Who’s Who

Peter Austin
Group President
Peter (a.k.a. The Duke of Lyne) has been involved with 1st Chertsey Scout Group since 1939. He has contributed substantially to the continued success and growth of the Group, having devoted his attention to the running and organisation of the Executive Committee. He lives Lyne (where else) with his wife Jean, and in his spare time (i.e.not at Scout events), is involved with The Compassionate Friends charity. Peter’s son benefitted from the 1st Chertsey Scout Group.. as a contemporary of our own GSL David Moore!

SECTION LEADERS

David Moore (Dave)
Group Scout Leader
David has been involved with Scouting in Chertsey almost all his life. In 1971, he started going down to the Scout HQ (at the age of six), to help his Dad out with his Assistant Scout Leader role. He officially joined the Group at the age of eight – starting Cubs and progressing through all the sections – and he was awarded his Queen’s Scout Award in 1983. Soon after, he started his leadership role as an Assistant Cub Scout Leader with the Dons for 2 years, and then ran the Venture Scout Unit for 15 years. In 2001 he took up his current role of Group Scout Leader (GSL). He is also the District Group Scout Leader representative. David has worked for a local road marking company as a Fleet, Logistics & IT Manager since 1982 (the day after he left school). In what little spare time he has, he loves to play golf and spend time with his wife of 28 years and his three grown-up children.

Paul White
Assistant Scout Leader
Paul has a long history with 1st Chertsey Scout Group, having attended, Cubs, Scouts, and Venture Scouts. His day job is as a senior manager within the motor trade. WHen not doing that, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children (who seem set to join in with the Scouting fun as soon as they are able…).

Steve Wasley
Cub Scout Leader / Akela – Hunters
Steve Wasley started Cubs back in the 1960’s and has been fortunate to have experienced many enjoyable and challenging experiences in Scouting over the years. Steve says: “I am keen to make a positive difference to the lives of the young people we lead and share our time with, and enable them to develop new skills and confidence by providing them with a varied and activity focused program. Many of activities I still pursue are those that I was introduced to as a young Scout so if the Cubs leave our section with fresh interests and experiences that they wish to explore further then that’s our reward.”

Steve Valiant
Assistant Cub Scout Leader – Hunters / Assistant Beaver Scout Leader – Abbey Colony
Steve joined scouts as a 1st Chertsey Cub back in 1986 and he hasn’t left since! He started in the Dons and moved through the sections becoming a Scout and a Venture Scout. Steve was a young leader for the Dons at the tender age of 14 and he has stayed loyal to the cub section, leading cub packs ever since. He even branched out and ran a pack in Portsmouth for a while, until he saw the light and returned to mighty, mighty Chertsey! For the last 10 years Steve has also been the Assistant District Commissioner for cubs for Runnymede. Somehow he has ended up with the nickname ‘The Viking’ – he even has a song that cubs sing at him. Quite how that happened remains a mystery. Steve can also be seen helping out with most camps and activities, and occasionally lending his wife (Kestrel) a hand at Abbey Beavers on a Monday night, – in fact, if you cant find him at home – try the Scout HQ.

Ben Roydhouse
Assistant Cub Scout Leader – Hunters
Ben has been a Cub Leader since 2003. Alongside Greg Read, Ben ran the Hunters Cub pack from 2006-2007. Ben has been involved with 1st Chertsey Scoup Group since 1995 and was both a Cub and a Scout before progressing to Cub Leader. Outside of Scouting, Ben works for a furniture company Metric Office Furniture producing AutoCAD furniture, electrical and mechanical plans. In his free time he loves to play golf with friends and family. Ben is well known for running excellent wide games at camp, usually with help from the Scouts. He is qualified to run air rifle shooting activities and has very good aim!!!

Louise Athersuch
Cub Scout Leader / Akela – Dons
Lou has been the Cub Scout Leader of the Dons since 2007. Before joining Scouting, she was a Girl Guide Leader. By day, she is a primary school teacher and spends her free time exploring the outdoors with her husband (Toby) and dog (Lola). Lou is most known for her singing at campfires, firelighting and silly games.

Alexandra Schofield
Beaver Scout Leader – Bourne Colony
Alex has been involved with Scouting from a young age; as the daughter of Akela in a Sea Scout group in Norfolk, she tagged along to every meeting and camp until old enough to join Venture Scouts at 15. This is where she earned her Queen’s Scout Award and spent every weekend in/on the rivers and beaches as a Scout Canoe Instructor and Beach Lifeguard. Alex and her Dad started one of the first Beaver Scout Colonies in 1988 and after University she was Cub Scout Leader in Ware, Hertfordshire. Alex joined 1st Chertsey Scout Group as Assistant Beaver Scout Leader in January 2013 and Bourne Beavers was founded in April 2014. Alex lives in Chertsey with Shaun and their two children; one in Beavers, one in Cubs. Alex works in Quality Management for new drug clinical trials, an interesting field that has made use of her background in biomedical science. If Science and Scouting wasn’t fun enough (?), Alex enjoys the outdoors; open water swimming, cultivating vegetables and hot chilis, and sitting watching Chertsey Cricketers stand around in a field on summer Saturday afternoons! And just for the record, Shaun didn’t grow the prize-winning rude carrot, Alex did (see below)!

Shaun Schofield
Assistant Beaver Scout Leader – (Fantastic) Mr Fox – Bourne Colony
Charismatic, popular and handsome Shaun has been Assistant Leader for Bourne Beavers since its inception in the Spring of 2014. He is the hapless factotum to his wife, Alex who leads the section excellently despite the organisational dead weight that Shaun represents. Bourne Beavers saw Shaun return to Scouting after a 30-year gap, him having previously been a Cub Scout, Scout and Venture Scout in the Spen Valley District of West Yorkshire from 1976 onwards. Scouting provided a welcome childhood diversion from scavenging toys and coal from landfill sites and slag heaps across the Valley. As a member of the Scout Marching Band, Shaun spent many a weekend stumbling around the parade areas of local shows and fetes with 27 other arrhythmic Scouts and Guides to discordant renditions of Match of the Day and the Star Wars theme. A particularly fond memory was being pelted with two pence pieces by the less than appreciative crowd as we provided the half-time ‘entertainment’ at Huddersfield Town. Also, Shaun represented his country as a member of the West Yorkshire Troop at the 13th World Jamboree in Calgary, Canada in 1983 where he mostly wore a hat with a stuffed parrot on it. To keep his two children in woggles, Shaun does a bit of ducking and diving, dodging and weaving on behalf of SSE Utilities. To relax, teetotal Shaun likes to read, contemplate the eternal verities and potter in the garden, in 2009 being responsible for the winner of the ‘Rudest Vegetable’ category at Chertsey Show.

Katy Valiant
Beaver Scout Leader – Abbey Colony
Katy is relatively new to Scouting, but having married Steve Valiant had very little option (!) – if she ever wanted to see him, but to join the Scouting family at 1st Chertsey. She is very glad she did, and is enjoying being the leader of Abbey Beavers. Katy has been a Rainbow Guide Leader (but we won’t hold that against her) and for a brief time was a reception teacher… until common sense prevailed, and now she has a sensible job looking after the legal record of Public Rights of Way. Katy recently raised funds for the Group by doing a sponsored skydive – details can be found here: Skydive!!!

Phil Boast
Assistant Beaver Scout Leader – Abbey Colony
A long-serving member of the Group, Phil currently helps support the activities of the Abbey Colony. When not Scouting, Phil can be found at Chertsey Cricket Club, coaching a junior squad.

ADULT HELPERS

Kate Barnes
Kate was a Brownie and a Girl Guide (back in the days when girls weren’t in Scouting!). She and her husband Nick ran the Beaver Colony at 1st Chertsey until the pressures and time restrictions of being a deputy headteacher meant she was unable to attend meetings. Since having a family, she has returned to 1st Chertsey, helping initially at Bourne Beavers and now at Don’s with Lou. Kate works in a local primary school – she loves every minute of her job and equally loves the holidays whether it be in a tent or lying by the pool with a cocktail in hand!

Nick Barnes
Nick was a Cub, Scout and Venture Scout at 1st Chertsey in his youth, and then went on to be a Beaver Leader with his wife Kate for several years. After having his own children (Rosie who is in Scouts, and James and Matthew who are in Cubs), Nick helps at Scouts and is on the Group Executive Committee. He can regularly be found behind the Scout BBQ at Chertsey Show, Black Cherry Fair and various Cub camps. Nick has worked in the family pest control business (Barpest – Pest Control & Wildlife Management Experts) for the last 15 years. He enjoys cricket and football (but only when his teams are winning!!).

Andy Woods
Andy grew up in a small village in Essex and joined the local Scout Group as a Cub, progressing on to become a Scout and then Venture Scout. He decided to leave Scouting at the age of 15 to take up the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and was presented with the Gold Award by the Duke of Edinburgh at St James’ Palace. Andy has a son in 1st Chertsey Beavers and has become actively involved again in Scouting as a Parent Helper. Andy works for a Swiss Investment Bank in the City but prefers to be doing outdoor activities such as cycling, walking, camping, photography and trying to get back into surfing! Andy has become infamous (in Beavers) after falling into the Thames whilst supporting a Beavers canoeing activity (Sept. 2015) and even earned himself a “Time in the Water” badge!

GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Toby Athersuch
Group Chairman
In late 2014, Toby took over the role of Group Chairman. He has a long association with Scouting, particularly 1st Chertsey. From about 1986, he progressed through Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venture Scouts, completing his Chief Scout Award, Chief Scout Challenge, and finally his Queen’s Scout Award. After a long break, Toby has rejoined the Group and is keen to drive forward fundraising activities for a new HQ, and alleviate some of the administrative burden from the leaders so that they can better focus on delivering high-quality activities for Young People. As a day job, He is a Principal Investigator and Lecturer at Imperial College London; working in the Faculty of Medicine, his research interests lie in understanding how environmental exposures (pollutants etc.) influence disease risk, particularly in relation to changing metabolic processes in the body. He likes pursuits that get him out of the house (photography, cycling, hiking and camping), as well those that can be done in the warm when the weather is miserable (web design, online gaming). He is annoyingly bad at remembering birthdays, and annoyingly good at Scrabble.

Sue Keane
Group Treasurer
Sue has been Group Treasurer since 2008. Her sons Dan and James have been through 1st Chertsey from Beavers to Scouts, and have many happy memories of activities and camps – especially winter camp! Being less of a camper herself, Sue was nevertheless inspired by the dedication of the leaders and committee to give what help she could. As a Chartered Accountant, Treasurer seemed to be a good role for her! Sue is a director and part owner of Fuller Spurling, a Chertsey accountancy practice with 16 staff, and has been with them for 20 years. She is married to Paul and they now all live in Woking. Originally from Lowestoft, Sue likes to get back there when she can, and otherwise enjoys walking, shopping, pubs, reading and finally learning to garden.

Judy Bowden-Black
Group Secretary
Judy became involved with 1st Chertsey Scout Group in the summer of 2006 when her son joined the Dons Cubs. She has helped out ever since. Her main involvement is at our regular fundraising and community events, helping run the kitchen and keep things ticking over nicely. Judy is also the Group Secretary.

Brian Perry
Chairman of HQ Fundraising Subcommittee
Now retired, Brian spent 25 years working at the Procter & Gamble R&D Laboratories in Egham where his career was divided into two phases; First, as a Microbiologist and second as the R&D Systems Manager. He has published widely on Microbial Microcalorimetry (PhD thesis) and Microbial Quality Assurance. As R&D Systems Manager, he had a wide-range of responsibilities including health & safety, budget control and community matters. Brian currently performs a number of voluntary roles in local community organisations and projects: Director of Association for the Improvement of Runnymede and Voluntary Support North Surrey; Health & Safety Officer Egham Royal Show; Chair of Communications Group of Runnymede Business Partnership and Ambassador for Runnymede Borough Council’s ‘Employment & Skills’ project; Chertsey Flood Volunteers; Demonstrator for the Royal Society of Chemistry and Press Officer to Rotary Club of Chertsey. His biggest achievements have been represented Runnymede at the Queen’s visit to Surrey in 2004; Mayor of Runnymede Community Award 2010 and Technical Expert to Cllr.Linda Gillham for her reports to the Committee of the Regions on Plastic Waste and Plastic Bags. Brian is the Chairman of the 1st Chertsey Scout Group HQ Fundraising Subcommittee.

Liz Dunster
Liz recalls that she has been involved to some degree with 1st Chertsey Scout Group for about 60 yrs – her father was the former Scout Leader. Liz was initially a Girl Guide then Guider, but after having a family she qualified as a Youth Leader at Brunel University and then became a uniformed instructor with the Scouts – over 30 year ago – as Baloo with the Hunters Cub Pack. Liz is a long-standing member of the Group Executive Committee, helping mainly with fundraising (and keeping us all going at Exec meetings by supplying hot sausage rolls for the team – yum!). Away from Scouting, Liz enjoys crafts, knitting and sewing. Her father – Hunter Hall – after which the HQ at Ford Road was named was GSL for many years and so has got Scouting in her blood!

Yvonne Barnes
Yvonne has been involved with 1st Chertsey Scout Group since approx 1980 when her sons Nick and Matt joined. She has served on the Executive Committee for more longer than anyone can remember, and was also a Beaver leader for some time. In other areas of local community life, Yvonne was a Rainbow Leader and previously served as the Church Warden at St. Peters for 13 years.

Ann Mansfield
Ann was involved in the Girl Guides as a child with subsequent involvement with Scouts via her own children in 2008. She became a member of the Group Executive Committee member in 2014. Ann is a great lover of the outdoors and spends time walking her dog with her family whenever she can. During the day Ann runs a recruitment business specialising in chef and restaurant manager recruitment.

Lucy Weber
Lucy has been a Scouting parent since her son joined Beavers in 2008. She joined the Executive Committee in early 2014. Lucy works in Learning Support for Special Education Needs, at Jubilee High School, Addlestone. In her spare time, she enjoys dog walking, food and wine. She can also be spotted performing in Chertsey’s local pantomime or heard playing her son’s drums!

Perry Burton
Perry has recently got back involved in 1st Chertsey Scout Group after an 18-year break! Prior to this he was involved in the group for over 20 years as a Cub, Scout, Venture Scout, Queen Scout, Venture Scout Leader and Cub Scout Leader. He is going to help with the ambitious plans to fund a new Group HQ, with a particular focus on encouraging corporate involvement either through donation, grants or social responsibility programmes. Perry works in London as a Business Adviser, has three children aged 9-16, is a fanatical football fan and rubbish golfer.