Welcome to this edition of the Newsletter with an update on what has been happening in the in the second half of 2024.
Message from the Chairman
Greeting to all members at this time of year, when we stop to reflect upon the past 12months and all its challenges.
I thank each of you for your continued support and in particular for your donations that have enabled us to give financial help to many projects. See the Projects report below.
The sadness at Katharine’s death at the ISGF World Conference hit us all and in particular those with her and we thank them for the support they gave to her family. Our thoughts are with Katharine’s family at this difficult time.
I do hope that as many of you as possible are able to join us at the Annual General Meeting in March, for we may have some difficult decisions to make about our future.
Alan K B Beavis OBE
2025 Annual General Meeting and Committee vacancies.
- Chair – representing SAGF to external organisations; maintaining relationships with other ISGF members; liaising with the Baden Powell Guild UK via the Joint National Committee (JNC) to form the National Scout and Guide Fellowship UK (NSGF) to allow membership of ISGF;
- Secretary – arranging Committee Meetings and recording minutes; providing activity reports to ISGF Europe/World Bureau; keeping in touch with groups SAGF UK has twinned with; arranging meetings for members (AGM, Zoom etc.); liaising with the Baden Powell Guild via the JNC.
- Treasurer – maintaining financial records and banking mandates; claiming Gift Aid where appropriate; ensuring JNC/ISGF Europe/World Bureau fees are paid on time; making payments to projects SAGF UK are supporting.
- Membership – securely maintaining up-to-date membership records; issuing renewal documents; circulating information and newsletters; maintaining Gift Aid mandates.
- Publicity – maintaining the SAGF website and FaceBook page; producing periodic newsletters; updating flyers/posters; promoting SAGF UK at events.
- Projects/Other – working with groups in the UK and overseas to identify projects suitable for SAGF UK support; arranging fund-raising activities; developing activities and meeting content for SAGF UK members; liaising with the Baden Powell Guild via the JNC.
Please contact Alan (alanbeavis@btinternet.com) or Helen (h.watson502@btinternet.com) if you would like further details or to put yourself forward for election to a Committee role in 2025.
Updates On Our Projects
Some of you will be aware that for many years SAGF UK has had links with the Mityana Community Development Foundation in Uganda. Many of their Trustees and supporters are Scout Leaders in the UK & Uganda.
As well as supporting the development of local Scouting in Mityana through the provision of training resources and camping equipment to the local Scout Groups, the Foundation has adopted a small school on the outskirts of the town, a particularly impoverished area where up to 50% of the children are H.I.V. positive. `
The Foundation supports in the funding of teachers which means even if families are unable to pay their fees the school can continue to function. Members of the charity have also spent time in the school teaching and enriching the curriculum through play, and they have built dormitories and provided beds for the Primary 7 pupils who board at the school during the year leading up to their SATs.
The late Peter Short supported this project for many years, and we have recently used the legacy Peter left to SAGF UK to make a donation to the Foundation to cover the costs of some urgent work at the school and in the surrounding community (Sanitation training in “beat the bugs” and first aid, extension of the urinals at the community centre, refurbish the school latrines, replacement of school laptops, Scout district training and support with camp).
Our ISGF friends in Australia (whom we met at the World Conference in Granada) have sponsored five people from Fiji to attend the conference, and the UK has sponsored two people from the Girl Guides of Tonga to join the event which takes place in early December.
Most of the UK donation came from funds raised from the SAGF UK Commonwealth Together Challenge badge sales, with an additional £100 coming from the NSGF UK.
The Commonwealth Together Challenge and associated badges are still available via the SAGF UK Website, and any future funds raised will be used to support projects in Commonwealth nations, such as Uganda and Kenya.
This year we are supporting our Danish counterparts, the Sct. Georgs Gilderne, in their project called “Reach Out” which is raising awareness and providing teenaged girls with reusable hygiene items, so they don’t have to miss school one week in every month.
After a very successful initiative in Sri Lanka, the project has been extended to support girls in India, working with WAGGGS representatives from the Sangam World Guiding Centre. Two Ranger-age Guides from Denmark went to Sangam to set up the Reach Out project to support and educate girls and young women in the Pune area. Our donation to the project will be used to continue this valuable outreach work in India.
Following the news coverage that huge areas of eastern Africa had been devastated by very severe flooding, the SAGF Committee made contact with the World Scout Parliamentary Union Kenya branch (WSPU) to see if we could help support some of the relief work the Scouts are doing for people in the informal townships who have literally seen their homes and possessions washed away.
Thanks to the SAGF UK donation the WSPU have been able to visit some of the worst affected families and provide them with basic foodstuffs, hygiene equipment, blankets and mosquito nets.
ISGF World Conference Granada 2024
The ISGF World Conference took place in Granada at the end of September. It was a great opportunity to meet up with friends from around the globe and our Spanish hosts had planned lots of activities and trips so we got a flavour of the culture, history and Scouting and Guiding traditions of the area around Granada and Andalucia.
The Opening Ceremony with its parade of flags was stirring, as was the enthusiasm of the delegates from all around the world during the debate sessions on projects looking at mitigating climate impacts. The new ISGF World Committee (and congratulations to Sue Page from the Baden Powell Guild UK on her election) will be proposing activities we can all support, either in our own countries or overseas. We will share details as they emerge.
The loss of our dear friend Katharine during the conference left everyone very shocked and sad, but we were overwhelmed with the love and support given by so many people both during and after the conference. All the messages of condolence were shared with Katharine’s family.
After the Conference itself there was a tour of Andalucia, taking in the amazing Mosque/Cathedral at Cordoba and Seville Cathedral among many other cultural highlights. We had many town centre walking tours, and whilst these were quite tiring, looking back on photos we did do a lot of “sitting on fountains” to rest our weary legs.
The project is currently providing sanitary supplies for girls in Sri Lanka and the hope is that this will be extended to support girls in India, working with WAGGGS representatives from the Sangam World Guiding Centre. If you would like to contribute to the project, please ensure you add “Reach Out” or “Denmark” to the description of any money you transfer to the SAGF bank account, so we can ensure it is passed on.
You may have seen recent news coverage of the huge areas of eastern Africa that have been devastated by very severe flooding. The SAGF Committee have been in touch with the World Scout Parliamentary Union Kenya branch to see if we can help support some of the relief work the Scouts are doing for people in the informal townships who have literally seen their homes and possessions washed away. We are finalising the details and will be sending out more information on the project shortly, but again, if you would like to make a donation into the SAGF bank account, please ensure it is marked for “Kenya” so we can send the support to the right place.
Dates For Your Diary
The year after the World Conference is set aside for sub-regional Gatherings, the more informal get-togethers which give us a chance to renew friendships and meet new people whilst learning about the country and culture of the host countries.
The Europe Region Gatherings next year are now open for registration, application forms are available from the ISGF website –
6-9 June 2025 Nordic Baltic Gathering at Tonsborg in Norway (just south of Oslo)
10-14 October 2025 Western Europe Gathering at Bergeijk in the Netherlands (south of Eindhoven)
31 October to 6 November Southern Europe and Mediterranean Gathering in Tunisia
Please don’t forget to let the Committee know if you are going to attend any of the overseas events so we can keep you in the loop as the host countries send out their newsletters and booking information.