An equal opportunities Scout Group!

Ash Green Scouts have not only achieved the UK Scout Association's target of 20 per cent female membership by 2017 some two years early - they have hammered it as 49% of their membership are girls.

No fewer than 68 of the Group's 140 young people are girls - and five out of the six Section Leaders are women.

The Scout Section - for boys and girls aged 10.5 to 14 - boasts the largest number of girls on 60 per cent while Beavers (aged 6-8) are almost on parity. In Cubs (aged 8-10.5) boys still hold sway on 67%.

And the future is also looking rosy as 20 out of the 42 young people on the Waiting List are also female.

Says Acting Group Scout Leader, Alan Gordon: "Girls have only been full members of The Scout Association for around 10 years and a lot of people still think we're an all male organisation, even going as far as still calling us 'Boy Scouts' - even though we dropped that title in the late 1960's.

"We are delighted to have achieved parity and look forward to the day when these young women - and young men - step up to be the Leaders of the future."

Note: Alan is only 'Acting' Group Scout Leader as the real Group Scout Leader (also female) is having a short sabbatical