High Peak scouting group make first pledge to The King

Cracken Explorer Scouts were only formed in April and since then the group of 14 to 18-year-olds have been working towards their investiture.

This special ceremony is where the explorers make a pledge to the monarch as well as the community and for Cracken Explorers they made their investiture on Monday, September 19 and pledged to The King for the first time.

Debbie Rushworth, one of the founders of the group, said: "Our investiture was planned for a while and it happened on the day of The Queen’s funeral which is a day the country will never forget.

"But for us it was a day we all became a unit together.

"I think we are the first scouting group in the county who have made the pledge to the new king if not the whole country which is an amazing accolade to have.”

To mark the investiture the explorers went geocaching on Cracken Edge before making their promises and receiving their neckers while out on the hillside.

Debbie said: “It was a really lovely moment.”Sharon Stanley, another of the founders, said: “We started the group up in Chinley as we had some young people who were too old to be in scouts but wanted to continue their scouting journey with explorers which goes up to the age of 18.

"We started with six scouts and we have now have 14 members which is great and shows there is a real need for a group like this where children can go and have adventures and fun.”

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At the weekend Cracken Explorers met with scouts and explorers from around the country and were given the chance to tell others about how they set up and their plans and visions for the future which Sharon said was a real honour.

The explorers say they will be writing to both Bear Grylls, who is the chief scout in the UK, and King Charles III to tell them the good news that they have become the first scouting group to make the pledge under the new monarch.

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