About us

This website provides information about the 12th Gateshead Scout Group registered charity number 1017268. The Scout Group comprises Beavers (ages 6-8), Cubs (8-10½) and Scouts (10½-14) as well as Explorers (14-18).

12th Gateshead Scout Group (Whickham Lions) was formed in 1979, under Graham and Sue Wood, from Whickham. The group was set up for the south side of Whickham, namely Clover Hill and the Grange Estate, and was based in a primary school. It was so successful, that the group had two cub packs running at the same time. Some time later, when George McLeod was group scout leader, his wife, Mary moved one of the cub packs to Dockendale Hall, very close to the Front Street. We then lost Clover Hill primary school as a venue for the group, because they wanted to run Karate at the same time as our cubs and scouts, so we moved the whole operation to Dockendale. At this time the group was ran by Jim Jamerson. More recently, we were given the opportunity to run our group in St. Mary’s church hall here in Church Chaire, and that’s where we’ve been ever since!

So it’s fair to say we’ve moved around a bit, but we’re very content with where we are now! We meet on a Friday night and have a beaver colony, a cub pack and a scout troop, as well as some explorers that meet at our headquarters.

As Scouts, we believe in preparing young people with skills for life. We encourage our young people to do more, learn more and be more. We believe in bringing people together. We celebrate diversity and stand against intolerance, always. We’re a worldwide movement, creating stronger communities and inspiring positive futures. We live by the values of Scouting: Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief and Co-operation. They underpin everything we do, how we act and the way we treat each other.

Each week, Groups like ours together give over 460,000 young people in the UK the opportunity to enjoy fun and adventure while developing the skills they need to succeed, now and in the future. We’re talking about teamwork, leadership and resilience – skills that have helped Scouts become everything from teachers and social workers to astronauts and Olympians.

Scouting

Scouting actively engages and supports young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

Support us

You can support our scout group in a number of ways.

We have quarterly meetings with the executive committee, as we must because we are a charity. We encourage adults to approach us to join this committee, as we are required to have at least one parent from each section present at all of our meetings.

You can sign your son/daughter up to scouts by clicking here, and filling out our short application form. There may be a waiting list, but we aim to get through this list as quickly as possible. By attending on a Friday night and at other meetings, you are keeping the scout movement in Whickham going.

Contact

You can contact us by email: info@12thgatesheadscouts.org

You can call us, our number is: 07594 876 070

Parents are encouraged to join the private facebook group.

New starter documentation

When you first start the group, you will be given the ‘big red pack’ which contains all of the following documents, its basically everything that you need to know about the group, and three or four other forms that you should fill in and return to your child’s section leader. You can download them below:

Section meetings

Our sections meet weekly during school term time.

Beavers: Fridays 18:00 – 19:00

Cubs: Fridays 18:00 – 19:15

Scouts: Fridays 19:30 – 21:15

St Mary’s Centre

Normal weekly activities take place in St. Mary’s Centre, just off of Whickham Front Street.

St Mary’s Centre, Church Chare
Whickham
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE16 4SH