THE number of children waiting to join a Scouts group in Surrey has sky-rocketed to 3,431, the highest figure in Scouting’s history.

In total, there are now 13,872 young people involved in Scouting in Surrey, including Beavers (aged six to eight), Cubs (eight to 10), Scouts (10 to 14) and Explorers (14 to 18).

However, despite record numbers of adult volunteers in Surrey - 4,328 - the Scout Association says people are committing less time than before, resulting in colossal waiting lists.

Joe Rogerson, county commissioner for Surrey, 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.”

Scouting continues to be the largest co-educational youth movement in the UK with 12 consecutive years of growth in its youth membership.

In Surrey, Scouting continues to grow among young people, with 215 joining in the 12 months up to January 31.

The Cub Scouts (eight to 10 years) is the most popular Scouting section with 4,672 members in Surrey and 71 joining in the last 12 months.

However, with the nature of volunteering in the UK changing and more adults offering there time flexibly, more people are needed to run Scouting than ever before.

This includes youth workers, as well as charity trustees and skills instructors.

Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: “I’m super proud that we have so many adult volunteers are helping young people develop the skills they need to succeed in life.

“Our challenge is to keep recruiting even more adults as we’ve got 51,000 young people wanting to join and benefit from what Scouting offers. Volunteering changes us all for the better. Please join me.”

If you are interested in helping young people gain skills for life find out more at www.scouts.org.uk