Hampshire Scouts have a number of activity teams that offer adventurous activities to young people both across Hampshire and the wider UK. One such club is Hampshire Scouts Rifle Club who sponsor the national club and welcome every single member across the UK into the Hampshire family.
One of the team's younger Explorer scouts, Elsa, is on the GB Scouts Target Shooting Team and took part in the BBC's Young Reporters competition with her piece on 'Shooting - competing in a sport with a stigma.'
Her piece has resonated with the judges, made up of BBC editors, commissioners and reporters and she has been made a regional winner for her home area of the East Midlands. On Tuesday 28th November 2023, her report was featured on the BBC's East Midlands Today and on BBC Radio Nottingham's Morning Breakfast Show. She's been encouraged on her journey by her father, who is also a Scout volunteer and coach with the club.
In her piece she explains how the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth sport is so often misunderstood and misrepresented when media attention focuses on the guns and crime. She wants more young people to give it a try and see if they can discover both a new sport and new friends.
Terry Metcalfe, lead volunteer for the club said:
This is a truly amazing achievement for a Scout, and one only 13 years old! I rightly feel we should be recognising this achievement as it is such a positive for both Scouting and the Target Sports world.
You can find out more about the team in Hampshire at their website.
Text: Steven Osborn
