More than 1,000 young people will be turning out and marching through the village of Southwell on Saturday (22) to honour St George, the patron saint of England.
Scouts and Guides from Gedling borough will join scouts and guides from Southwell, Farnsfield and other parts of Nottingham to march from the Burgage to Southwell Minster for a special gathering and promise renewal before parading from the Minster to the Memorial Field for dismissal.
For many of the young people, attending the St George’s Day Parade will be a brand-new experience, but none more so than for the members of the youngest, and newest Scout Section, Squirrel Scouts (4-6yrs), who will be joining the parade for the very first time following their introduction in 2021.
Consisting of up to four parades, it is expected that over 16 Scout Groups from Central Notts Scout District, covering from Carlton to Southwell, and girls in Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers from Southwell, Westdale and Daybrook Divisions will join together to form a spectacle on the day.
Central Notts Scout District includes groups from Arnold, Burton Joyce, Calverton, Carlton, Colwick, Daybrook, Gedling, Netherfield, Redhill, Woodthorpe and Woodborough while Westdale and Daybrook Girlguiding divisions include the borough areas Arnold, Daybrook, Redhill, Carlton, Gedling, Mapperley and Netherfield.
Ross Bashton, Central Notts Assistant District Commissioner for Media and Communications, said: “Whilst our St George’s Day parade has been taking place for over 60 years, this year’s parade will be special for a number of reasons.
“It will be the first time since 2019 that we will see Scouts and Guides marching through the streets of Southwell following the coronavirus pandemic.
“More importantly, it will be the first time that Central Notts Scouts and Girlguiding Nottinghamshire will have joined together to renew their promises to His Majesty The King, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, patron of both Scouts and Girlguiding, in September last year.”
The parade will march off from the Burgage in Southwell at 2:15pm with the Promise Renewal taking place inside Southwell Minster, before a second parade to Bishops Drive.
Since the pandemic, both Central Notts Scouts and Girlguiding Nottinghamshire have seen an increase in youth membership. We are always looking to welcome more members aged between four and 18 years. For those over 18, you can be involved too as an adult volunteer, passing on your skills and knowledge to the next generation.
Worldwide Scouting has 31 million members both male and female and operates in nearly every country in the world.
Worldwide Girlguiding has over 10 million members across 150 countries in five regions worldwide.
For more details on joining Central Notts Scouts or Girlguiding Nottinghamshire please visit https://www.centralnotts.org.uk or https://www.girlguidingnottinghamshire.org.uk/
