Bear Grylls, an all action hero in the mould of Baden-Powell himself, was the surprise choice of the Scout Association on Sunday 17^th May as the new Chief Scout for Great Britain and the Independent Territories. He will formally take over from the present Chief Scout Peter Duncan at a London ceremony in July

But two excited Explorer Scouts from the Brock Unit in Maulden have known about the appointment since meeting him at a secret camp in Youlbury on 8^th April. The two undercover Explorers were Andrew Draycott and Lucy Onyango.

Andrew and Lucy spent the day with him and were fascinated and thrilled by the stories of his adventures in the jungles, mountains, rivers and canyons of the world. Knotting, climbing, abseiling, swimming and living off the land are all part of Bear’s lifestyle. In the Carpathian mountains in Transylvania, Bear crept and swam down a two-mile long, ice cold underground river to cut miles off a mountainous cross country journey with more hazardous adventures than most of us have in a lifetime.

He explained to the incredulous Scouts that he traveled light with just a change of clothing and a first aid kit. For food he ate insects and grubs or fed on fresh raw trout caught from a fast running stream. At 34, Bear is the youngest Chief Scout ever and is already an adventure book hero and one of the youngest to scale Mt Everest. He’s also a great believer in the magical properties of mud.

Newly appointed Chief Scout Bear Grylls said:

“I feel hugely honoured to be asked to take up this role as Chief Scout - it really is a dream come true. I have always loved helping young people live their dreams and to taste real adventure… as well as getting caked in mud! I also hope I can use this post to encourage masses of adults in the UK to volunteer as leaders. The young people in this country need them like never before, and we have more people wanting to join than there are places available. But by volunteering, adults can actively make a difference to young people’s lives in their community, and there is no better way to be part of an adventure and have loads of fun, than with the Scouts. The Scout Movement is a world-wide force for good and at heart it says that young people have the right to adventure. I for one am so proud to be part of that.”

Andrew Draycott, 17 said, “Baden-Powell was just a special name to me as the founder of the Scout Movement. But Bear Grylls makes adventure come alive. He told us things you could hardly believe. I am looking forward to doing loads of adventurous activities in the future - it’s going to be amazing.”  

Bear Grylls has five years to expand Scout leadership so that more young people can take part in the fun, adventure and challenge Scouting provides. In Bedfordshire, County Commissioner John Duley has his eye on a membership total of 10,000 in the next five years, an increase of 64% on the present total of 6,032. For that he will need another 500 leaders to add to the 1170 we have at present. The race is on and it all seems possible. Mr Duley said, “Just 20 years ago we had a total membership of 8,490 with 1360 leaders. Bear Grylls’ appointment is just the stimulus we need to reach our target.”  

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Bear Grylls, an all action hero in the mould of Baden-Powell himself, was the surprise choice of the Scout Association on Sunday 17^th May as the new Chief Scout for Great Britain and the Independent Territories. He will formally take over from the present Chief Scout Peter Duncan at a London ceremony in July

But two excited Explorer Scouts from the Brock Unit in Maulden have known about the appointment since meeting him at a secret camp in Youlbury on 8^th April. The two undercover Explorers were Andrew Draycott and Lucy Onyango.

Andrew and Lucy spent the day with him and were fascinated and thrilled by the stories of his adventures in the jungles, mountains, rivers and canyons of the world. Knotting, climbing, abseiling, swimming and living off the land are all part of Bear’s lifestyle. In the Carpathian mountains in Transylvania, Bear crept and swam down a two-mile long, ice cold underground river to cut miles off a mountainous cross country journey with more hazardous adventures than most of us have in a lifetime.

He explained to the incredulous Scouts that he traveled light with just a change of clothing and a first aid kit. For food he ate insects and grubs or fed on fresh raw trout caught from a fast running stream. At 34, Bear is the youngest Chief Scout ever and is already an adventure book hero and one of the youngest to scale Mt Everest. He’s also a great believer in the magical properties of mud.

Newly appointed Chief Scout Bear Grylls said:

“I feel hugely honoured to be asked to take up this role as Chief Scout - it really is a dream come true. I have always loved helping young people live their dreams and to taste real adventure… as well as getting caked in mud! I also hope I can use this post to encourage masses of adults in the UK to volunteer as leaders. The young people in this country need them like never before, and we have more people wanting to join than there are places available. But by volunteering, adults can actively make a difference to young people’s lives in their community, and there is no better way to be part of an adventure and have loads of fun, than with the Scouts. The Scout Movement is a world-wide force for good and at heart it says that young people have the right to adventure. I for one am so proud to be part of that.”

Andrew Draycott, 17 said, “Baden-Powell was just a special name to me as the founder of the Scout Movement. But Bear Grylls makes adventure come alive. He told us things you could hardly believe. I am looking forward to doing loads of adventurous activities in the future - it’s going to be amazing.”  

Bear Grylls has five years to expand Scout leadership so that more young people can take part in the fun, adventure and challenge Scouting provides. In Bedfordshire, County Commissioner John Duley has his eye on a membership total of 10,000 in the next five years, an increase of 64% on the present total of 6,032. For that he will need another 500 leaders to add to the 1170 we have at present. The race is on and it all seems possible. Mr Duley said, “Just 20 years ago we had a total membership of 8,490 with 1360 leaders. Bear Grylls’ appointment is just the stimulus we need to reach our target.”  

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