Founders Day - A Service to Remember!
By Simon Gates, 25th February 2007
It was all flags flying as more than 500 local Scouters and Guiders from past and present gathered at Ely Cathedral to mark the County's Founders Day celebrations. Special guests including the Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor of Ely were also present to lend their support to the event.
The service was held to celebrate what would have been the 150th Birthday of Scouting Founder, Robert Baden-Powell, and to reflect on his life and work. Guests were treated to special hymns and readings, notably by the Lord Lieutenant and the Cambridgeshire World Jamboree Contingent, known as "Unit 11". The County Commissioner, Richard Hames, was also on hand to present a Queen's Scout Award to Daniel Gooch of the 26th Cambridge Scout Group.
The service was followed by a reception at the King's School to say thank you to everyone for their support to scouting over the years, and to catch up with familiar faces. The event was used to launch the Scouting Legacy Appeal in Cambridgeshire, which aims to ensure the continual success of scouting well into its second century.
Today, scouting has over 28 million members worldwide, making it the largest youth movement in the world. When Baden-Powell started the movement in 1907, 100 years ago, he never envisaged the success it would have or how many people's lives would be enhanced by his ideas of fun and adventure for young people.
2007, the centenary of scouting, will see many other special scouting events taking place throughout the year and over 6,000 scouts and leaders from across Cambridgeshire will be taking part.
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