news fromthe UK, more Girls than Boys Join Scouts - numbers up again

[Pint]

The Scout association in the UK has just released its annual Census figures, and it has seen another year of increased membership and it is now in its sixth year of continuous growth.

Also for the first time ever more girls than boys have joined what was once a Boys only organisation.

 

Scouting in the UK first started accepting girls into its upper section, Venture Scouts ( as it was then) in the late 1970's with girls only being allowed to join Beavers/Cubs/Scouts in 1991, at the discretion of the leaders/Scout group.

In 2007 all Scout groups/sections had to accept girls if they wanted to join, any leader who refused to accept girls were no longer welcome.

 

sources:

BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13082946

The Scout association UK http://scouts.org.uk/

[Eamonn]

Thanks for the update Pint.

Back in the very late 1970's. I was taking a group of Scouts from London over to Kandersteg, by train.

We had about 60 Scouts, mostly little fellows under 15.

We had booked sleeping carriages. As had a Girl Guide Troop from some part of England.

Back then I was very full of myself. I had long hair and didn't like the cut of the English official scout pants, so I had a pair made with flared legs. I thought I was really cool!

This Girl Guide Leader was about 60, a portly woman with big breasts. She looked like she might have been a prison warden in her navy blue two piece uniform.

She must have thought that the Scouts were going to do a little rape and pillage during the night !

She cornered me and laid out the rules as to where my Scouts would go and not go, what bathroom they would use and not use. Along with a long list of other demands.

I as a rule am not one to suffer in silence, but this woman had a bigger mustache than I had and she really put the fear of god into me.

She must have put the fear of something into her Girl Guides. We were on the train for about 18 hours and I never seen one of them.

Ea.