Bear Grylls flies in to present Hasbury scouts with top awards (From Halesowen News)
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Bear Grylls flies in to present Hasbury scouts with top awards
12:13pm Monday 8th October 2012 in News
Bear Grylls presents Chief Scout Gold Awards to members of Hasbury Scout Group. Pics by Jonathan Hipkiss.
SIX Hasbury scouts couldn’t believe their luck when ultimate action hero Bear Grylls swooped in to camp to present them with top adventure awards.
The TV adventurer and UK Chief Scout presented Matthew Wong, aged 15, and Peter Dear, Josh Bytheway, Scott Bucknall, Conor Gorman and Sam Hodgson, all 14, with prestigious Chief Scout Gold Awards when he made a surprise visit to Kinver Scout Camp last Saturday.
The youngsters from Hasbury Scout Group had to complete an array of adventurous activities to qualify for the accolade - the highest award in scouting - which Bear presented during a whistlestop tour of the site.
The 38-year-old former SAS soldier, star of TV show Born Survivor, flew in by helicopter to the camp which was hosting a weekend survival event for more than 400 scouts from across the Black Country and Worcestershire.
The visit was one of 16 across the West Midlands and Wales at the weekend organised as part of a drive to encourage more adults to become scout leaders.
Bear told the News: "I love these sorts of things. For me it's about encouraging young scouts to grab all opportunities scouting gives them and say thank you to all the incredible volunteers who give so much to give these experiences."
Pete Willis, scout leader from Sandwell, said many of the youngsters hadn’t been able to stop talking about the visit, adding: “It was great to have Bear involved.”
Hasbury Scout Group leader Adrian Jones said the bid to gain the top awards presented by the intrepid star had stretched the teenagers to the limit.
“This has tested them physically and mentally. It’s a marvellous achievement,” he added.
