The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and other members of the royal family, are attending the Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving on Tuesday morning. The service is being broadcast on BBC One.
Caitlin, a top Scouting achiever, was recently awarded the highest award possible by the movement – the Queen’s Scout award – at a ceremony in Windsor.
She helped out in her community and went on a three-week expedition across north Wales to walk, sail, camp and climb with young people from around the world.
Caitlin said: “I’ve been in Scouting for nearly seven years now, starting off in Hoosiders Explorer Scout unit in Penrith.
“I’d always been jealous of my brother going off to do fun and exciting camps and once or twice I’d been able to tag along as my parents were both occasional helpers.
“Scouting has given me the opportunity to climb mountains, canoe rivers and walk many miles with a huge smile on my face for the whole journey. Scouting has given me that optimism and energy.”
Caitlin is a member of the Scout Network as well as an assistant Scout leader at home. She is also an assistant Explorer Scout leader in Southampton, where she is at university studying French and Spanish.
She said: “It seems bizarre now to think that I’d barely speak up in meetings when I first joined Scouting. Yet when I went to Windsor to collect the Queen’s Scout award, there I was speaking in front of hundreds.
“I went from being shy and quiet to being the loud one bringing all the others out of their shells. I’ve been pushed to be a better person than I thought I could be and I appreciate all the support I’ve had.
“To have been invited to be part of the jubilee thanksgiving service is just beyond my wildest dreams – and all thanks to Scouting.”
First published at 14:11, Friday, 01 June 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk