A year of fundraising with 96th Whitmore & Baldwin’s Gate Scout Group

Community service is a cornerstone of the Scouts' mission. Their dedication to social action and positive change extends to both the young participants and the communities they serve. While implementing impactful community projects requires careful planning and time investment, they are integral to the Scouts' programming, particularly for those striving to attain their highest accolades.

“The Community Impact badge encourages scouts to take practical action in the service of others, in order to create positive social change. It benefits the wider community as well as the young people taking part” 

– The Scout Association

“The 96th Whitmore & Baldwin’s Gate Scout Group decided to do theirs for When You Wish Upon a Star. It started with an Elf walk to help Sarah (Squirrel) and Andy (Otter) the Groups Beaver Leaders to raise money for their Just Giving page for When You Wish Upon a Star. Unknown to Sarah and Andy at the end of the evening Fee our Scout group GSL, said as a Scout group we would take on a year’s fundraising for When You Wish Upon a Star which would also achieve our Community impact badge level 4. Over the year the support from the whole group was overwhelming. We did an Elf walk, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts took part in the Stafford half marathon fun run whilst Otter ran the half marathon and they finished off with a Halloween party. Wish Bear himself was ever present at the events, even meeting the Mayor of Stafford and got invested into the Scout group. Over the year the 96th Whitmore and Baldwin’s gate Scout group raised an amazing £2,083.50 for When You Wish Upon a Star.”

– Andy Talbot, Beaver leader.

Andy and Sarah’s journey with When You Wish Upon a Star started when their son Harry was granted a Wish.  At two days old, Harry underwent an eight-hour lifesaving surgery and since then has had many challenging bumps, endless hospital appointments and surgeries along the way. Living with a life threatening illness takes its toll on the whole family and we stepped in when Andy, Sarah, Harry and his doting older sister, Lily needed it the most. “It's now our turn to give something back to When You Wish Upon a Star to help them grant future wishes to families with sick children. We want to give back as a family with a variety of different challenges and events to help to raise as much money as possible for this wonderful charity that really does give families hope in their darkest days”

We are so grateful for the support from 96^th Whitmore & Baldwin’s Gate Scout Group over the last year, the children and their leaders all worked incredibly hard supporting When You Wish Upon a Star and working towards their Community Impact Badge. Most importantly, they learnt the value in supporting their community and had fun whilst doing it!

If you would like to know more about how you can get involved and set up your own fundraiser, get in touch with our team at fundraising@whenyouwish.org.uk