1st Chesham Bois Scout Group | Fun and Adventure for Children in Buckinghamshire

1st Chesham Bois Scout Group was formed back in 1908, the same year as Scouting itself came into being under Robert Baden-Powell. It has continued uninterrupted ever since so it is one of the oldest groups in the world.

We really have something to be proud of, and our green scarf carries a lot of respect as a sign of this.

Chesham Bois Scouts Meet at Pioneer Hall in Chesham Bois, near to both Amersham and Chesham

Years of Scouting Excitement

It all began with some boys who were inspired by Baden-Powell’s ideas in his book “Scouting for Boys”. They met on Chesham Bois Common under a large sycamore tree known as the Punch Tree, and decided to start a Scout Patrol. A short time later, having found a Scout Master, a Troop developed and went from strength to strength.

With the addition of Cubs, Rovers and Venture Scouts, they met at the first Pioneer Hall which was built in 1921. The second, and present Hall was built in 1932 after a fire burnt down the original.

Since those early days, Scouting has expanded all over the world with millions of members, so now our group, though important, has the privilege of being just a small part of a huge organisation of friends.

The aim of The Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individual, as responsible citizens and as members of the local, national and international communities. The method of achieving this aim is through an enjoyable and progressive scheme of activities and training based on the Scout promise and law, guided by adult leadership.

In 2024 we launched our first Squirrels Dray. These 4-6 year olds meet on Fridays evenings and learn the basics of scouting through stories based play.
Since Beaver Scouts became a part of The Scout Association in 1986, it has been one of the quickest growing Sections. We have two Beaver Colonies supporting our 6-8 year olds – Timberland meeting on Mondays and Midnight on Wednesdays. As well as weekly meets Beavers enjoy occasional overnight trips.
Cub Scouting began in 1916, and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Many Cubs will have been Beavers, but some will join Scouting for the first time as Cubs looking for fun, adventure and friendship. Our two Scout groups support 8-10.5 year olds and meet weekly – Pioneer on Tuesdays and Pegasus on Thursdays. Cubs attend overnight trips and start to be introduced to activities such as Endurance 10 and long distance trips.
The Scout Section has existed since Scouting began in 1907. Though the Section has gone through many changes its values and fundamental principles have remained unchanged. We have two dedicated Scouting Packs supporting 10.5 – 14 year olds – Griffin meeting on Wednesdays and Phoenix on Fridays.
Explorer Scouting is aimed at 14-18 year olds. Right from the time of Baden-Powell, there have been arrangements for young people who wanted to continue after their time in the Scout Section, and in 1967, Venture Scouts were formed, becoming Explorers in the late 1990s. Our Columbus Explorers meet on Monday nights.
Young adults aged between 18 and 25 are eligible to register as Scout Network members, subject to a satisfactory criminal records check. Scout Network members take part in a variety of activities, which they undertake and organise themselves with the support of a Scout Network Leader.