Scout post: Card scheme cancelled for second Christmas

Julian Jordan describes the Scout Post as a vital source of income for groups in Cardiff and the Vale

A scheme set up by the Scouts allowing people to send Christmas cards locally has been cancelled for the second year running because of Covid.

Cardiff and Vale Scouts said membership fees will rise and the service will miss out on £150,000.

It has been operating for 40 years, with 500,000 cards hand sorted and delivered by Scout members and volunteers.

The scheme was called "a vital source of income" by one Scout leader.

Julian Jordan, area commissioner for Cardiff and Vale Scouts, said: "It brings in around £150,000 into scouting but it's really sad that we can't support the community with young people delivering to houses across Cardiff and Vale, which is usually is amazing.

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"It also guarantees that people get cards who might not otherwise and help loneliness at this time of year.

"It also helps us keep the cost of scouting down for our young people too and our buildings maintained, it means we don't have to do the massive fund-raising events which can be time consuming for our volunteers."

Sophie and her brother Dafydd were hoping to help with the Christmas post scheme

Mr Jordan added that without the Scout post, membership fees may have to double from £5 to £10.

"We've already ploughed into our reserves over the past 18 months, so we are hoping people will make online donations instead," he added.

Other Scout posts which cancelled for the second year were in Newport, Caerphilly, Neath and Port Talbot.

In many areas of the country, Scout groups provide an alternative postal service at Christmas.

There is no national Scout postal service so you cannot send a Christmas card from Whitchurch to Wrexham, but many will deliver across a wider area by co-operating with other scout groups.

'Really disappointed'

The Postal Services Act of 2000 confirmed an exemption that meant charity groups did not need a licence if they wanted to carry Christmas post, any time between 25 November and 1 January.

But the idea of a Scout Christmas post goes back at least to the early 1980s.

Dafydd is concerned about how Scouts will now raise money

Cardiff and Vale Scouts started in the Roath area of the city 40 years ago. It would usually cover as far as St Mellons to Cowbridge and the edge of Caerphilly, with around 50 Scout groups involved and 800 volunteers.

Sophie, 11, joined the Scouts in October and was hoping to be involved in the Scout Post.

"I'm really disappointed because I've helped before with it and I know all my friends in Scouts are disappointed too," she said.

"During the lockdowns we were doing online Scouts and baking but when it eased a bit we have been out, and you can get a badge saying you've done Scouts all through lockdown.

"Last year we raised £800 during lockdown after making masks. Me and my brother started making masks with a sewing machine and we were selling them online and in different shops."

Sophie and Dafydd were given commendations for their work making facemasks to raise money

Sophie's brother, Dafydd, 13, said: "I'm a bit gutted because it raises quite a bit of money for the Scouts so they are going to lose out on those funds which is obviously not good and it's nice to have this different type of post at Christmas.

"Last year we made face masks which raised lots of money. But I'm not too sure how we'll raise the money this year."

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