October 2026 update
Ben Dickinson, Charities
Thursday 15th of October 2026
Report
- CIO Registration: The Charity Commission has approved SSAGO's most recent application and we now have a Charitable Incorporated Organisation set up for SSAGO to tranfer to when we're ready
- Bank Accounts: I have been working on finding the best bank accounts for SSAGO (both current and savings accounts), and started the process of opening the first of the CIO's new bank accounts.
- Insurance: Charlie and I have been working on renewing our Memoranda of Understanding with Scouts and Girlguiding to ensure the CIO has insurance for its members. I have also been working with Ewan and Lara to get Unity policies covering the CIO where we currently have it for the unregistered SSAGO.
- Club Affiliation Agreement: We have started work on the first club affiliation agreement, this is taking a while as we work out the initial issues but should speed up a lot once we have some signed
Aims
- Charity Transition: We will hopefully be transferring to the CIO structure at the AGM assuming all goes well. Between now and then we need bank accounts and insurance to cover the new organisation.
- Club Affiliation Agreements: Over the next few years we aim to have all SUs where we have a club sign a club affiliation agreement to formalise our relationship, and standardise the relationships as mucha s possible. This should make life easier for club committees too!
Event Check In and a New Stats Page
Nem Calvert, Webmaster
Sunday 11th of October 2026
A few new things have appeared that will hopefully help you run events easier and help you find out more things about SSAGO.
Event Check in:
If you've been to a rally before, you will have checked in when you arrived and received any merch you ordered. This is now available for all events on the SSAGO website. This can be found in the admin section of events under Registration. As well as checking people in on arrival, event committees will now be able to:
- Sign people out when they leave
- Sign people out and sign them back in when they arrive back at the event
- Mark people as no longer attending
- Add comments to someone's sign in page
- Filter the list by club
- Bulk sign out by club
This is along with what the check in system could already do which includes:
- Displaying merch someone has ordered
- Displaying their accommodation option
- Displaying which activities they have selected
- Allowing input of the expected time of departure at the end of the event
SSAGO Stats Page:
Have you ever wondered what the 3rd biggest rally ever attended was? Or which item of merch was the most popular? Or in which year did SSAGO gain the most new members? Well now you can find out, on the new SSAGO Stats page.
We are taking suggestions for any improvements to the website, whether it is things to help you run your event or club easier or visual improvements to the website, please let us know on our feedback form and we'll look into making it happen!
October 2026 update
Oli Bills, Webmaster
Sunday 11th of October 2026
Report
- Lick of paint: Upgraded things from technologies of 10 years ago to technologies of today. Things should be a little nicer and shinier, but also much easier for the new team to work with.
- SSAGO Website: Upgraded to the latest versions of everything, so it's much more maintainable and generally happier!
- SSAGO Infrastructure: Moved everything onto brand new SSAGO infrastructure that's much easier to work with and more sustainable for the future.
- SSAGO Email: A completely new email system for handling incoming and outgoing SSAGO email, which should hopefully provide a better experience for everyone.
- Annoying things: Fixed a few things that were annoying for clubs, members and Team Pink along the way!
- Handover: Hopefully now finished the handover and migration with Abi and Nem and the future of SSAGO Digital!
Aims
- Retirement: A happy retirement! (But always happy to help out if anyone needs me!)
- Scouts HQ: Moved on to the Scouts Digital team as part of the HQ team and trying to help them with their digital systems now - as well as forming a new volunteer and staff team there (Find out more at https://join.scoutslab.org.uk if you're interested!)
SSAGO has moved to a new home, and had some upgrades along the way!
Oli Bills, Webmaster
Sunday 11th of October 2026
Hi everyone!
It's been a long project, but we've spent a lot of time updating the SSAGO website from technologies that made sense 10 years ago, to modern day technologies - the goal being to make it much easier for the SSAGO team to continue to grow and develop and maintain the website into the future! We've also moved home onto some brand new SSAGO infrastructure. Along the way, we've also gained a few small improvements:
- For clubs
- You can now add your Instragram and TikTok to your club profile in your membership area!
- We've improved the look and functionality of the tables that show your members
- You can now edit your members in the members table directly to make changes if you need to
- For events
- There's a new visual editor - hopefully it works much the same way as the old one
- There's a new code editor as well!
- There's a new Insert SSAGO Shortcode button, that lets you add SSAGO magic codes straight into your event pages
- For everyone
- A slightly smoother, faster, happier website!
However, with such a big change, there may be a few bumps along the way, so if you notice anything that's not quite right or any suggestions, let us know on our new feedback page!
We'd love to hear any ideas you have for improving the SSAGO website going forward, and we've never been in a better position to do it - thanks for bearing with us!
Introducing Ellie Lees
Ellie Lees, Publicity
Sunday 9th of August 2026
Hi SSAGO!
I’m Ellie, your Publicity Officer for 2026–27!
My Guiding journey began 17 years ago when I started Rainbows at age 4, and it hasn’t slowed down since. Alongside that, I’ve had a stint in Sea Scouts and Explorers, so I’ve been lucky enough to experience the best of both worlds. I’m now both a Guide and Scout leader. I'm the unit leader for two Rainbow units, two Brownie units, a Guide unit, and a Ranger unit (which I lead), as well as helping out with an Explorer group, all while studying at university in Bangor.
On top of this, I’ve somehow found time to be the Inspire Lead for Cymru and a Peer Educator, and I previously served as Chair of Girlguiding’s NWE Youth Voice Board.
When choosing universities, my two must-haves were a strong History department and an active SSAGO club, so Bangor was the perfect fit. I’ve taken on a big role within Bangor BUGS, serving as Publicity Officer in my first year and Treasurer in my second, as well as Merch and Publicity Officer for Rali Eryri. SSAGO has given me some of my closest friendships, and I’m really excited to give back to such an incredible organisation.
Outside of SSAGO, I study History, Heritage & Archaeology (a bit of a mouthful!) and hope to graduate in 2027. In my free time, you’ll usually find me somewhere in Eryri: rock climbing, paddleboarding, or off on some kind of adventure.
If you spot me at a rally in my pink hoodie (usually with a Diet Coke in hand!), please come and say hi—I’d love to meet you all. And if I can help with anything from social media templates to brand guidelines, badges, or anything in between, don’t hesitate to drop me an email.
Introducing Ben Dickinson
Ben Dickinson, Charities
Sunday 9th of August 2026
Hi, I'm Ben, I was part of DUSAGG but now an Indie member and I am your Charities Assistant. My job is to get SSAGO up and running as a registered charity. So far, we have a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) set up, but are waiting on a few pre-requisites before we transfer over.
If you have any questions about SSAGO's charity status, the constitution or just want to talk about the details of charity registration, drop me an email to [email protected]
June 2026 update
Beatrice Overend, Quartermaster
Saturday 20th of June 2026
Report
- WE GOT SPARKLY BADGES for ball awards. I’m very excited by the badges.
- We are now growing the shop project and had some volunteers help run the shop at Rally. I’ve got SSAGO support merch set up and done another bulk order of SSAGO merch.
- I’ve run the shop and sold some stuff.
Aims
- - Sell stuff
- - Make SSAGO rich again
June 2026 update
Nem Calvert, Webmaster
Thursday 18th of June 2026
Report
- Events: Helped events with website issues and set up all new events on the admin discord server
- Discord: Continued to maintain the discord for it to be useful at events
- Meetings: Contributed to the handover meeting and team pink meetings generally
Aims
- Discord: Refresh the server and take control of Rex
- Generally: Continue helping events use the website and discord
June 2026 update
Abi Pain, Webmaster
Wednesday 17th of June 2026
Report
- Migration: work has begun on moving the SSAGO website and digital infrastructure to new servers to give us a stable foundation to build on. The live website on the internet is currently still powered by the old servers.
- Strategy: We've decided to work on substantially improving the existing website as opposed to building a completely new one as we believe that will be a more efficient way to improve things.
Aims
- Migration: continue to work on moving the SSAGO website to its new servers, and eventually having the live website served by the new servers.
- Enhancement: once migration is completed, we can begin to work on upgrading and improving parts of the website!
June 2026 update
Lara Hagger, Treasurer
Tuesday 9th of June 2026
Report
- Development Fund: approved dev fund bids (there should be seven clubs with reports at reps) and supported clubs with these applications.
- (how many have I approved since february - we’re gonna have 7 reports at reps)
- Events: supported local events with finances and the use of our bank accounts, added/removed people from the SSAGO bank accounts, and am looking forward to seeing all the amazing things everyone gets up to :)
- @ssagomoneybunny: broken into Money Bunny’s instagram account and she is ready to begin posting…
Aims
- Annual Accounts: my goal is to have the accounts from April 2024 to November 2026 done and reviewed by the end of my term as SSAGO Treasurer.
- Documents of Advice: I am currently working on a document that can be sent to national event treasurers with the advice, ideas, and general reassurance.
June 2026 update
Lucy Mott, Secretary
Sunday 7th of June 2026
Report
- Figuring out my role: Since handover I have been getting to grips with all of my responsibilities and battling with the SSAGO emailing system. I've managed lots of reps admin and have been doing my best to keep us organised!
- Minuting and Agenda-ing: I've been doing lots of minuting and agenda-ing, trying to get them shared with you all as soon as possible though final exams have got in the way a little recently.
- NANs and AANs: I've been responding to the influx of NANs and AANs that we have had recently as lots of clubs are heading on Summer Camps and doing lots of exciting activities!
Aims
- Reps: Although I have already been doing lots of reps-y work, I still have plenty to do and am excited to have a go at minuting my first reps!
- Hyperlinks: I want to take on the suggestion of carrying out some complex technological magic so that the google forms on the website are hyperlinks. This would make them a lot easier for clubs to use.
- Be more organised: Get the actions and emails spreadsheet going again so that these can be managed more easily!
June 2026 update
Charlie Cunnane, Liaisons
Friday 5th of June 2026
Report
- USKT: Rally and ball committees now no longer required to be members of the UKST as these events are now for over18s only. Local events being added when requested. Some issues with not getting notifications about compliance but working to resolve ASAP.
- External Relationships: Have managed to maintain the communication between SSAGO, and TSA, GG, and SAGGA well. Joined SAGGA committee and working with them to maintain the relationship there. Spoken to contacts in both TSA and GG for a renewed Memorandum of Understanding with both - this has been delayed in both due to internal structural changes and challenges in their organisations, but we are working together to get them signed ASAP.
- Working with Team Pink: Continue to attend meetings as often as I can, and working with event support, policy updating, and other governmental and operational tasks. First few months working as Liaisons Officer has come with challenges, but I am excited to see where we go from there!
Aims
- UKST: Continue to manage the UK Support Team (formerly SASU), ensuring everyone who requires a role for any local volunteering or event committee has the appropriate checks and training complete.
- External Relationships: Continue to maintain healthy relationships with The Scout Association, GirlGuiding, and SAGGA.
- Working with the rest of Team Pink: Work effectively with the rest of Team Pink for the general governance and running of SSAGO as a whole.
June 2026 update
Ellie Lees, Publicity
Tuesday 2nd of June 2026
Report
- Term Start:
- It's been a slow start to my term as Publicity Officer, as I've been prioritising my university exams and assignments. However, with summer on the horizon, I've got some exciting projects in the works, and I'm looking forward to getting started on the aims I was elected on.
- TikTok:
- The mystery of the TikTok account continues! Despite it being a key point I was elected on, I have yet to gain access due to a mysterious phone number linked to the account. Don't be surprised if my next Reps Update includes an update on me emailing TikTok directly!
- Recruitment:
- With the new academic year approaching, I'm working on getting resources out to promote SSAGO to incoming freshers and help increase our membership. Don't be surprised if you see some SSAGO-related posts appearing on Facebook over the coming weeks.
- Events and Outreach:
- We'll also be attending the majority of the major jamborees this summer, as well as Gilwell Reunion, promoting SSAGO alongside Inspire and Network. This will be a great opportunity to introduce more young people to SSAGO and hopefully encourage them to get involved when they head off to university.
Aims
- TikTok:
- Gain access to the SSAGO TikTok account and begin developing content to strengthen SSAGO's presence on the platform.
- Freshers Recruitment:
- Start advertising SSAGO to incoming freshers through social media, events, and promotional resources to help grow our membership ahead of the new academic year.
- Rali Eryri:
- Work alongside the rest of the Rali Committee to deliver a successful and enjoyable Rali Eryri for all attendees.
- Badge Packs:
- Begin work on developing badge packs in collaboration with Bee, creating resources that can be used to promote SSAGO to Ramgers and Explores as well as engage existing members
May 2026 update
Ben Dickinson, Charities
Monday 4th of May 2026
Report
- Registration: We submitted an application back in November and the Charity Commission are still considering it. This is much longer than previous applications so hopefully that's a good sign! It is just a case of waiting to see what happens now.
- Club Affiliation Agreements: We have started the process with the first couple of clubs and are in the process of working out any issues in the agreement. These will likely all be unique to the SU so it isn't necessarily an easy process.
- Handover: Having recently left the Liaisons role, I worked on handing over to Charlie who has got off to a great start to the role! I have also taken over as Charities from Alex and received a great handover there too!
Aims
- Registration: My main aim for my role is to register SSAGO as a charity. We are currently looking at registering as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation as that allows the trustees (and SSAGO) the most legal protection.
- Club Affiliation Agreements: We are aiming to have our first batch of these signed by the start of the new academic year, and then start rolling them out more widely. If your club has a good relationship with your SU, please let me know!
April 2026 update
Hannah Michael, Members
Sunday 26th of April 2026
Report
- Socials: Continue developing a shared collection of tried-and-tested activities, including what you'll need, costs, timings, and tips to help clubs run successful socials.
- SSAGO 101: Create a ready-made introduction presentation for Freshers' events and first socials, covering everything from rallies and balls to Discord, mascots, and Team Pink.
- Green: Continue encouraging leftover food from rallies and events to be donated to local foodbanks wherever possible
- Summer: I'm really looking forward to Team Pink Weekend and Gilwell Reunion, and the opportunities they bring to support SSAGO!
Aims
- Membership: I've been chasing up the final membership payments and making sure clubs are up to date before the end of the academic year.
- Clubs: I've mainly been helping clubs as they prepare for next year, helping committees get used to their new roles.
- Beach Ball: I've been helping with venue research, agendaing and minuting meetings, and starting to put together the foundations for Beach Ball 2027.
April 2026 update
Ellie Lees, Publicity
Saturday 25th of April 2026
Report
Aims
- - Get stuck in and build on what I was handed information-wise at handover
- - start to look at my manifesto aims that I was elected on, and see where I can begin work on them
- - Submit the 10 assignments I have due so I can pass the second year of my degree!
Introducing Ewan Bell
Ewan Bell, Chair
Wednesday 18th of March 2026
Hi SSAGO, I’m Ewan, and I’ll be your Chairman for 2026–27.
I’ve been involved in Scouting since I was 11, and it’s been a big part of my life ever since. Over the years, I’ve been a Young Leader and now an adult leader with groups in both Lancaster and back home in Gloucestershire. I’ve also taken on roles like Patrol Leader at WSJ2019, Trustee with my Lancaster unit, and member of the Scouts Role Pool. Basically, if there's a job that needs doing, I'll give it a go!
When I was looking at universities, having a SSAGO club was a must for me, and I knew I'd end up getting quite involved. I’ve been National Members Officer, Secretary for Rally Through Time, Logistics Officer for Oktoberfest, served as Vice-President and President of Lancaster SSAGO, helped run two North West Freshers’ Camps, and chaired Policy Fixers. (There’s a bit of a theme here...)
Outside of SSAGO, I’ve graduated from Lancaster with a Bsc in Mathematics, and have started a role in Bristol. If you spot someone at a rally in a pink sweatshirt and Hawaiian shirt, there’s a good chance it’s me - feel free to come say hi, or contact me via email or DM through discord!
Introducing Lucy Mott
Lucy Mott, Secretary
Wednesday 18th of March 2026
Hi SSAGO! I’m Lucy, your secretary for 2026-27.
I’ve been involved in Guiding since I was 5 from Rainbows through to Rangers. I’ve been a Young Leader with Brownies and Guides at home near Sheffield, and am currently a (recently fully qualified!) Guides leader in Newcastle.
I’ve been part of NUSSAGG for 4 years with 3 of those spent on committee in the roles of Welfare Officer, Guide Liaison and President. I’ve helped run 2 Freshers camps, many events and enjoyed many an hour doing admin work. I was also on SSAGOes to Space Rally committee as missions coordinator (activities) where I got to run around with a megaphone which was great fun! I really enjoyed my time in all of these roles, and they only made me want to get involved in SSAGO even more.
I will graduate from a Modern Languages degree in Summer 2026, and then start training with Teach First to become a primary school teacher in the North East which I am really excited about.
Don’t be afraid to come say Hi to me and Rex (his boney tail is very entertaining) at rally or get in touch if there is anything I could help you with!
Introducing Hannah Michael
Hannah Michael, Members
Wednesday 18th of March 2026
Hi SSAGO! I’m Hannah, your Members Officer for 2026-2027!
I’ve been in Guiding and Scouting since I was 4 (starting in Rainbows) and it’s been a huge part of my life ever since! I’m currently a Cub Leader in both Swansea and London and over the past decade I’ve volunteered with Beavers, Scouts and Brownies - travelling with them from KISC to the fire station!
I joined SUGS in my first year after a friend mentioned it during a wind band rehearsal and I have loved SSAGO ever since! I’ve had the absolute joy of being the Big Cheese (president and VP) of SUGS over the last three years and across SSAGO, I’m also the secretary for Beach Ball and the leader of the Green Project! Outside of SSAGO, I’m finishing off a PGCE and I’ll be starting as a teacher in September which I’m super excited about!
I’m really keen to give back to an organisation that’s given me so much! I love a bit of fancy dress, so if you spot a stingray, a Rubik’s cube, or something equally curious also wearing pink, that’s probably me so please do come and say hi (and meet Harold) at a rally or ball! :) 💗
Helo SSAGO! Hannah ydw i, eich Swyddog Aelodau am 2026-2027!
Rydw i wedi bod yn rhan o Geidio a Sgowtio ers o'n i'n 4 mlwydd oed (yn dechrau yn Rainbows) ac mae'n dal yn rhan enfawr o fy mywyd! Ar hyn o bryd, dwi’n Arweinydd Cubs yn Abertawe a Llundain, a dros y degawd diwethaf dwi wedi gwirfoddoli gyda Beavers, Sgowtiaid a Brownies - yn teithio gyda nhw o KISC i’r orsaf tân!
Ymunais SUGS yn fy mlwyddyn gyntaf ar ôl i ffrind sôn amdani yn ystod ymarferiad band chwyth a dwi wedi caru SSAGO ers hynny! Dwi wedi mwynhau fod y Big Cheese (llywydd ac is-lywydd) o SUGS dros y tair blynedd diwethaf, ac mewn SSAGO dwi'n hefyd yr ysgrifennydd am Beach Ball a’r arweinydd o’r Green Project! Tu allan SSAGO, dwi’n cwblhau PGCE ac rydw i'n edrych ymlaen at ddechrau gweithio fel athrawes ym mis Gorffennaf!
Dwi’n awyddus i roi nôl i sefydliad sydd wedi rhoi cymaint i fi. Dwi’n mwynhau gwisgo’n ffansi, felly os ydych chi’n gweld pigfain, ciwb Rubik’s, neu rywbeth yr un mor chwilfrydig sy’n gwisgo pinc, mae’n debygol o fod yn fi, felly dewch i ddweud helo (a chwrdd â Harold) at rali neu ball! :) 💗
Introducing Charlie Cunnane
Charlie Cunnane, Liaisons
Thursday 12th of March 2026
Hi everyone! I’m Charlie - SSAGO’s Liaisons Officer. I’ll be looking after our relationships with Scouting, GirlGuiding, the Scout and Guide Graduate Association (SAGGA), and any other community partners we may have. I’ll also be looking after our SSAGO UK Support Team, formerly known as the SSAGO SASU, by adding new volunteers, monitoring training compliance, and conducting DBS checks for those that require them.
I joined LUSSAGO in 2023 at the start of my undergraduate degree of Anatomy and Human Biology, and have held the local committee role of Volunteering Liaison since 2024/25. I am now completing a Masters by Research in Clinical Sciences, and plan to continue on studies after that aswell! Outside of SSAGO, I am an Explorer Leader, formerly a Beavers and Squirrels Leader, the County Youth Lead for Merseyside Scouts, and a UK Youth Representative in Scouting.
If you have any questions about our relationships, or want to join the UKST for any volunteering event, or have any other questions about the role, feel free to email me via [email protected]!