{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Carl Hankinson, UK Chief Volunteer","standfirst":"\u2018Without adventure, life would be deadly dull,\u2019 wrote Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouts (and our first Chief Scout). That certainly applies to Bear Grylls, our tenth Chief Scout, who steps down from the role later this year.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/6799/bear-portrait.jpg","width":2000,"height":1333,"altText":"Bear Grylls, UK Chief Scout, standing in a field wearing a Scouts hoodie and necker, with his hands in his jeans pockets.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EQuite simply, Bear supercharged our movement. His energy, commitment and enthusiasm is unmatched. His spontaneity, infectious good humour and instinct to bring out the best in others has inspired us all.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThese are the traits that have characterised Bear\u2019s time as Chief Scout. Over 15 magical years, he\u2019s inspired over two million young people from every background to join Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing a decade of membership decline in the 1990s, Scouts saw exceptional growth when Bear became Chief Scout. It was a brilliant pick (and as a volunteer, he\u0027s never been paid a penny for the time he\u0027s given). Young people and volunteers, hungry for adventure, decided to join the movement in their droves. Bear transformed Scouts\u0027 image, attracted new volunteers and motivated us all with his \u2018never give up\u2019 attitude.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBack in 2009, Bear wasn\u0027t the global superstar he is today. Since then, he\u0027s become a best-selling author and his shows have reached billions, including appearances with presidents, prime ministers and A-list celebrities. But being Chief Scout is still one of his proudest achievements. Seeing how admired he is by Scouts from all over is extremely impactful.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMany months ago, Bear decided 15 years would be the right time to step down, having accomplished everything he set out to do.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Always leave the party five minutes early rather than five minutes too late,\u2019 he observed.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELike so many of our volunteers (and nine Chief Scouts before him), Bear knew he couldn\u0027t stay in the role forever. Thankfully, as Chief Ambassador of World Scouting, his connection to Scouting remains.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBaden-Powell is the only person to have served longer as Chief Scout. We\u0027re immensely proud of what Bear Grylls has achieved and to see the remarkable growth of the movement in recent years, with membership up by almost 100,000 since 2009. Bear\u0027s been at our side through the ups and downs, always championing young people and helping millions have fun and do their best.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course, we\u2019ll announce the next Chief Scout, who\u0027ll be Bear Grylls\u0027 wonderful successor, this autumn.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Scouts, we want to \u0027try to leave the world a little better than we found it.\u2019 Bear\u0027s certainly done that. Thank you Bear for everything you\u0027ve achieved, your bright leadership, and your friendship - you\u0027ll be hugely missed.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"01 July 2024","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":80129,"nodeName":"Saying thank you and goodbye to Bear Grylls","title":"Saying thank you and goodbye to Bear Grylls: a champion for all young people","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/6799/bear-portrait.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd0e2020e0","caption":"Bear Portrait","type":"jpg","size":747769,"width":2000,"height":1333,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Saying thank you and goodbye to Bear Grylls: a champion for all young people","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"UK Chief Volunteer Carl Hankinson says thank you and goodbye to UK Chief Scout Bear Grylls.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC84MDEyOSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2024/july/saying-thank-you-and-goodbye-to-bear-grylls/"}