SUE and Robyn Jackson spent the best part of an afternoon searching for the new Scout Shop in St John’s, Worcester. They came from Pershore to make some purchases but didn’t know where it was and neither did anyone in St John’s it seems.

But the mother and daughter duo have been involved with the Scouts for a long time and Scouts don’t give up easily. The delighted pair found it on the A44 Bromyard Road almost opposite the old Ice Works.

It feels a bit like a family reunion as I arrive at the shop. Sue and Robyn know Jackie Green, who has just opened the shop, of old as she is a trustee, assistant leader and member of the appointments committee for the Worcester District Scouts.

Scouting is on the up and up – in Pershore alone there are more than 400 children attending Scout groups. This is double the figure it was two years ago.

Jackie says the number of young people joining scouts has increased for the sixth year running and there are now nearly 1,100 Scouts in the Worcester District with 300 adult leaders and helpers.

She adds that there are 50,000 young people across the county waiting to join this organisation but there is currently a shortage of leaders to run the groups.

She is hoping the presence of the new shop might encourage nearby residents to get involved in Scouting – although St John’s is already a fairly active area anyway and she says the nearby University of Worcester campus has helped as students from other parts of the country get involved with Scouts in Worcester. “They bring a lot of new ideas, which is really good,” says Jackie.

Children have to be at least six years-old to join the Scouts – at this age they can join Beaver Scouts which is the youngest section where they make new friends, play games, learn new skills, go out on visits, help others and sometimes have their first introduction to sleepovers.

Freddie Milner, aged six, was in the shop with his mum Jessica Milner and grandad Charlie Rowberry. Freddie, who couldn’t wait to join the scouts, joined the 2nd Worcester group in January, which meets at the hall in Swanpool Walk, St John’s. He has already learnt how to bake cookies and been on a night hike.

Charlie, aged 67, is an assistant group Scout Leader and also help out part-time in the shop. He has been involved in Scouting in the Worcester area for about 55 years.

“At least five members of my family have been actively involved with Scouts. My grandad was a Scout leader in Belfast in the 1930s,” says Charlie, whose interest in the Scouts has extended to creating a museum of scouting memorabilia at his home. He has 3,000 books alone in his collection.

He believes his involvement with the Scouts also played a part in him gaining work. “Youngsters can put it on their CV and it does help to get a job,” he says.

At the age of eight, Beavers have to move onto the next section, which is the Club Scouts, where they can take part in different activities like swimming, music and exploring, as well as going on trips out to theme parks, farms or other places of interest. They can also go on camps – sleeping in a tent and doing a number of outdoor activities.

Scouting starts at the age of 10½, which is the third stage of being in a Scout group and while earning badges is part of the Beavers and Cubs, there are a number of Challenges Awards and Activity Badges available to Scouts who want to be recognised for their achievements.

In this section, many Scouts travel around the world and attend the annual World Jamboree. Robyn, aged 24, who has been in the Scouts since she was 10 years old, is now an Explorer Scout Leader and was a member of the group who took 36 young people to the World Scout Jamboree in Japan last year.

Once Scouts reach 14 years of age they can move on to become Explorer Scouts when they can take more of a lead – with support and guidance from Scout leaders - in deciding the programme of their unit and get involved in other activities like offshore sailing, campaigning, performing, parascending, mountaineering and expeditions.

From the age of 18 to 25 Scouts can continue to be involved by being part of the Scouting Network where they can become specialists in activities, go on expeditions and get involved in major community projects and schemes like the Queen’s Scout and Duke of Edinburgh awards.

And anyone who thinks Scouting is just about knots, woggles and big shorts might be surprised to know that 11 of the 12 men who walked on the moon were Scouts, while entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, TV chef James Martin, US president Barak Obama, tennis star Andy Murray, TV presenter Richard Hammond and footballer David Beckham were all Scouts.

Unsurprisingly though is that adventurer and survival expert Bear Grylls is the Chief Scout of the UK.

Jackie adds: “It is the biggest youth organisation in the world with 32 million Scouts. You can go to any country in the world and you will find a Scout. There is a great sense of comradery with Scouts and it is just good fun. Scouting is about teamwork, fun and adventure. We are all a bit nutty.

“It is also about making a positive contribution to society and building relationships, as well as giving young people the opportunity to be the best they can.”