16th Barnsley (Royston) Scout Group is following the national trend for Scouting and we have seen our membership expand considerably over recent years including since the pandemic. We meet weekly at Royston’s Salvation Army Hall to support the social, physical, intellectual and emotional needs of young people from Royston and surrounding areas. We boast a membership of over 75 squirrels, beavers, cubs and scouts from the age of 4-14 and also host an explorer group (14-18 years) which is affiliated to Royston and is part of the Barnsley District explorer unit. Many young people also go on to become young leaders and assistant leaders supporting the younger children in the group and giving them leadership skills for the future.

Due to our continuing success our current home is no longer suitable meaning it restricts the activities we can offer to our current members and also that the group has a waiting list of children who wish to join. Having our own permanent home means we could accommodate more children and make a difference to even more young people's lives.

We have launched a fundraising campaign to raise £250,000 to fund the purchase or construction of a new permanent home for our Scout Group for current members to enjoy and also for the benefit of many future generations of local children. We also hope to offer the use of the facility for the wider community of Royston as well.

Parents and carers will be holding lots of fundraising events, from bake sales, supermarket collections, stalls at local galas and raffles amongst many other ideas to enable us to reach this landmark figure. Donations and contributions are also being sought from local businesses and it’s hoped the fantastic community of Royston and it’s surrounding areas will support us to reach our ambitious target.

Nichola Hawden a parent of a younger Beaver and also the Fundraising Champion for the group who is leading on this project said “I am so pleased to be supporting 16th Barnsley (Royston) Scout Group to achieve this goal, in the short time my daughter has attended Squirrels and Beavers she grown so much. She’s so much more confident with new people, new situations, is much happier at school and is interacting with her peers and adults much more. Squirrels has been the making of her, she’s nurtured, cared for and made to feel special just for being herself. Scouting really has changed her life and as a family we are doing what we can to give back to this fantastic community and also to leave a lasting legacy for our wonderful village”.

David Mitchell, Group Scout Leader said "Royston has always had a Scout Group where numbers have fluctuated over the years but it has remained consistent and provided great opportunities for thousands of children in the village and beyond. We had our own building before, but sadly it was vandalised and we had to vacate the building. We have been hosted by The Salvation Army since then but the group has had an amazing 10 years and we've outgrown our host home and need to have our own building. We support children in the village (& beyond) from 4 years to 18 years. We are also due to set up a new Network section for our young adults between the ages of 18-25. We need your help to help the youth in our community. We have a very dedicated team of volunteers who give their own time to our kids irrespective of their needs, abilities, circumstances, gender, sexual orientation, faith or non faith. Scouting is for all. We would love a forever home to continue the amazing work that 16th Barnsley (Royston) Scouts has been doing for at least (we believe) the last 50-60 years."