Seasonal message from Chris, County Lead Volunteer

Season’s Greetings from Chris Ward, County Lead Volunteer, Cambridgeshire Scouts

Dear Cambridgeshire Scouting colleagues,

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on everything we have achieved in what has been another amazing year for Cambridgeshire Scouts. Thank you for everything you do to bring new and exciting experiences to young people that motivates and challenges them to get the most out of Scouting.

This year we began a transformation in the way we all volunteer for Scouts. To provide more young people, and the ones we already have, with Skills for Life, we all agree we need more volunteers. To achieve this, we want to make volunteering with Scouts easier and more fun. The three key areas for change are to provide a warmer welcome for everyone, deliver a more engaging learning experience for adults and simplify how we volunteer together. All of this is being supported by our new digital tools, which went live at the end of November.

Across County, District and Group teams everyone is working hard to implement the new tools and processes that underpin these important changes. I am confident that once things settle down, the My Membership and My Learning tools will make our lives easier, allowing us to focus much more on the delivery of Scouting to young people and less on administration.

In preparation for these changes, we have refocussed our teams on the tasks we need to undertake rather than the specifics of a wide-ranging role description, making it easier to cover the important things and for volunteers new to Scouts to understand better what we do. The County team is no exception; we have enhanced the County Leadership Team, to include District Lead Volunteers and Youth Leads and introduced County Team Leaders for the Programme, Volunteering Development and Support areas. I am looking forward to see how this new structure benefits Scouts and develops in 2025. If you feel you need to know more about this change and how it will impact your role in Scouts, do please get in touch.

Growth in Cambridgeshire continues, bringing us even closer to 6,750 young people, which is where we were in 2020 before the pandemic. We welcomed a further 10 new Squirrel Dreys in 2024 and there are now more than 400 Squirrels across 30 Dreys in Cambridgeshire; an increase of 40% on last year. It is encouraging that where new Dreys are starting we are broadening the opportunity to attract volunteers new to scouting that are eager to get involved themselves. If you want to start Squirrels in your Group talk to your District Lead Volunteer or to myself.

Once again across Cambridgeshire, we have seen amazing Group and District camps and activities, not just in the UK but also in Belgium, France, Holland, Switzerland and the Channel Islands. The resurgence of interest in international activities is encouraging and looks good for the coming years.

There have been fantastic County events like Beavers in Tents and Cub Challenge Days as well as, for the first time, the Squirrels Activity Day (SquAD). In 2025 there is more to come for Beavers, Scouts and Explorers, including B.A.D. (Beaver Activity Days), Scouts Competition Weekend and Narrowboating for Explorers. Looking forward, we have started the planning for the return of CamJam in 2027.

As a movement, our ability to continuously adapt to change is what makes Scouts so dynamic and forward thinking. In January, a contingent of seven volunteers from Cambridgeshire will start the year with the UK Scout Conference, Summit25 in Birmingham. This is a chance to reflect on what we’ve achieved through our Skills for Life strategy, as well as help us refocus and renew as we shape our next strategy, which will start in 2026.

Thank you for the part you have played in our continuing success. Your commitment to preparing young people with Skills for Life is truly amazing and you should be extremely proud of everything that you have achieved.

Best wishes to you and your families for a happy and peaceful festive season. May the New Year bring fresh hope for all of us.

Yours in Scouting

Chris

County Lead Volunteer

Cambridgeshire Scouts