2nd Tonbridge (Parish Church) Scout Group

The 2nd Tonbridge Scout Group was founded in 1924 by the Rev. Fred Cribb, a curate at Tonbridge Parish Church.

The scarf is claret and gold, and has a Bishop’s Cross badge which recognizes that the Group is closely associated with Tonbridge Parish Church and in memory of the Group Chairman from 1946, Russell White, who became the first Bishop of Tonbridge in 1959.

At first, the Group met in The Parish Room (now Hermitage Court) in East Street and occasionally in St. Saviour’s Hall (later used by the Red Cross) in Elm Lane just off Shipbourne Road. The Group had a band and led parades regularly. In 1928 the Group acquired a World War 1 Army hut for £100 and erected it on a site in Cannon Lane where McDonald’s is today. The area was undeveloped countryside and the hut was reached by a narrow rural lane. After World War 2 the hut was moved to its current site on The Ridgeway.

In the sixties the Group decided to raise money to replace the old hut with a modern brick built headquarters. At the end of the sixties the Group had the opportunity to use an empty shop at the north end of the High Street for a few weeks for an “ongoing Jumble Sale”. The shop was one of several shops due for demolition to allow the road to be widened at the junction with Bordyke. However, it was discovered that the shop was hiding a valuable medieval structure within its construction and the authorities decided that the shop could not be demolished. Nevertheless, the road was widened but it took more than ten years for a decision about the shop’s future. It is no longer a shop but offices known as Blair House. What had started as a short term fund raising event turned into a long running, well managed business open two days a week with an enviable reputation for bargains of all sorts. It was one of the first “Charity Shops”! The proceeds from this endeavour resulted in the construction of the Headquarters building you see today in The Ridgeway.

For those of you who have never been inside the building, it comprises meeting rooms upstairs, a kitchen, toilets, a hall large enough for a badminton court, a garage, a large store for equipment, a car park and a small paddock at the rear.  The Headquarters is used not only by the Scout Group but also by other local community groups.

Scouting continues to provide an enjoyable, attractive and worthwhile scheme of training, which aims to help young people in their personal development and become responsible citizens. Today the Group’s team of dedicated Leaders, Helpers and Supporters continue to provide Scouting for two Beaver Colonies (6 – 8 yrs), a Cub Pack (8 – 10.5 yrs) and a Scout Troop (10.5 – 14 yrs).

If you would like to be part of this success story as a Leader, Helper or Supporter please email secretary@2ndtonbridge.org.uk to discuss the many ways in which you could get involved.