One issue that was raised in the last few days is that there is currently a waiting list of 60,000 young people who are unable to find places within the Scouting Association due to a shortage of volunteer hours to take cubs or scouts.
Most positions within Scouting like much within the UK are done by volunteers usually adults who under training including child protection and DBS Checks and while the absolute number of volunteers is high, because the constraints on individual times with changes in working culture and other demands the hours per volunteer typically are less so like with many organizations you need to work with what people can offer rather than what would be ideal.
This has lead for instance to a shortage of leaders for Beavers which nearby in Mobberley Cheshire, a relatively well off district, the combination of this plus a leader of some period needing to step down has lead to the (one hopes only temporary suspension of 1st Mobberley Beavers pictured after 28 years) in much the same way that in my village, a part of the Greater Stoke On Trent district, Brownies also had to close as Girl Guiding UK were not able to find a leader.
This is a great pity because Scouting and Girl Guiding have so much to offer young people not just as good use of time but also for life skills and the membership of a family-the Scouting Family- for life.
Pix credit: BBC
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