The Government cash will help train new leaders and set up youth groups where few exist

Scout and Girl Guide groups will benefit from a £10m Government fund set up to provide new volunteer leaders.

The Department for Communities and Local Government today announced the cash boost which it said would recruit and train up to 2,700 leaders and set up 400 new youth groups.

The Government money will be channelled through Youth United, a coalition of youth groups which was set up by Prince Charles and supported by the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

The aim is to start new youth groups in areas where historically there have been limited opportunities for young people to join such organisations because the few adults with the right skills and experience have needed the additional support from new volunteers.

Organisations such as Air Training Corps, Army Cadets, Boys’ Brigade, Fire Cadets, Girlguiding UK, Girls’ Brigade, Marine and Sea Cadets, Scouts, St John Ambulance and Volunteer Police Cadets are all involved in Youth United.

The cash will be allocated to inner-city areas of England.

Communities Secretary of State Eric Pickles said: “Scouts, Guides and the Cadets have a tremendously proud and successful history of giving young people the kind of fun, life skills and experiences they can’t get anywhere else.

“They rely on the goodwill and dedication of trained adult volunteers to provide this community service, which brings young people of all backgrounds and beliefs together.

“Over 1.5 million young people are regularly involved but many more want to join – with more volunteer leaders needed to bring waiting lists down – every young person in the country should have the chance to participate if they want to.

“The help we are giving today will mean Youth United groups can train a new generation of local volunteers to run a new Cub pack or Guiding patrol and make all the difference in 15 communities that face some significant challenges.”

Derek Twine, Chief Executive of the Scout Association said: “We welcome the Government’s investment in volunteering, and are pleased that the excellent work taking place in the voluntary sector to support young people and their communities is being recognised and encouraged.”

The funding will ‘kick start’ 400 new branches. Once established, the new branches are expected to be permanently self-sustaining, raising their own running costs through local fundraising activity and subscriptions.