Unlocking Adventure to Children in Millbrook and Beyond
Southampton Scouts provides adventure to young people across the city in some of our most deprived areas. Over 50% of our local groups are based in areas of IMD 1-3. We have continued sustained growth in young people taking part in Scouting across the city, boosting our numbers to the highest they have been locally.
Woodmill has transformed the opportunities for these young people, many of whom would have been unable to access the site before we took over.
Getting Millbrook Scouts Back on the Water
Since 1968, the 13th Millbrook Sea Scout Group has provided young people with safe, welcoming spaces to grow, learn, and thrive. Today, over 100 members aged 4 to 14 benefit from positive early experiences through adventure, community, and skill-building.
Specialising in water activities such as kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), the group ensures that opportunities match the needs and interests of young people and are accessible to families in one of Southampton’s most deprived areas (IMD 1). Over the last few years they have struggled to find places to get safely on the water.
“Woodmill has given us the opportunity to take our young people back on the water and enjoy experiences and opportunities they would never have got in Millbrook”
Woodmill has transformed the 13th Millbrook Sea Scout’s offer to young people, and since September has had children as young as four learn to paddle. It has provided a new, safe, and vibrant base, the group could once again help the next generation unlock their potential on the water and beyond.
Water activities are not simply an extracurricular option, they are the heartbeat of the group and the reason many young people join. From the youngest Squirrels (aged 4) to the oldest Scouts (aged 14), every member benefits enormously from time on the water.
Kayaking, canoeing, and other water sports offer far more than fun, they build physical fitness, mental wellbeing, social confidence, risk management skills, and a lasting connection with nature. They create memories that shape lives.
Scouts (11-14) from Millbrook learn to paddle at Woodmill
Southampton Scouts supports Scouting in communities across the city, all of whom are already benefiting from regular use of the site. Our autumn was packed with thousands of local young people playing games, having campfires, exploring nature, and benefiting from the opportunities Woodmill provides.
It’s not just Scouts benefiting from Woodmill.
Many other community groups and charities have benefited from the site. We are working with a range of organisations to unlock the site further to more disadvantaged and vulnerable young people from across the city. We are also keen to unlock nature to every young person in the city, to whom many, it is out of reach.
Southampton Scouts is committed to ensuring that Woodmill remains a vibrant home for adventure for every child in our city.
Squirrels (4-6) learn to paddle at Woodmill.
