Nigel Bevan and Berkshire Scouts

That this House pays tribute to Nigel Bevan on stepping down as County Lead Volunteer for Berkshire Scouts after 12 years; recognises that under his leadership the county consolidated and expanded its team of paid development officers, strengthening support to groups across Berkshire and helping to secure the growth and sustainability of Scouting in the county; further recognises that he steered Berkshire Scouts through the exceptional difficulties of the pandemic, including through a county recovery fund which he introduced for groups which had not benefited from the local government support available to those owning their own premises, helping them regain financial stability at a time of falling membership, reduced subscriptions and lost fundraising income; commends him for assembling a County Team known for its effectiveness and for a culture of mutual respect and support; observes that the reputation of that team led Scouts headquarters to look to Berkshire as an early adopter of the transformation programme now reshaping the movement, including new administration systems, team based volunteering and updated governance arrangements for trustee boards; and also recognises that volunteers such as Mr Bevan are the foundation on which Scouting rests, and that the benefit of his service will be felt by young people across Berkshire for many years to come.