About Us

Who we are?

We are DEVSU - Dringhouses Eskimo Venture Scout Unit. That means to say that we're a Venture Scout Unit from Dringhouses that has something to do with Eskimos.

DEVSU is the most senior of the four sections at Dringhouses P.C. Scout Group - the others are Beavers (6-8 year olds), Cubs (8-10½ year olds) and Scouts (10½-15½ year olds). We are a Parish Church group (hence the P.C. in the name - nothing to do with political correctness...) and our HQ is in the grounds of St. Edward The Confessor Church in Dringhouses.

As of September 2002, we are becoming an Explorer Scout group, affiliated to York Ebor Explorers. This will mean a few site changes - the age range will now be 14-18, there'll be more integration with other Explorer groups in the district and we'll be getting a new name - but otherwise we'll be carrying on as we always have. Although our more senior members will be staying on as Explorers for the time being, we hope to start a Dringhouses branch of The Scout Network once it is set it up in North Yorkshire, which will cater for 18 to 25 year olds.

The HQ

This brings us nicely onto the topic of our headquarters (HQ). It is a purpose-built building attached to St. Edwards' Church hall, and as well as sharing it with the rest of the Scout Group it is also used by the local Girl Guide group and St. Edward's Playgroup. The builiding was built in the 1970s, and as well as the main hall includes storage and a kitchen.

When we meet

We meet on Wednesday evenings throughout the year (including during school holidays), and meetings usually start at 8:00pm and finish at 10:00pm, though if we are doing something special those times may be different - if you are interesting in coming down to try us out, check the programme first to see if we are doing anything special.

What we do

Our programme should give you a good idea of what we do on a week-to-week basis, but generally we have indoor activities during the winter and outdoor activities during the summer. Being close to the Knavesmire means that we can do various activities including wide games and sports on an evening. We also do Scout activities, as you'd expect, so things like cooking and survival skills crop up now and again. We also aim to go on a couple of trips per term, and in the past this has included visits to York Police Station, Acomb Fire Station, a Bradford Curry House and York Brewery. We also have a Christmas Party every year, and there are regular trips to Megabowl, complete with wacky shirts.

We also go on a yearly expedition, which has taken us to far-flung destinations such as France, Czech Republic and, erm... Wales. This usually happens during the summer holidays. Other camps are organised throughout the year.

Fundraising

Once you are invested, you need to pay £15 a quarter (£20 per term) as a subscription fee, to help pay for activities. This varies depending on how much fundraising we do. We have our own disco, which brings in £20-£40 a month, and the group as a whole holds a waste paper collection on the first Saturday of every month - the paper is then sent off for recycling and can bring in quite a bit of cash. Other fundraising activites include helping out at the annual York Historic Vehicle Rally in September, and various events throughout the year. The more money we earn through fundraising, the less you have to pay out - last year we were able to cover the cost of most of the activities on the French Expedition thanks to fundraising.

How you can join us

We're always on the look out for new members, and so you're welcome to come down and join us on a Wednesday evening. The minimum age is 15½, or 15 if you are already a Scout, and you can stay with us until you're 21. We are an equal-opportunities group - both boys and girls are welcome of any racial orientation - and in fact about half the unit is female. If you enjoy being with us, you can become invested, which means you can wear the Venture uniform and take part in flag-break and flag-down. Though beware - we are known for our 'interesting' investing ceremonies...

Last Updated: Wednesday 20th July 2002