Melton sees boom in young female scouts

Mr Cliffe said there were currently 474 young people who are members, along with 80 adults, and that a third of the young members are female.

He revealed the local figures after data released by The Scout Association showed that women and girls now form a quarter of its membership.

Mr Cliffe said: “Our membership has grown every year, for the last five years, and that’s being led by female membership.

“We also have the biggest group in Leicestershire - the 4th Melton Mowbray - which has 184 members.

“I think one of the reasons for our continued growth is that we offer what schools don’t anymore.

“Having Bear Grylls as Chief Scout has also been a very positive thing.

“I think people in the Melton District appreciate what we do in terms of developing young people and see it as a positive thing for someone to have on their CV.

“Our growth in members is also testament to the hard work of our leaders and their week-in week-out offering.”

The Melton District Scouts, which has groups in the town and villages, still needs adults who can help on a weekly or one-off basis. Anyone who would like to help can email [email protected]

Any young people interested in joining the Melton District Scouts can find out more via the national scouts website scouts.org.uk/get-involved