Uniform
We suggest you allow your child at least three weeks to decide if they wish to join before you purchase uniform. Any comfortable clothes suitable for activities are fine for those who have just joined.
As a minimum, Beavers need the turquoise Beaver jumper, Cubs a green cub sweatshirt and Scouts a green Scout shirt or blouse. Scout Association navy activity trousers are optional. Note commercial stockists (shops or online) don't always stock the Scout blouse. Beavers, Cubs and Scouts all need our group scarf (black with royal blue stripe, also known as a necker or neckerchief) which can only be bought direct from our East Drive HQ and costs £5.50 (small, best for Beavers/Cubs) or £7.00 (large, Scouts/adults). It is held together with a woggle.
Badges awarded and a plastic woggle are covered by the membership fee but a charge is made for replacement badges (approx 90p) & plastic woggles (50p) if the first one has been lost. Please label all uniform items with your child’s name- there is a label inside sweatshirts, scarves & shirts designed for you to write on!
We often have second hand items for sale and occasionally new items as well, please ask the leaders. We welcome donations of uniform items you no longer need. Scouting uniform has traditionally been larger than you would expect, for this reason we suggest you try on items in a shop or check the size guide on the Scout shops website before placing an online order. The St Albans and Hemel volunteer scout shops hold a larger stock and a bigger range of items at lower prices than commercial stockists.
6th North Watford group scarf with a woggle
Local uniform stockists
St. Albans Scout shop
Run by volunteers from St Albans Scout District. At far end of Chene Drive, Waverley Road, St. Albans AL3 5PE (close to hospital). Chene Drive is a private access road not shown on some maps. Drive past Alban Manor Nursing Home and through the gap in the wall at the end of the drive. The shop is the building directly opposite the entrance. Open Mondays 5.30 – 7.30 pm. Debit and credit card payments accepted. Prices usually match Scout Shops online. See Scout Shop - St Albans Scouts
Hemel Hempstead Scout shop
Run by volunteers from Hemel Scout District. Open Tuesdays (term time only) 7.00 – 8.30 pm, Hobbs Hill Wood Primary School, Peascroft Road, Hemel Hempstead HP3 8ER. Prices usually match Scout Shops Online. See https://www.hemel-scouts.co.uk/scout-shop/location-opening-times/
Scout shops online
Go to https://shop.scouts.org.uk/ Delivery is £3.99 for orders under £50. Check the size guide for each item at this site.
Independent retailers
Beat School Uniform shop
116 The Parade, Watford WD17 1BD. See Scouting Association - Beat School Uniforms
Badges
Challenge badges are hexagonal (e.g. Outdoor, Adventure, Skills, World) and a number of these go towards the Chief Scouts Award, the top award in each section (Bronze for Beavers, Silver for Cubs and Gold for Scouts).
Activity badges are round and for more specialised activities. Members are welcome to work towards activity badges at home. If your child has a particular hobby or interest, do check out scouts.org.uk or ask a leader for guidance on which badge would be most relevant.
The pictures below show where to sew the badges on the uniform. A beaver and cub jumper are shown but the positions are the same on the Scout shirt. Badge glue is very quick and easy instead of sewing but leaves unsightly marks if you later try to remove badges, so may prevent you using the garment for another child.
Right sleeve
6th North Watford group name tape
Watford North/ Hertfordshire badge
Leadership stripe- usually gained later on, yellow for Beavers, red for cubs, blue for Scouts, only the highest one should be worn.
Patrol badge (Scouts only)- silhouette of an animal over a coloured horizontal stripe
Right chest
Challenge badges (hexagonal), red for Beavers, blue for Cubs, navy for Scouts
The Bronze, Silver or Gold Chief Scouts award can be worn above the challenge badges, only one can be worn at once.
Left chest
Occasional badge eg anniversaries
Joining in badges (square, different colours)- shows the number of years the young person has been a member thus first one awarded after one year. More than one can be worn at once.
Moving on award ('Be Prepared')- shows a young person was previously a Beaver or Cub thus not worn by Beavers
World Scout badge (purple)- worn by everyone, for Scouts this should be on the shirt pocket
Left sleeve
Activity badges (round)- badges for more specific activities or hobbies.
For the blue 'staged' badges, only the highest level of each should be worn eg replace five nights away with ten nights away, don't wear both
Moving on to Cubs or Scouts
The following badges should be transferred from a Beaver to Cub or Cub to Scout uniform:
Group name tape, Watford North/Hertfordshire badge, the bronze or silver chief scouts award (if achieved), World Scout badge, the highest year badge obtained, any blue staged activity badges (highest one only), joining in badge (highest one only)
Section specific challenge and activity badges should not be moved to the new section uniform. Do ask if you are not sure!