Marcus Wolfgang-Hall is Scout Leader at St Luke's, home to the 9th Chelsea. It's a voluntary role he puts his heart and soul into.
“Our district is called the West London District. We have Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, and my job is to support the leaders.
“Now, Iâm here on Thursday and Friday evenings, but I was born into this,” says Marcus.
“Thirty years ago, I started in the 9th Chelsea, and my grandma and mum were both really involved with the Scouts.
“My grandmother started us off in 1926 when she was enrolled into the Brownies. She went on to become a Regional Commissioner for the Scouts, and her son became a Scout who went on to become a Scout leader.
“My mum eventually went on to become a District Commissioner, and she got me into Scouting.”
“We have a joke that itâs the family business!”
“The best bit about being a Scout leader is when you walk down the street and a 25-year-old comes up to you and says, âHi, Wolf!â And he was one of your Cubs, and they still come in and see you and youâve really made an impact on their lives.
“Weâre very family-orientated,” he adds.
Church support
“I live just around the corner and my wife is also a Cub leader.
“I love the support that we get from the church here. Father Brian and all of the church staff are really amazing. He doesnât want anything from us other than for us to grow.
“We Scouts go to St Georgeâs Day services every year â heâs the patron saint of Scouts â and we go to Remembrance Sunday every year.
“The 9th Chelsea is the oldest Scout group in the district. The Scouts started in 1907 and we started in November 1909, so itâs our 110th anniversary this year.
“Five of our original Scouts went to the Great War and lost their lives. We lay poppies on the plaque for them in the church.”
The more leaders and scouts, the better
“Weâve also started doing the Harvest Festival and we go to the church fairs. We run all the kids activities to raise money for the church, and we also do the same at Christchurch.
“We raise money for our chosen charity throughout the year â this year its Water Aid. To raise funds, we had a sponsored walk around the Serpentine in Hyde Park in September.
“We also help with the Chelsea Pensioners at their Christmas fair â weâd love to have closer links with them.
“And we work with the Rotary Club â we help with seating the elderly at the concert at Christmas.” he says.
“But we always need more leaders. And the more Scouts you have, the better the programme is. I really want people to know weâre here.â
Find out more about the 9th Chelsea from the website: Â scouts.org.uk
