WEST Yorkshire Scouts have launched a brand new programme for four and five-year-olds called Squirrels - and there are calls for volunteers to help with the roll-out in Bradford and Keighley.

In what is the first new addition to Scouts in 35 years, Squirrels supports early years children to learn essential skills for life.

Squirrel Dreys are set to open in Cullingworth (Keighley) and Clayton (Bradford) in the next few months before rolling out further in 2022.

Squirrels get to be active, explore nature and have fun learning outdoors with friends, like all other Scouts.

To roll-out the programme UK-wide, grown-ups are being called on to volunteer to give young children a chance to thrive after the pandemic.  

The Royal Foundation’s research on early years recently recognised the lifelong benefits of good quality early education. Ofsted research has also shown that in communities hardest hit by the pandemic, early years children have returned less confident and more anxious after lockdowns.

The emphasis for Squirrels will be on having outdoor adventures, making new friends and learning new things, recognised by a new set of badges.

Squirrels creates a positive, safe environment for young children to develop, as they learn essential skills for life.

New Squirrels will get to learn new skills and meet new friends while pitching a blanket tent, planting seeds or learning how to spending 50p in a local shop.

The programme is crafted to help them develop teamwork, communication, creativity, community awareness and other core skills.

New badges that Squirrels can earn will include Feel Good, Be Active, Explore Outdoors, Brilliant Builder and Exciting Experiments.

To support the expanded programme, Scouts are calling for grown-up helpers to step forward as part of its #GoodForYou campaign.

Scouts want to recruit over 5,000 new volunteers. Volunteering for Scouts not only helps young people, but is good for adults too, supporting wellbeing and building skills for employment.

Bear Grylls, TV personality and Chief Scout, said: “I'm so glad that younger children from Bradford and Keighley will now have the chance to join our family of Scouts and develop skills for life.

"We know from our pilot programme that four and five-year-olds can really benefit from the activities that Squirrels offers.

"All of us at the Scouts believe that by offering opportunities at this early age, inspiring a sense of wonder, fun and curiosity, we can have a long-lasting, positive impact on young people’s lives.

"To make this work we need more volunteers to join the team and donors to get behind us.”

Toby Hammond, County Youth Commissioner from West Yorkshire Scouts, said: “Here in West Yorkshire we’ve been piloting Squirrels in Saltaire and its fantastic that we’re now opening this up further, we look forward to welcoming so many more young people to our scouting family here in West Yorkshire so that they can benefit and gain skills for live”