District Conference & AGM 2025

The District Conference and AGM took place on Sunday 14th September.

Attended by over 80 Scout Volunteers together with special guests Cllr Penny Frost, Mayor of LB of Richmond upon Thames and Owen Purcell, Lead Volunteer for Gt. London South West, the Conference, hosted by Phil Hunt Lead Volunteer Richmond upon Thames, learned about the successes the District has enjoyed over the past 12 months, some of the challenges we’re facing and the priorities for the District for the coming year.

Thanks to the ongoing recruitment campaign and the fabulous youth Programme offered by all of our Groups and Units, the District continues to grow. We now have almost 3100 registered members, which puts this District in the top 5 Districts in the UK.

Now that the new Digital Membership system is in place and that all of our adult volunteers now follow a rigourous training programme, we should now be thinking about how Groups and Units are structured so that we can welcome even more adult volunteers and offer an even better outcome for our young people.

The Conference saw that international experiences are a key element in modern Scouting and the Conference enjoyed a superb presentation by Zheng He ESU about their recent trip to Medina and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Phil Hunt also outlined the current plans for the 26th World Scout Jamboree in 2027 and informed us that the UK Contingent (and thus the Richmond upon Thames contingent) will be greatly reduced this time.

The District’s Expedition Poland 2027 was officially launched at the conference – an opportunity for all Scouts, Explorers, Network and Adult Volunteers in the District to participate in a full activity camp in Olsztynek, Poland for a week which, uniquely incorporates a visit to the World Scout Jamboree in Gdansk, Poland.

Owen Purcell presented Rachel Harrison of 2nd Whitton The Chief Scout Medal for Meritorious Conduct. This was awarded for meritorious conduct of an exceptionally high standard and her exceptional dedication to the Scouts despite the difficulties she endured as a result of a sudden and prolonged illness.

And finally, as Owen will be stepping away from his role as County Lead Volunteer in the next few weeks, Phil thanked him for his support over the past 5 years and presented him with a plaque on behalf of the District.

You can find the Conference presentation slides HERE