Banstead Methodist Church

Beavers: For boys and girls aged 6 – 8 years old. Motto: “Fun and Friends”.  The annual programme includes games, some badge work, learning through fun activities, outings and sleepovers.  Beavers meet in the Scout HQ at the back of the church on Tuesdays (5.30 pm – 6.45 pm) in term-time.
Contact email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Cubs: For boys and girls aged 8 – 10.  The programme includes camping, sleepovers, badge work, games, challenge awards and outings.  Cubs meet in the Scout HQ at the back of the church on Wednesdays (6.30 pm – 8.00 pm) in term-time.
Contact email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Scouts: For boys and girls aged 10 – 14.  Includes camping, hiking, badge work, cooking initiative tests, sleepovers and outings.  Scouts meet in the Scout HQ behind the church on Fridays (7.30 pm – 9 pm) in term–time.          Contact phone: 07753 236115

Membership fees for 2025: 

£12 Joining fee (includes Group T shirt, Badges, Scarf and Woggle)
£52 per term including section subs (if helping with fundraising)
£72 per term (if unable to assist with 2.5 hours fundraising per year).

Parade Services: Interactive, all-age services for all ages but aimed especially at children and young people. Parade services usually take place in January, February, March, June, and September,  on the last Sunday of the month.

7^th Banstead Scout Group Reports Sept 2025

BEAVERS:  Unusually, we’ve recruited a new leader, (more welcome) but our Beaver numbers have decreased!  For the first time in years, we’ve had only 22 children on our books, instead of the usual 24 – 26.

The summer term has still been really busy, with another visit to a local care home and a Beavers only sleepover.  We also went to Bazzaz – the triennial event for Surrey’s Beavers and Rainbows. We had a fabulous turnout; all but 3 of our children attended and we had support from 3 of our parents.  Most importantly, the sun shone all day and the children had a brilliant time.

Other notable events have been a good attendance at St George’s and lots of fun at our traditional end of term campfire, water fight and games at Park farm. We’ve also hiked in Banstead Woods, played games in Nork Park and had a Hot Wheels and Lego evening. In amongst all of that, we’ve completed our Cook and Gardener activity badges and made sure our 3 summer leavers completed their Chief Scout Bronze Award before moving up to Cubs.

CUBS:  With 26 cubs, we had a very busy and exciting term, packed with activities and preparations for camp. We completed the Personal Safety Badge with a visit from the RNLI, who gave the Cubs an engaging and informative session on water safety. Alongside this, we held a pre-camp sleepover and took part in the St George’s Day celebrations.

Much of the term focused on preparing for Cub Camp. The Cubs practised den building, collecting wood (kindly transported to camp by one of our parents), and learning essential camp skills such as pitching tents, camp hygiene, making their beds, and basic First Aid. These sessions really helped build confidence and independence ahead of camp.

We also enjoyed a Teamwork Challenge evening, which the new Cubs moving up from Beavers joined in with, giving them a chance to bond with the Pack. Later in the term, the Cubs tried out shooting and archery. To round off the term, the Cubs achieved both the Local Knowledge and Photographer Badges. For these, they explored local sites of interest, including Park Farm, Banstead Methodist Church, Nork Mansion, and The Beacon School, learning about their history. They then went on a walk to visit these locations, taking photos which they later edited by hand, adding their own creative touches. We also saw some fantastic leadership within the Pack, with three Cubs running their own activities - including golf and rugby - for their peers as part of their Team Leader Award. These sessions were a great success, with all the Cubs thoroughly enjoying the chance to learn from each other.

SCOUTS:  The Scout section has 18 Scouts, and 3 Leaders. Apart from this terms normal badgework programme, we have enjoyed a few special evenings such as mini crossbows, scuba diving, a trip to the park for sausage and chips and home-made boat racing, cooking, a circular hike, and a great Circus Skills evening taught by an ex scout. In addition the older scouts completed their Expedition Challenge. This is a hard 2 day hike, where they have to carry all their food, tents and equipment. They did well, even if they all covered about 4 more miles than they needed to….   Community service has included church gardening, putting out tables for the local Horticultural Society shows, and weed picking at the Downlands Trust farm, where we also learnt about the various animals, and met some very tame sheep and chickens.

Our summer camp in Kent was action packed  with activities such as: Archery, Climbing, Axe Throwing, Sumo Suits, a Cooking competition, Rafting in an indoor pool, and a day hike.

Janice Barber   Group Lead Volunteer