Scouts gang up for show

11:38am Thursday 24th July 2008

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Devizes Scouts' centenary celebrations continued on Saturday when a host of talented youngsters entertained in a good old-fashioned Gang Show.

It is among the first in a series of events to celebrate the 100th birthday of the troop, claimed to be the second oldest in the world.

It all began in June 1908 when Lt Col Kenneth Steele, a close friend of Scouting founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell, started up a troop in Devizes.

The Scout Hall in Southbroom Road, outside which Saturday's performance took place in front of a large audience of parents and friends, followed in 1919.

Throughout the celebration year, Scouts and Cubs will learn about the history of the movement.

They have already enjoyed a weekend experiencing what Scouting was like 100 years ago, with outdoor cooking on an open fire, whittling wood and boiling up billy cans to make tea.

The Scouts are also taking up the challenge thrown down this year by Chippenham Sea Cadets to paddle the Devizes to Westminster canoe race in a faster time than they manage.