Scouting in West Midlands


Scouting in West Midlands is about Scouting in the official region of West Midlands. It is largely represented by the Scout Association of the United Kingdom and some Groups of traditional Scouting including the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association. The Scout Association West Midlands Region covers the same area.
There are two student associations at universities in the region, each of which is affiliated to the Student Scout and Guide Organisation : Birmingham University Scouts and Guides, and The University of Wolverhampton Student Scout & Guide Organisation.

History of Scouting in West Midlands

The 5th Wolverhampton, 24th Birmingham/1st Sparkhill, 13th Stoke-on-Trent & Newcastle, and 84th Birmingham Scout Groups claim to have started in 1908.
The 9th World Scout Jamboree, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Scouting was held at Sutton Park, Birmingham. There were 30,000 participants. It was combined with the 6th World Rover Moot with 3,500 participants and the 2nd World Scout Indaba.

The Scout Association Counties

The Scout Association in West Midlands is administered through eight Scout Counties,

Birmingham Scout County

Birmingham Scout County is a Scout County of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. It is concurrent with the City of Birmingham, and provides Scouting opportunities for young people and adults in the area.
Muslim Scouts from Birmingham were among those from the UK on the first ever official trip to Mecca for the Hajj in January 2006. The first Muslim Scout Group in Birmingham was formed in 2005.
The County has 98 Scout Groups and some Explorer Scout Units, grouped into Districts, providing Scouting for young people from the age of 6 and up. The County also manages the Scout Network, which is the programme section for 18- to 25-year-olds, consists of a number of local Scout Networks.
The County is currently divided into six Scout Districts:
City of Coventry Scout County is a Scout County of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. It is concurrent with the city of Coventry, and provides Scouting opportunities for young people and adults in the area.
The Districts each divide into a number Scout Groups and Explorer Scout Units, providing Scouting for young people from the age of 6 and up. The County also manages the Scout Network, consisting of a number of Local Scout Networks, which is the programme section for 18- to 25-year-olds.
The County is currently divided into three Scout Districts:
The Coventry Saracens Rugby Football Club was originally formed in 1966 from the 13th Coventry Scouts.

13th City of Coventry Scout Marching Band

The 13th City of Coventry Scout Marching Band was founded in 1929. Since then it has had 34 Royal performances, appearing in events and venues such as Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, St Paul's Cathedral, the Royal Tournament, Wembley Stadium, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, London's Guild Hall, The Lord Mayor's Show, Horse Guards Parade, Coventry Cathedral, the Spalding Flower Parade, London's Easter Parade, and the Jersey Battle of Flowers. They have been National Scout Supreme Champions nine times in ten years.

Hereford and Worcester Scout County

Hereford and Worcester Scout County is a Scout County of the Scout Association in the United Kingdom, covering the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The County is divided into ten districts:
Shropshire Scout County is a part of the Scout Association in the United Kingdom, covering the County of Shropshire.
The County is divided into three districts:
The 100th anniversary of Scouting was celebrated in Shropshire on top of the Wrekin, near their County Camp Site, and in Ironbridge.

Staffordshire Scout County

Staffordshire Scout County is a Scout County of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. It is concurrent with the political county of Staffordshire.
The County is divided into eleven districts:
Warwickshire Scout County is a Scout County of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. It is concurrent with the political county of Warwickshire.
The County is divided into eight Districts:
Solihull Scout County is a Scout county of the Scout Association in the United Kingdom, and covers an area similar to the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.
Following a reorganisation in 2004, the Scout county now has two districts:
West Mercia Scout County is a Scout county of the Scout Association in the United Kingdom, and covers the Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The County is divided into nine Districts:
The Halesowen Scout Band are a marching band from Halesowen in the West Midlands, England. They were formed in 1975 as a district Scout band, which means that their members are drawn up from different Scout groups throughout the Halesowen district.
The band plays an important role in the community of Halesowen and surrounding areas which includes leading parades on Remembrance Sunday, St George's Day, Guides Thinking Day, opening of the Christmas lights, and various fêtes and carnivals throughout the year.
They are members of TYMBA and compete in the National Class. They attend competitions throughout the year which are organised by other members of TYMBA.
Over the past few years, the band has performed at venues in places such as France, Alton Towers, Wembley Stadium and Arena, the Black Country Living Museum, and at the Birmingham International Tattoo alongside the Grenadier Guards and The Royal Marines.
In April 2007, the band, joined by members of Spen Valley and Northampton, played at the St Georges Day Parade at Windsor Castle and was reviewed by Her Majesty The Queen.

Campsites

Birmingham

The Scout Association County has a campsite at Blackwell Court and one maintained by the Pikes Pool Management Committee, near Blackwell Court. The site covers of woodland and open fields, and features a large body of water allowing a number of activities including sailing, kayaking and raft building. The site also offers archery and air rifle activities, as well as pioneering, forester and conservation courses.

City of Coventry

Rough Close Outdoor Centre is the City of Coventry Scout Association County's campsite, located outside of the city of Coventry, about west of Tile Hill Village. The Rough Close site was purchased in 1946, for £1000.
The site offers a number of fields and pitches, allowing it to host anything from small patrol camps to County events. There are a number of buildings on the site, offering indoor accommodation and dining facilities, as well as some training facilities. The centre provides activities including archery, air rifle shooting, climbing, pioneering and orienteering.
Roy Morris, former President of the 4th Coventry Scout Group, who joined the Scout movement in 1942, was awarded the Silver Wolf Award, the highest award of the Scout Association, for raising £85,000 for Rough Close in 2008.

Hereford and Worcester

The Hereford and Worcester Scout Association County Camping and Activity Centre is Kinver Scout Camp. Rhydd Covert is owned and run by Kidderminster District. The Malverns District own a campsite at Warren Oak. The site is 3 miles NNW of the market town of Ledbury in Herefordshire, just east of the B4214.

Shropshire

Wrekin Scout Camp, owned by the Shropshire Scout Association County, goes back to before 1951 when a Shropshire Rotary Club built a chapel on the site.

Staffordshire

The Staffordshire Scout Association County has access to a number of camp sites:
Broadwater is the Warwickshire Scout Association County's Activity Centre

Solihull

West Mercia

There are two camp sites in West Mercia:
There are several Scout Shows, known as Gang Shows in the region: