Bromley Scouts - Charlotte Miles, Katie Ainscough and Alasdair Trimmer were recently selected to meet Ellie Simmonds, the Paralympic gold medalist.

Ellie and TV presenters Anita Rani and Steve Backshall, adventurer Megan Hine and Olympic gold medalist Helen Glover, have accepted the roll of Ambassadors to the Scout Association; they will be working as positive role models for young people. Bear Grylls has also accepted an offer to remain as Chief Scout until 2020.

Katie Ainscough, aged 15, from the 23rd Bromley Scout Group, said afterwards - “It was yet another amazing opportunity given to me through Scouting. It was a great experience to get to know more about her and chat with her. She was so down to earth and nice, she was interested in what we had to say about Scouting and she even let us hold her medals!”

The ambassadors hope to use their reach to encourage adults to follow their lead and join 120,000 adult volunteers in Scouting today.

In a testament to its enduring popularity, The Scout Association has a waiting list of 46,000 young people. It needs more volunteers than ever to cope with this demand.

Speaking of the appointments, Tim Kidd, The Scout Association’s UK Chief Commissioner, said: “I’m delighted to welcome our new Scout Ambassadors. As a team they are committed to raising the national profile of Scouting, extending our reach and inspiring the volunteers and young people of the future. Along with our current ambassadors and volunteers, I know they will champion our Scout values and support us in growing the movement, helping more young people develop skills for life. As flexible volunteers themselves, they show how supporting Scouting can fit around busy lives. I wish Ellie, Anita, Megan, Helen and Steve well on their new journey and look forward to working with them.”

Ellie Simmonds said: “Young people need positive role models. They also need a safe, nurturing and supportive environment where they can try new things and not be afraid to fail. Scouting is one of those places. It gives them the encouragement they need to learn new skills, learn to be optimistic about the future, have fun and discover their talents. I know first-hand how powerful this positive encouragement can be, which is why I’m incredibly proud to be an ambassador for Scouting.”

Scouting is the UK's largest co-educational youth movement with 452,000 young people involved. A quarter of young people are female (144,000). Including adult volunteers, the total membership stands at 573,000. Last year The Scout Association celebrated 100 years of Cub Scouting with the support of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Submitted by Peter Marshall