Subscriptions: We charge subscriptions to cover the running costs of the Scout Group.  We are lucky to have a nursery school tenant in our Scout Headquarters and a couple of lucrative Fundraisers in the Summer Fair and the Bonfire.  We also charge separately for big activities like Camps.  But they don’t cover all our costs.  As well as our Cookham running cost we also need to pay over £50 per head per member for the support services of our District, County and Headquarters teams.  They provide us with support in safeguarding, insurance and other key enablers of our programme.

We raise our subs a bit every year to compensate for rising costs.  The cost of Scouts is very competitive compared to many other youth activities.  We collect subs once per term and will confirm the exact termly payment each January.

How we collect the money: We collect all money for subscriptions, camps and other special events using the parent portal of Online Scout Manager.  We use a leading secure payment service, Go Cardless.  Your payment details will only be seen by Go Cardless, not us or OSM.  There are no payment fees for parents associated with using Go Cardless.   Using Online Scout Manager for subs makes claiming Gift Aid much easier, which helps us keep subs low.

You can help us keep Scouting in Cookham affordable by helping out at our Summer Fair and Bonfire.  We will contact you in advance to let you know what help we need.

Subsidies: We want every Cookham Scout to enjoy the benefits of Scouting to the full. We want every Squirrel, Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer to be able to enjoy every event.  We know that in the current cost of living crisis the cost of Scouts will be a problem for many parents. We have hardship funds available to help. Our policy for financial support is below:

NB: This policy does not apply to support for Jamboree trips as this is covered by a separate support policy determined by the Executive.

Remit and scope:

To support this objective, we provide financial assistance, which is administered in accordance with the guidelines set out below:

● It is limited to youth members under the age of 18 years

● Grants are available for:

termly membership subscriptions

events and camps

to support purchase of uniforms

for any other purpose considered worthy of support by the Group Scout Leader, benefitting a youth member

Limits:

· Per Event: Maximum grants of [£150] per individual.

· Per Calendar Year: [£250] per individual. Assistance over and above this value will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

· The total hardship support in aggregate shall be limited to [£3,000] pa

Eligibility:

Applicants must provide evidence of financial hardship for beneficiaries. NB: No information is ever shared beyond those listed in this policy, and all applications are treated in full confidence.   Those in receipt of one of the following benefits are eligible to apply. [from “Grants from UK Headquarters” 2022].

· Free school meals (not applicable to Beavers, Squirrels)

● Income Support

● Income- based Jobseekers allowance

● An income- related employment and support allowance

● Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that does not exceed £16,190 as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

● Working Tax Credit

● Universal Credit

● Housing Benefit

● The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

Application Process and record keeping:  Applications must be made before the event/camp takes place by email, giving details of the financial assistance required, the amount or percentage they can afford of the camp or trip, and evidence of eligibility as per the list above.

Applications should be made to our Hardship Fund Administrator (a Trustee, not one of your weekly section leader team) who will then discuss it with either the Chairman, the Treasurer, or the Group Lead Volunteer.  Once approved the applicant will be advised by the Administrator.

Applications should be made to: susie.felix@scoutscookham.org.uk

A record of each successful award shall be kept on file by the Treasurer and shall only be shared with the Group Chair, Group Treasurer, Group Secretary and Group Scout Leader. The Executive Committee will only be advised of the total hardship sum awarded during that financial year. The Group understands the sensitive nature of these matters and will treat all applications with the utmost confidentiality.