News and Blogs

Introducing the OSM  Parent Portal!

Behind the scenes at 5th Frome, we use a tool called Online Scout Manager (OSM) tool to manage our admin.

The OSM Parent Portal is an online tool you can access from your computer/phones which provides several features that will help leaders, the committee, and parents with our admin tasks.

It will allow you and us to:<

• Pay and manage Subs payments,
• view and edit personal details,
• view the programme,
• view emails sent from OSM,
• sign up for events,
• and more

Please check your emails for your unique link to register, if its not the get in contact.

For more information and help, please see our OSM Parent Portal register helpsheet or visit https://www.5thfromescouts.org.uk/About/OSM-Parent-Portal.

You can also ask any questions by speaking to a leader, a committee member or emailing us.

Dear parents/guardians,

Re: 5th Frome Monthly Subscriptions & Payments

Following the publication of our annual accounts at the last Group AGM in May, those of you who attended will have noted the on-going struggle we have year on year to remain financially viable. Whilst we have endeavoured to keep costs down and have continued to charge the same level of subscriptions for the last 6 years, we are now in a position where unfortunately we are this year going to have to raise the monthly subscriptions by £1.50 a month to £13. This will take effect from October the 1st. This increase, which still provides excellent value for money, will allow us to continue to run the Group and maintain the weekly activities which your children enjoy so much.

Like all other scout groups the subs we charge are made up of a number of elements. These include the following:  

The Capitation fee - This is a sum determined each year following the census of all adult and youth members which takes place in January. The fees payable for each young person are calculated on the number of young people in each Scout County. This fee is split so that an element goes to help run the national organisation, another to the county association, then a further amount to the district (we are in the East Somerset District).

Rental of Selwood School - Currently we pay in the region of £60 per night for the hire of the hall, a charge we have been informed will rise by 10% rise as from the 1st September. Whilst we have tried to negate this cost by running activities at Tedbury camp site during the summer term, Tedbury itself also charges us for use of the site, albeit at a lower rate than Selwood.

Insurance - We have to fund the insurance of the groups camping equipment, which if you have seen the store at Ray's you will know is quite extensive. This cost like most insurance costs has also risen considerably over the last few years.

Upkeep and replacement of camping equipment - Whilst we try to raise money for the purchase or replacement of larger items such as tents, much of the smaller items of equipment have to be funded via subscriptions. The fees we charge for camps only cover the running costs of camps themselves.

General running costs - This is the amount that each section requires to put on its activities each week purchasing general materials etc for use on a Thursday night. In addition, costs such as the badges the scouts achieve come out of this.

Proposed new store – Having been given notice that we need to relocate our stores, we have been looking at a number of options over the last 6 months. The preferred option is now to purchase a shipping container and site at a new location. The purchase of this is likely to be in the region of £2,000 plus fitting out costs and then any potential site rental costs.

Gift Aid:
In order to help increase our income, we will be launching a new initiative to get all those who are taxpayers and paying subs, signed up for “Gift Aid”. As a registered charity, the Gift Aid scheme allows us to claim an additional 25% of your subscriptions at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is complete the form that we will supply. As you can imagine this will make a huge difference to our income and help keep the ongoing cost of subs down.

*Future Payment of Subs & OSM*
To coincide with the increase in sub’s, from October 1st, we will also be changing how we collect payments. Soon we will be introducing our Online Scout Manager (OSM) Parent Portal. Along with other benefits to both you and the leaders, we will be able to manage payments more easily for both our subs and camps/events. Keep an eye on your inbox over the next few weeks for more information and your personalised invitation.  

As always we will continue to monitor our expenditure through our Executive Committee and hopefully, we can again cap the subscriptions for a few more years. We do need your help with this however, particularly with fund raising activities such as the Christmas Fair.

Finally, if you feel you would be able to help us keep the Group going in any way, even if it’s just on an occasional basis, please either speak to myself or a leader. We would welcome any parents who would like to join us either as a uniformed leader, or parent helper at Thursday meetings, and/or to assist on the Executive Committee which oversees the running of the sections. We cannot run the Group without you!    

                  
Regards,                                               
                                     
    David Hoare                                                                
    Chairman -  5th Frome Scout Group    
    https://www.5thfromescouts.org.uk/      

SAVE THE DATES 2023!

Below are the 5th Frome Scout Group diaries dates:

Full details of each event will be provided closer to the date.

As was usual pre-lockdown, we will again be holding our annual bonfire and fireworks celebrations at Tedbury camp site on Thursday, November 4th starting at 6:45pm.  This event is open to all family members and friends, so brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all welcome to join us.

Whilst we will be supplying some fireworks for the event, if you would like to bring some along yourselves to help the evening go with an even bigger bang, that would be very much appreciated. Please hand these to your section leader who will then ensure they are set off safely for all to enjoy.

As is usual, refreshments including Hot Dogs (incl. veggie sausages), Bacon Rolls and hot drinks will be on sale for you to purchase (please note that it will be cash only), with any monies made going towards the cost of the fireworks. 

Additionally, please don't forget we could really do with some help on the Wednesday night (November 3rd) to help build the bonfire and put up the mess tent. We will be on the Cub Field at Tedbury from 6:30pm and if you could bring some wood or pallets along as well if you have any, that would be fantastic,

With a number of our usual volunteers having left over lockdown, we are desperately looking for a few parents and young leaders to help run the catering. It's all fairly straight forward with tasks being for example making the hot drinks, cutting the rolls and putting the sausages/bacon in before passing to the front counter and then helping with taking money and serving the customers.

If you are able to help, please reply and let me know as we need a minimum of 6 people. The event officially starts at 6:45pm so if you can be there for 6:25pm that would give us time to get things ready, allocate tasks and be prepared ready for the rush when the event starts.   

Having been locked away for the last year, why not escape and join us for a fun packed weekend for all the family at Tedbury District Camp Site.

Mums and/or dads, along with their respective Beaver, Cub or Scout are welcome, as well as all brothers and sisters, aunties, uncles and grandparents, who are invited to come along to this event which this year will have a Pirate theme and include amongst many other proposed activities:

• Camping skills

• Pirate weapon making ,

• Fancy Dress Competition (Pirate dress)

• Saturday night camp fire

• Construction of Pirate Ships

• Wide games

The cost for this fabulous all inclusive weekend will be just £30 per adult and £20 per child (costs include all camp site fees), with a £5 per person deposit (or full payment if you wish)  being required upon return of the reply slip on the attached form (balance to be paid by 15th July).

Along with the reply slip, please return the attached health forms for both adults and young person's along with the DBS form (for those that do not currently hold one from the Scout Association) mentioned in the "Family Camp Parent Letter" (DBS forms need to be returned by Thursday 17^th June in order to allow time for checking to take place).

To make the camp viable, we do need at least 10 families to sign up to attend, so please ensure your reply gets to your section leader by Thursday the 25th June

Camp will start at 6pm on the Friday evening and finish at 3pm on the Sunday. The site though will be open from 3pm on the Friday to allow for families to put up their tents in advance should they so wish.

For familes who wish to borrow tent’s, we have a small number of hike tents ideal for a parent and child or larger patrol tents for family groups (Please see your child's unit leader in advance if you wish to use one). 

Whilst we will be having a hot drink and cake/biscuits available for supper on the Friday evening, for those who may not have had chance to have a meal before coming to camp, we will be taking orders for the local chip shop at an additional cost payable on the night. Please see attached form to place your order.

Finally as is always the tradition at 5th Frome camps, we would ask all families to bring along a cake. These always go down well and will be used at drinks breaks during the day to keep those energy levels up!

If you have any question dont hesitate to get in contact! 

FORMS:

• Camp Letter
• Young Person Health Form
• Adult Health 
• DBS Form