About Scouting

Scouting offers fun, challenge and everyday adventure to 400,000 girls and boys across the UK. Offering over 200 different activities from abseiling and archery to drama, street sports and water zorbing, Scouting helps 4-25 year olds grow in confidence, achieve their full potential and become active members of their communities.

This is only possible through the efforts of 100,000 volunteers who also enjoy the fun and friendship of Scouting. Trusted by nearly a million parents each week, the movement welcomes members from all backgrounds, faiths and cultures. Special emphasis is placed on bringing the Scouting programme to young people who currently do not benefit, particularly those in inner cities, those in rural areas and other disadvantaged groups. The Scout Association is a registered charity in the UK and part of a worldwide movement of 31 million Scouts working for peace and global friendship.

There are now half a million members of Scouting in the UK.
Scouting in the UK has been growing for the last five years.
More young people do adventurous activities as Scouts than with any other organisation.
Each year Scouts spend over two million nights away from home doing adventurous activities.
The youngest person to walk to the South Pole was a Scout.
Each year Scouts tackling the Queen’s Scout Award walk the equivalent distance of once around the world.
11 of the 12 people to walk on the moon were once Scouts.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were both Scouts (inspiring a better quality of campfire song).
You are never more than 10 miles from a Scout Meeting Place.
The Scout Association is part of a worldwide movement of 31 million Scouts.

What do Scouts do?

Scouts are do-ers and give-it-a-go-ers. Yes, we go camping, hiking, swimming, abseiling, cycling and canoeing.

But, we also get to hang out with our friends every week – having fun, playing games, working in a team and taking on new challenges.

Every week we give almost half a million 4-25 year olds the skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life.

Everyone’s welcome here. All genders, races and backgrounds. Regardless of your young person’s physical ability – there’s a Scout adventure out there waiting for them. And we’ll help them find it.

Parents

Parents tell us that Scouting gives their children more confidence, responsibility, a broader set of friends, a chance to pursue things they might not get to do otherwise, adventure and an extended family.