1st Fressingfield Scout Troop

1st Fressingfield Scout Group.
c/o The Old Forge,
New Street,
Fressingfield,
IP21 5PG.
Tel: 01379 586243
Mob: 07908 262623
Email: andrew.aaldersdunthorne@talk21.com
REPORT to the Parish Council 2015.
Thank you for the opportunity to share the great work of the 1st Fressingfield Scout Group.
Membership:
1st Fressingfield Scout Group has consolidated its position as the largest single provider of youth
provision in the area with a stable memberhip of 150 at the beginning of April 2015. This is a slight
decline on the 2014 figure which was 155. This decline in membership is the first we have seen in four
years and is due to the fact that we are not seeking new members while our Headquarters
accommadation problems are unresolved.
Over the financial year 2014/2015 the 1st Fressingfield Scout Group generated an income slightly over
£37 000 and had expenditure of almost £31 000. A surplus on the year, this includes the fundraising
that the Group is currently engaged in for the HQ development fund and our Explorer Belt 2016 Kenyan
Expedition.
Breakdown of the membership figures are as follows:
Beavers
Cubs (2 packs)
Scouts (2 troops)
Leaders/network
Explorers
Sub total
Executive
Grand total
2015
18
19
46
26
23
132
18
150
Achievements:
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Over 800 activity and staged badges have been awarded to all sections, from pet care to motor
sports, first aid to swimming and Outdoor challenge to hobby collector – to name just a few.
300+ people attended our Gala ‘Evening with Simon Weston’ that raised over £1000 for our
HQ development fund.
We have a new archery instructor team (2 trained leaders).
Explorer Scout Team retained the District ‘Big Toe’ Endurance Hike.
Scout Troop team won the District Swimming Championship.
Member of 1st Fressinfield won the County ‘best sailor’ at the 2014 Water Activities Weekend
on the Norfolk Broads – we beat the County’s Sea Scout Group!!
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St George’s Day service held in Fressingfield Parish Church
Just a few of our recent activities (in addition to our weekly meetings):
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Beavers (6-8 year olds): Participated in two Beaver activity days at Attlebourgh, held a
Christingle in Fressingfield Church and had a talk from the local Police.
Cubs (8-10 year olds): Visited Red Feather Club, been climbing at Stowmarket.
Adventurers (10-14 year olds): Summer camp in Oxfordshire, Big Toe endurance hike, Lawn
bowls session with the Fressingfield club, supported the local church in a spring clean session.
Pioneers (10-14 year olds): Summer camp in Oxfordshire, Pioneering activity day, supported
Hoxne Village Clean.
Explorers (14-18 year olds): Leadership Development training, summer camp in Oxfordshire,
Outward bound activity weekend, motorsports, gliding, paintballing, Big Toe endurance hike,
hosted a curry night for Explorers from across the District, participation in the Duke of
Edinburgh Award scheme and a fantastic week long expedition to Iceland.
Our Group Camp at Thorpe Woodlands – saw May Bank Holiday fun for almost 90 members
for the weekend.
Over 100 uniformed members attended the Fressingfield Remembrance Service in November.
With Fressingfield Scouts also supporting services in Hoxne, Mendham and Horham.
As a Group have clocked up over 300 ‘nights away’.
Continued to strengthen our links with the Fressingfield & District RBL through a number of
joint events.
Leadership Development and training weekend at Thornham Walks.
Challenge and opportunity ahead:
While the Scout Group continues to flourish and develop at the heart of our community, the ongoing
saga about seeking a fit for purpose and safe accommodation to enable the Group to continue to grow
and develop – is of significant concern. Our current HQ at the Goodwin Hall is literally bursting at the
seams with young people and equipment. Our need for a new HQ has never been greater – while we
have an offer of almost an acre of land in Fressingfield and a planning application is being discussed
with planners currently progress is painfully slow. The Scout Group has paid in excess of £2500 in
professional fees this year and we are not much further forward than where we were a year ago. I fully
appreciate the sensitivities around development in rural communities – but if a new home hasn’t been
delivered for the 1st Fressingfield Scout Group by this winter we are in the real position of needing to
split our effective family group up by needing to find alternate meeting places for our different
sections. This would be a significant step back for the Group.
With every challenge there is comes an opportunity – and scouting has never been so much in the
forefront of people’s minds at the moment. I hope that although not all may agree with proposal to
date the whole community does recognise and support the considerable good that having a thriving
Scout Group generates and also understand that to do nothing is not an option.
As ever I am immensely proud of the sterling work that the young people and all the volunteer adults
do to make your Scout Group the best by far in the area. I trust that the community shares my passion
to deliver effective, safe and exciting youth provision for our young people.
Report prepared by Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, Group Scout Leader.
19/04/15