Frequently Asked Questions

Money Matters

What are subs?

Subs are our membership subscription and they cover the basic running costs of the Group (including the membership fees to National Scouts HQ, insurance, hire of the school, rent for our equipment store, consumables for our weekly meetings - including badges)!

The current cost of subs is listed on the individual section pages.

 

When are subs due and how do I pay them?

Subs are charged termly, although we split each term's fee into two half-termly payments.  Each payment is normally due within the first 2-4 weeks of the half-term; we'll send out an email at the start of each term to confirm the deadlines for payment. 

The easiest way to pay subs is via our online membership system (OSM), this is also our preferred method of payment as it reduces the administrative burden on our leaders. 

If you aren't able to pay online via OSM, then please speak to your section leader about paying by cash or cheque.

 

Are there any other costs?

Camps and certain other events/activities are charged in addition to subs. The cost of these will depend on what we're doing and how far we have to travel, typically a weekend camp costs between £30 and £45.

You will also need to buy uniform, there's more information about uniform and a link to download the order form on each of the individual section pages.

 

How do I pay for camps and other activities?

You can pay for most camps activities online via OSM. If online payment isn't available for any reason, we'll let you know how to pay when we send out the event information.

If you aren't able to pay online via OSM, then please speak to your section leader about paying by cash or cheque.

 

I want to join but I'm concerned about the costs  

We don't want cost to be a barrier to young people enjoying Scouting and we will try our best to support those that need financial assistance.  We try to keep costs as low as we can, and the Group has established a small hardship fund to support those in need. 

If you are concerned about the cost of subs, uniform, or of a specific activity or camp, please speak to your child’s section leader in confidence.

 

Do you claim Gift Aid?

Yes! Gift Aid is a major source of income for the Group and helps us to keep the cost of subs low.  (If you sign-up for Gift Aid we can claim an extra 25 pence from the tax man for every pound of subscription paid, and at no extra cost to you!)

If you haven't signed-up to allow us to claim Gift Aid on your subs, please complete the declaration in OSM, or ask your child's section leader for a paper form.

 

Who do I make cheques payable to?

Please make cheques payable to "1st Hensingham Scout Group".

 

Do you do any fundraising?

Our current public fundraising activities have been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Before Covid, our main fundraising event was an annual bag-pack at Morrisions supermarket in Whitehaven.

We have also been fortunate to receive grant-funding for capital equipment purchases from a number of different sources in recent years.  These have allowed us to buy new equipment to expand the variety of opportunities we can offer our youth members.  Recent donors are shown on our home page.


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