Paul receives top award for voluntary work with young people

A Purley man is celebrating after being presented with a top accolade for his work within The Scout Association.

Paul Bates, Managing Director of Cleankill Pest Control, has been awarded the Chief Scout’s Medal of Merit for Outstanding Service to Scouting over the past 28 years.

During his time as Cub Scout Leader of the 11th Purley (St James Riddlesdown) cub pack, Paul has helped more than 220 girls and boys to experience a range of activities from camping and climbing to abseiling and archery.

The father-of-two stepped into the role in 1983 when he heard his local pack was in danger of closing and hasn’t looked back since.

He said: “I was told it was only one night a week but that wasn’t quite true. Now most of my spare time, when I’m not running my pest control company, is spent doing cub-related work.”

Paul’s pack goes on three camps or pack holidays a year which include: an activity weekend in January; a training weekend in September in the Ashdown Forest and a week camping in places like Cornwall and the New Forest in July or August.

The Purley pack has a dedicated team of three adult leaders, one of whom also runs the Scout Troop, and several young leaders who have all gone through the pack and come back to assist. Some of them are now moving on to become fully qualified leaders.

Paul said he finds his role with The Scout Association very rewarding even though his busy work life means a lot of juggling: “We try to give the cubs experiences that they do not get in other places – on our activity weekends we do shooting, archery, climbing, abseiling, potholing and grass sledging, as well as traditional things such as camp fires. On the Isle of Wight this year we will be doing canoeing and when we went to Cornwall we spent a day in a tin mine.

“After 28 years, I still remember that although I may have done an activity many times for the cubs it will still be their first time. So it is important for all of us leaders to maintain our enthusiasm for what we do – that enthusiasm will rub off on the cubs and give them experiences that they will remember for a lifetime.”

Paul received the Award from Assistant District Commissioner Roger Jones. Croydon’s Assistant District Commissioner for Cub Scouts, Martin Greenwood, said: “The medal is one of the top honours a volunteer can achieve for good service. It is a very worthy award and recognises the outstanding contribution that Paul has made to the Scout Association and the huge difference that his selflessness has made to so many young people in the Purley area.”

Thanks to volunteers like Paul, The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Internationally, there are more than 28 million young people enjoying the benefits of Scouting across 216 countries. Personal development means promoting the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual well-being of the individual, helping them achieve their full potential.

Cleankill started in 1995 and is a specialist provider of pest control services to retail, commercial and industrial properties throughout the UK. The company deals with ‘distress’ pests such as wasps and fleas, as well as preventative maintenance against public health pests such as mice and rats. Cleankill can also clear and proof buildings against pest birds. The company prides itself on fast and efficient service delivery and aims to be recognised as a market leader for innovation and new pest control techniques. For further information go to www.cleankill.co.uk or call 0800 056 5477.
ENDS
For further information or interview requests, contact Suzi Christie at Blueberry PR on 01435 830031 or e-mail suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk

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Dean Farm House,
Dean Farm,
Rushlake Green,
East Sussex,
TN21 9QU.

This release was published on openPR.