The Beavers are part of 1st B&B, alongside Cubs (aged 8 to 10 1/2) and Scouts (aged 10 1/2 to 14). We also have a partnership with the Dreadnaught Explorer Unit. We meet every Monday, between 17:30 and 18:45, during term time, at the Group HQ behind the Margaret Harker Hall on Yarmouth Road, Blofield, NR13 4LE.

Who are Beavers?

Beavers are young people aged 6 to 8 who:

• Master new skills and try new things
• Have fun and go on adventures
• Make friends
• Are curious about the world around them
• Help others and make a difference, on their own doorsteps and beyond

Every week, they hop, skip and jump their way through lots of different games and activities – achieving anything they set their minds to, and having lots of fun along the way.

Being a Beaver is all about growing and learning in small but mighty ways. Going to Beavers is very different from going to school. Instead of learning from books, they’ll figure the world out by exploring, playing and doing.

The most important skills they’ll learn at Beavers are the ones that will make them feel super strong standing on their own two feet. We call these character skills. They include things like integrity – which means being honest and doing what they think is right – and initiative – which means knowing how to take the lead on something without being asked. It’s all about having the courage to try new things and learn from them.

Each Colony is made up of up to 24 young people aged 6 to 8, led by an adult Beaver Leader. Other adult volunteers are on hand to help supervise activities, share their skills and keep everyone safe.

Within their Colony the Beavers are also part of a Lodge. A Lodge is a smaller group of Beavers, usually headed up by a young person who takes on a peer leadership role (known as a Lodge Leader). Beavers usually stand together in their Lodges at the beginning and end of meetings. They tend to stick together on trips away, or during certain activities.

Being a Peer Leader is about being a superhero for a little while – doing things like welcoming new people to the Colony, being extra helpful during a camp, or taking charge of a game or activity. Everyone takes it in turns to take on the challenge.

The Beaver Promise

As well as enjoying plenty of adventures, being a Beaver is about exploring who you are and what you stand for. These are big ideas, and when you join the Colony, you’ll start thinking about them by making a promise.

A promise is a set of words that mean something to you, which you try to follow everyday.

Making the promise is a big celebration within the Colony. Every time a new Beaver decides to join, they chat through their promise with their leader before saying it out loud in front of their fellow Beavers. Family are invited to see them make their promise too.

Doing this is called being ‘invested’ into Beavers, and it usually takes place once you’ve had a few weeks to settle in.

When you make your promise, you will make the Scout Sign with your right hand. You will then be asked to say the promise. The Leader will then present you with your scarf, woggle and Group badges.

Everyone is unique but there are some things all Beavers agree on – such as treating everyone with kindness and promising to do their best.

The Beaver Promise

I promise to do my best, to be kind and helpful, and to love our world.

Meetings

We have a programme planned for each week and this is available on Online Scout Manager (OSM).

Our meetings are run with the help of adult leaders, parent helpers and young leaders who are members of the Dreadnaught Explorer Group.

All leaders are trained by the Scouting Association so that they can provide exciting and safe activities. As part of this, all leaders, assistants and parents or guardians have an enhanced level DBS check before helping.

Uniform

On your first night at Beavers, you’ll be taking part in lots of activities, and should just wear something you feel comfortable in.

Eventually, you’ll get your own Beaver uniform to wear to meetings and on trips and nights away. Wearing a uniform is comfy and practical. It means no one feels uncomfortable or left out and helps everyone to feel a part of the Colony. It also gives you a place to show off all the Beaver badges you have earnt.

For Beavers, the uniform consists of a blue sweatshirt with your badges sewn on and a gold coloured scarf or ‘necker’ to represent the 1st Blofield and Brundall Sea Scout Group. The necker and membership and Group badges are presented to your Beaver at their investiture.

A Beaver uniform can either be bought from the Scout Organisation’s online shop or from the Norfolk Scout Shop, which invests the profits back into Scouting and Guiding in Norfolk.

If you would like to visit the Norfolk Scout Shop in person, the shop’s opening times are available on their ‘contact us’ page. It is staffed by volunteers, so it is always worth giving them a call to make sure they’re open before you go.

The Group may also have good quality second hand uniform available.

If you’re not sure where to start, our leaders can give you more information about what to buy and where to buy it.

How Much Does it Cost?

Currently, Beaver subscriptions (subs) are £111 a year or £37 a term. This is reviewed each year and any new rate applies from September of that year.

As a Group we use the subs paid to fund the premises (Scouts and Explorers pay an additional fee to maintain the waterbase and watercraft), insurances, equipment, subsidise outings and trips and pay for materials used in meetings. Subs also pay for ‘capitation’, an annual payment due to the District, County and National Scout Organisations; this is approximately £50 per member in total.

Subs payments are staggered across the sections and year. This is intended to assist families with siblings in different sections by trying to avoid them being faced with multiple requests for subs at the same time.