10th Fife 1st Cupar Scout Group
It was 1909 when the 10th Fife 1st Cupar Scout Group was established. More than a century on, the organisation is still thriving. We were invited to their hall on Provost Wynd to have a look at their facilities and to discover more …
In 1909, local schoolmaster, Lewis Graham, together with the School Janitor, William Wallace, officially became the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster in Cupar. This was on the back of a campaign led by the Fife Herald & Journal to revive interest in the Boys’ Brigade and Boy Scouts. William Wallace was the Janitor at Bell Baxter School and wrote to the paper’s editor …
“Personally, I would be willing to do everything in my power to help; and should anyone with more influence than I, care to get a start made in the matter, they will find that I will be perfectly willing to respond to any reasonable demand on my spare time. I think I am qualified to give instruction in most of the branches likely to be required.”
It was very fortunate that others joined the campaign in May 1909 – three letters in three consecutive weeks – all calling for the creation of a Scout group. A full transcript of William’s letter is shown below. The other letters are held in Cupar Library.
In the six months following, Lewis Graham and local doctor, Dr Dewar, went on to help found the Fifeshire Boy Scout Association. Dr Dewar became the Cupar Scouts’ first Chairman.
On the wall in the Club’s upstairs office are many photos of Scout groups dating back over the decades. For the pupose of this feature, we jump to 1951. A wooden hall was built close to the location now occupied by the Scouts. It served the scouts for 45 years until the opportunity arose to build anew. What was then the electricity board were looking to downsize their substation. The Scouts worked with them and raised enough funds to be able to build a new hall … the sub station being shrunk and relocated next to the property. It was opened on 11th October1996 by Garth Morrision – Cheif Scout at that time. The custom build enabled the Scouts to have the facilities they required including a games hall, meeting rooms and control rooms … along with easy access for all.
The Club grew – and so did the need for a more sustainable future. In 2001, it registered as a Scottish charity (SC031406).
Today, the Club is a vibrant organisation. It should be noted that they are currently running at capacity and a waiting list is in place for all sections. That said, they are always keen to hear from people who are interested in joining. The Club is also acutely aware of the challenging times facing so many – hence their wish for us to help promote the hall as ‘available to hire’ for times outwith the Club’s evenings.
Hall for hire …
The games hall (above, left and right) together with the small service kitchen (centre) are available to hire for children’s parties and celebrations. Upstairs (shown below) are two smaller rooms where activities and meetings are held. Again, both of these are available for hire when the Club is not in use.
Groups & Meeting Times
The Club has four groups covering ages 6-18 …
They meet throughout the week …
- Monday Scouts: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
- Tuesday Beavers: 5.30pm to 6.30pm
- Tuesday Cubs: 7.00pm to 8.30pm
- Wednesday Cubs: 6.30pm to 8.00pm
- Thursday Scouts: 7.00pm to 9.00pm
- Friday Explorers: 7.00pm to 9.00pm
All sessions are run by the Club’s enthusiastic adult volunteers and, as with every Scout Group in the UK, the Club relies on them to deliver all their projects. Nobody is paid for their work … they do it because they love it. The only prerequisite to volunteer – apart from enthusiasm, of course – is that you’re over 18. The Club understands that all their volunteers lead busy lives, so they are flexible: whatever your time and skills, they can find a great role for you!
How to volunteer with us …
The first step to becoming a Scouting volunteer is to contact the group for more information. The Cupar Group Scout Leader will help you select a role that suits you – and your availability.
Interested in joining the Club?
Scouting is open to all young people aged 6 to 25 of every faith and background. The Scout Association offers “fun and everyday adventure to 500,000 young people between the ages of 6 and 25 across the United Kingdom“. The main goal? To help young people “achieve their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential as individuals, as responsible citizens and as Members of their local, national and international communities“. As we have said, there is a waiting list at present, but please do get in touch for further details on how to register your child’s interest by emailing the Scout Group via this link.
Interested in venue hire?
If you’d like more information on the hire of the Club’s hall and rooms, please use this link and complete the online form via their website.
Thanks for reading!
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