News
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380 new members in Clyde help take Scouting’s numbers to highest this century
Author: Gavin Holt | Date: 19-04-2012
Annual census: Scout numbers in Clyde now stand at 7,451
Scottish Scouts membership now stands at 41,261
Growth driven by rise in Beaver Scouts (aged 6-8) – 161 joining in past year
380 new Scouts in the past twelve months in Clyde have helped take the number in the country to its highest this century. The news comes as details of The Scout Association’s annual census are published today.
Scouting in Scotland has grown 4% in the past twelve months, helping take total Scottish membership to 41,261. Total numbers in Clyde now stand at 7,451. This impressive surge in membership - the sixth consecutive year of expansion - has helped cement Scouting’s position as the largest co-educational youth organisation in the country.
A large part of this growth is due to the number of young people in Clyde joining, with 354 young people aged 6-25 signing up in the past year. Nationally, 1400 members aged 6 to 25 have signed up in this period.
The Scout Association believes that the reasons for this growth are twofold.
Firstly, Scouting provides an enormous range of adventures for young people, allowing them to experience the great outdoors. In the UK Members can enjoy more than 200 activities including zorbing, water skiing, abseiling and adventure glider flights.
Secondly, Scouting offers an environment for young people to achieve their full potential as individuals and responsible citizens. When joining up, all Scouts promise to do their best and help other people. These principles are reflected in the range of community work that Scout groups undertake week in-week out.
An independent report unveiled last year showed that Scouting can positively impact both individuals and local communities. For example, 41% of employers say Scouting experience positively influenced their decision to employ job applicants while 40% of voluntary groups surveyed would not be able to get the same amount of work done if Scouts had not been involved.
In keeping with the increasing popularity of Scouting, the charity also has a waiting list of 265 young people across Clyde who would like to participate, and offers flexible volunteering opportunities for adults who would like to help address this while also developing their own skills across a wide range of areas.
Regional Commissioner and lead volunteer in Clyde, Stuart Imrie said "We are thrilled to see that Clyde Region has grown for the fifth consecutive year. We are also pleased that we are growing quicker than the UK and Scottish average. We believe this is due to the focused efforts of our volunteers to grow Scouting in existing communities and to offer it in new places.
We are achieving our goal of spreading the fun, friendship, adventure and personal development opportunities that we offer in Scouting to more young people and adult volunteers.
We are proud that our organisation is producing confident, capable and well-rounded young people and adults while giving opportunities for our older members to develop and increase their own skill sets. We are particularly grateful to our many adult volunteers who make this all possible."
Chief Scout Bear Grylls said "It is so great to see Scout numbers rising in Clyde and a big reason for this is the number of teenagers joining the adventure. More and more young people are realising that Scouting offers them so much - whether it’s the opportunity to go on a big international adventure or the chance to learn and hone vital life skills. There truly is something for everyone in the world of scouting."
1st East Kilbride help plant trees at Auchengillan
Author: Gary Bainbridge | Date: 06-04-2012
More than 60 young people and adults from the 1st East Kilbride Scout Group joined Auchengillan's centre manager Andy to plant trees recently, as part of the Jubileee Woods' Project.
Recent storms have left Auchengillan's woodlands looking a bit bare so Andy was delighted that The Woodland Trust supported the group to plant more than 400 trees that day, in glorious sunshine.
Thanks RBS!
Author: Gary Bainbridge | Date: 06-04-2012
In January of this year, Clyde Regional Scout Council was awarded a £6,275 RBS CommunityForce award, thanks to an enthusiastic voting campaign by you, our adults and young people.
We're pleased to be able to report that thanks to the grant, a number of improvements are now being made at Avondyke (more information to follow!).
In July last year RBS launched CommunityForce, a new initiative to help support local charities, organisations and groups to raise publicity for their work and attract volunteers. The programme also provided the opportunity for three groups in each of our 158 CommunityForce areas to win awards of £6,275 each. Organisations and charities applied for awards during the summer and an on-line public vote then took place to decide which three organisations in each area would receive the awards.
Around 7,000 eligible charities and community projects in the UK applied to take part in CommunityForce and over 450,000 votes were cast.
CommunityForce, which forms part of the bank's Customer Charter, offers organisations more than just financial support. By applying for the awards, local charities and projects became part of a local online network giving them greater visibility and the opportunity to attract volunteers from the local area. RBS staff are also getting involved by volunteering their time and expertise.
Karen Lawrie was recently appointed Local CEO for RBS in South Lanarkshire. Her role is to lead the bank in the local area, helping her branches to deliver the bank's Customer Charter and support the aim of becoming the UK's most helpful bank.
Karen said: 'We've had a fantastic response to CommunityForce and it's clear that people in the local area are passionate about Clyde Regional Scout Council. Residents voted for Clyde Regional Scout Council in great numbers and this certainly demonstrates how important this group is to the community.'
