May I take this opportunity of welcoming your son / daughter and his / her family to the 5th Dorking (URC) Scout Group.

The Aim of the Scout Association is to promote the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of young people. The method of achieving this aim is to provide an enjoyable programme of progressive training based on the Scout Law and Promise. In the 5th Group, we offer scouting from six years old as a Beaver Scout, through Cub Scouts and Scouts, run by leaders who have completed training to the highest standard available within the movement.

We see these activities as a partnership between ourselves, as leaders and you as parents, requiring a commitment from both sides. To aid this process we arrange occasional events for all the family and would hope to see you at these.

The Group and our activities are financed by subscription set by parents on the Group Executive Committee, payable by a variety of methods. If you are a taxpayer you may opt to complete a Gift Aid Form. We encourage this as it enables us to reclaim the tax that you have paid on that amount. Our Treasurer will be in touch with you regarding this and subs. We also hold fund raising events to help finance running of programmes and purchase of equipment. We are fortunate to be sponsored by the United Reformed Church and as a consequence have no expenditure for premises. We are however required to register and pay an annual membership fee to the Scout Association in respect of all members. Your help and support at these events are essential to keep subscriptions at a reasonable level.

The application form requests information to enable us to ensure that the needs of your son / daughter are met to the best of our ability. It will also assist us in communicating with you. Could I therefore ask you to complete and return it to me as soon as possible, either by post to the address above, or electronically to the e-mail address above. It is not a requirement for you to complete the boxes on parents occupations, however, this is asked for because it may be that you have a skill which you could share with us and would help us to run better programmes.

The information is stored on a computer database and is covered by the Data Protection Act. It will be used only for Scouting purposes and will not be disclosed to any third party without specific written consent. As indicated above, we occasionally have events which include parental participation. It is a requirement of the Scout Association that any adult who may have contact with other people's children should have a CRB check done on them. I will contact you regarding this upon receipt of a completed application form. I should emphasize that this is entirely confidential and also voluntary. However, without the check, you would be precluded from participation in such events.

If you have any questions about Scouting in the 5th I would be more than pleased to try to answer them. Also if you would like to consider assisting as a leader, helper, or on the Executive Committee I would be happy to discuss it with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

Dave Ring