About Us

The 44th is one group with the Cabot Scout District, which is in turn within the Avon Scout County.

History

The Scout County of Avon

When the administrative county of Avon was abolished Scouting kept its county. The badge shows a sea stag. Avon's 'coat of arms' showed two sea stags as supporters. They represent two characteristic features of Avon, sea and forest. Historically the Avon ports were linked with Royal Forests covering much of the area. The stag is a stag royal, with six tynes on each antler. It has a crown of fleurs de lys around it's neck emphasising Royal associations. On the shoulder of the sea stag is a roundel of six waves representing the sea and the six areas of the county.

Cabot District

Cabot is a large District covering the North West side of the A38 from the centre of Bristol up to Brentry. It was formed when several Districts were reorganised in 2006. The badge shows Cabot's ship the 'Matthew'

Bristol North West District

All the old Bristol Districts had a badge derived from the arms of what is now the City and County of Bristol. It shows a merchant ship approaching the Watergate of Bristol Castle on the River Avon. The flag of St George is flying from the two towers The ship and castle first appear on the thirteenth century burgesses seal. They were adopted as part of the official arms in 1373.

The other part of the badge shows a polar bear. The district was once Bristol North, the North Polar theme was adopted for the District Venture Scout Unit, the swimming club and the band.

The 44th Group

The 44th was formally constituted in 1964 by the amalgamation of four then existing groups. These were the 271st St Albans, 225th Westbury Park Methodist, 76th Henleaze Congregational and the 196th Trinity Presbyterian.

Shortly before the amalgamation, the 271st had built the present 44th Headquarters building - a converted Fire Station transported from Stoke Hill - to become the envy of Scout Groups in the area. The other groups suffered from various deficiencies of buildings and - along with the 271st - a shortage of equipment and leadership. An amalgamation provided the best of all resources at that time but unfortunately similar problems beset all Scout Groups from time to time including the 44th.

Since then the Presbyterian and the Congregational churches have long united to form the United Reformed Church. Today the 44th is informally affiliated with Westbury Park United Parish ( St Albans and Westbury Park Methodist) and the Trinity Henleaze URC.

Church parades are held in turn in Westbury Park and Henleaze. Attendance at these parades and the annual St Georges Day Parade is strongly encouraged. Parents are also strongly encouraged to accompany their children. The services on these occasions are particularly aimed at young people. Uniform is worn and the Group flags are paraded.

The White Tree

The White Tree was the cause of some controversy in local newspapers in the 1920s (the original tree was cut down in 1950 to make room for the roundabout). All agree that the tree, on the Cote side of the road had it's trunk painted white in the 1850s or 60s. The disagreement comes over who was responsible for the painting. It was perhaps Mr. George Ames who lived at Cote House and painted the tree white to help his children's German tutor; he walked across the Downs at night to teach pupils in Clifton and frequently lost his way; or Alderman Gardiner's father who lived at Sunnyside on the corner of Etloe Road and had it painted to help friends know where to turn off the Downs for his house; or Mr. Woodward who rented Cote House for a few years and had it done to help his coachman who sometimes came home drunk.

The present tree is the third 'white tree'. It was donated and plantd by the St Oswald's Monday Afternoon Fellowship for the elderly, associated with St Albans Church. A young lime tree was selected by Bristol City Council experts, and St Oswald's fellowship raised the money to pay for it by holding bring and buy sales. The tree was planted on Janurary 28th 1974 in a ceremony attended by members of the fellowship, the Lady Mayoress Mrs Mercia Castle, the vicar of St Albans Canon John Smith, members of the Downs committee, and pupils from Westbury Park School.

About the Group 

Leadership

Scouting activities within the Group are under the overall control and guidance of the Group Scout Leader (GSL). Each section (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts) is then run by a Section Leader and a number of Assistant Leaders. All leaders (of any type) are appointed by the District Scout Council as having the attributes, character and basic training required for leadership of their sections. The training prgramme continues to allow leaders to gain extra qualifications, such as permission to take responsibility of camps, and so on. It is worth noting at this point that all our leaders are voluntary and therefore unpaid.

The system also caters for adults who wish to help out on a regular or occasional basis but do not feel able to become uniformed leaders.

Parents are also encouraged to help at section meetings on an occasional basis. This could be to teach simple skills, or more specialist techniques such as first aid, map reading, etc. Parents helping in this way do not need to be registered, provided they are under the supervision of an appointed leader. Leaders will be happy to discuss the ways in which parents are able to contribute.

The Group Executive Committee

The Group as a whole is admistered by The Group Executive Committee ("The Exec."), consisting of the Group Scout Leader (GSL) and all the Section Leaders (see the Leadership section, above), together with a 'lay' Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and parent representatives for each section. Other members of The Exec. are often appointed at the AGM.

The Exec. usually meets every other month and is responsible for running the building and grounds of the Headquarters, the Group finances, and for supporting the Group in its public duties and image. A large part of this responsibility is to ensure sufficient levels of leadership, and the raising of funds to maintain the Headquarters and provide materials and equipment.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions, they are welcome to speak to any leader, who will be able to pass them onto the Exec. for discussion.

The Group Council

The Group Council consists of all the leaders and other members of the Exec, plus all parents and guardians of enrolled young people. The Council's Annual General Meeting (AGM) is usually held in April. Attendance is strongly encouraged as it an opportunity for parents to have their say in the running of the Group and meet all the leaders together.

Joining the Group isn't just a commitment for your child; parents also join the Group, and without their help the Group would be unable to function. The assistance and support of parents is vital to the prosperity and continuation of the Group, and the enjoyment and training of the young people.

The 44th, in common with all Scout Groups and similar organisations, needs a constant income to keep going, and hopefully to improve facilities. We receive no outside grant aid, and are entirely self supporting.

A major expenditure is Headquarters maintenance and running expenses. A second big expense is the annual Headquarters levy, which covers services provided by National Headquarters and the District Scout Council, especially insurance for the leaders and young people while engaged in supervised Scouting activities. To provide such amounts from subscriptions alone would be prohibitive to all but a few parents, so we do need your help in various ways in fund-raising efforts, either in 'doing' or in organising.

Some events organised are of a social nature at which we encourage parents and young people, with their siblings and friends to meet for enjoyment - these events include a firework display, parties, and the summer barbecue. While we like to make a contribution to funds on these social events, this is not always the primary aim. Other events are strictly intended to raise funds, and are aimed at the public at large. For any event organised, parents are urged to canvass neighbours, friends and relatives for support or attendance.

Assistance is sometimes needed with maintenance jobs at Headquarters. We are always open to offers of help in other ways such as the donation of materials and professional services, and of goods for sale. (next project - refurbishment of the kitchen)

We publish a newsletter two weeks after the Group Executive meetings to circulate details of coming events, Group news, and so on, and to canvass help for particular occasions or difficulties. Please also keep an eye out for notices at Headquarters or messages carried home by the young people.

General Information

Subscriptions

In order to remain operational we have to charge a monthly subscription ("subs") for each member. The subscription is managed through Online Scout Manager, which we use for our group administration, and processed using GoCardless.

Subscriptions are reviewed at the AGM. We always aim to keep increases to a minimum, provided that the support to fundraising can be maintained. Current rates (as of January 2023) are:

• £10 for Beavers
• £15 for Cubs
• £18 for Scouts

Please note that some activities may incur an additional charge.

A few words of caution

Please note that although we will do our best to take care of items brought to the Headquarters in relation to training programmes and so on, the Group can not accept responsibility for any personal property. In particular, bicycles, bags and other valuables should not be left outside or in the entrance to the Headquarters.

Parents are asked to deliver and collect their children, or make firm arrangements with other parents. In addition, please do not leave them at the Headquarters until a leader has arrived, and please collect them promptly at the end of the meeting.

Finally, in the interests of good relations with our neighbours, please ensure parked cars do not block driveways to houses around the Headquarters.