1st Cropwell Bishop Scout Group

Introductory Guide  

to the

Welcome!

Welcome to the 1^st Cropwell Bishop Cub Scout Pack which meets on Friday evenings at The Memorial Hall, Nottingham Road, Cropwell Bishop.

This guide gives parents & carers some basic information about the Scouting movement and it contains some useful information about where to buy uniform, what to do with badges, etc.  Please keep hold of it for future reference!

A brief history of Cub Scouts

Scouting began in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, held the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island in Dorset.  Baden-Powell (or B-P) wrote the principles of Scouting in Scouting for Boys in 1908 which is now the fourth-bestselling title of all time.

The Boy Scout programme initially focused on boys aged 11 to 18 but it soon became clear that there was a need to cater for younger boys and B-P opened a junior section called Wolf Cubs in 1916 which eventually became the Cubs Scouts in 1967.

B-P was a close friend of the author Rudyard Kipling who gave permission for the use of his Jungle Book theme.  It tells the story of a boy called Mowgli who became a member of a wolf pack.  After more than 90 years, many of our traditions have evolved – but we still use Jungle Book names such as Akela and Baloo for our leaders.  The Grand Howl which signals the start and end of our meetings also has its origins in the Jungle Book.

Cubs became co-educational in 1990 and our membership now includes many girls.

The Scout Movement celebrated it’s centenary in 2007.  It has been estimated that Scouting and Guides (established by Baden-Powell’s sister) now have a combined membership of over 38 million in 216 countries.

What are Cub Scouts about?

The emphasis of Cub Scouting is to have fun and learn at the same time.  A Cub Scout gets satisfaction from meeting challenges, making friends, feeling good about him / herself, and feeling he / she is important to other people.  Cub Scouts learn new things, discover and master new skills, gain self-confidence and develop strong friendships.  Cultivating a love and appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor activities are key elements.

Primary activities include games, camping, woodcraft, first aid, aquatics, hiking and sports.  The Grand Howl is a simple ceremony at the beginning and end of each meeting, which includes raising and saluting the Union Flag.  The pack hierarchy of 'Sixers' and 'Seconders' allows the older Cubs to experience leadership.  The Cubs are expected to make a Promise and follow the Cub Scout Law.

Our Cub Scout Pack

Our pack consists of girls and boys between 8 and 11 years old.  Many of our Cubs join after being members of a Beaver Colony, although others may be completely new to Scouting.  When they are between 10½ and 11 they will move up into the Scout Troop. 

Pack meetings take place (during school term time) at The Memorial Hall, Nottingham Road, Cropwell Bishop, on Friday evenings between 7pm and 8.30pm. The time and venue may vary from time to time to facilitate various activities, in which case parents will be given plenty of notice. We may occasionally organise special events on weekends and during school holidays. 

Please check this website regularly for details of our planned programme of activities and any special requirements.

There is currently no initial joining fee. Please speak to Akela with regard to subscriptions and methods of payment. Tax payers are encouraged to sign up for our Gift Aid Scheme to boost the value of subscriptions.

The Leaders 
 

AKELA

You may recall that ‘Akela’ is the leader of the wolves in the Jungle Book.  Our ‘Akela’ is Chris Roberts. Chris is relatively new to Scouting and started with the group as Assistant Beaver Scout Leader (known as Kestrel). He originally intended to be an occasional helper, was coerced into being a leader by Gaffer but now says he loves every minute (especially the camping). His day job is in the field of renewable energy and he runs the technical design department at the Leicester Head Office of the Mark Group. Chris's son, Sam, is one of our Cub Scouts. 

 
BALOO
Following the Jungle Book theme, our Assistant Leader “Baloo” is Paul Molineaux. Paul is also a father of one of the Cubs and a Scout.  He is an experienced Scouter, having gone right through the movement in his youth and is a newly warranted Assistant Leader. 
 
BAGHEERA
Our Assistant Leader “Bagheera” is Becky Shaw. Becky has over 15 years experience as a leader and previously ran her own pack. 

Parent support is essential to the life of the pack and most parents thoroughly enjoy getting involved.  You will have plenty of opportunity to help out and join in the fun.

In order to have any contact with the Cubs, the Scouting movement requires adults to be CRB checked.  Most of our parents readily agree to have this done at the time when their son / daughter joins.  Without CRB clearance, you will not be permitted to help at meetings or camps.  In order to comply with the Scout Association’s requirements parents will also need to complete an Occasional Helper Form.  Please note that CRB checks which have been done for the benefit of other organisations are not acceptable and you will need to have it done again using one of our forms.  As this process takes several weeks, we would encourage you to have it done now so that we can put you to best use in future!  Forms, therefore, will be available at the first meeting for you to complete.  In order to do this you will need to bring any 2 of the following approved forms of identity:-

·        valid passport

·        current full driving licence

·        birth certificate

·        marriage certificate

·        P45 or P60

For any of you who are willing to get a bit more involved, it will be possible for you to become a regular helper.  This means that you would attend each week and become more involved in the activities and planning.  This is a good way to break yourself in gently if you think you might like to become a warranted leader.

If you have a job or hobby which might be of interest to the Cubs, or have friends / relatives / contacts with such skills, please bring it to the Section Leaders’ attention.  Perhaps you are an amateur astronomer, geologist, football coach, keep exotic pets, own an interesting collection, etc, etc.  Think about the people you know - your network might be able to generate all sorts of interesting activities for the Cubs! 

You can help at home by encouraging your children to practice such things as the promise, the Cub Scout Law and the Cub Scout motto.

Your Cub will need to arrive on time so that they can participate in the Grand Howl at the opening of the meeting.  It is also important that they are collected on time please!

Remember that the Leaders give their time freely.  You can help them by ensuring that reply slips are returned and monies paid promptly please.

Uniform

Please note that Scouting is a uniformed organisation and that members are expected to wear uniform at all times that the Section meets.  However, it is acceptable that new members will be permitted to attend meetings without purchasing full uniform for a maximum of 2 weeks.  Cub Scouts wear a uniform which comprises a dark green sweatshirt, a polo shirt, dark blue activity trousers and a group neckerchief.

Cubs also wear a “woggle” to hold their neckerchief in place.  The colour of the woggle will depend upon which ‘six’ they are in (red, blue, green or yellow).  Both neckerchief and woggle are provided by the Group.  Replacements are available at a small charge.

There are a wide variety of other items of uniform available from outlets, such as caps, belts, coats, fleeces, etc., although these these are not mandatory and may need to be removed during ceremonies.

Your Cub should wear school shoes or black trainers for weekly meetings.  Coloured trainers are not permitted unless specifically notified otherwise.  We try to encourage them (not you) to clean / polish their shoes before meetings and points will be awarded during inspections.

There are many suppliers of Scout uniform, but we recommend for reasons of cost, convenience and range of stock, that you source the uniform through our Group and forms are available from your Section Leader or our Treasuer.  If you purchase your uniform through us, the Group recieves a small loyalty bonus, but the price to you is identitical to the online price through Scout Shops.

Before ordering, we recommend that you view the entire range (and information about sizing) on the Scout Shops website using the following link: http://scoutshops.com

There will be occasions when the Cubs are specifically expected to dress very smartly, for example during flag parades at the parish church (twice yearly), our annual district St George’s Day parade and whilst on parade on Remembrance Sunday.

What to expect

When a Cub first arrives, he/she will be introduced to the other Cubs and assigned to a ‘Six’.  Each ‘Six’ is led by an older/experienced Cub known as a ‘Sixer’.  The pack often work in their six or in larger groups depending upon the activity.  We often have competitions between the Sixes, for example races and each six accumulates points throughout each half term.  The winning Six will be presented with a trophy to share and a treat or prize.

Over the first few weeks the new cub will be introduced to Scouting.  They will be encouraged to think about themselves, about helping others and about the wider world.  It will be explained that the formation of the pack is based upon the original Jungle Book story (not the Disney version).  When the Cub has been through this ‘training’ they will be ready for investiture.  The Cubs family will be invited to watch this simple ceremony and to welcome him/her into the world of Scouting.

Investiture

The investiture usually takes place 4 or 5 weeks after the Cub first started to attend meetings.

The Cub will need to have his / her full uniform before being invested.

The Cub will be asked to recite their Promise and the Cub Scout Law whilst making a special sign with his / her right hand.  Whilst we try to encourage the Cubs to learn the Promise and Law off-by-heart, the Cub should not worry about this part of the ceremony as guidance will be given by the leader. The Cub then makes the traditional left-handed handshake with the Leader.

The Cub will then be given some badges (Membership, Name Tape, County and District badges) to be sewn onto the uniform as shown below.

If the Cub has previously attended Beavers, they will have been given a “Moving On” Badge to be sewn above the Membership Badge.  If they have achieved their Bronze Chief Scout’s Award in Beavers, that needs to be sewn on their right chest.

It is hoped that the Cub will go on to achieve most of the various other badges.

 The Promise

I promise that I will do my best

To do my duty to God and to the Queen

To help other people

And to keep the Cub Scout Law

The Law

Think of others before themselves

And do a good turn every day

The Motto

“Be Prepared”

Our Programme

The Cub Scout programme is based upon “Programme Zones”. Each zone represents a different development area in a young person’s life.  The six programme zones are:-

·        Outdoor & Adventure

·        Fitness

·        Creative

·        Beliefs and Attitudes

·        Community

·        Global

Not all elements of the programme are covered every week, but over time the careful planning done by the leaders will ensure that all aspects are covered.

Sometimes it is not possible to cover everything at normal pack meetings. Often we will go out and about doing such things as map reading, walking or swimming. We also take part in at least one camp per year.

Through the delivery of a balanced programme, and with support from home, the Cub will have the opportunity to gain a wide variety of activity badges and challenge badges.

Please see the Cubs navigation bar for further information about badges.

Our Code of Conduct