The vast majority of Flashback followers will remember Scouts' Bob A Job Week – later overtaken by inflation and renamed Scout Job Week.

Many readers will have taken part, as members of troops across Hull and the East Riding.

They happily washed cars, chopped firewood, tidied gardens and carried out a host of other mundane tasks in return for a bob or shilling (5p) during the movement's main annual fundraiser.

In 1970, East Yorkshire Scouts' Bob A Job motto was: "A fair amount of work for a fair amount of pay."

Organisers said they were hoping for a bonus on top of the shilling, to compensate for rising costs.

Rather than the shilling, each householder was asked to pay the economic rate for the task, plus a productivity bonus, if the boys deserved it.

Every Cub, Scout and Venture Scout carried an official card on which the "customer" was asked to enter the work done and amount paid.

Forty years ago – in April 1972 – Scouts from nine districts were involved, covering north Hull, west Hull, east Hull, Haltemprice, Beverley-with-Hornsea, South Holderness, Bridlington, Driffield and Pocklington.

Scout Job Week was organised during the school holidays to allow the maximum amount of time for fundraising.

County commissioner Laurence Sands, a solicitor, told the Hull Daily Mail at the time: "When I took over the county five years ago, there were 17 Scout districts, but I have been amalgamating – sort of doing a Beeching.

"Our aim is to prepare boys for citizenship and, in this way, with declining moral standards, Scouting probably assumes greater importance than it did 20 or 30 years ago."

Since 1966, the uniform had been given a new look – green for Scouts and khaki for their leaders.

New initiatives were welcome in 1972. For example, Scouts and Cubs from the Haltemprice district cleaned the church bells at South Cave.

A local firm set a shining example of community spirit in April 1973.

Up to 250,000 tins of free shoe polish were made available to Scouts and Cubs across the UK by Reckitt And Colman.

There was also a competition to find the Champion Shoeshiners of Britain – the prize being a weekend in London, with £15 pocket money thrown in.

The Unipart division of British Leyland sponsored car-cleaning by linking up with garages during Scout Job Week.

Scouts from this area have travelled to many jamborees and camps – at home and abroad – through the decades.

There have also been a host of awards and honours.

In April 1968, six Hull Scouts caught a morning train to London to represent the city in a St George's Day parade before the Queen, in Windsor.

Drawn from the Colomba and Sutton Methodist groups, they were chosen after gaining the Queen's Scout Award during the year.

The successful six were Peter Martin, Rockford Avenue, Chamberlain Road; Alan Wheeler, Lamorna Avenue, Chamberlain Road; Peter Hayes, Gillshill Road; Hugh Buxton, Birklands Drive, Ings Road; David Goulding, Acacia Drive, Laburnum Avenue; and Tom Ditchburn, Leonard Street.

Introduced in the late 1940s, Bob A Job Week – later Scout Job Week – ended 20 years ago, but is being reintroduced this spring as Scout Community Week, from May 14 to May 20. Find out more at www.scouts.org.uk/news

If you have any nostalgic information or photos for this column, on any topic, please write to Nigel Fisher, Flashback, Blundell's Corner, Beverley Road, Hull, HU3 1XS. E-mail scoopfisher@aol.com