SCOUT membership has risen at the fastest rate for 22 years with young people attracted by new activities like snowboarding, new figures have revealed.

The Scout Association said 15,000 joined up in the last 12 months - a 3.7 per cent increase in youth membership and a 1.7 per cent increase in adult membership.

The national picture is replicated in Worcester, where waiting lists to join scouts groups are up to one-year long.

Deputy District Commissioner Sue Ranscombe said: "We currently have lengthy waiting lists as more and more young people are wanting to take up scouting, which is fantastic."

Mrs Ranscombe said the recent popularity had come on the back of the movement's centenary last year and an updating of activities to include a street sports badge involving pastimes like skateboarding, alongside the more traditional of first aid and map reading.

"We still do camping, fire lighting and hikes, but what the scouts can now achieve has increased 100-fold," she said.

There are now more than 465,000 children and young people who are scouts in the UK, with 100,000 adult volunteers.

Mrs Ranscombe said: "Recruiting adult volunteers is always a problem and if we had more we could bring the waiting lists down.

"Becoming a scout leader is a wonderful opportunity, you can get so much out of it."

Chief Scout and former Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan said the movement offered the "social cohesion" that the Government and the media want.

"Historically, Scouting has helped to develop strong community ties, while providing an outlet for young people who need support outside their family and school environments," he said.

"New volunteers have discovered that as well as having an adventurous time themselves they can contribute, on their own terms, to the bigger picture of social cohesion that the media and government are crying out for."

The biggest growth across the country was in the 14 - 18 years age range in the Explorer Scouts, which has seen a 6.5 per cent increase in members as it offers snowboarding and the street sports activities like skateboarding and BMX biking.

In total 13,500 young people and 1500 adults joined last year.

For more on the Scout Association, click here.