May 2016

Your Monthly News & Updates

This month we have a feast in store for you. We are trailing a new layout for the monthly comms, and we'd love to know what you think (especially when viewed on a mobile device). We have the bio's of the new managers and the announcement of a new management team including all the contacts and links you need. We welcome in the new Pride Season which will start with all the fun of Birmingham Pride 2016 and we look back on last months Unit Camp in Sheffield.

New Managers

Following the announcement which was posted on Friday 20th May 2016 to FaceBook by Ben Crabb (Manager - National Active Support Units) and linked to below we thought it would be good to personally introduce ourselves.

Rob Sharratt - Unit Manager Bio:

Those of you who've been in the unit over the last few months will know me as the previous Deputy Unit Manager and I have been covering as interim Manager whilst the appointment process was completed. I'm delighted to have been formally appointed as the Unit Manager as I have so many ideas that I want to use to take the Unit forward. I won't repeat much of my previous bio but I've been in Scouting for many years (since I was a Beaver scout) and have a lot of experience of local Scouting which I can bring to the role. In the outside world I'm a Technical Design Manager for Sainsbury's and I spend all my "spare time" when not Scouting in the office in Coventry or Holborn. I'm passionate about LGBT and have been involved in LGBT Networks at employers like Accenture, Sainsbury's and The Open University and am currently responsible for the Allies part of the LGBT Network at Sainsbury's. On a personal note I really want to see our Unit grow and become a shining beacon for all other LGBT Networks to aspire to and more than anything I want to grow our membership and be there to support adults in Scouting across the UK.

Vic Leon-Cutler - Deputy Manager Bio:

I would like to introduce myself as the new Deputy Manager. I've been a member of the unit for over four years now, and have enjoyed every minute. I have been in Scouting since I was 12 years old, which is much larger amount of my life than I care to think about. Outside of FLAGS, I've been running a Scout Troop in central Brighton for 6 years now, before that I was a Beaver and Cub Leader in GLSE. I am also part of the Queens Scout Working Party so can often be seen supporting them at events. Outside of Scouting I've recently given up a career in Psychology to become a teacher and am now I'm 3 weeks away from completing a PGCE in Primary Education and will begin teaching in September. I'm really excited to become more involved with FLAGS and hope to move the unit forward.

Link to FLAGS Unit Manager Appointment Announcement

Unit Management Team

We are pleased to announce the following changes to the Unit Management team.

Vic and I have discussed how we want to structure the management team going forward and we've expanded the team both to make it more diverse and include more young people in key positions on the team, congratulations on your positions. Full details will be added to the link below as time goes on including bio's of the team.

Please address all unit administration to the manager email unless specifically directed to do so by the team.

Unit Manager - Rob Sharratt -  manager@flagscouts.org.uk

Deputy Unit Manager - Vic Leon-Cutler -  deputy@flagscouts.org.uk

Communications Strategy Coordinator - Pippa Byrom -  commstrat@flagscouts.org.uk

Marketing and Publicity Coordinator - Jake Orros -  publicrelations@flagscouts.org.uk

Social Media Coordinator - Jack Taylor -  socialmedia@flagscouts.org.uk

Development Coordinator - Marc Wiseman -  development@flagscouts.org.uk

Deputy Development Coordinator - Appointment Pending -  deputy.development@flagscouts.org.uk

Events Coordinator - Marcus Coulson -  events@flagscouts.org.uk

Deputy Events Coordinator - Sophie Boyd -  deputy.events@flagscouts.org.uk

Finance Coordinator - Bruce Murdoch -  finance@flagscouts.org.uk

Membership Coordinator - Dan Horsfall -  membership@flagscouts.org.uk

Special Projects Coordinator - Scott Ideson -  specialprojects@flagscouts.org.uk

In addition to the main management team we have additional people working on specific activities:

Pride Coordinator - Russell Grove - pride@flagscouts.org.uk

There will also be a number of additional members of the extended management team in the form of Regional Events Coordinators and Pride Coordinators.

Link to Unit Management Team

Pride 2016

We are about to embark on our Pride season for 2016 under the ever capable hands of Russell Grove. He's been working hard over the last 6 months to get everything ready and you should be seeing all the Pride invites appearing in your inbox. The first event of the season is Birmingham from 27th to 29th May 2016 and followed closely by Pride in London on 25th and 26th June.

Click here for Pride Events

Unit Camp

Thank you to all those members (some new members and we even took some joiners at the event) who came to the Unit Camp at Hesley Wood Scout Activity Centre in Sheffield. It was a fun weekend with a combination of scouting activities with those wanting to take part on the hills and non-scouting activities including a day spent shopping in Meadowhall. The evening entertainment was provided by our in-unit DJ Jonny and I have to say a brilliant night was had by all. We took the opportunity to have a short unit meeting where the members present took the time to raise their concerns about the unit and we agreed some steps to progress the unit. The new Management Team will be picking up on these and taking them forward over the coming months. Photos are available on the Unit Facebook page (thanks to Chris and Damo - our resident photographers - for recording our weekend for us).

Anything else...

There are a number of events coming up including Gilwell24 and Pride events which we would love to see your support at, please register online. Registration for Reunion has opened so make sure you register to come along with FLAGS.

An update has been made to our website to include international shipping options which will make online ordering much simpler. We will also be doing a full overhaul of the content on the website 

Lastly, I'm absolutely looking for feedback on the unit from members and input as to what you want to see going forward. Please email me at the manager address with your thoughts and things you want to see happen within the unit or you can grab me at one of the Pride Events, Gillwell24 or Gilwell Reunion.

See you all soon, Rob and Vic