Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Morcea Walker MBE, recently had the pleasure of awarding the county’s first prestigious King’s Scout Award at the County Scout AGM on 23 September.
Wellingborough resident Sarah Heafield, aged 25, was the first Northamptonshire Scout to be awarded the King’s Scout Award, the top achievement for Explorer Scouts and Scout Network Members, after completing a wide range of activities.
Wellingborough resident Sarah Heafield, aged 25, was the first Northamptonshire Scout to be awarded the King’s Scout Award, the top achievement for Explorer Scouts and Scout Network Members, after completing a wide range of activities.
Activities
These activities included hiking through the snow in -4°C weather from Bala to Barmouth on a 4-day expedition, volunteering at a girl guide camp, being the Scout leader of the Wilby and Great Doddington Scout group, organising events at an international Scout camp in Lincoln and developing the Scout groups in her local community.
Having started her journey toward the King’s Scout Award back in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Sarah had additional challenges to overcome.
She had to take part in online Yoga classes for the physical activity component and had to complete all 18 nights away during 2022 alone.
How Scouting has helped Sarah
Scouting helped Sarah to become a more outgoing and talkative person, making many friends during her time with the Scouts. Sarah had her sights on the King’s Scout Award since she was a child, and with the support and encouragement of friends, family, and fellow scouts she was able to achieve her dream.
Reflecting on her journey to achieve this award, Sarah stated:
“I never stopped believing that I would complete it, even when the world went into chaos and so many things looked uncertain.
I am very proud of everything I’ve achieved in gaining these top-level awards, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of my family, friends and so many members of Scouting (and my friends in Guiding) in the county and around the country. You helped guide me, kept believing in me and even gave me the occasional kick up the bum when it was needed.
Both gaining these awards and all those who supported me along the way have helped shape who I am now, someone who believes that as long as you work hard enough and never give up, you can achieve your dreams!”
Lieutenancy