Our History

Where did it all begin?

4th Runcorn in 2020 is a highly successful Scout Group in Mersey Weaver District, part of the County of Cheshire. The Group was originally a member of North West Cheshire District, which ceased to exist following the merger with Widnes District in 2012.  Mersey Weaver succeeded the two districts and it is now in its 9th year. Over the years, a lot of hard work and dedication has gone in to ensuring 4th Runcorn is the best, but just how did we get to where we are? This page is going to explore the History of 4th Runcorn, how we came into existence and how our amazing volunteers efforts over the years made 4th Runcorn Scout Group C.W.B. what it is today.

This page is being constantly updated as we learn more about ourselves and we create new chapters in our Groups illustrious history.

Our timeline

• Early Beginnings – 1923

• 4th Runcorn returns – 1931

• 4th Runcorn (Holy Trinity) – 1930s – 1940s

• Bold Street, Runcorn –  1920s – 1954

• Moving uptown – 1950s

• “That Scout Group on the Heath Park?” 1960s – 1980s

•  A period of development – 1980s- 2000

•  “What does the C.W.B. mean?”

• The millennium and beyond – 2000s

• COVID-19 & the 2020’s

• Our Centenary – 2023

Those who helped to make 4th Runcorn what it is today – Our Group Leaders

• Group Scout Leaders

• Group Chairperson

• Key People

• The Honorary Members of 4th Runcorn Scout Group C.W.B.

Group President

4th Runcorn Scout Group appointed its first Group President in 2021. John Frodsham will serve for an initial period of 3 years until 2024.

Group Scout Leaders

4th Runcorn’s current Group Scout Leader is Keith Marnell, he has held the position since 2020. Our former Group Scout Leaders are:

• Mr. Trezise ???? – 1929 – ????
• C. Garner 1931 – ????
• Elliot Hornby ???? – 1941 – ????
• J. Shaw 1949 – 1952
• Mark Newton 1952 – 1957
• Fred Sanders (Sandy) 1958 – 1968
• Tony Broady 1968 – 1971 (tbc, these are approximate dates)
• Stuart Gardner 1971 – 1978
• John Frodsham 1978 – 2001
• Wendy Frodsham 2001 – 2014
• Barry Newport 2014 – 2020
• Keith Marnell 2020 – present

Mr. Trezise, 4th Runcorn Group Scoutmaster, 1929

Elliot Hornby, 4th Runcorn Group Scoutmaster, 1941

Mark Newton, 4th Runcorn Group Scoutmaster, 1952 – 1957

L-R Group Scout Leader’s, Barry Newport (2014-2020) & Stuart Gardner (1971-1978). Photo provided by Barry Newport. c. 2019

John Frodsham, 4th Runcorn Group Scout Leader from 1978 – 2001

Wendy Frodsham, 4th Runcorn Group Scout Leader from 2001 – 2014

Barry Newport, 4th Runcorn Group Scout Leader from 2014 – 2020

Group Chairperson

4th Runcorn’s current Group Chairperson is Carol Walker, she has held the position since 2007. Our former Group Chairs are:

• John Oldroyd
• Ralph Gardner
• ??????? (we are currently speaking to group members of the time)
• Bob McDonald
• ??????? (we are currently speaking to group members of the time)
• Bob Baillie 1984 – 1986 (approximate dates)
• Howell Hodgett 1986 – 2000 
• Brian Lunt 2000 – 2007 
• Carol Walker 2007 – present

Scoutmaster and Scout Leaders

4th Runcorn’s current Scout Leader is Matthew Marnell, he has held the position since 2017. Our Scout Leader’s have been:

• Alan Jackson 1932
• Mr. Mick Huckle 1934-1939
• Mark Newton
• Jack Atherton 1941 – 1945
  • Alan Williams ASM 1945
• Brian Kendrick 1946
• John Shaw
• Eric Davies 1950
• John Frodsham 1968 – 2001
• Barry Newport 1977 – 2013
• Paul Musgrave 2014 – 2017
• Matthew Marnell 2017 – present

Key People

#1 T. Minards

One of the founders of 4th Runcorn. Unfortunately we do not know much about T. Minards, but that doesn’t mean we are not trying! We are currently contacting past members and local historians to try and find out who T. Minards was and whether there are still relatives in Runcorn today!

#2 W.H. Moss

One of the founders of 4th Runcorn. Unfortunately we do not know much about W.H. Moss, but that doesn’t mean we are not trying! We are currently contacting past members and local historians to try and find out who W.H. Moss was and whether there are still relatives in Runcorn today!

#3 Mark Newton

The Honorary Members of 4th Runcorn C.W.B.

In 2019, we launched a lifetime achievement award to recognise those who have given their time to 4th Runcorn over the years. Below is the current list of Honorary members, with us planning to continue to add to this over the coming years.