The Big Help Out heads to Wembley

The Big Help Out is a national day of volunteering to inspire a new generation of volunteers. It’s happening on 8 May, the Bank Holiday Monday, as the culmination of the Coronation weekend.

It’s backed by over 30 different organisations – led by Scouts and the Royal Voluntary Service. As such, it’s a significant opportunity for Scouts to be seen in public and to start new conversations about volunteering.

It’s a chance to be part of an historic, national moment, proudly making Scouts a core part of what people see throughout the Coronation weekend.

Inspiring new volunteers

99 years ago, Wembley Stadium hosted a huge international Jamboree that brought thousands of Scouts from across the Commonwealth to this part of North London. However, in recent years, the number of Scouts in Brent had fallen to an all-time low.

That changed when David Kitchen, the energetic lead volunteer in the Borough, and his team tried a different approach, engaging new communities and making Scouts and volunteering as accessible as possible.

‘We’re now breathing new Scouting life back into the area,’ enthuses David. ‘It’s a case of build it, and they will come. We’ve opened six new Scout groups in Brent, and we see The Big Help Out as another opportunity to promote Scouting in the area.’

Brent has been the fastest-growing District in the County for four of the last six years, with the pandemic affecting the other two. Youth membership has grown by 45% since 2022 and, overall, by 37%, including adults. Most significantly, membership has doubled since 2017.

Jump starting a new group from scratch

‘When I started as District Commissioner, I realised we had to find a different approach to recruiting new members. The Scout Groups we had were full and couldn’t expand; we needed to open new groups,’ explains David.

1. Taking inspiration from the 4 Week Challenge, we've developed our New Scout Group Challenge. We identify a suitable venue and work with the local community leader to advertise in the area.
2. We start with Cub Scouts, the easiest section to recruit; we also start small with 12 young people and their parents.
3. We run a Scouting programme for a month.
4. Then everyone, including parents, goes to a campsite for an activity and adventure day. It wouldn’t be an authentic taste of Scouting without the chance to light a fire and toast a marshmallow!
5. This is followed by a presentation day when we recognise their achievement with certificates and prizes – and ask the young people (and parents) if they’d like to carry on. Of course, the kids say yes, and then the parents can’t say no!

‘The 7th Wembley is our newest Scout Group. They started from scratch, just like this, and none of the new members had been Scouts before. The Beaver Challenge is happening now with 12 young people, and we already have a waiting list to join, and the Scout Challenge will start after Easter.’

Using The Big Help Out to support inclusive growth

‘We had already planned our District Camp for the weekend of the Coronation, and we thought about making a special event,’ says David. ‘However, our members told us they’d like to watch the Coronation at home with their families. When we heard about The Big Help Out, we thought it was a great idea, so we changed our plans.

‘We decided to hold a visible and accessible public event on the Bank Holiday Monday as part of The Big Help Out. We’re talking with Brent Council now about making this possible. We dream of holding it on Olympic Way, leading to the stadium.

‘Our members were proud to parade down Olympic Way and be able to join the Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London & the Mayor of Brent on the steps of Wembley Stadium for the Proclamation of Accession of King Charles III last year. This will be another excellent opportunity to show that Scouting is alive and well in Wembley.’

Bringing Scouts to the people

‘For The Big Help Out, we'll be offering free pop-up activities to engage families from different backgrounds and communities. We’d like to offer a mobile climbing wall and a selection of traditional Scouting activities. We'll also be able to talk to local families and ask them where we should run our next Scout Challenge to open a group.’

But what advice does David have for those thinking of running a Big Help Out event?

‘It’s about visibility,’ says David. ‘You need to go where people already are. We did have a conversation about running the event in the park, but the public won’t come unless we advertise it really well. If we do it on the high street, people are already there.’

Good luck to David and all Scouts in Brent for their Big Help Out.