As we sail out of 2024 and into a bright new year, it feels fitting to reflect on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words: “A smooth sea never made a skilful sailor.” This year has been far from smooth, yet it has been profoundly transformative – not just for Scouts here in East Lancashire, but across the UK too. Challenges have tested us, growth has stretched us, and our resilience has shone through – making us stronger, more skilled, and ready for the journey ahead.

Scouts in East Lancashire is about more than Bowley, but it’s the perfect place to start reflecting on the past year. We entered Bowley into a short-term shutdown over the summer for some long term gains. We made significant upgrades: new toilets and showers, a thrilling new zip line, an indoor high ropes course, and essential health and safety activities. Throughout the last six-months of this year, our Board of Trustees have had some incredibly difficult decisions to make but each of these decisions and changes has set the stage for a more vibrant and inclusive future, even if you haven’t yet seen all the benefits first-hand. While you might not visit Bowley to admire the wiring, these unseen upgrades are just as vital. They ensure we have safe spaces where young people can thrive, discover, and grow – which is what really matters.

Reflecting on a Transformative Year
This year wasn’t just transformative for Bowley; it was pivotal for Scouts across East Lancashire and around the UK. Progress can feel slow when benefits are just out of reach, but meaningful change takes time. It’s like planting a tree – the fruits of our labour may not be immediately visible, but they’re growing beneath the surface.

We launched a new Membership System to replace Compass, transitioned to updated role titles, and continued embedding a refreshed volunteer culture, centred around teamwork rather than individual roles. These changes required hard work from lots of volunteers nationally and here in East Lancashire, and while the groundwork is laid, the real momentum will build in 2025. The tools are in place, and I’m excited about what we’ll achieve together.

A Year of Sustainable Growth
If we truly believe Scouts is a life-changing movement, why wouldn’t we invest in expanding its reach? Growth, especially sustainable growth, is hard work—it requires vision, commitment, and countless hours of effort. It’s not something we do when we find a spare moment (if such moments even exist!). It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure Scouts is accessible to all who want to experience its magic.

This year, we took a big step forward by recruiting a Local Growth Officer for East Lancashire. Thanks to funding from HQ’s Underrepresented Communities Fund, we’re thrilled to welcome Grace Aspinall to the team in January. Over the next 12 months, Grace will lead 10 specific projects across five districts, providing a springboard for county-wide growth.

Commenting on her appointment, Grace said:

Hello, I’m Grace and I’m from Lancashire. I’m a secondary school teacher and I’ve worked in Leeds, Bolton, and currently Rochdale. I volunteered while I was at university, teaching English abroad to children and working as a mentor at a primary school in Bradford. I believe firmly in the value of the skills and experiences that being involved in Scouting offers for both young people and volunteers, and I am grateful to be able to support the opening of new groups in areas of East Lancashire where they are most needed. I look forward to meeting our current volunteers and working with you to ensure that all young people are able to participate in Scouting.

I’m sure you will all join me in congratulating Grace on her successful appointment, and welcoming her to East Lancashire.

Growth us not just about numbers – at its heart, growth is about providing opportunity. One of the key things that has shone through this year is that we have lots of great volunteers who all have big ideas about how to make things better in East Lancashire. In 2025, our focus will be on listening and working with you on your thoughts and ideas. Together, we’ll explore how best we can support you in your volunteering role, and continue to ensure that East Lancashire is a great place to volunteer.

Programme, Programme, Programme
Our focus remains steadfast on delivering high-quality programmes that inspire young people. Scouting is about experiences that shape lives: nights under the stars, challenges that test courage, and moments of discovery. In 2024, we saw countless examples of creativity and commitment from leaders across East Lancashire, bringing programmes to life in ways that excite and engage. Next year, we’ll work to provide even more relevant support to ensure every young person in East Lancashire has access to a rich, varied, and impactful Scouting experience.

Of course, work now starts on ramping up preparations for County Camp in May 2025. It’s the first time in the last decade that Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Network have had the opportunity to come together, and I really am so excited for everyone to be joining us. We have a great volunteer team who have stepped up to help make it happen and while there certainly are some rough seas to navigate between now and then, reaching land in May and celebrating together will be well worth the wait.

Following our successful EuroTour trip in the summer of 2024, we’re keeping up the momentum and will shortly be sharing exciting updates with Explorer Leaders about an opportunity to take part in an Explorer Belt expedition. There will also be an opportunity for Explorer Scouts to gain additional, externally recognised, qualifications – watch this space for more information soon.

Safety First
We choose to deliver great quality programmes, we choose to put on our neckerchiefs and uniforms, and we choose to deliver skills for life. That means we also choose to provide a safe space for young people.

No one expects volunteers to know everything. Just because you’re now a Lead Volunteer or Team Leader doesn’t mean you suddenly gain lots of knowledge, and (despite what they might tell you) no one really does know everything. At our Leadership Symposium in October, I introduced a piece of work that will start in January on ‘assurance’. The project, led by Nathan Prince, will start by asking questions of every Group, and it’s important that we get a sense of where we are. There are no tricks, no “right answers”; in fact, the only wrong answer would be an untruthful or inaccurate one. We want to get a good sense of what’s happening in Groups and Units so that we can focus our support on the things that matter most. We know we need to do more to support Groups and Units and this is the start of that support.

Safety in Scouts comes in two parts, the first is actually being safe – the risk assessments (written and dynamic), the practical things that you do, the changing of activities when things don’t go to plan. The second is knowing and demonstrating that we are safe and that’s where our assurance project comes in. There will be lots of outcomes from this project, but for me the biggest one will be that we will have done everything we can to keep Scouts safe, and who doesn’t want that?

Charting the Course Ahead
As we look beyond 2025, the horizon is filled with exciting possibilities. In January, representatives from East Lancashire will attend Scouts’ Summit25 national conference to help shape the vision for 2033. What will Scouts look like in nine years? How can we continue to grow, adapt, and innovate? These questions will guide us as we set our compass for the future, and we’re very excited to be playing our part.

Thank You
Finally, as the year draws to a close, I want to extend a genuine ‘thank you’ to every single volunteer in East Lancashire. You are the lifeblood of our Movement. Whether you’ve given a few hours or countless weekends, your dedication is what makes Scouts possible. Thank you for your energy, your patience, and your belief in the power of Scouting to change lives. Here’s to a new year filled with opportunities, adventures, and smooth seas ahead (but just enough waves to keep us skilful).

Happy New Year to you all!