On 27th October, Nottinghamshire Scouts held their annual Oak Awards Recognition event, honouring over 20 volunteers and groups for their exceptional service to the scouting community. The event highlights the dedication of individuals who have played a key role in delivering essential life skills to young people across the county.

Jordan Phillips, County Lead Volunteer, praised the efforts of the volunteers, stating, "The event brings together volunteers across Nottinghamshire Scouts to recognise their contributions to deliver skills for life. It's amazing to see so many people recognised." His words reflected the pride and gratitude felt by the all those that attended.

The Oak Awards celebrate volunteers from various roles, including group leaders, section helpers, and behind-the-scenes supporters, all of whom contribute to the success of the scouting movement. Their work empowers young people to build confidence, resilience, and teamwork skills, preparing them for future challenges.

This year’s recipients represented the diversity and commitment of Nottinghamshire Scouts, with each awardee receiving recognition for their unique contributions. The event was filled with applause, appreciation, and a strong sense of community.

The Oak Awards serve as a reminder of the vital role volunteers play in shaping the lives of young people. In his closing words Jordan went on to say “Never underestimate the massive positive impact your volunteering has on young peoples lives, keep being brilliant”. Through the tireless efforts of many, these individuals help ensure that Scouting continues to thrive, offering invaluable experiences to the next generation. 

Three of our fantastic members from 1st Ruddington have recently won awards at the Rudd Awards. This event showcases those who have gone the extra mile in the local community in Ruddington.

Dan Clifford won in the Champion Volunteer category, joint with Sally Bears (a local Guide leader). Dan has poured hours of his time into Scouting over the years, supporting the 140 young people in his group through adventurous activities such as canoeing and camping.

Dan said “When I found out I had been nominated, I was really taken aback. It’s really nice to be recognised for the things we do, not that that’s the reason anybody would do them. There’s a big team of us, not just me”.

Young Leaders Ottollie & Emmeline Jones also jointly received a Rudd Award, this time in the Young Star award. This amazing pair are twin sisters that volunteer in the Beaver section, and have helped young people develop skills and confidence through the group — just as they did when they were younger!

The pair said “We grew up going to Parkrun, Cubs and Scouts. It was something we looked forward to each week, and so we hope that it’s doing the same thing for the kids that come to Beavers”.

“We’ve been from Beavers all the way through to Explorers, and we know that it’s such a great group, so it’s really nice to provide the support that our leaders did.”

You can view the award video featuring Dan here, and the award video featuring Ottillie & Emmeline here.

As many of you may be aware we have recently completed the search for a new County Lead Volunteer for Nottinghamshire, after an extensive and comprehensive national volunteer appointment process, I am pleased to announce that Jordan Phillips has accepted the role of County Lead Volunteer for Nottinghamshire Scout County effective from 14th June 2024.

For those of you who do not know Jordan, he has been involved in Scouting as a young person, achieving his Queen’s Scout Award, and began his volunteer journey as a leader with the Scout section. Since then, he has gone on to take on numerous other roles, such as Nottinghamshire’s first county youth commissioner, county trainer and training adviser and a member of the county trustee board. He has a real passion for adventure and holds several adventurous activity permits as well as being an assessor for archery. More recently, Jordan has been part of the core team organising the Big Weekend. In his professional life he is a team lead at London Stock Exchange, managing a team of automation software developers based all around the world. He is responsible for delivering a quality product, which is something that I know he also strives for when volunteering with Scouts.

I am sure that you will all support Jordan in his new role as he continues to lead the development of Nottinghamshire with the county and district teams to continue to grow and develop especially with the Transformation journey we have embarked on as a Movement sharing our ambition of supporting more young people to gain #skillsforlife.

I would also like to thank Steven for all the hard work in supporting the delivery of quality scouting in the county and the enthusiasm he has shown in the role over the last six years, to take Nottinghamshire to where it is now. Steven has been relentless in supporting young people’s opportunities and enabling adults alike. Steven will now work with Jordan on a handover until 14th June.

I look forward to seeing Nottinghamshire Scouting continue to flourish and I am sure you will join me in wishing both Steven and Jordan well in their next scouting adventures.

Paula Evans
Regional Lead Volunteer
East Midlands