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The adults that run 1st Lower Morden are called Scouters. They give up their time to support the aims of the Scout Association and to look after our young people.

They do not get paid for this and they use up their annual leave to take the older sections away on camp.

All leaders are required to undertake training or learning appropriate to their role. This training normally takes place in their own time; the vast majority of our Leaders also have full-time jobs and family commitments.

Section Leaders are responsible to our Group Lead Volunteer who, in turn, is responsible to the District Lead Volunteer for the Wimbledon and Wandle District.

If you have any queries or concerns please contact your child’s Section Leader, or if they are not available the Group Lead Volunteer (David Williams).

When Do Our Sections Meet

Each of our Sections meets once a week, during term time. However, there are often occasions when there will be additional meetings, such as days out, camps, and fundraising events, for example Jumble Sales and 20p Fairs.

• Explorers Monday 7:30 pm – 9:30pm
• Beavers Tuesday 5:45 pm – 6:45pm
• Cubs Tuesday 7:00 pm – 8:30pm
• Scouts Thursday 7:30 pm – 9:00pm

What Do Our Members Need?

For the first few meetings, your child needs nothing to enjoy the experience of Scouting. We recommend that they do not wear their Sunday Best to the meetings, as their clothes may get a little dirty.

If, after a few weeks, normally half a term, they want to continue attending, the Section Leader will let you know and you will need to buy a uniform so that they can then be invested into the Group and the Family of Scouting.

What Will It Cost?

1st Lower Morden charges subscriptions to cover the running costs of the group, rent, electricity, running our minibus, replacing our equipment and many more things. It does not cover our Leaders’ wages, as we are all volunteers. We charge £40 per term for the first child, and £30 per term for each sibling.

If you are a UK Tax Payer, we can use Gift Aid to claim back 25p in the pound from the Government for your subscriptions and any donations that you may make. Please ask your child’s Section Leader if you have not yet completed one.

There will be additional charges for things such as camps, special events or outings, and you will receive a letter informing you of such beforehand.
The Explorer Unit is not part of the Group and you should contact the Explorer leadership team to discuss costs etc. Please see the Explorer section for contact details.

Dietary & Medical Information

It is important that you let your child’s Section Leader know of any medical condition that your child may have, or any medication that they may take.

You should also inform them of any special dietary needs, or food allergies they may suffer from. We often include food items within the programme, and if, for example, your child has an allergy to, or intolerance of, Gluten, we will ensure that we do not use any wheat products, or provide a Gluten free alternative.

It is of particular importance that we know of any medical or dietary needs if your child goes on camp, so that arrangements can be made to cater for them.

Child Protection

It is the policy of the Scout Association to safeguard the welfare of all members by protecting them from physical, sexual, and emotional harm. The Scout Association takes all reasonable steps to ensure that, through relevant procedures and training, members and adults taking part in Scout activities do so in a safe environment.

Parental Permission

By enrolling your child in the group, you have given permission for your child to take part in Scout activities during the normal meeting time. However, when your child becomes a member of our Group, in addition to providing the usual personal information, you will also be asked to provide permission for your child to take part in activities that may take place away from the Scout HQ, such as camps, days trips, swimming galas etc.

In addition, you will also be asked to give permission for your child’s image to appear in any newsletters, newspaper articles and on Scouting websites, such as this. In order to protect your child, we undertake never to associate a name with a picture and, unless the article so merits, never to use anything other than their first names.
Your permission is sometimes needed for specific events, camps and activities that may take place at a different place or time. You will be asked to complete a separate parental consent form in such circumstances.

Support Your Child

The Scout Association encourages you to support your child’s involvement in Scouting activities:

• Please ensure that you deliver and collect your child at the appropriate times and place, as advised by the Section Leader. Always check that an adult leader has arrived before leaving your child. Please tell the Section Leader if someone different from usual will be collecting them. Members are never left unsupervised, but if you are persistently late, the Section Leader may ask you to make other safe arrangements for collection.
• Our members wear uniforms to distinguish themselves and to make themselves clearly visible. The wearing of our uniform also serves to instil a sense of pride in the Group and Scouting in general, as well as showing their individual achievements in the form of badges. Because of this, please ensure, unless advised to the contrary by the Section Leader, that your child wears full uniform (including top, scarf and woggle) to each meeting and that footwear is black in colour (all black trainers are acceptable) and clean. It is acceptable to bring a change of clothing and footwear for games and outdoor activities.
• Please ensure that you return forms and payment on time. If you have difficulties completing forms or making payments then please speak in confidence to the Section Leader.
• Please ensure that you inform the Section Leader of any change in the family situation that is likely to affect your child’s behaviour. It is not necessary to give details. All information will be treated in confidence.

ALL of the above and more can be found in our Parent, Child & Leader Contract. It’s a leaflet that is intended to help your child/children get the most out of Scouting and to establish a partnership between our Scout Group, the adult volunteers & leaders and the parent & guardians of the children in the Group. The Contract can be found under the Members’ Resources tab or by clicking on the link below. We strongly recommend that you download a copy and familiarize yourself with the contents.

1st Lower Morden – PCL Contract version 2024