A PAIR of Cumbrian scouts have been honoured by international adventurer and chief scout Bear Grylls at Windsor Castle for gaining the movement's highest honour.

Hannah Hartley and Clare Petrie received their Queen's Scouts Awards which are given for outstanding personal achievement. The honour is achieved by young people, aged between 16 and 25, who have completed a range of challenges, which includes service to their community, completing an expedition in wild country, undertaking a five-day residential project in an unfamiliar environment and learning a new skill or developing an existing talent.

Ms Hartley was one of over 300 new Queen’s Scouts receiving her award at the ceremony on Sunday.

“To gain the award I spent a year volunteering with our local Beaver colony, a year volunteering with the Riding for the Disabled Association, and two years volunteering with the local cub pack," she said.

"This prepared me to undertake the biggest challenge of my life so far, spending 12 months volunteering in a rural orphanage in southern Peru with the charity Project Trust. I developed so much as a person throughout this year and learned an incredible amount, and it was my Queen's Scout Award that inspired me to be able to undertake this challenged when I had only just turned 18. This has inspired me to carry on volunteering and giving as much as I can”.

Ms Petrie received her Queen’s Scout Award at the same time. She said: “Hannah and I were members of the same Scout Group, so we went on a five-day expedition together to the Cheviot Hills. Our aim was to look at the effect of people on the landscape. One of my biggest achievements was planning the food for a week-long camp that our Explorer Unit did based on low carbon footprint food.

"As part of completing the Queen’s Scout Award, I also gained the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award and the John Muir Trust explorer award”.

Celebrity scout Bear Grylls said: "All these young people have strived so hard to learn new skills and achieve their Queen’s Scout Awards, and I am full of admiration for their spirit, grit and determination. They have all served their community, lead others and undertaken expeditions in the UK and around the world.

The annual Windsor Castle event has been held since 1934 on the Sunday nearest to St. George's Day. Since the Queen’s Scout Award was instigated, over 100,000 have been presented to young men and women for outstanding personal achievements and service to their local communities.

To find out more about Scouting in Cumbria, visit the website: cumbriascouts.org.uk