Hello everyone,
Happy new year!
Below is a summary of the information in our County Communication:
- Updating your personal data ahead of Census
- Gang Show
- King Alfred District Lead Volunteer Search
- How to – Volunteer roles on Scouts.org.uk
- Standlake Sea Scout Group – Award presentation
- Wings 2026
- Trailer servicing
- Keeping our location map up to date
- Our social accounts
- Exploring LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of masculinities in Outdoor Education: A case study of UK Scouts
Updating your personal data ahead of Census.
For Census this year, HQ are using My Membership to record data for all adult volunteers and Network members. The youth data will be collected as normal.
Ahead of Census, please make sure all your personal and role data is recorded accurately on My Membership. This includes the data in the ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ section.
Use the Personal details and preferences Digital Tool Guide to help.
Oxfordshire Gang Show
Please include a trip to watch Oxfordshire Gang Show as part of your activities this term. The performances take place at Radley College Theatre during half term week but this is no different to organising a camp or other activity which so many of you do in school holiday times through the year.
It’s the easiest activity to organise and could open the doors to an opportunity some of your members really need. They might decide to join next year and for some, being able to find expression and be their authentic self, is transformative. For many of our members, camping and other physical activities are not as enjoyable as theatre skills would be.
And as the County’s biggest public-facing event, support and visibility from our uniformed members is vital.
Group booking discounts are available and parents pay for the tickets via you. There are evening performances plus a matinee on the Saturday. You ask the parents to bring their young people to the theatre (they can even join you if you offer them the chance). Free parking for you on site. You walk the young people into the building, they buy refreshments and any other merch which their parents are happy for them to purchase, you take your seats. Other than a quick bathroom break halfway through, you need do nothing other than sit and enjoy the Show. Just over two hours later, the parents collect them from the front of the theatre building and take them home. You don’t have to organise transport, no overnight stay documentation and nothing to arrange to keep them entertained. It’s all there and you’ll have a great time too.
It’s the easiest trip to put together and you look like a superhero! Plus, you are supporting a Scouts activity which is bringing the public and our members together in one space – a magical space which is inspiring, uplifting and generates a sense of true pride in what we do and why we do it.
If you ever need a reminder of the ‘why’ of volunteering, this is it!
Bookings can be made online via TicketSource or via cheque/BACS payment direct with the organisers (avoiding booking fees). For more information, email: info@oxfordshiregangshow.org.uk or visit our website at www.oxfordshiregangshow.org.uk
King Alfred District Lead Volunteer Search
We’re looking for someone to step into the District Lead Volunteer role for King Alfred District and help shape the future of Scouting locally.
This role is all about working with people. You’ll be supporting and encouraging adult volunteers, helping them feel confident, appreciated and able to deliver great Scouting for young people. You’ll work alongside the County Lead Volunteer and help set the overall direction for the District, making sure everything runs smoothly and in line with Scout values.
You won’t be expected to do this on your own. A District Team will support you day to day, with the County Team offering guidance and backing as the team continues to grow. As part of Scouting’s Transformation, the role can also be shared between more than one person, offering flexibility in how the leadership is delivered.
To find out more about the role or the District, follow the link for further details. If you’re ready to apply, you can access the application form via the link. You can also nominate someone you think would be a great fit for the role through the nomination link. The deadline for applications and nominations is 23rd January 2026.
If you’d prefer an informal chat before taking the next step, please get in touch at katy.hadfield@scouts.org.uk.
How to – Volunteer roles on Scouts.org.uk
Did you know you can add any vacancies your group has to the Scouts website? There are pre-made templates that you can edit to make them relevant to your group. To add a role, go to: The Scouts Association portal, sign in, and click on ‘Create opportunity’ in the top right-hand corner. We recommend including your group name in the opportunity title so it’s easy to see which group the vacancy is for in search results. If someone registers their interest in the role, you will be notified about it in My Membership.
Standlake Sea Scout Group – Award presentation
It’s been lovely to see many volunteers recognised for doing amazing things for Scouting in Oxfordshire. Peter Cradock is one of the latest presentation we have done, here are some photo’s (Photo credits to noct.life – a parent volunteering).
Remember, anyone can nominate any volunteer for an award through the new membership system, we love to receive and review nominations.
Wings 2026
The WINGS 2026 team are excited to share news about WINGS 2026, an international Scout and Guide Jamboree taking place in Windsor Great Park (Berkshire) from 25 July – 1 August 2026.
The latest WINGS newsletter gives a taste of what it’s like to attend an event of this scale, from the exciting programme of activities for young people to the many opportunities for adults to get involved as volunteers. You’ll also find links to follow WINGS on social media and keep up to date with all the latest announcements.
Click here to read the newsletter.
Alternatively, you can visit www.wingsjamboree.org.uk or email their team bookings@wingsjamboree.org.uk.
International Jamborees of this type are an incredible experience irrespective of whether you join as a group or volunteer.
Trailer servicing
The County have a number of trailers and we like to ensure they are maintained regularly. We are looking for our trailer to be serviced at our county store and other onsite locations. Do you know someone who does this for a living or can recommend a service you have used? Please do reach out by emailing stores@oxonscouting.org.uk
Keeping our location map up to date
We are starting our spring clean early! Please can you take a look at your group details on our location map on the County website, check the location, days you meet and the times are correct and let us know of any changes by emailing info@oxonscouting.org.uk
Is your unit or group is missing – no worries, send your name, sections, days, and times you meet, along with your location (a pin in a map would be amazing!) and we will get you listed!
Our FaceBook accounts
We have a lot of FaceBook groups and pages, many of these are inactive. Please don’t be alarmed if you see some of our old accounts disappear, we are doing some house keeping and will continue to share information via email and through the Oxfordshire Scouts page and Oxfordshire Scouts adult forum on FaceBook.
Exploring LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of masculinities in Outdoor Education: A case study of UK Scouts
We have been contacted and asked to invite you all to take part in research on ‘LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of masculinities in Outdoor Education’ which is being undertaken as part of a BA Sociology Dissertation.
A brief outline of the study is provided below, for further details please read the Participant Information Sheet before participating. You can download the Participant Information Sheet here.
In recent years, there have been a number of studies exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+ participants in Outdoor Education, in particular exploring the barriers that prevent equal participation in the Outdoors. However, this research has failed to explore how LGBTQ+ people are affected by masculine identities in the Outdoors (including their own relationship with masculinities and their experiences of other people’s portrayals of masculinity). This research will use UK Scouts as a case study to explore the following questions:
· How do different portrayals of masculinity influence the experiences of LGBTQ+ participants in Outdoor Education?
· How are masculinities changing in Outdoor Education?
· If masculinities are changing in Outdoor Education, are these changes improving or worsening the experiences of Outdoor Education for LGBTQ+ participants and providers?
· How can we utilise these findings to recommend practices that will make Outdoor Education more inclusive?
The research will ask you to create a scrapbook reflecting on your perceptions of masculinities and reflecting on how you have experienced other people’s portrayals of masculinities within UK Scouts. It will involve an initial online meeting to introduce the research and a gap of a week or two to complete your scrapbook independently. The scrapbook is designed to be flexible and creative and to include what you find most important. Sections of the scrapbook will be used and analysed in the final report.
Once you have completed the scrapbook, you will be asked if you would like to participate in an online interview where you discuss your reflections in the scrapbook. This interview is different to a traditional research interview and places the participant in control of what topics are talked about. Your reflections in the scrapbook will set the ‘research agenda’ and is designed to make it easier to discuss sensitive topics. You do not need to decide whether you would like to participate in the second phase of the research until the scrapbook is complete.
Who can participate?
This research aims to explore the experiences of adult members of the UK Scout movement who identify as LGBTQ+.
To participate, you must:
✓ Be aged 18 years of older
✓ Be a current leader in UK Scouts (e.g. as a Cub Leader).
✓ Identify as LGBTQ+ (You do not need to publicly identify as LGBTQ+, i.e. you do not need to be ‘out’).
Note: This study aims to go beyond the gender binary to explore how people with a variety of LGBTQ+ identities perceive masculinities and experience the impacts of how other people portray masculinities in Outdoor Education. There is no expectation that participants identify in any way as ‘male’ or ‘masculine’.
If you have any questions about the research and/or would like to sign up to take part, please email Beth Clayton at jfdq48@durham.ac.uk.
Have a great January!
