NEW leaders are being sought for Bowerhill Scout Group in Melksham, as the scouter in charge prepares to leave after 25 years.

Chris Broom will step down next year, after a quarter of a century of involvement with the group, and wants to have her replacement installed before she moves on.

Mrs Broom, who is now in her 60s, became involved in the fledgling group in 1986, when her son, Kevin, was a Cub Scout.

She said: “They were going on a camp to Lydiard Park, to celebrate 70 years of Cub Scouting. I thought, ‘Well, it’s my weekend off, I’ll do a bit of that’.

“I was just hooked right from the very start and I haven’t looked back since.

“I remember it quite vividly. It was just the whole thing. I’d never been a Guide, I’d never been involved in that sort of thing before.

“It’s a wonderful movement to be involved in.”

With Mrs Broom’s retirement looming, the group is looking for potential leaders to fill her position, and several other posts on the committee which looks after more than 50 Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

She said: “Whenever I chose to finish, I was going to experience this problem. I’ve been doing it for 25 years.

“I am going to miss it, but I feel there comes a time when you need to finish and go out on a high. I want to be able to hand over a successful group.

“We had absolutely nothing when we started. We’re now very fortunate to have a lot of equipment. We’re very lucky.”

She added that she would keep some involvement in the Scouts when she stepped down, perhaps helping with training.

Encouraging prospective leaders to come forward, she said: “It’s so rewarding if you can contribute; adding fufillment to a young person’s life, giving them the opportunities to do things they would not normally do, to encourage them. They remember the camping, they remember the abseiling or the canoeing. Just to see their faces, it’s lovely.

“People just need to come along and see.”

Full training is provided for leaders, who need to have a positive attitude, be reliable, enthusiastic and work well with both adults and young people.

If you would like more information, call Chris Broom on 01225 704168 or email to christinebroom@ wiltshirescouts.org.uk