Dear Suffolk Scouters,

Thank you for your continued support. Can I ask that you check in with volunteers who may be more vulnerable at this time and find out if they require assistance. A Scout is friendly and considerate.

Please remember that the key communications over the coming months will be the weekly email newsletter and our website https://www.suffolkscouts.org.uk/coronovirus.  All content we post will be based on UK Government and The Scout Association guidelines. Our Facebook and Twitter pages will be updated with pictures and videos of what our young people are up to regarding Scouting – there is lots going on! 

Finance and Grants

Please ensure that your executive committees have reviewed your costs and incomes during this period. If you are concerned about finance in your group, please flag this up with your District Commissioner and District Treasurer.

About half of groups in Suffolk are not actively participating in the Government Gift Aid Scheme. You can also backdate the amount claimed for the previous 4 years.  https://www.gov.uk/claim-gift-aid

If you have your own Scout premises you may qualify for the ‘Grants to Business Rates’ scheme which, if you qualify, will make a payment of £10,000. A number of groups have already successfully applied. If you pay Business Rates for your own premises, you should qualify for this payment. You should also get a rebate for business rates for this year. If you require guidance, please speak to your District Commissioner and District Treasurer who have been made aware of the scheme.

Disclosure Checks

Headquarters have taken the decision to suspend disclosure applications during the current situation. If volunteers have a disclosure that expires during this time, they need not be suspended and can continue with digital scouting in their existing roles. Please note that Compass will still send out the automatic emails and letters regarding Disclosure completion and suspension despite the temporary cessation of the disclosure process.  

#AdventureContinues

Don’t forget to visit our Scouting At Home initiative; full details are on our website (click link). There have been over 25 downloads of the second #AdventureContinues Programme Challenge already, so take a look if you haven’t already.

Video Platforms

Headquarters have produced some guidelines about using video platforms. You can read these here.

If you wish to use Microsoft Teams / Office365, the County will support you to set this up.

In the News

5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts joined BBC Radio Suffolk last Tuesday. You can listen to the programme here (their slot is 90mins into the show)  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p088bfh3. Well done to Barrie, Noo and Oscar.

We’d love to hear more stories that we can share. Email us at county.news@suffolkscouts.org.uk.