On Saturday, the Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, came to Stafford to meet hundreds of Scouts aged 14 – 25 from all over the Staffordshire as part of his “Bear in the Air Tour”.
In a jam-packed trip by helicopter to 16 different locations all over the West Midlands and Wales, he met and inspired thousands of Scouts. He also heartily thanked existing adult volunteers and called for more to meet the rising demand for Scout membership.
Staffordshire Scouts met at MOD Stafford for the Explorer Challenge, where the Scouts were set a number of challenges througout the day.
Bear himself was also overwhelmed by the tour: ‘It’s amazing to see hubs like this of thousands of young people, full of hope and aspiration, learning incredible skills. I’m here to encourage them but I always come away feeling inspired.’
Scouting urgently needs more adult volunteers to allow more young people to join these adventures. In the regions Bear visited, 3,200 young people are waiting to sign up.
Bear commented: ‘One of the big messages of this weekend is to encourage adults to volunteer a little bit of their time. It’s crucial that more sign up as volunteers, to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to join.’
We’re very pleased to announce that one of the District’s Explorer Units, Phoenix, came second in the Explorer Challenge. Many congratulations to them!
