Six Adderbury Scouts go for gold and achieve top award

An impressive six Scouts at 1st Adderbury have all managed to achieve the highest award for their age group – the Chief Scouts Gold Award.

Harry Cricthfield and Luca Lenihan-Orwa, both aged 15, together with Tom Haynes, Archie McCusker, Henry Taylor and Gabe Wingrove, all aged 14, received their awards at the Troop’s meeting last Tuesday. The Chief Scout’s Gold Award is the culmination of a young person’s four years as a Scout and shows true commitment and determination through a series of difficult challenges and tests.

The awards were presented by North Oxfordshire District Explorer Scout Leader Janet Duxbury, watched by the Scouts’ families and other Troop members.

Mrs Duxbury said, “I am always amazed at what young people are capable of. The physical activities they undertook, such as karting, segways, quad biking and caving showed that these are young people who are not spending every hour on a games console.

“In addition they completed a large array of impressive community projects including a survey into the sporting and community facilities needed in the village, litter clearing, volunteering at the primary school after school club, and spending time with the residents at Gracewell care home.

“These awards demonstrate that here we have here some amazing young people.”

To achieve the award the Scouts took on a number of leadership roles and accepted responsibility for organising events such as camps and expeditions and managing and caring for other younger Scouts.

In addition, the group undertook a 15-mile sponsored walk and raised £800 for FOCAL (the Friends of the Community of Adderbury).

Scout Leader Andy Green said, “We are delighted that six young people have all managed to achieve the Chief Scouts Gold Award this year. With the high standards we set this is quite an achievement; it requires a great deal of self-motivation and dedication. This is something that sets these Scouts apart from their peers.”

The Scouts will now have the opportunity to attend a prestigious County Awards Day at Youlbury in Oxford at the start of May.