News
02/01/2007
Scouting Centenary captures media imagination
Over the past few days, it’s been pretty hard to avoid the news that Scouting’s Centenary is finally upon us. The Sunday Express ran a two-page feature on the birth of Scouting, quoting the Scouting highs of a number of celebrities including Comedian Ronnie Corbett and Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding. Scouting’s birth-date of 1 August also made The Independent On Sunday’s list of major headline moments that you won’t be able to avoid over the next 12 months.
Scouting’s 100th year has also been gaining recognition north of the border, last Thursday’s edition of The Scotsman ran a full page piece recognising that ‘the number of teenagers joining has recently risen by 10-15 per cent’, and that July’s World Scout Jamboree in Essex will draw together more participants from more countries than the 2012 Olympics in London.
London's daily paper, the Metro, contained an article where Chief Scout Peter Duncan said ‘The Centenary year will provide even more opportunities for members to continue to take risks in a safe environment and have their first taste of responsibility.’
TV is also getting in on the act, as comic actor Neil Morrissey presented When We Were Scouts on BBC 2 on 2 January, where a number of celebrities recalled their Scouting days and Morrissey joined a group of Sussex Scouts to try his hand at modern Scouting.
Of course, this is only the beginning of a year in which it’ll be almost impossible to avoid Scouting in the media. There will be countless events going on around the world and all over the UK gaining media coverage for Scouting. If you’re running such an event and need some advice on how to make the most of the media, visit our online Media Centre or give the PR team a call on 0845 300 1818. Let’s work together to make the most of 2007!
