Scouts is (or always was!) an incredibly middle class activity

[Greatballzoffire]

Just that. Our local one is full of very wealthy families, waiting list are years long & the children that could probably do with & afford scouts can't get in the door.
I always associated scouts as an inexpensive activity that all children can access. Ours seem to be predominantly full of middle class families who travel from other areas to our scout unit.

In some cases yes, but when I went we were all from the same council estate including the leaders. I didn't know you could own your own house when I was a child.

I think this sums it up well. Groups tend to reflect their local area. If you have no contact with district (or beyond) your only reference point is the closest group.

But as I said- we used to carry boats and kayaks past parents sitting in their cars-some of whom would then complain that we were late finishing! Obviously some would have a good reason-but all of them? Every week?

We get this at cubs, and my DH used to find the same when coaching kids football. Each week he would send an email out asking for help before and after matches to set up/take down goals etc. Rarely did anyone step up to help. But then they'd moan that kick-off was late etc. It was soul-destroying.

Paying back is mad! We’d never find anyone to do that for those amounts. There are better solutions.
We now have a Monzo account to load camp monies into. In general we keep money for each section in Monzo pots, around £200, and section leaders report spends and top up monthly.
Before that we dealt in cash for camps with end of camp balancing of receipts etc.
Paying back is an unnecessary barrier for leader recruitment. I’d never be a leader if I was also using my own account, I’d be in my overdraft every month.

"I have received very rude emails complaining about sessions starting or finishing late. This has been after repeated requests for help to prevent this from happening. Volunteering for this role takes up a considerable amount of my time and effort and it is somewhat soul destroying to receive ungrateful emails which fail to acknowledge and appreciate the effort that running sessions takes. I hope this explains the situation in full and reinforces the point that unless parents are willing to step up and assist this will continue to happen, which I will make no apology for. There is a simple solution to the problem which I have detailed in full but is outside of my control to enforce"

And send.

Paying back is mad! We’d never find anyone to do that for those amounts. There are better solutions

There are better solutions, but many groups, including ours, run this way. I just use my credit card for any expenses, and claim it back before the credit card is due. We can request a cash float upfront if necessary, but most of our leaders are happy to claim expenses back. I do appreciate not everyone can, or would want, to do it this way.

A lot depends on the volunteers. Our treasurer (who retired recently) was very old fashioned - did no online banking, all expenses had to be on paper (we couldn’t email them over), claims were paid by cheque etc. We now have a new treasurer and are moving towards online banking, bacs payments etc. But it takes time, and is very dependant on the skills and time that the volunteers have.

@RedToothBrush - our treasurer got Revolut pre-paid credit cards for things like food shops or train tickets. Two of our leaders are only mid-Twenties and don't have big credit card limits and our chair doesn't want them out of pocket.

If the funds on the cards run low, they tell him the expected price and he adds more money.

But that works only because there is enough money in the kitty and the parents paid far enough in advance. So if the camp is on the 15th of a month, parents have to pay by the 1st to ensure funds are there.

The subtle barriers are definitely real. I spent hours and hours researching activities well ahead of when my dd will need them. I know which things have waiting lists and which ones will require me to be at my computer at 3am on a random date when they open sign-ups. My calendar already has an alarm set to remind me to set up my computer and supplies the night before and another to wake me at the right time.

anyone can put that level of effort in, but the reality is that kind of planning and obsession is fairly unique to certain groups and personalities

Which childhood activities require 3am sign-ups? @Ponderingwindow

Everything things scouts should be cheap, who exactly do you expect to pay for it?

You're kind of contradicting yourself. You're saying scouts is working class but your title says it isnt. I think what you have is a local group that started off with one or 2 children from middle class families and then their peers and siblings joined. I dont think that's the norm. It's great it's so well subscribed to and that theres someone to run it. Maybe you could consider becoming a scout leader yourself and set up a 2nd troupe if demand is so high. I dare say it would take on a different vibe.

I remember helping on a parent rotation for scouts as did DH.

Ds went to beavers because a friend did and it continued to scouts. It was affiliated with the church. It was very good for him.

It was in a fairly affluent area

My children used to do preschool gymnastics in Kentish Town. I remember the sign up was at 9:30am so I turned up at 9:15am thinking I’d be miles too early. I was the second to last person to get a spot - the others had been queuing outside since the early morning. Some people had turned up two or three times but hadn’t managed to get a spot (because they just couldn’t turn up that early). I think there was something in the local paper about it a few years ago.

https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/parents-queue-through-night-score-places-children-talacre-gym-class?sp=13&sq=gym

That's pretty sad.

I think the place ended up bringing in an online booking system - partly because having people queue from the early hours looks terrible.