Welcome Josh Hensman!

16 August 2023

Further to our recent announcement of Pete Byrne stepping down as District Chair, we have been going through the process of selected a new chair for the District. We are pleased to announce Josh Hensman as our new District Chair. Josh brings a wealth of both governance and Scouting experience to the role. Josh has previously held the District Commissioner role within Basingstoke West so understands the operational side of Scouting and from a governance side has been involved as a trustee for both Basingstoke West and Hampshire County Scouts.

We are really looking forward to working with Josh and would like to extend a big welcome to the team. Josh will be at our District Hub opening on the 7th September, if you join us please let us know by completing the RSVP here.

Please see a short introduction from Josh below…

I started Scouting in 2002 as a Cub Scout in the, recently closed, Silchester District. Since then, I have undertaken a number of operational and governance roles across three districts and now the County too. Most recently, I was District Commissioner for Basingstoke West Scouts, a role that required me to lead the district through the pandemic whilst undertaking an amalgamation project! Alongside Scouting, I lead St John Ambulance across Hampshire & the Isle of Wight as District Manager (their equivalent of County Commissioner) and I am a trustee of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation.

You might wonder why, with all of that, I have agreed to take on the role of Chair for Basingstoke East; truth be told, I believe in what Jack and Paul are doing and their vision for Basingstoke East. I hope to use my fairly diverse Scouting and Governance experience to lead the Trustee Board in being the most effective enabler for them and their leadership team to support all the leaders and supporters in the district to deliver quality Scouting. I am truly excited to be a part of the team and look forward to being part of the future of Basingstoke East.

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