The fundraising Christmas post sorted and delivered by 1st Forres Scouts is no more

A local, festive tradition has come to an end after more than three decades of annual service.

1st Forres Scouts chairman, Michael Rhind, has confirmed that the much-loved scout Christmas post will not be on this year and the group is looking into alternative ways of raising vital funds.

He said: “As Forres has grown, demand on our volunteers has also increased, and unfortunately, this event is no longer feasible.

“We considered the time we spent setting-up, mapping new streets, arranging volunteers for deliveries, as well as the logistics of the sorts, deliveries, and the tidy-up afterwards that usually happened on Christmas Eve.

“We also reviewed the number of cards being sent and its decline over the last decade.”

The scouts left temporary post boxes in local businesses in the weeks running up to Christmas, sorted then delivered the cards at a reduced rate anywhere in the town by Christmas Day.

The volunteers typically spent two weeks on the effort every year.

“We’re a small team,” said Michael, “and it requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Christmas is a busy time of year for our volunteers any way, many of whom are parents and volunteers with other organisations. The general stress of the festive period can be a lot for some.”

The idea behind the Forres scout post was inspired by a national campaign. Locally, it was started by the Forres scouts committee, Jim Smeed and group scout leader, John Tweddle. It quickly became very popular and, in the past, involved a popular Christmas event by the scout group in the town hall where Father Christmas himself would make an appearance.

Michael said: “We have newspaper clippings of Santa arriving by horse and sleigh in a blizzard through the centre of Forres!

“Sorting thousands of cards was a time for our community to come together, listen to Christmas music and enjoy the festive spirit.”

This year has seen changes to the way the Scouting Association and Forres group are managed, opening up opportunities for people with no scouting background to help, as well as for those who do not wish to work directly with young people to get involved.

Michael finished: “In the new year, we will be starting a second troop to keep up with demand for places. It will take the name of a previous troop in Forres - ‘The Eagles’ - to run alongside existing scout troop ‘The Pinemartens’.

“After 30 years of scout post, we are also looking at innovative ways of fundraising for equipment, projects or events.

“A huge thank you to everyone who supported the post initiative over the years - your efforts and donations have made a real impact on our group!”

For more information visit https://1stforresscouts.co.uk/