing to a necker throw video. We made contacts with other hospital scout groups in the UK and shared our activities around the world including a group in New Zealand. We also supported the Hampshire Big Camp Out and the Big Camp Fire. In July we started weekly online meetings for young patients at Southampton. These have provided a great way to distract young patients from the restrictions. Since October we have also provided online activities for groups at Naomi House. Amongst our many activities we have made paper planes, had a virtual Army Museum visit, created straw gliders, completed mindful doodles, had live ducks and alpaca “visits”, learnt map symbols and made the ever popular wooden spoon catapults. All the materials needed have been supplied to the hospital in advance.
The online team was drawn from across the whole of our group so for the first time leaders from all our hospital teams have been able to host activities together. So there have been some advantages to online meetings! By the end of 2020 we had donated over 400 activity packs to hospitals and community groups across Hampshire. We have also decided to continue producing these packs when we are back face-to-face so that we can leave them with patients who might not be well enough to participate on the evening. We are always looking for more volunteers to join us so if you are interested please get in touch with the team.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 25
"But then came the event that changed everyone’s perspective of Ferny Crofts, the first Ferny Crofts Mud Run!" Kerie Wallace Assistant County Commissioner, Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre
Picture: Dave Jenkins Ferny Crofts Mud Run 2020
The grass is lush and the wood supply is plentiful at Ferny Crofts
Kerie Wallace is the Volunteer Manager for Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre. You can contact Kerie at kerie.wallace@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY KERIE WALLACE Well the year, 2020, started full of plans, expectations and an outlook for business, fun, experiences and adventure, second to none, so what happened, Covid-19 happened, that’s what. Which of course meant that our plans had to change. The first three months of 2020 saw things pretty much as normal, the usual band of hardy campers making full use of the Ferny Crofts woods and activity. But then came the event that changed everyone’s perspective of Ferny Crofts, the first Ferny Crofts Mud Run! Of course we are aware that over the year’s many people have come to fear the mud of Ferny Crofts, inches deep in their camp sites is no fun, but this event took Ferny Crofts mud to a whole new level. A fiendish near two mile course was devised which took in the Adventure
Kerie Wallace
Course, the Zip Wire Drainage Ditch, the Cargo Net Submergence, the Tyre Hopscotch, the Timber Sleeper Balance, the Rafting Pond Dip and finished off with the Colour Scene Paint Bombing. In all over 280 competitors, some just happy to have completed one lap, but others choosing to go round again, absolute madness. This event will be back in 2021, but expect it to be bigger, muddier and more challenging! After March everything changed, we were closed, we were open, and then we were closed again, Covid-19 did its best to put a ‘tent peg in our works’, but we overcame and still provided some great Scouting experiences. Whenever we could we opened for Scouting to come to Ferny Crofts to enjoy the fantastic socially distanced open spaces and activities, some modifications were needed, but the usual Ferny Crofts fun was had by all. Camping was going to be a challenge, but for the first time ever we opened up the site for leaders and their families to camp as a family household group.
We reduced the site capacity from 550 to 125, and so everyone had their own exclusive spot on the site, and to top it all off, the summer weather was on its best behaviour. With Ferny Crofts having a significantly reduced use in 2020 came the benefit of the whole site having a rest, so the grass is now lush, the wood supply is plentiful and the Campsite Staff are refreshed, so bring on 2021, we are ready to welcome you back.
Ferny Crofts is a 31 acre outdoor activty centre and campsite located in the heart of the New Forest, open to Scouts, Guides, Schools and Youth Groups. For more information about the centre, go to: fernycrofts.org.uk
hampshirescouts.org.uk 27
"We have been having regular Zoom meetings to exchange lockdown experiences and discuss new ideas as to how the centre will look in the future." Brian Calver Volunteer Manager, Hampshire Scouts Heritage
Picture: Michael Doncom Ferny Crofts Heritage Centre
Discussing our past and its impact on young people and adults too
Brian Calver is the Volunteer Manager for Hampshire Scouts Heritage. You can contact Brian at heritage@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY BRIAN CALVER With the virus problem since March we have not met as a unit, however things have carried on behind the scenes, members of the team have been in contact by phone sometimes as a social call, other times with questions etc. Members have been on the lookout for any local problems that they may be able to help with, such as shopping and one member was collecting a number of news papers everyday for locals. We have purchased 3 more Mannequins for the centre from Beales of Poole at a very good price. 2 members visited Ferny Crofts to take back uniforms and scarves that have been washed, ironed and packed in large poly bags for storage at the centre, also gifted storage containers, some rope and other items. During the lockdown I have had a number of Hampshire related items passed on to me from the Dorset Scout museum who have been sorting many
paper records from many years ago, one particular item was a letter from the County Commissioner of Hampshire 1918 asking Scouts and Senior Scouts to help with the war effort by assisting to guard the coasts of Britain and other ways by which they could help. These will of course be added to our collection after Ken Sherman has added any information to the county archives. We have been having regular Zoom meetings to exchange lockdown experiences and discuss new ideas as to how the centre will look in the future. These have been very useful, and of late we have started to plan our return to opening up the centre. After May 17th we are intending to prepare for reopening the centre, but we will have a lot of work to carry out plus any changes that are required for Covid rules.
Have you ever wondered what Scouts in the past wore, thought or did? Founded by Robert BadenPowell as a method of teaching young people skills for life through a programme of outdoor activities, adventure and fun. Today more than 450,000 young people aged 6 – 25 years take part in Scouting in the UK. Through an exciting programme of activities, from kayaking to coding, we help girls and boys develop the practical, employability and character skills they need to succeed in life. This is made possible by the efforts of over 150,000 adult volunteers. The story of the Movement’s development from a pilot camp in 1907 to a global membership of over 40million scouts is captured in The Scouts Heritage Collection. Learn more at heritage.scouts.org.uk
Brian Calver
hampshirescouts.org.uk 29
Perception "From radio interviews to newspaper features, video content to pictures of the ongoing adventure, and one virtual event after the next, I am bursting with pride for all that was achieved in 2020." Sam Poole Assistant County Commissioner, Media & Communications (Perception)
Picture: Chloe Foster Being interviewed at BBC Radio Solent
More people than ever before are engaged with Scout stories
Sam Poole is the Volunteer Manager for Media & Comms (Perception). You can contact Sam at communications@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY SAM POOLE The brilliant work of Hampshire Scouts has been exposed to more people than ever before – and my superb team are just getting started. From radio interviews to newspaper features, video content, to pictures of the ongoing adventure, and one virtual event after the next, I am bursting with pride for all that was achieved in 2020. As volunteers, what the media and communications (perception) team have completed within their time is truly incredible. For me, it’s surprising to think I’ve only been managing the team since the beginning of the year, but it’s humbling to have dedicated volunteers who just make great things happen. Kicking off January with a team planning and vision weekend allowed the group to a build strong foundation for what we strive to achieve within the coming years.
Sam Poole
Ultimately, there are two core functions to my team; to support our members with media and comms, and to deliver on excellent content which promotes the vibrancy of Scouts. Current members of the team Steven Osborn and Ethan Rose took on lead roles to support me with implementing our plans to improve on all-thingsmedia and communications within Hampshire Scouts. Ethan is responsible for internal communications for Hampshire Scouts and oversees our members’ website, regular email updates and Facebook groups among many other things. While Steven coordinates anything relative to media training and awareness, such as our young spokespeople course, Scouts Speak Up, as well as our Adult Media Workshops and webinars series. As we’re talking about training events, we’ve engaged with hundreds of young people and adults in the last 12 months who now feel empowered to tell their Scout stories. Currently I’m still managing all the external communications, so it’s my job to deal with news organisations and anything which is produced for nonScout members.
Together, with an exemplary pool of volunteers, we’re truly achieving more than expected and I’m encouraged for what’s to come. In February, BBC Radio Solent engaged with us to interview Chloe Foster who was labelled as ‘Hampshire’s Super Scout’ – Chloe was the first young person in the county to ever achieve every single Top Award available within the Scouts. March saw the Ferny Crofts Mud Run too. Wow – what an event! I’ll leave it at that, but the video and photos from the day were excellent. Thanks to Scout Content for their help then too. And then over the course of a few months, we had virtual events; Hampshire Scouts Big Campfire, St George’s Day Celebrations, Thank You to our Heroes and more. There's too much to share in the progressive year 2020 was - no matter the obstacles which we all have been facing - so I'm confident I've missed so much. But for now, thank you to all involved and thanks for being a force for good.
hampshirescouts.org.uk 31
"Not since the Second World War have we been as relevant to the communities we serve as right now." Steven Osborn Volunteer Manager for Training and Awareness, Media & Communications (Perception)
Twenty Twenty, what a year full of activities that are good for you
Steven Osborn is a volunteer on the Media & Comms (Perception) team. You can contact Steven at communications@hampshirescouts.org.uk
BY STEVEN OSBORN We've said it before, and we'll say it again... the Scouts truly change young lives. There were plenty of challenges for both our young people and adult volunteers, but what a superb 2020 we had! Thank you’s have been a powerful currency during the past year, one we’ll never forget. When the world got turned upside down, you were there to keep the spirit of Scouting alive. Every activity, every zoom session, every badge was a mental health lifeline to one of our Scouts. None of us could have predicted 2020 and all the challenges it would bring. Together we rose to the challenge, delivered those skills for life in whatever way we could and made the memories our young people desperately needed. You’ve been amazing but now we need to rise to our next challenge and if we get it right, it’ll change the lives of thousands more young people across Hampshire.
Together we know that Scouting has a huge impact on every member, and that volunteering is good for you; from career prospects to being connected to a bigger family all working on the same goal. We now need to convince others of that. Every new adult we entice, every volunteer we encourage back and every place filled means another young person earning those needed skills, the emotional connection, and the friends that we’ve all been lacking this past year. Not since the Second World War have we been as relevant to the communities we serve as right now. Tomorrow has yet to be written so here’s to the next chapter in our story, one where we bounce back and reach out from a firm footing. Year TWENTY TWENTY will go down in our history. Who can tell what the next year will bring?
You look like a role model. Volunteer with the Scouts in your community today. Steven Osborn
Visit hampshirescouts.org.uk/volunteer
hampshirescouts.org.uk 33
Volunteering. It's #GoodForYou. All our activities are run by volunteers, who might join us because they want to: Try something new Make friends Spend time with their children – or gain experience with young people Do something good for their community and themselves Keep their bodies and brains active and happy – whether that's by scaling mountains, sharing skills or serving tea All end up making a huge difference to young people's lives – gifting them with skills for life, and learning a whole
lot about themselves along the way. Martin Mackey, lead volunteer for Hampshire Scouts says he is optimistic we'll pick up on volunteer numbers and, as a result, engage with more young people again. He said: "Despite Scouting shifting to online, this could not replace the fantastic adventure and challenge that young people gain from meeting up both indoors and outdoors. "Added to that are the many pressures that people have and continue to experience as we emerge from this pandemic. "It has meant young people have lost
out on so much in the past year and our membership numbers show how many were unable to continue with Scouts due to lockdown. "Now that we have returned to proper scouting, although with some Covid-19 restrictions still in place, the good news is that we are seeing young people coming back and in large numbers, so we need more people to help us ensure young people can meet friends, have fun and fulfil their potential by learning skills for life. "That’s why today we’re calling on people to volunteer with us." scouts.org.uk/join
hampshirescouts.org.uk 35
info@hampshirescouts.org.uk County Office: 02380 847 847 Charity Number: 1015788