From the County Lead Volunteer
Author: Howard Nelson
Published: December 4, 2025
From the County Lead Volunteer – December 2025
December always brings a flurry of festive preparation and some fantastic Scouting events across the county. I’ve already attended a brilliant awards evening in Boston, and I’m looking forward to joining Sleaford’s awards ceremony at Tattershall Castle, as well as seeing the International Peace Light in Gainsborough and Stamford.
We recently held our second successful County Team Day, bringing together the County and wider District teams. My thanks go to everyone who contributed, and in particular to Andrew Lloyd (Deputy Lead Volunteer, England), from Team England who outlined the new Scouts Strategy.
I have also just received the latest Good Service Awards data from HQ and am very pleased to report that a total of 73 awards were presented to volunteers across Lincolnshire this year. The Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service was the most common, with 32 recipients — a strong reflection of the everyday contribution volunteers make in every district. A further 18 volunteers received the Award for Merit, and 10 were honoured with the Silver Acorn for sustained, high-quality service.
Our higher-level awards were equally impressive: 3 Bars to the Silver Acorn and 4 Bars to the Award for Merit recognised exceptional ongoing commitment. At the very highest level, 6 volunteers received the Silver Wolf — the highest award in UK Scouting. Personally approved by the UK Chief Scout, the Silver Wolf is awarded only for truly exceptional, long-term service that far exceeds what would normally be expected of a volunteer. It marks individuals who have made an outstanding and sustained impact on Scouting, often over decades, through remarkable commitment, leadership and dedication to young people and the wider movement.
In late October, Malcolm, Jacob and I attended the LCVYS AGM. Lincolnshire Council for Voluntary Youth Services (LCVYS), a county-wide umbrella body for voluntary and community youth services, continues to offer important support to groups like ours. Their work includes:
- Grants and financial support: Small grants (typically up to £750) for youth activities, equipment, building costs and new projects.
- Training and capacity building: Courses such as safeguarding, first aid and governance — including an upcoming first aid course for Boston District.
- Networking and shared learning: Opportunities to connect with other youth organisations, share best practice and collaborate on county-wide initiatives.
Looking forwards, we are planning to celebrate the milestone birthdays of Squirrels, Beavers and Cubs in 2026 and of course looking forwards to an excellent Poacher 2026.
Finally, may I wish you a very Happy Christmas and my very best wishes to you and your families for the New Year.
Howard
County Lead Volunteer
December Bulletin
To book your tickets visit or click - buytickets.at/lincolnshirescouts1/1947705 . Camp being held at Holwell Pastures Scout Campsite, LE14 4DJ. Tickets are £15 per person with limited numbers available
POR Updates As you know, Headquarters regularly review POR and implement updates as needed. A few key changes have been made in the latest edition that we would like to bring to your attention. Some of these changes are to simplify wording and others are changes to reflect charity commission guidance. As always we would strongly recommend you review the updated rule changes directly. InTouch System (POR 7.1.1.1) Clarifies that if an adult is to be the ‘InTouch’ point of contact, they must be an adult member of The Scout Association with a full appointment. (Please also note this cannot be a non member -needs disclosure [occasional helper in old money], as this is not a adult member of the scout association) Swimming supervision (9.13.1.3(d)) Is updated to allow supervision of swimming to be by suitably skilled persons aged 16 or over, whereas previously it was 18 or over. Role endings (POR 16.8.1.3 and 16.8.2.1) The reasons for ending roles on the membership system have been reviewed and are now aligned to ensure wording consistency. This includes provision of several new reasons for both the satisfactory and the unsatisfactory ending of roles. Scrutiny of accounts (POR 5a.1.7.1, 5a.1.8.2 and 5e.3) . Transition arrangements are included. The ‘Scrutineer’ option is no longer available in England and has been replaced by Independent Examiner. Recording of income and expenditure(POR 5e.2.2.2) . Transition arrangements areincluded. Certain income, including membership subscriptions, must be recorded on a gross basis, rather than net. Digital applications(5c.1.8.7, 5c.2.8.7, 5c.3.8.7, 5c.4.8.7) Digital applications other than email are generally not appropriate to be used for such decision making. This includes WhatsApp, Doodle and similar tools, which should only be considered in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of the Group Chair. For such decisions taken between meetings, a minimum of 75% of the total number of Trustees must approve the matter and must be referenced in the following trustee meeting. Pre payment Expenses cards (POR 5e.5.1.9) Pre payment expenses cards must have a clear limit set by trustees, they must be in the groups name, issued to named individuals. Trustee Boards must have a policy for Prepaid Expense Cards. Data Protection policy (POR 2a.4) The Data Protection policy has been simplified and clarified. Trustee Boards must ensure that their charity has an up-to-date Data Protection Policy and an up-to-date Data Retention Policy.
We’re pleased to confirm that a Nights Away Assessor (Module 25) training course will be taking place on Sunday 25 January 2026 . This course is ideal for volunteers who want to support high-quality residential experiences across the County by becoming accredited Nights Away Assessors. The session will cover everything you need to confidently assess leaders working towards their Nights Away Permit, including: understanding permit requirements, what good practice looks like on residentials, safety and safeguarding considerations, and how to carry out assessments in a supportive, developmental way. It’s also a great opportunity to meet others involved in residential Scouting and share ideas, experiences, and challenges. Full joining details, timings, and the venue will be circulated shortly. If you are interested in attending, or would like more information, please get in touch with the Training Team. If your section or district is expanding its residential offer in 2026, this is an excellent time to strengthen local assessment capacity—so please do share with any volunteers who may benefit. To book a place use this link https://forms.office.com/e/2ZrcuJX604
LINCSFEST 25 Feedback We'd love to gather your thoughts and feedback on LINCSFEST 25. We're looking forward to building on the event for 2026 and need your views to help do that! There's also the opportunity to join a focus group to support us provide a vision for LINCSFEST 26! Please take a few minutes to share your valuable thoughts and help us make 2026 better than ever! We'd love to hear what you enjoyed as well as what you'd like to see improve or grow as we head into our next event! LINCSFEST 2025 Feedback – Fill in form More information about the event will be shared to all members in 2026. Thank You! The LINCSFEST Team
Duke of Cornwall Awards Ceremony – June 2026 Liam Nelson, Emergency Planning & Business Continuity Officer for Lincolnshire, has confirmed that the Duke of Cornwall Awards ceremony will take place on 13 June 2026 at Waddington Training Centre, running from 0900 to 1300 hours. Any changes to arrangements will be communicated in due course. The ceremony provides an opportunity for young people who have completed the Duke of Cornwall Award during the year to enjoy a morning of blue-light service activities and to receive their certificates from the Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire and the Chief Fire Officer. Due to the popularity of the event, a cap on numbers may be required depending on demand. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Liam is asking groups to confirm whether they have young people wishing to attend, along with approximate numbers by award level (Home, Neighbourhood, Community), as early as possible to support planning. Contact: Liam Nelson, Emergency Planning & Business Continuity Officer Email: Liam.Nelson@lincolnshire.gov.uk O ffice: 01522 843401 | Mobile: 07711 17714
LCVYS SMALL GRANT FUNDING ROUND 2 OPEN NOW FOR APPLICATIONS LCVYS are pleased to announce the Second round of this year’s Small Grants will be live for applications from 2 nd December 2025. Please fill out your applications and submit them before 5 th January 2026 as forms received after this time will not be considered for this round of funding. Due to the high demand of the last round the form will close once we have reached the maximum number of applications (20) so please apply as soon as possible to ensure your grant is considered for this round. if the link states the form is closed we have reached the maximum number of applications and you will need to wait for round 3 later in the year to apply. Groups that have already received funding from round 1 will not be eligible to apply again this year as it is one grant per group per financial year. Please read the attached SLA before making your application as this will explain what can and cannot be funded in more detail, We can only fund for things that benefit the club in general and not for individual members, for example equipment for the club is likely to meet the criteria however consumables such as food or clothing, or trips do not meet the criteria. Please also include an itemised breakdown of what the funding is for and how it will benefit young people. We are trialling the use of Jot forms for this year, and will not be accepting the old style paper forms. Please complete the jot form using this link: https://form.jotform.com/253343065598363 The closing date is 5 th January 2025 so please ensure you have submitted the form before that date. Applications received after this time will not be considered. If you are not a member of LCVYS please complete a membership for before submitting a grant application. Applications will only be considered from members. Scout groups in Lincolnshire are members of LCVYS. Members will receive confirmation of their application after the closing date of 5 th January 2026 and will receive the outcome in due course after the Grants Panel have considered all applications. If you have any questions please get in touch! Good Luck! LCVYS Team 😊 Helen Featherby LCVYS Admin Officer
Other News from Across the County
Welcome to the latest edition of the Lincs County Bulletin. This is issued on the first Friday of each month. The bulletin will be sent to all adults registered on My Membership and distributed widely. To submit material for the bulletin please email howard.nelson@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk . Download as a PDF View historic Bulletins In this issue: From the County Lead Volunteer Explorer Christmas Camp POR updates Nights Away Assessor Course Lincs Fest 2026 Duke of Cornwall Awards LCVYs Grants
Lincolnshire Explorer / Young Leader Explorer Christmas Camp- 3rd to 4th Jan 2026
Welcome to the latest edition of the Lincs County Bulletin. This is issued on the first Friday of each month. The bulletin will be sent to all adults registered on My Membership and distributed widely. To submit material for the bulletin please email howard.nelson@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk . Download as a PDF View historic Bulletins In this issue: From the County Lead Volunteer National Scout and Guide Symphony Orchestra Duke of Edinburgh Celebration award event Makaton videos Volunteer Development Free Cash!!! Programme Team Tomahawk and rifle shooting LCVYS Christmas card competition Visual supports
Rosie Flint appointed as the new Lead Volunteer for Sleaford District
Welcome to the latest edition of the Lincs County Bulletin. This is issued on the first Friday of each month. The bulletin will be sent to all adults registered on My Membership and distributed widely. To submit material for the bulletin please email howard.nelson@lincolnshirescouts.org.uk . Download as a PDF View historic Bulletins In this issue: From the County Lead Volunteer Skegness and Spilsby District Success Census 2026 Data Protection Reminder: Using Email Safely Scouts Future Leader Programme HQ Leadership Opportunities Lincoln District Shooting Tournament ProgFest Shooting activities New County Brand County First Aid Courses
Congratulations to Julie and Dany on their awards!
Cubs Take Over Sudbrooke Park as over 400 young people and volunteers join together for an unforgettable County Cub camp.
6th Skegness Sea Scouts were honoured to attend BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Make a Difference awards ceremony, as a finalist in the community group award category. With over 500 nominations across the categories they made it to the final 4 and got a Highly Commended award which will take pride of place at their Scout Hall. A huge congratulations to them and all the finalists and winners on the night.
