About us
Find out more about what Scouts is, what we do as well as where to find our groups and units.
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Stockton, Thornaby & District provides fun, adventure and skills for life to young people across Stockton, Thornaby and the surrounding areas. The District spans the area between Wynyard to the North, Kirklevington to the South, Long Newton to the West and the A19 to the East. Founded in 1908, just one year after Scouting began Stockton, Thornaby & District will be among one of the oldest Scout Districts in the country.
We currently have 9 Scout Groups, 2 Explorer Scout Units, a Scout Network and a specialist event support team (known as Stockton Scouts Event Support Team) which is made up of adults who support events both inside of Scouting and across the wider community. In addition to this, we have our own campsite, Pybus Scout Campsite, which is located in Kirkby-in-Cleveland.
Our role is to provide support and guidance to our groups and units as they provide fun, challenge, adventure and skills for life for almost 600 young people every week.
What is Scouts?
Scouts is where young people make new friends, learn new things and have adventures. The adventure of Scouting is for both girls and boys aged 4-25 and those that are young at heart and want to share their skills to help provide life changing opportunities for our young people.
Each week we give our young people the chance to enjoy fun, challenge and adventure while developing the skills they need to succeed now and into the future. Scouting builds leadership, teamwork, resilience, independence and problem solving skills all alongside all manner of practical skills.
What are the different age ranges?
Ages 4-6 years
This brand new section only started in September 2021 and is designed to help children be part of the fun of Scouts earlier than ever before.
They learn about the world around them and how to stay safe through play and adventure.
Groups of Squirrel Scouts are known as a drey – our first drey was formed at Ingleby Barwick in 2022 followed by Norton in 2023 and we are always on the lookout for new volunteers to help us provide this opportunity in other areas too.
Ages 6-8 years
Beavers make new friends, try new things, learn about the world around them, have fun and go on adventures.
Groups of Beaver Scouts are known as colonies, these are then broken down into small teams of Beavers known as lodges (and usually form the basis of team games and activity groups).
Every colony is different but they all follow the same system of badges and take part in a huge range of activities from den building, sleepovers, water activities and to arts and crafts, science, trips out and so much more.
Ages 8-10½ years
Cubs builds on the skills that young people have started to develop in Beavers (though you don’t have to have been a Beaver to become a Cub).
Again the focus is on learning new things, having fun and spending time outdoors.
Groups of Cubs are called packs, and these are broken down into smaller groups called sixes which each have a sixer and a seconder who are usually older Cubs who start to learn the skills of leadership and help the other members of their six.
Cubs learn by doing and take part in all sorts of activities, including kayaking, going camping, building shelters, cooking, playing games and more.
Ages 10½-14 years
Scouts continue to learn new things, develop new skills for life, explore and help other people.
Groups of Scouts are known as troops and as with the younger sections these are subdivided into smaller groups called patrols, which are led by a patrol leader and an assistant patrol leader. Patrol leaders and assistant patrol leaders are usually older Scouts and they develop their own leadership skills by helping and supporting the younger Scouts in their patrol.
Scouts work towards all sorts of badges and awards and have the opportunity to take part in a huge range of activities, from camping, climbing, kayaking and archery through to DIY, computer programming, cooking and just about anything else you can think of in between. All of the activities are intended to build resilience, leadership, teamwork and problem solving skills.
Ages 14-18 years
At this age range our provision moves from Group level to District level with only two Units in our District all made up of young people who have moved up from Scouts at one of our 9 Scout Groups or have joined us directly.
They have their own identity and necker although work closely alongside the Groups whose buildings they meet at.
Explorers take part in a massive range of activities, from day trips out to expeditions, indoor and outdoor games to rock climbing, camping, kayaking and much, much more.
Explorers develop the skills that they need to succeed in life, it’s an opportunity to relax away from the pressures of education and try things that they might not otherwise get the opportunity to try.
Many of our Explorers complete their Duke of Edinburgh Award with us, building their skills in a variety of areas and showing their commitment to self-improvement.
Ages 18-25 years
Scout Network is the final youth section of the Scouting journey and provides an opportunity for those 18-25 to keep doing the things that they have enjoyed in the younger sections.
These older members work with their friends and Scouting family to create bigger adventures, meet new people and reach for prestigious awards such as the Kings Scout Award.
The Scout Network is largely self-led and tends to be quite ad-hoc as members are away at university etc and meet up during holiday times.
Where to find us
We have nine Scout groups located across Stockton and two Explorer Scout units which meet at a number of different sites. Find your nearest group using the map below.
Stockton Scouts Event Support
Stockton Scouts Event Support Team began in 1975 as a specialist radio communications team and one of the only Scout support teams of its type. During its 50 year history the team has had a range of formal titles (most recently, Stockton, Thornaby & District Scout Communications Team) but has constantly grown and developed increasing the range of services it can provide both inside and outside of Scouting. The range of support the team can now offer is far beyond that of just radio communications with the team supporting Scout events at District and County level, community events and major national sporting events with event organisers confident that they can rely on our volunteers to get the job done for them and their customers. Drawing on the skills, talents and experiences of our volunteers the team now offers support with all manner of event services including, PA systems, radio communications, event Marshalls, car parking, event control management – for more information, take a look at the team’s dedicated website here or to find out how you can get involved go to our volunteering page.
