Lucy Onyango (16), an Explorer Scout from Bedfordshire, joined Chief Scout Peter Duncan to announce to the nation’s media a massive increase in Scout numbers and an 11% increase in girl Scouts. In Bedfordshire, total numbers have climbed 6% to well over 6,000 making it one of the fastest growing counties in the UK. Enough people joined the county last year to form four new groups.

In a recent announcement, the Scout Association revealed that record numbers of girls are joining the UK Scout Movement according to statistics for last year just released. A surge of over 5,500 new girl Scouts, an increase of 11% on last year, means that over the last 12 months almost as many girls as boys have signed up to the adventure and challenges of modern Scouting.

Female leadership is also booming with women making up around 43% of all adult volunteers.

But it’s not just the female membership that’s on the increase – the entire Movement from six to 25 year olds is expanding for the fourth year running. And, with a total membership of nearly 500,000 we have the largest number of members in the UK for seven years. This has helped to make Scouting the largest co-educational youth movement in the country.

Lucy Onyango and her Explorer Unit are part of the girl power trend. She said, “There are more girls than boys in my unit and we all do some amazing activities and events such as 24 hour hikes and white water rafting. For me, Scouting rocks. I love being involved in it. I joined as a Scout six years ago because I wanted to try out new things and make new friends. In Explorers we are more independent. We decide our own programme and our leaders make it happen. It’s a team effort.

I like water activities best. We go surfing and kayaking in the sea off Cornwall and I get soaking wet. It’s great. Two years ago I attended the world Scout Jamboree in Essex with 40,000 other Scouts from over 200 countries. It was awesome. We were just one big happy family. We also go abroad. I went to Denmark and learned some unusual Danish camp fire songs. I hope to help with the Swedish Jamboree in two years time as a leader.”

This Harlington Upper School music student now has a message for any would-be Scouts: “I’d definitely recommend it to other people: girls and boys. Come in, the water’s lovely!”

Chief Scout Peter Duncan said, “Scouting is all about adventure, which means it’s great fun for people of all ages – male and female. But more than that, it can be a really rewarding experience for the adults who give their time as volunteers. Scouting has lots to offer everyone.”

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