The Squirrels Scouts opened as a new section for bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young people in September 2021 to help them gain skills for life at a time when it matters most and where it is most needed.
The 29th Southampton Scout Group, based in Portswood, were the first to officially open the 100th Squirrels ‘Drey’ (as referred to by members within the movement) within the county – the first county within the UK to reach this milestone.
And this moment was marked at Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre, in Brockenhurst, surrounded by hundreds of others engaged in a day of outdoor activities such as climbing, archery, bushcraft, bouncy castles and more.
Russell Andrews, Lead Volunteer at the 29th Southampton, said their group are the talk of the community as people are recognising the good work taking place.
“We are excited to open the 100th Squirrels Drey in Hampshire, and that cannot be repeated, which is quite a special moment. There are quite a few people keen to pop in and see what Squirrels is all about, which is lovely to see.
“We deliver many outdoor and adventurous activities, as well as indoor team building and new skills sessions for our young people to enjoy, so there’s quite a bit of a buzz going around, which is good to see.”
Russell Andrews, Lead Volunteer, 29th Southampton
Across the UK, The Scouts has been on a positive growth trajectory within its youngest section for youth members.
There were 3,348 Squirrels Scouts in January 2022, followed by 10,586 in January 2023, and most this year an impressive 16,691 in January 2024.
Eva Moreno, who witnessed her daughter being invested in the Scout movement, praised the work of volunteers, saying:
“I think the work of Scouts is really exciting. The Scouts is much bigger than I thought, and I really think this is a great opportunity for my daughter to build her confidence.
“It is lovely to see the young people enjoying activities in nature and gaining skills, so I am very happy that my daughter is involved. I love the community feel here and hope in the future; my son, who is very little, can be a part of that.”
Eva Moreno, parent
Amanda Wallace, who leads on Squirrels Scouts for Hampshire, said:
“It’s amazing to see the 29th Southampton Scout Group opening the 100th Drey within Hampshire. It has been an absolute huge success, and I’m really proud that we have come to this.
“The work our volunteers do across the county is really important, especially because of lockdown. So many children have so much time indoors, so it’s great to regularly be out in the open and engage with all the fun and friendship that’s on offer."
Amanda Wallace, Lead volunteer for Squirrels, Hampshire Scouts
Volunteer today and help Squirrels grow across Hampshire at scouts.org.uk/volunteer.
Text: Sam Poole.
Hosted at the home of Hampshire Scouts, Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre in the New Forest National Park, this annual tradition saw everyone having fun and making new memories by trying out something new.
When the first Fun Day was held just two years ago, Squirrels itself was only one year old. This year, Hampshire was celebrating having over 100 Squirrel Dreys in the county, the first County in the country to do so.
Alongside the Ferny Crofts favourites which many of our older Scouts would be very familiar, such as Archery, Climbing and Tomahawk Throwing, new activities especially for this annual event arrived such as carnival games, an area to express their own creativity and the ever popular bouncy castles.
Together, Squirrels reached new heights on Crate Stacking, or navigated their way through the dark in the Cave Bus or simply enjoyed some old Scout favourites like cooking dough twists over an open fire. For many this was their first taste of the thrill of adventure, and of the skills of life this brings for them.
Ian Browning is part of the Scouts team who helped launch Squirrels, and the years of Early Years pilots that preceded it, was at the event to see how Squirrels had grown. "As a Hampshire boy born and bred, I'm thrilled to see so many of you here and for here in Hampshire to be doing so well with Squirrels."
Amanda is Hampshire Scouts' lead volunteer for Squirrels, which spans the 4-6 years age groups:
This is our third Squirrels Fun Day, where all our Squirrel Scouts from across the County come together and do some amazing activities.
Giving young people the opportunity to get outside and do amazing activities today, like tomahawks, crate stacking and wall climbing among many others, to give them that great start in life is what we do. As Scouts we may talk about Skills for Life and this really does give them that, it's truly wonderful.
The young people have such an amazing time, they get so much out of it, but I think it's important to remember that volunteers also get a lot out of it too. I personally find it really rewarding watching the young people have an amazing time, knowing that we've been a part of that.
Amanda Wallace, Lead Volunteer for Squirrel Scouts, Hampshire Scouts
The fun day has become a firm favourite in the calendar of Squirrel Dreys and places for this years event sold out in record time. The Ferny Crofts team, who run and deliver the event, are key to the day's success.
It was great to host everyone here for Squirrel Fun Day, the third year in a row. We had 300 plus Squirrels and it was fantastic to see them having a great time. We're so happy that we can host this and run these events as it welcomes them to Ferny Crofts and gets them into the activities and Scouting, learning what activities they can enjoy here in the future.
A massive thank you to all of the volunteers that come to help us, we really couldn't run these events without them. This year, we've had 30-40 extra volunteers today helping run the activities and the day itself - without them we couldn't do it.
Nicole Smith, Senior Instructor, Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre
The number of Squirrels in Hampshire has already jumped over the past couple of years at a very impressive rate as more communities embrace the newest branch of the Scouts family tree. Across the county, we want to double the number of Squirrels groups in two years. Planning for future fun days with higher capacity, and more activities at Ferny Crofts in general is already being planned:
After we did the first fun day, we saw loads more enquiries from Squirrels carrying on their adventures, but it also made sure we stepped up and had enough activities on site, so that when they do visit there is always something for them.
Nicole Smith, Senior Instructor, Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre
The best way to help Squirrels grow, and to allow other 4-6 year olds enjoy the fun of Scouting is to volunteer. It's fun, builds your skills, and shapes a young person's future. Find out and volunteer at scouts.org.uk/volunteer.
Text: Steven Osborn
Laughter filled the air and smiles covered the faces of Squirrel Scouts from across Hampshire celebrating the newest branch in the Scout family tree.
Standing out proud in their red jumpers, more than 200 four and five-year-olds and their adults came to Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre for their first of many Squirrel Fun Days. Music, activities and fun was readily available to the Squirrel Dreys attending from across Hampshire with a number of fresh activities on offer in addition to Ferny Crofts favourites enjoyed by all ages.
Whether it was conquering the heights of the climbing walls, learning patience as they lined up that perfect shot in crazy golf or simply bounding the highest at aeroball, plenty of fun was on offer for all. The special Squirrel Fun Zone for the event also boasted carnival games, circus skills, a Nerf target practice and plenty of inflatables to get lost in!
Adult volunteers were on hand to support with crafty challenges such as making rope from balls of wool and using hammers to create beautiful leaf prints to take home.
What do our volunteers say? ‘Days like this give them the ability to push their adventurous side’, 'they have so many different opportunities to try out new things'; a true realisation of the Scout's outdoors dream reflected in the smiles of all the young people enjoying the activities at Ferny Crofts.
Amanda was part of the Early Years pilot schemes and was among the first Squirrel Dreys in both the county and the country at large. For her, a day like this marks the close of their first year and the beginning of a new adventure as we spread the Squirrels message to more communities and more Scouts.
Today, Hampshire Scouts are calling on more adult volunteers to help us bring Scouts to more people. As well as bringing Scouting to more people, it also builds our adult volunteer's skills and brings them just as much joy as our Scouts! We're aiming for more Squirrels in every community by the end of next year.
Be part of the Squirrels revolution! Join us today.
Today the Scouts launch Squirrels, the newest branch in our family tree, giving skills for life to four and five year olds.
This idea isn't new. Scouts across the world (and closer to home) have been trying this for years and in the UK since 2019. Early years pilots in Southampton, Portsmouth and Gosport have learned the lessons so now we're ready for more to join in.
This new section builds upon what the Scouts are known for today. So expect to find badges, adventures, making a promise and a uniform jumper in Squirrels.
With a programme based on fun, curiosity and discovery it sets a firm foundation for the future. Launched as part of the Skills for Life plan, this is the first step towards 940 Squirrel Dreys across the country by 2023.
Hampshire Scouts have our first advisor for Squirrels ready to help and new dreys are being started gradually so they have the support needed to make a strong start. Across the UK, we are targeting the places where Scouts are needed most and where we are looking to grow.
As we start this new journey, we need more volunteers to help us lead Squirrels. Signing up to register your interest is the first step to making the dream happen near you.
This is an exciting time for Scouts as we reach even more young people give them skills for life. We really believe Scouts changes lives and prepares our young people for whatever comes next. Squirrels will help even more do this and help Hampshire Scouts bounce back.
