A new term. Greater adventures. A Place to Belong.

A new term. Plenty to look forward to.

There’s always something exciting about the start of a new Scouting term.

Across South Ribble, sections are getting ready to welcome young people back, programmes are taking shape, and another term of adventure, friendship and new experiences is about to begin.

For me, it’s also an opportunity to look ahead at what we can achieve together.

Earlier this year, I talked about Our Next Chapter for South Ribble Scouts and the importance of Reflecting. Refocusing. Renewing. We’ve already started turning some of those ambitions into action, and there’s plenty more to look forward to.

What excites me most as we start the new term isn’t any single event or initiative. It’s seeing the enthusiasm, ideas and energy already coming from volunteers across our District.

Stronger programme. New opportunities. Greater adventures.

What happens in our sections every week matters.

Every activity, challenge, camp and new experience is an opportunity for a young person to build confidence and resilience, make new friends, discover what they’re capable of and gain Skills for Life.

But Scouts is about more than the activities themselves.

It’s about having somewhere you feel welcome. Somewhere you can be yourself, have a go, make mistakes, achieve something you didn’t think you could, and be part of something bigger.

That’s what A Place to Belong means to me.

Together, our ambition is to strengthen our programme, create new opportunities and enable even greater adventures for our young people.

That doesn’t mean everything has to be bigger. It means working together across Groups and the District, sharing skills, ideas and resources, and creating opportunities that might be difficult to deliver alone.

Whether it’s trying a new activity, heading somewhere new, taking on a bigger challenge or experiencing their first night away, I want more young people across South Ribble to be able to say:

“I got to do that because I’m a Scout.”

Supporting the people who make it happen

Of course, none of this happens without our volunteers.

Hundreds of people across South Ribble give their time, skills and enthusiasm every week – whether that’s delivering brilliant programmes, supporting events, looking after our buildings, managing finances or doing countless other things behind the scenes.

A brilliant experience for our young people starts with a great experience for our volunteers.

That means making sure people feel welcomed, supported, listened to, developed and recognised.

We’re already making progress. Our new Volunteer Development Team is taking shape, while our Awards & Recognition Team has hit the ground running to strengthen how we recognise and celebrate the contribution our volunteers make.

There’s more to do, but these are important steps towards creating A Place to Belong for our volunteers too.

Coming together as one District

I also want us to create more opportunities to come together, share what works and make the most of the skills and experience we have across South Ribble.

Our upcoming SUMMIT is one opportunity for volunteers to connect, share ideas and help shape what comes next.

And looking a little further ahead, we’ve already started the countdown to District Camp 2027 – one District, one weekend and one big adventure.

These aren’t simply dates in the calendar. They’re opportunities to strengthen connections, create shared experiences and help young people and volunteers feel part of something bigger.

Our next chapter continues

There’s plenty to look forward to, and plenty still for us to do.

We’ll keep listening and learning. We’ll celebrate what’s working well, tackle the things we can do better and continue building on the positive momentum already underway.

A stronger programme. New opportunities. Greater adventures. Volunteers who feel supported and valued. And more young people experiencing brilliant Scouting.

Ultimately, it’s about building a stronger South Ribble Scouts where young people and adults alike feel welcomed, valued and able to thrive, A Place to Belong.

Thank you

So, thank you to all of you for everything you’ve done over these past months. What you do is so meaningful, and makes such a difference. But please remember to have fun too. Help each other and make plans for an exciting future. I know I speak for the whole Leadership Team when I say we promise to do our best to help.

Here’s to a brilliant new term.