SCOUTS in Herefordshire have reported the highest number of adult volunteers on record in its latest annual membership figures, which were released today.

Scouting locally now has 260 volunteers, more than at any point in its history. With the nature of volunteering in the UK changing and more adults offering their time flexibly, more people are needed to run Scouting than ever before. This includes youth workers, as well as charity trustees and skills instructors. This year is the first time that the Scout Association has fully incorporated trustees into their total number of volunteers.

Despite such high numbers of volunteers, the waiting list for young people who want to join the Scouts in Herefordshire has sky-rocketed to over 100 with huge numbers wanting to join in Hereford, Leominster, Bromyard and Ross-on-Wye.

Matthew Bayley local scouting manager, said: "Our adult volunteers today seek much more flexible volunteering arrangements than in the past, so that they can fit it around their busy lives. Many adults who are signing up with the Scouts have a limited amount of time to donate to us, and so we need more volunteers as a whole in order to accommodate the continued demand for Scouting among young people."

"I'm therefore calling on adults who want to make a difference to the lives of young people in their communities to give Scouting a go. We know that not having enough time is the main barrier to volunteering among adults, which is why we want to make it easier by offering flexibility in a range of roles from Scout group leaders to administrative and trustee positions."

Katie an Explorer Scout aged 16 from Hereford, said: "My Scout Leaders are heroes. Every week they provide me with new skills that help me develop as an individual and help me to create a better society. I've recently been working on a project to help people with dementia through our A Million Hands campaign. None of this would be possible without the amazing support of volunteers in Scouting."

Scouting is shaped by young people in partnership with adults and we are always looking for new volunteers. If you want to help young people gain skills for life join the adventure at scouts.org.uk/join or email join@hfdscouts.org.uk