The group has gone from strength to strength since then, and now has a Beavers section, open to boys and girls aged 6-8 years old, a Cub section from 8-10. We are now working towards opening a Scout section which will be open to boys/girls aged 10-14.
We have some children ready to move up from Cubs then so no matter what it takes, we shall open after the summer so we do not lose the children.
We have secured a lot of camping equipment through grants, as well as recently been given a donation from the Free Masons in Dingwall and local painter and decorator, Mike Bartlett from Strathpeffer.
Our plans for our next fundraiser are well underway, with help from Fairburn Estate who have paid for a children's activity, and sports coaches offering their free time, with Jump for Fun from Dingwall donating the bouncy castles. It should be a great community day with the proceeds going to local groups.
We are very fortunate to have a dedicated and reliable team of volunteers, some with Scouting backgrounds and some who have never been involved in the movement. They have all, to a certain degree, been 'thrown in at the deep end' as the group needed to progress to accommodate the children.
However, the leaders never complain about anything and are always positive. We have found it is a better way of learning for new members as it's a bit like 'on the job training'! You get far more learning out of going along to weekly meetings and getting the feel of how we run, as well as getting the support and information needed from other leaders.
You can enjoy it more as the children all have an infectious enthusiasm for anything we throw at them. I feel it is important that people don't think they will need to sit behind a stack of workbooks learning protocols and legalisation, and doing training that way.
There are experienced leaders throughout this district who run different courses (which they
do not need to attend until they feel they want to). These are on our doorstep, as well as covering a lot of training through weekly meetings/camps/outings.
People sometimes do not want to come forward as they feel they can not offer any skills. I would disagree strongly with this as everyone has something to offer.
Not everyone enjoys outdoor activities. but the sections all cover so many different aspects, such as cooking, arts and crafts, IT, badges, nature, astronomy, first aid, community work, gardening, eco-friendly, knots, sports and general social skills.
We are very pleased as we have not sat and waited for things happening, we keep up the interest to keep our numbers of children up.
There would be no point in lying and saying that Scouting is an hour a week, as it is a commitment, but it only needs to be as long as you make it.
It's the most rewarding organisation I have ever known, watching children exceed their own expectations and gather to have so much fun on a weekly basis. We always remain positive, which rubs off on the children and we hope to find some reliable volunteers to help our group succeed in being relevant.
We are present looking for adult volunteers for this friendly group, who could help organise putting a Scout section together, or to otherwise be involved in the our weekly meetings.
We would also like to see any children from surrounding villages. At the moment we take from Marybank, Strathgarve, Strathconon, Contin and Strathpeffer.
We advise that children interested in Beavers put their names down from age 5 onwards, the Cub section is at the moment full. We would like to hear from interested parties for the new Scouts section.
We currently have 16 Beavers and 16 Cubs.
Any enquiries about becoming a leader, registering or being placed on waiting list, or the new Scout section should be made to Nicki Mackay on 01997 421369.
We are not allowed to say what night nor what times we are on, but we can state it is held in Marybank.
Nicki Mackay, Group Scout Leader
About The Scouts
www.scouts.org.uk
The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Internationally, we have over 28 million young people enjoying the benefits of Scouting across 216 countries. Personal development means promoting the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual well-being of the individual, helping them achieve their full potential. In Scouting, we believe that young people develop most when they are 'learning by doing,' when they are given responsibility, work in teams, take acceptable risks and think for themselves.
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