Tears as Jacqui steps down from Staindrop Scouts

A GROUP Scout leader has decided to call it a day after four years at the helm of one of the North East’s fastest growing troops.  

Jacqui Nicholson became group Scout leader of the 1st Staindrop Scouts in September 2013.

New working commitments have meant she has stepped down from her role.

Ms Nicholson said: “The last four years have been a delight, seeing the leadership team grow from strength to strength and the number of young people participating increase year on year until we are at capacity and now operate a waiting list.

“If I do something I have to do it 100 per cent. I just felt that there were too many times when I was not there.

“You have to be fully committed which I was for four years. I am gutted. I still start to cry when I think about it now. It was a big decision.”

Having been a girlguide as a youngster, the mother-of-three, who now lives in Barnard Castle, got involved in Scouts while she was living in Suffolk 21 years ago.

Ms Nicholson started as a parent-helper in beavers when her son, Jordan, joined aged six.

After moving north in 2002, Ms Nicholson began helping with fundraising at Barnard Castle Scouts. She tentatively became the beaver leader in September 2003 and then the assistant district commissioner for beavers in 2010.

While working at Staindrop Primary School, she was approached about becoming involved with the Staindrop Scout troop.

She said: “Staindrop had quite a turbulent time with leaders coming and going. Their numbers were dropping and the hut was condemned.”

Ms Nicholson became the group Scout leader at Staindrop in September 2013. During her time in charge, she saw numbers almost triple from 47 to more than 100 who now attend the sessions.

One of the highlights of her time with the Scouts was the dream of a new hut becoming a reality.

She said: “The last couple of years were full on. It took two full years to raise money for the hut. A lot of that work was invisible. A lot of people did not even know it was going on. By piecing everything together and using the leaders and parents as labour we managed to do it.

“I think the major achievement was that when everything was going on we still ran the full programme. We kept a really strong programme going and that is what built the numbers up.

“Walking in for the first meeting in the new hut was brilliant but there have been so many highlights. The children are an absolute delight. It will be the little things that I will miss.”

Ms Nicholson’s stint also saw the group scoop the first National Scout Award earlier this year and team member Vince Sewell also win the Teesdale Mercury’s Volunteer of the Year award.

She said: “After a break since October it has become clear to me that now is the time to hand over to the next generation.

“Vinnie has been my rock as assistant group Scout leader and has stepped up in my absence as acting group scout leader. Vinnie is the embodiment of all that is fantastic about Staindrop Scouts.

“With the team at Staindrop Scouts, including our executive committee and our group chairman Bernard Poole supporting him, I know that the group will continue to thrive.”

Ms Nicholson is now working as operations and external funding manager at Sporting Force, a charity set up by Butterknowle’s Tommy Lowther to support ex-servicemen.

She added: “I would like to thank everyone for their support. You are what make the Scout group. We were always lucky for the support we got.

“My remit when I went in was to get a good team, build on the numbers and get a new hut.

“I did that so I have handed it over now.

“It does break my heart leaving but there comes a point when you have to make a decision and I felt like this was the right one.”