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Petworth & Pulborough Scout District is always trying to do the best for its members and we currently have a need for volunteers in the following Teams:

Programme Team Members: The District Programme Team helps every section in the District run a safe, enjoyable and quality programme. To help do this, they bring Section Team volunteers together with activity experts.

Support Team Members: The District Support Team gives tools and resources to help Scouts run smoothly.

Volunteer Development Team: The District Volunteering Development Team makes sure all volunteers in their District have a positive and enjoyable volunteering experience. They make it easy for people to join and learn new skills.

District Youth Lead:  Youth Leads are important local roles for 18-25-year-olds helping to support and champion youth shaped locally. There are now over 600 Youth Leads doing amazing things across the UK.  

14-24 Team Lead: The 14–24 Team helps all volunteers in Explorer, Young Leader, and Scout Network Section Teams. They help Section Teams plan and deliver great programmes for young people.

If you are interested and want to know more, please contact us

Here are some of the areas that the District works for:

• Programme Support for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts
• Explorer Scouts (age 14-18)
• Network (age 18-25)
• The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Young Leader Training Units
• Scout Active Support Unit (all ages) offering help to units and groups for larger events and when a wider range of skills are needed
• Paddlesport Team offering support to get on the water and build skills
• District Stores with equipment that you may need once in a while such as larger Marquees, extra tables, benches and toilets or activity equipment
• District Minibus for events and activities
• The Trustee Board to help us all operate within the rules of the Scout Association and make sure we all stay safe
• Chief Scouts Awards recognition and presentations to help the young people feel even more special
• Diversity and Additional Needs Support for the times when leaders need a little more support adapting the programme or helping young people and adults to get the best from their Scouting
• District Events to allow us to participate in being part of the wider Scouting world, to share ideas and put on activities that might not be so successful with smaller groups

Bookings open 1st March and will close 25th April or when we have sold all 800 places.

Information for supporters to sign up will go out in March

First Aid courses: regular First Aid (First Response) courses are available around the county. Please see West Sussex Scouts - Eventbrite for more information about locations and how to book.

The Halloween Hike (established in 1995) is an event for teams of Guides, Scouts, Explorers and Rangers.  The hike is to encourage teams to work together, to put their map reading skills into practice and to take part in various challenges along the way; most importantly we want them to have fun!  The route for Guides and Scouts is approx. 5-6 miles; the route for Explorers and Rangers is approx. 8 miles.  The challenges take place at checkpoints manned by Scouting and Guiding adults.

The hike is day and night event wrapping up at midnight; start times are based on which class a team enters (see below).  The hike takes place on a weekend close to Halloween each year. 

Event Categories (revised in 2022):

Class 1:                 Any age of team (Scouts or Guides, no visiting Cubs or Brownies please) who will walk accompanied by a leader or unit assistant.  This is a training group so please make sure your adult is suitable to teach map reading as they go.  These teams will all walk mostly in daylight.

Class 2:                 Any age of team (Scouts and Guides) who will walk unaccompanied. These teams will start in daylight but most likely finish in the dark.  We will reserve earlier start times (i.e. less night walking) for younger/less experienced teams.

Class 3:                 Age 12+ (Scouts, Guides, Explorers or Rangers) who will walk unaccompanied. These teams will start in the late afternoon and walk predominantly in the dark with the last team in by midnight.  These are expected to be older, more experienced teams.

Trophies are awarded for classes 2 & 3 based on points scored on activity checkpoints around the route.  There is a 3rd trophy for the fastest team in Class 3.

Along the route there will be a number of check points with activities for the guides to take part in; the guides can score points for completing the activity.  Activities at checkpoints are designed to test team work and to be fun.  One checkpoint that needs a little planning is cooking.  The idea is to make a quick, simple and filling meal; everyone should be involved and points will be awarded for teamwork, quality, effort and edibility.  Ideas for the meal could be macaroni cheese, quesadillas, corn beef hash, stir fry, the list goes on.

The hike is a lot of fun and many young people take part year on year, we mix the activities up every year and the route is never the same twice.  The weather also plays its part, it’s been warm, dry, wet, cold, foggy, frosty and in 2023 we had to move the whole event 6 hours earlier to avoid a yellow weather warning! (just after the last team came in, the lightning started).

For more information you can contact the organisers here

Roll of honour

Learn all about the P&P Duke of Edinburgh's Award Unit here