HRH Princess Anne and 1st Rolleston Scouts

The photograph displayed above was taken on Monday the 26 June 1989 during the official opening of the Rolleston Scouts HQ building. HRH Princess Anne is pictured along side the then Group Scout Leader Mr Michael Jacks (Mick), who along with the Raise the Roof committee and the group executive of the time was the main driving force that built the Headquarters.

The building took over ten years to fundraise for and to complete, and it is all thanks to many people and companies from the village and the surrounding area. The amount of support from the village was and still remains to this day very strong and it is the only way we can continue to carry on the level of scouting that we do today.

The building cost was in the region of £97.000 but it must be remembered that this is a build cost, a vast majority of the labour and building was done by volunteers including the plumbing, tiling and the roofing. The lads pictured behind Mick and HRH Princess Anne are some of the service team. These were scouts and leaders that regularly turned up over the years to labour on the site, moving sand and bricks after school ready for the bricklayers to place them in the morning and many other tasks. A picture of the full service team can be seen in the foyer, have a look you may recognise a few of them.

Sadly in 1996 Mick lost a long fight against cancer and the headquarters was dedicated to his memory. It was built to last a lifetime and provide a purpose built building where scouting can take place, and with your support and help we can keep this idea alive.

We would like to list all the friends of the group that have helped over the years, but sure we would miss someone so, to conclude, you know who you are, THANK YOU.

This is all a far cry from when scouting began in Rolleston in 1933 (when meetings were held in St Mary’s Church Hall) and continued up until the second world war, when scouting in the village was disbanded. It was restarted in the 1950s with the present 24th Burton/1st Rolleston being formed in 1960. Pictured are an early camp and parade outside the village infant school.

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Last updated: 16 April 2018