Scouts growing in Aylesbury Vale with big 25% rise reported by Buckingham group

Scouting in Aylesbury continues to grow with figures released by Buckingham Scouts showing the number of children and young people involved shot up by by nearly 25%.

James Williamson, lead volunteer for Aylesbury District Scouts said: “The increases across all of the sections is testament to the dedication and commitment of our brilliant volunteers.

"In the last year we’ve opened a Squirrels Drey (boys and girls aged 4 and 5) and Groups have also started new sections.”

The figures showed that the number of Beavers (boys and girls aged 6 to 8) went up by over 31% to 211. This is the highest number of children this century. Cubs (boys and girls aged 8 to 10) increased by over 28% to 281. These figures were also the best this century. Added to that, there was a 14% increase in the number of volunteers.

Cub Scout, Hashim Shah said: “I really enjoy being involved in Cubs. We play lots of fun games, I made a den and we also made a catapult using garden canes. We also learned how to light a fire and then cook marshmallows on it and we’ve also done some experiments using fizzy drinks.”

Adult volunteer Fiona McParland said: “Volunteering with Scouts has taken me out of my comfort zone and given me some unique opportunities. These have included taking Scouts on overseas camps to assessing people for water activity permits to helping select adult volunteers to take Explorer Scouts (boys and girls aged 14 to 17) to World Scout Jamborees.”

Adult volunteer Nigel Taylor added: “In Aylesbury, we have over 300 children and young people on the waiting list. We are looking for adults who would like to volunteer so we can provide more children and young people with great opportunities.

“We’re looking for people who want to help with four and five-year-olds, people who want to help with children aged 10 to 14, and people to do roles in the background. These range from looking after the finances of a Group to looking after the Group HQ or helping with shopping.

"Whatever time you can give to Scouts, we would find a role for you and provide some award-winning training.”

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