Talk of the town hall - our scouts are a credit to the borough

Oct 10 2008

By Cllr Marcus Jones, leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council

RECENTLY, I went along to 1st Nuneaton scout group in Attleborough. I was kindly invited by cub pack leader Steve Male, who I coincidentally know from my days at Chetwynd School. I had not spoken to Steve for some years but when contacted by him, I was only too happy to go along and see what the cubs are about. I was never a cub or a scout so I did not know quite what to expect. As soon as I entered the building my first impression of the cub pack was that they were extremely well behaved and very polite. Once the session began I could see that there is a really positive ethos and the values of always doing your best, discipline and helping others are certainly promoted. It is also obvious that there are some very dedicated cub leaders who give up massive amounts of their own time taking these sessions. Once the children had gone through their initial drill I was introduced to the group and was made to feel very welcome. I briefly introduced myself and gave a short talk explaining what the council do and what is involved in my role as council leader. After there was a question and answer session, from this it was quite apparent that many of the youngsters were very interested in services the council provide. Particularly our parks and playgrounds and other leisure facilities. I also took the opportunity to ask the children questions and gauge their opinions, also the scout leaders were more than willing to ask a few probing questions of their own. On the whole it was an excellent evening and I hope that the cubs learned something from me in the same way that I learned about them and the cub/scouting movement. From my visit I can certainly say that the parents and cub leaders can be very proud of the children, they were a credit to the borough. I am aware that 1st Nuneaton scout group are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, so happy birthday to them, long may the good work continue.