Welcome to Taunton Deane Scout District

 

Scouting is an extraordinary Movement. It has grown and developed since 1907 to become the largest youth organization in the world. Scouting has stayed true to its fundamentals - fun with a purpose and education for life.

 

 TAUNTON DEANE SCOUT DISTRICT is very fortunate to have its own Camp Site at Huish Woods and to have our office in the Tangier Scout and Guide Centre, Castle Street, Taunton. Also at Tangier you will find a very well stocked Scout Shop, where books, uniform etc can be purchased. The Guide Shop is also to be found at Tangier and the two Movements work very closely together.

 

 

 

 

BEAVER SCOUTS are boys & girls usually aged between six and eight years old. They belong to the first and youngest Section in the Scouting family. Young people can join Beaver Scouts in the three months leading up to their sixth birthday.  They can move to the next Section, Cub Scouts, between eight and eight years six months.

 

 They are easily recognised by their distinctive turquoise sweatshirts. Beaver Scouts enjoy making friends, playing games, going on visits and helping others. They usually meet together once a week in a Beaver Scout Colony and HAVE FUN, MAKE FRIENDS & TRY NEW THINGS.

 

Some Beaver Scout Colonies also organise Sleepovers. These are often the first time a young person spends a night away from home. They take place in suitable buildings, often Scout centres.

 

CUB SCOUTS

  

Cub Scouts are normally aged 8-to10½ years. They work in groups called Sixes with a Sixer and a Seconder. Their uniform is a bottle green sweatshirt.

There are loads of fun things that you can do as a Cub Scout. You will get a chance to try lots of different activities like swimming, music, exploring, computing and collecting. If you do them properly you will get a badge, which you can wear on your uniform.

 

 Cub Scouts also get to go on trips and days out, to places like the zoo, theme parks or a farm. Sometimes you will be able to go camping with the rest of your Pack. This will mean you sleeping in a tent and doing loads of outdoor activities.

 

As a Cub you will try new things have team challenges and help other people

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scout Section is for young people, usually aged between 10½ and 14 years. A young person can come in to the Troop at 10 and may stay until they are 15 years old. The Scout Troop is the third and final Section in the Scout Group.

 

Scouts are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities as part of their programme. "Participation" rather than meeting set standards is the key approach and for the Scout who wants to be recognised for his or her achievements there are a number of Challenges Awards and Activity Badges. Scouts take part in a balanced programme that helps them to find out about the world in which they live, encourages them to know their own abilities and the importance of keeping fit and helps develop their creative talents. It also provides opportunities to explore their own values and personal attitudes

 

Being outdoors is important and half the Programme is given over to taking part in both the traditional Scouting skills, such as camping, survival and cooking as well as the wide range of adventurous activities, anything from abseiling to yachting

 

The international aspect gives Scouting a special appeal and many Scouts now travel abroad during their time in the Section. In 2007 40,000 Scouts from around the World attended the World Jamboree in the UK, and Scouts regularly participate in International camps and experiences both on home soil and abroad, each of them a unique experience in its own right.

 

 

 

 

 

Scouting is about being with friends, as part of a team, participating fully in the adventure and opportunities of life.

 

 

 

 

EXPLORER SCOUTS are young people, usually aged between 14 and 18 years old. They make up the fourth Section of the Scouting family. There are many types of Explorer Scout Units, some may be linked to your local Scout Group, and others may be based around different activities.

 

Not all Units meet each week, because you will often be out and about at weekends or in the holidays doing activities. There will be times when you will be busy doing other things such as exams, and being an Explorer Scout will have to fit around these.

 

 

 

As an Explorer Scout, you will get the chance to work with other Explorer Scouts in your District, not just your Unit. By doing this, you will get the chance to do many more activities, not just the ones your Unit organises.