A West Lothian scout group that welcomes 70 children aged 6-14 each week is celebrating its tenth anniversary – with Winchburgh Developments supporting their journey from the start.

The 33rd West Lothian Scouts, based in Winchburgh, was established in 2015, three years after the £1billion development of Scotland’s fastest-growing town started. It marked a decade of success with a camp at Lochgoilhead, with dozens of members enjoying activities and a two-night stay in Argyll.

The group has established itself as an integral part of the community, with up to 70 children meeting every Friday at Winchburgh Community Centre and enjoying excursions and residential trips throughout each year. Eighteen volunteer leaders help to run the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts sections.

David O’Rourke, chair of the charity that oversees the running of the group, said: “They learn to become independent here and learn lots of useful new skills, and many of them have grown up with the group, coming through from around six years old to the Scouts. The camps are great fun, and we celebrate everyone’s achievements with ceremonies when they get their badges. It’s all non-digital, non-screen-time, which is increasingly important.”

David’s wife Liz, cubs team leader, has led groups for more than 10 years. “It’s a fantastic thing to be part of,” she said, “when you see the young people growing and thriving, getting to take part in activities, learning new skills that they perhaps never would have had the opportunity to do.

“Winchburgh has grown tremendously over the last 10-11 years and we now have a number of new schools – this is a great way to bring all of those children together. We get lots of positive feedback from the parents to say how much their children have progressed and developed. Whether it’s the practical, technical skills that they’ve learnt like putting up a tent, or the soft skills of good teamwork, communication and confidence.

“Our brilliant volunteers include some who have come through the group from a young age and now want to give something back. I’m very, very, very proud to be part of the Scout group and to have been here for ten years alongside a fantastic team. We work very closely together and we are a great set of friends. It’s not just giving life skills and experiences to the children; as leaders, we’ve learned so much since we’ve been here.

“There are so many things that I’ve learnt because I have to teach the young people. However, I still can’t tie a knot!”

YOUNG PERSPECTIVES

Owen, 10, a pupil at Winchburgh Primary School, is a former Beaver who as a Cub is proud to have achieved the highest honour available, earning a silver medal, now proudly displayed on his jumper amid myriad sewn-on badges.

“I thought Beavers would be really strict, like the army, before I started but it’s not — it’s really fun. I’ve learned how to tie knots, to cook — I can make eggs — and to do challenges as a group, like orienteering, but also sometimes to be on my own, like when we went to camp for two nights.”

Seventeen-year-old Mia joined the group aged 10 as a cub and has returned as a volunteer leader. “When I moved to Winchburgh from Edinburgh, I tried both Cubs and Girl Guides, and I preferred cubs a lot more just because it was more inclusive to everyone. I felt like I had lots of responsibility and there were so many opportunities to learn new things.

“I thought I’d like to come back to be a leader because it would be a really great experience and working with kids is always something that I’ve wanted to do.”

THE NEXT TEN YEARS…

Winchburgh Developments Ltd. (WDL), the lead developer supporting the growing community, has supported the group in a variety of ways in the last ten years and this year was delighted to support the 10th anniversary trip. WDL is currently helping facilitate funding to bring forward much-needed container storage facilities to help the troop cope with their growing demands.

”We rely on grants and funding from other organisations, so what Winchburgh Developments have given to us is brilliant”, said Liz. “We have been desperately in need of new storage for quite some time and to have something that is going to be at the back of our hall will be even better for us to easily access all of our equipment. We do appreciate all the support Winchburgh Developments have given us since the start. We’ve been working alongside them for a number of years and they’ve been very generous over that time”

Looking ahead to the next ten years, Liz said: “We have long waiting lists, and hopefully that’s testament to what we do. It’s great to see the group as part of the community. 

“We’re always thinking of new ideas, opportunities and experiences to offer the young people. The town of Winchburgh is continuing to grow massively so we’ll have to think about what that actually means for us as a group, in terms of facilities and how do we support all those young people going forward. But it’ll be amazing to see where the group goes from here, continuing onwards and upwards!”