Being a Cub Scout has opened up a whole world of adventure

Hello there Chipsters! How are you all doing? I feel great, raring to go after spending a weekend camping with my buddies from Cubs.

Cubs is part of the Scouts – a huge organisation for girls and boys who want to learn skills for life and who love adventures.

If you are a regular reader of my column you’ll know that adventure is my middle name.

There is nothing I love more than bounding off into the countryside with my pals. Although it’s fun with mum and dad, it's even better with my mates.

That’s why I joined the Scouts as a very young pup. My first group was Beavers, which I joined as soon as I turned six.

It was where I was first introduced to outdoor activities. It gave me opportunity to be creative, explore the local community and experience the excitement of a Beaver Scout sleepover. But, most im- portantly, I made loads of new friends. As soon as I turned nine I moved up to Cubs, where I will stay until I’m tenand-a-half and am old enough to join the Scouts. But in the meantime I just love being a Cub. We work hard to earn our badges which we proudly sew on to our uniforms. And we undertake challenge awards which we do individually and with the rest of the pack – they can be anything from outdoorsy events to helping in the community. We go on trips, days out, and on camps.

At first I was a bit nervous about staying away from mum and dad and I’m not embarrassed to admit I felt a little bit homesick. But after that I couldn’t wait to go again. My confidence has soared – not just at home but at school too.

Why don’t you think about joining? Go to scouts.org.uk Chip chip for now, your old friend Chipper.