{"alias":"newsItem","byline":"","standfirst":"Today, our Joint President, HRH The Princess of Wales, hosted an outdoor Squirrel Scout meeting in the gardens of Frogmore House, Windsor.  ","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EOur \u003Ca href=\u0022/about-us/our-people/joint-presidents/\u0022 title=\u0022Joint Presidents\u0022\u003EJoint President\u003C/a\u003E, HRH The Princess of Wales, invited our \u003Ca href=\u0022/about-us/our-people/chief-scout/\u0022 title=\u0022Chief Scout\u0022\u003EChief Scout\u003C/a\u003E, volunteers, and 22 \u003Ca href=\u0022/squirrels/\u0022 title=\u0022Squirrels\u0022\u003ESquirrels\u003C/a\u003E aged 4 to 6 years, to join her to highlight the importance of outdoor adventure and spending time in nature in boosting wellbeing and learning.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe event was part of this week\u2019s State Visit, and the First Lady of the United States was also invited to meet the young people. It was a showcase for the life skills gained through Squirrel Scouts \u2013 now 25,000 strong across the UK since 2021.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/31mltepu/hrh-the-princess-of-wales-with-a-squirrel-dwayne-fields-and-the-first-lady-of-the-united-states.jpeg","width":800,"height":561,"altText":"The image shows HRH The Princess of Wales, a Squirrel Scout, Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and First Lady of the United States stood together at Windsor on the lawn.","caption":"Credit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Today\u0027s been a showcase of our Squirrel Scouts learning new skills and enjoying being outdoors with friends,\u2019 said Dwayne Fields, Chief Scout. \u2018We\u2019re proud to have been invited to show the impact Scouts has for young people by our Joint President, HRH The Princess of Wales.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m grateful to our amazing volunteers who make this possible every week for half a million young people around the UK, including those who supported us today. It\u0027s been special to be hosted in the gardens of Frogmore House and to share our work with the First Lady.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/plylri3y/hrh-the-princess-of-wales-and-the-first-lady-with-squirrels-2.jpg","width":5911,"height":3941,"altText":"The image shows HRH The Princess of Wales, Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, First Lady of the United States, a Scout volunteer and two Squirrels on grass doing drawing. There\u0027s a table set up and paper on the floor for crafts.","caption":"Credit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EExploring nature\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe young people took part in parachute games, built bug hotels and made leaf art to get close to nature, developing their creative, communication and team skills. They also enjoyed an outdoor picnic and spoke with the Princess and First Lady about their experiences in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the end of the meeting, the Squirrels were each awarded their \u003Ca href=\u0022/squirrels/activity-badges/go-wild/\u0022 title=\u0022Go Wild\u0022\u003EGo Wild badge\u003C/a\u003E, after learning about animal and their habitats, and how they use plants for food and shelter.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s a joy to help shape the future of young people through Scouts, from as early as age four,\u2019 said Fricker, Group Lead Volunteer. \u2018I\u2019ve always been proud to volunteer with Scouts, having been involved since childhood but today was truly special.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOur Squirrel Scouts experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and with more volunteers across the country, even more young people could access transformative moments and develop skills for life.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/f0vjqvsn/hrh-the-princess-of-wales-and-the-first-lady-with-squirrels.jpg","width":5622,"height":3831,"altText":"The image shows HRH The Princess of Wales, the First Lady of the United States and 5 Squirrel Scouts holding a parachute.","caption":"Credit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EChampioning young people\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHRH The Princess of Wales has a deep commitment to supporting young people in getting the best possible start in life \u2013 an interest shared by the First Lady of the United States, who has championed young people for many years, supporting their wellbeing.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis was a moment to show the impact of Scouts on young people, as part of the cultural life of the UK, and to share how Squirrels has grown and evolved over the past five years.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s allowed Scouts to demonstrate the importance of informal outdoor education in children\u2019s early years, and the values that underpin our movement.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I had the best day at our special Squirrel Scouts\u2019 meeting,\u2019 Calvin Dil age 5, Squirrel Scout. \u0027We made bug hotels and I got my Go Wild badge. I\u2019m excited to tell all my friends at school about our fun day.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"17 September 2025","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about Squirrels","url":"/squirrels/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Our Joint Presidents","url":"/about-us/our-people/joint-presidents/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Squirrels Go Wild Activity Badge","url":"/squirrels/activity-badges/go-wild/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":87155,"nodeName":"HRH The Princess of Wales hosts Squirrels meeting as part of State Visit","title":"HRH The Princess of Wales hosts Squirrels as part of State Visit ","type":"newsItem","image":{"url":"/media/31mltepu/hrh-the-princess-of-wales-with-a-squirrel-dwayne-fields-and-the-first-lady-of-the-united-states.jpeg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dc289582744b90","caption":"HRH The Princess Of Wales With A Squirrel, Dwayne Fields And The First Lady Of The United States","type":"jpeg","size":71562,"width":800,"height":561,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"HRH The Princess of Wales hosts Squirrels as part of State Visit ","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Today, our Joint President, HRH The Princess of Wales, hosted an outdoor Squirrel meeting in the gardens of Frogmore House, Windsor.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC84NzE1NSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2025/september/hrh-the-princess-of-wales-hosts-squirrels-meeting/"}