On 28th October the Society had a well attended talk by Andy Shepherd, one of our members, on 'Scouting in Romsley and Hunnington'. It is always interesting to hear about local history and Andy, who has been Group Scout Leader for many years, didn't disappoint with his talk.
The worldwide Scout Movement was begun by Robert Baden Powell in 1907 when he published 'Aids to Scouting' and 'Scouting for Boys' setting out his ideas on 'Instruction in Good Citizenship'. In 1910 the Guides were formed and in 1916 the Wolf Cubs.
Scouting came to Romsley and Hunnington when the St. Kenelm's Scout Group was registered in 1937. They met in the Church Hall and later in the School. The group was led by Stanley Shaw and we were privileged to have May Wridgway, nee Shaw, one of the first Akelas, at our meeting. Her husband, John, ran the scouts both before and after the war and he encouraged them to go camping, even if it was only in a field at Shut Mill.
Unfortunately the group had to close in 1954 and was only started again in 1966 at the instigation of the Rev. David Copley. Twelve cubs and 14 scouts met for the first time in the school hall. One of those boys was Andy Shepherd and little did he realise what an important influence that meeting would have on the rest of his life!
By the 1970s there was a growing need for the scouts to have their own Headquarters. In 1976 a second hand hut was purchased and sited on the playing fields. In 1984 the first Beaver group was formed but by the 1990s the hut was looking tired and it was decided to try to raise £170,000 to build a new Scout Centre. After a lot of fund raising events in the village by the Group Scout Committee and a lot of hard work by Richard Taylor to secure a National Lottery Grant of £98,000, work began on the new Scout Centre, not a Scout Hut anymore! It was opened in September 1999 with facilities for the whole community.
The Scouts have always taken an active part in village events. In 1951 they had even planned a whole week of activities for the 'Festival of Britain'. In 2014 the Scout Group is still a flourishing village organization with 74 members still striving to be good citizens!
As with all history it is only when you look back that you appreciate what has been achieved. The youths of the villages of Romsley and Hunnington are indebted to Andy Shepherd and all the Scout Leaders, past and present, for their dedication to Scouting and for the important roll they have played in influencing their young lives for the better.
Pat Evans