Scouts have a great day as the Duchess of Cambridge visits South Lakeland (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Scouts have a great day as the Duchess of Cambridge visits South Lakeland

5:40pm Friday 22nd March 2013 in News By Stephanie Manley, Reporter

The Duchess meets Scouts at Newby Bridge

The Duchess of Cambridge made her way to South Lakeland this morning to try her hand at some outdoor activities with the Scouts.

Dressed in a khaki jacket, jeans and her favourite La Chameau wellies, the five-month pregnant Princess braved the blizzard-type conditions at the Newby Bridge camp.

Her first task involved sitting in a circle with Scout leaders and watching how to start a fire with magnesium alloy and steel.

She then got her hands stuck in – with engagement ring intact – into a mixture of flour and water before wrapping this around a stick to create a ‘twist’ that could be cooked on the fire.

There were chuckles all around as most of the doughy creations fell apart, bar that of the Duchess.

“You are welcome to try mine,” she said.

“It’s actually not bad – if you were desperately hungry. It’s quite sugary.”

Becky Coates, of Kendal, was one of those laughing with Kate.

She said it was ‘great fun’.

“Kate was lovely and just fitted in. There was no stopping her when we were making the twists – we just treated her as one of us.

“Her twist was the only one that survived. I think it was because we put chocolate chips in ours and she had slightly less oil.

“She said how much she had enjoyed herself and that she would maybe see us again in a Scout field one day.”

After a lunch break, the volunteers then went on to share their knowledge with Cub Scouts, aged eight to ten, from Cumbria and Manchester.

Leigh Green, 8, of Milnthorpe, was shown how to make a spark by the Duchess.

She said: “Kate was so nice, she spoke to all of us.”

And eight-year-old Joseph Lishman, of Hawkshead, added: “She seemed really quite joyful and seemed to like what she was doing. She’d be a good Scout leader.”

Before she left the Duchess also watched some belaying and eight-year-old Khiara Keating climb a tree.

“I bet it feels high up there,” she said, before giving the girl a hug once her feet were back on the ground.

Simon Carter, assistant director of the Scout Association, said it was great to have the support of someone like Kate.

“She is such a busy lady and she can find the time to volunteer, so it shows that anyone can do it,” he said.

“There are around 35,000 young people wanting to join the Scouts but we need more adults to join.”