Two organisations have teamed up to launch a pack to encourage young people across Scotland to get active
Two organisations have teamed up to create a new pack to help young people in Scotland get active.
Scouts Scotland and Sustrans Scotland have created a new pack to encourage more young people to get active outdoors, explore their local neighbourhood and improve health and wellbeing. The pack has been endorsed by Scout Adventurer and Paralympic gold medallist, Karen Darke MBE.
Lockdown increased the popularity of getting outdoors – whether walking, cycling or wheeling and both Scouts Scotland and Sustrans Scotland are hopeful that these activities will build on that enthusiasm.
The pack includes lots of activities from learning about engineering or how to make your bike is safe before you head off on a cycle. It also encourages Scouts to look after the National Cycle Network by performing community impact projects. All of the activities link to badges that the Scouts can earn.
The activity pack was launched with Scouts from the 83rd Fife Scout group in Culross who all got the chance to learn how to perform a bike maintenance check (M-Check).
The young people then had a chance to take part in more activities from the new pack during a ride along their local, traffic-free section of National Cycle Network Route 76, where the group also came up with their own suggestions to encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle in the area.
Darke, who won the gold for road cycling at Rio 2016, said: "I’m so pleased that Sustrans Scotland and Scouts Scotland have got together to help young people get active, learn about safety and sustainability and most importantly have fun. Let's inspire a generation to get out there, learn some great skills and enjoy our beautiful landscapes."
Andrew Sharkey, chief commissioner, Scouts Scotland said: “It’s great that Scouts Scotland have been able to work with Sustrans Scotland on this activity pack. We know loads of our scouts took up cycling during lockdown so this is a fantastic way to build on that enthusiasm. It’s also brilliant that it contains ideas about how Scouts can help look after sections of the National Cycle Network local to them and learn about the wildlife that live there.”
Niall Shannon, network engagement manager at Sustrans Scotland said: “The National Cycle Network is an incredible asset which connects communities across the country, giving people the freedom to make healthier journey choices and providing traffic-free spaces for everyone to enjoy.
“More than half of the UK population lives within a mile of the National Cycle Network, and as custodians of the Network, we want to reach more of Scotland’s young people with the information and opportunities they need to get active and safely explore the amazing green spaces on their doorsteps.
“By partnering with Scouts Scotland to develop this activity pack, we want to inspire more young people to continue walking, wheeling and cycling on the National Cycle Network for their journeys well into the future, and hope that they continue to support and benefit from our work to create a greener, healthier and more prosperous Scotland for everyone.”
Max Watson, a scout from the 83rd Fife Scout Group, said: “It’s great to have activities like this because it gets us out in the fresh air and it encourages us to get off our screens and be healthy.”
The activity pack is available on the Scouts Scotland website and contains lots of activities that can take place outdoors.
