History of Scouts in Ashby

Scouting in Ashby de la Zouch and North West Leicestershire has a long history. The 1st Ashby de la Zouch Scout troop came into being as early as 1908, a little over one year after Baden-Powell’s inaugural camp in 1907. The records suggest our group met intermittently during the inter-war period, but we have been running continuously since 1953.

Timeline:

  • 1 – 8 Aug 1907:  1st ever Scout camp on Brownsea Island, Dorset.
  • 6 Oct 1908:  1st Ashby de la Zouch Scout troop formed
  • 1910:  Girl Guides formed officially by Agnes Baden-Powell
  • 7 Sep 1916:  Ashby & Coalville Scout district registered with 11 Scout troops, including 1st & 2nd Ashby.  The District Secretary was Edith Hastings, 12th Countess of Loudoun, 20th Baroness Hastings.
  • 16 Dec 1916:  Wolf Cubs established
  • Aug 1918:  Rover Scouts established
  • 1920:  first ever World Scout Jamboree, held in London
  • 19 Jan 1922:  re-registered as 1st Ashby de la Zouch (St Helens), troop no. 9424
  • 1 Nov 1928:  following the introduction of the group system, registered as 1st Ashby de la Zouch Scout Group, no. 6731
  • 15 Feb 1934:  re-registered as 1st Ashby de la Zouch (TOC H), no. 16029
  • 1952:  Ashby & Coalville district buys the run-down Willesley estate to form New Campsite
  • 30 Sep 1953:  re-started as 1st Ashby de la Zouch, no. 30855
  • 10 Mar 1956:  formation of 2nd Ashby de la Zouch (Manor House), no. 32460
  • 3 Dec 1958:  2nd renamed 2nd Ashby de la Zouch, no. 34231
  • 16 Nov 1959:  formation of 3rd Ashby de la Zouch (Holy Trinity), no. 34765
  • 27 Nov 1963:  agreement between Shell-Mex, BP & 1st Ashby de la Zouch results in the acquisition of the site on Willesley Gardens
  • 1967:  Venture Scouts replaces Rover Scouts
  • 7 Mar 1969:  final re-incarnation as Ashby de la Zouch (Hastings), no. 39269, following a merger of the 3 Scout groups in Ashby
  • 14 Sep 1976:  formation of 4th Ashby de la Zouch (Baptist), no. 42054
  • 1983:  existing Scout Hut built
  • 1985:  Beaver Scouts established
  • 20 Apr 1985:  Ashby Hastings Beaver Colony formed
  • 1 Jan 1989:  4th renamed 4th Ashby de la Zouch
  • 2019:  formal name change to Ashby Hastings, reflecting common usage

Ashby Scout Hut

Our home is our Scout hut on Wilfred Gardens in Ashby de la Zouch, where we’ve been meeting since we acquired the site in 1963. The current building dates from 1983.

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