Bear Grylls honours Plymouth Scout

Sam Duffied, a Cub Leader from 1st Crownhill Scout Group, has been honoured by Chief Scout and international adventurer, Bear Grylls, at Windsor Castle as he received his Queen’s Scout Award. Bear was joined by Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester GCVO, who is the cousin of HM The Queen.

The Queen’s Scout Award is the highest honour in Scouting and is awarded for outstanding personal achievement. This honour is achieved by young people aged between 16 and 25, who have completed a range of challenges, which includes service to their community, completing an expedition in wild country, undertaking a five-day residential project in an unfamiliar environment and learning a new skill or developing an existing talent.

Sam was one of nearly 500 Scouts to be receiving a Queen’s Scout Award at this annual event. Commenting on his achievement, Sam said: "Completing my Queens Scout Award has been an experience that will give me memories which will last a lifetime. The Award, which encompasses the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award, required me to undertake a number of activities beyond the realm of which a school, university or employer could offer me. Over the course of 5 days, I participated in an Expedition, kayaking the River Wye for over 100km. Additionally, I volunteered many free hours at St. Bonifaces, to manage their 'Big Brother' programme; and I physically challenged myself every week on the River Tamar performing training exercises for my British Canoeing Union qualifications”

Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: "All these young people have lived the adventure of a lifetime to achieve their Queen’s Scout Awards, and I admire that spirit so much. They are huge inspirations to the other 550,000 Scouts in the UK and I am so pleased that both Scouting has honoured them today. They are amazing.”

The annual Windsor Castle event has been held regularly since 1934 on the Sunday nearest to St. George's Day (23rd April). St. George is the Patron Saint of Scouting. Since the Queen’s Scout Award was instigated, over 100,000 of these awards have been presented to young men and women for outstanding personal achievements and service to their local communities. They have learnt new skills and taken part in many of the 250 different activities on offer by Scouting across the UK.

The event at Windsor coincided with The Scout Association’s announcement of its largest ever revamp of its youth activity programme. The Movement is launching 165 new and updated badges, making up a total of 250 age-appropriate badges for its youth membership (6-18 yrs).

Outdoor skills remain a key part of Scouting, with the Movement launching new Navigator and Camp Craft badges.

The new badges also reflect the UK Scouts’ call for performance-related skills, prized by British employers, to be recognised further within the Movement. Two new badges, rewarding the development of leadership and teamwork, alongside badges that support the development of traits such as resilience and that enhance vital skills such as communication.

The new badges seek to complement The Scout Association’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, which focuses specifically on driving growth and inclusivity within the Movement, on encouraging positive work within local communities, and on ensuring that the future of UK Scouting is steered by its young members.