Question Answered, Bucko!

When George Chappin was told he was no longer welcome at his scouts group, he was devastated.

Awww, his little face!

The seven-year-old suffers from complex focal epilepsy, which among other things, means he will often require one-on-one attention.

Booo! How could anyone be mean to a disabled kiddie! For shame. SHAME!

A letter sent to Mr Chappin on September 12 by the scout group's district commissioner Matthew Hewitt said it was in George's own interests not to return to the group.

"At the beginning of the summer holidays, the group scout leader and the cub scout leader met and concluded that they could not offer George a place in Cubs with their group,"

Mr Hewitt said. "This was not due to an unwillingness to have him in the group, but due to concerns over his own safety and ability to cope with what is a large colony of 28 cubs.

"The group does not have sufficient leaders to be able to provide one-on-one support for George, which is what they feel he needs to be safe."

Hiding behind H&S, eh?

Mr Hewitt cited numerous incidents where George's behaviour raised concerns with the group's leaders

"The most serious of these took place on visits to Tesco and Pets at Home, when on both visits George ran away from the rest of the group"

Oh. Ummmm.

It is disputed by the parents that he ran away in Pets at Home, who said he simply went behind the next shelf as George is scared of dogs.

 What was he scared of in Tesco, then? Cornflakes? Pints of milk?

"No other clubs will take him because we’ve been told there’s a six month waiting period," Mr Chappin said.

"I was in scouts my whole childhood and this goes against everything the scouts organisation stands for.

"I’m disgusted by this and they should have told us sooner."

Wah! Wah! Wah! Easy to see where little George learned it from...

Then just a day later Mr Chappin said he received a phone call informing him that George could come back to the group.

When the Croydon Guardian asked the scouting group to why its stance had changed in 24 hour span, a spokesman said: "The Scout Association is committed to providing opportunities for all young people and adults the opportunity to taste adventure and learn skills for life.

"We are clear that no young person should receive less favourable treatment on the basis disability (including mental or physical ability).

"We are currently supporting the local volunteer team to work with the family to find a positive way forward so that the young person involved to continue to enjoy scouting.”

See, this is why they keep giving these people column inches. Because it works, and they can feel good about themselves.

The spokesman confirmed George now has a place in the group, although they did not address specifically how the group would address George's needs, such as the group not having sufficient leaders to be able to provide one-on-one support for George.

Maybe George's father volunteered some of his time, eh?