9 young people from 1st New Longton Scouts in South Ribble, aged 4-6, achieved their Chief Scout Acorn last week – the highest award available in Squirrels.

The children only had a few months to achieve their award, as the section opened in May with some doing extra badge work at home to ensure they achieved it before their sixth birthday. Read more about Squirrel Scouts here.

They tried new activities including visiting a local fire station, going on a hike in the woods and cleaning up litter. They also had been using their imagination to build models from recyclable materials, tried fencing, learned how to care for hedgehogs, tried food from different places around the world and learned songs to sing around a campfire.

Parents of the young people said their children had gained skills for life and confidence through joining the scouting movement.

Squirrel Leader, Chris Worthington said: “I am really proud that we can offer such incredible opportunities for these children. They benefit from the opportunity to learn new skills and go on amazing adventures with their friends. 

“I would encourage any parent to consider getting their child involved in Scouting and for any adults to consider getting involved as a volunteer. It is only due to our fantastic volunteer team that we can offer these experiences.” 

Next week, the children will start the next part of their scouting journey moving up to Beavers, with some going on their first camp in January with the rest of the group.

If you or your child is interested in joining Scouts in Lancashire sign up here.

As always none of this would be possible without the efforts of our amazing volunteers – thank you for all you continue to do.  

Those interested in learning more about volunteering for the Scouts or joining as a volunteer can find out more here.