The 172nd Derby Scout Group is one of several groups that cover the South side of Derby where the Moorways centre is located. This September will be our 30th anniversary so we are quite a new group.
Scouting itself was founded 116 years ago out of concerns over the health and wellbeing of young people. The same concerns exist today and as a result, our objectives have never changed. We are here to help young people to grow up to be the best they can be. In modern parlance, we are a self-help organisation.
Unlike most youth groups Scouting is not focused on a single activity or on any specific group of children who have specific needs or interests. We are here for all, boys, and girls whatever their ability or background may be. Our membership requirement is they must want to be part of what we do, and we ask them all to promise to “do my best.”
We are a voluntary organisation, and in normal times, we do not receive funding from national or local governments. Like all voluntary organisations, we are always on the lookout for out for help. For example, we have spent the last several years working with the Woodland Trust on our Hippo Wood project. This is a plan to put a new community building in a local woodland. We have the land, and a design for a building (thanks to Derby University) and we are currently looking for help to develop the project to the application phase.
The money we collect from the car parking has given us a wonderful and much-needed opportunity to raise funds to support our group. This money has been used to replace worn-out camping equipment. For example, last year’s event allowed us to replace 6 of our tents. These are the ones typically used by Cubs on their summer camps and by the Scouts when they go on their annual winter camp in January.
Having the opportunity to help at this event is the ideal for us in many ways. We get the chance to be part of this amazing sporting weekend and to meet with people from all over the UK. It gives the Scouts a chance to experience something they would not otherwise ever see. They end the weekend with a sense of achievement, and we will all have learned some new skills and experiences to take forward.
D R Thompson
SGL. 172 Derby Scouts