Subscriptions and Fees
Everyone should be able to join the fun and challenge of scouting. We don’t want any young people to miss out due to the cost. We aim to keep our subscription fees and the cost of camps and other special events as low as possible. However, if you’re concerned about the cost, please speak to a section leader in confidence; we can provide assistance from our fundraising reserves for those who need it.
Subscriptions
We charge a fee of £49 per term for all sections except Explorer Scouts, who pay a little less. We pass some of this fee on to the Scout Association, where it pays for the national scout headquarters and for scouting organisations at District (Esher) and County (Surrey) level, who organise events and activities in which our young people take part. The remainder is used to cover:
- rental of the church hall
- fees for use of other meeting places, such as Walton Firs and Polyapes scout camp sites
- insurance of our people and property
- public liability insurance
- costs of materials and resources for our weekly meetings
- cost of badges earned for activities and challenges
All of our leaders, helpers and officers are unpaid volunteers. Major equipment purchases, such as vehicles and camping equipment, are paid for primarily out of our fundraising efforts.
Subscription fees are due at the start of each term. All payments are made through the Online Scout Manager (OSM) system, using the GoCardless payments to transfer money from your bank account. You will receive advance notice of any payment request, and payments are only taken if approved by you.
Investiture Fees
When a young person joins a new section (for example, moving on from Beavers to Cubs) after a few weeks of settling in, they will be invested into the section. They will make or renew their scout promise and will receive a scarf (necker) and a woggle, along with District and Group badges for their uniform. They also receive a booklet that describes all the badges they can earn in their new section, and the tasks that must be completed, at our meetings and events, at home, or at other venues, to be awarded with a badge.
To cover these costs, we charge an investiture fee, of either £15 or £25 depending on section. In some sections, this also covers the cost of issuing “scruff kit” T-shirts or fleeces.
Events
For day camps, nights away camping and some off-site events we have to charge a fee to cover our costs. These might range from £5-10 for an evening boat trip, through £25-50 for a day camp, to £200-300 for a week-long expedition camp. We do not want anyone to miss out because of the cost, so please talk to the section leader in confidence if you have concerns; we may be able to provide assistance from our fundraising reserves for those who need it.
Uniform
Young people must wear the uniform appropriate to each section, either a jumper or a shirt, onto which any badges they earn will be sewn. This should be complemented with suitable dark blue shorts or activity trousers. The uniform shirts and jumpers can be obtained online or from local suppliers.
Some secondhand uniform may, from time to time, be available. If you’re looking for secondhand kit, we suggest you ask around using the parents’ WhatsApp chat group for the section, or make contact directly with a section leader or a parent admin helper for the section.
Scruff Kit
When we’re out on camp or spending the evening doing something messy, and we don’t want to get our uniforms dirty, we wear a “scruff kit” of a bright scarlet red T-shirt, fleece or hoodie. It is particularly helpful when we’re at a District or County event, with other scout groups, to be able to immediately identify our young people and uniformed leaders by their scarlet tops!
Until now, we have maintained a stock of scruff kit printed with the group name and scout logo. We issue scruff kit to young people when they join the group, or move to a new section, with the cost covered by the investiture fee. In future, we will ask parents to obtain a plain, bright red T-shirt, fleece or hoodie, and we will provide a 1st Weston Green badge to sew or stick onto it. For now, we still have stock for some sizes of scruff kit, and we will continue to issue these until we run out.