IT’S A Red Letter Day for manufacturers of woggles.

Figures show that Scouting in Oxfordshire is booming, with numbers rising for seven years running.

More than 300 new Scouts have joined the movement in the county over the past 12 months.

Paul Thompson, the district commissioner for the Oxford area, has been involved in Scouting since the age of six and is not surprised by its popularity.

He said: “My parents made me go along but I got so much out of it because I was quite a shy boy.

“Now I have got friends all over the world that I have made through Scouting.

“What’s so good about Scouting is that it takes people out of their comfort zones and it is great fun.

“We have a waiting list in Oxfordshire of up to 100 young people and we need more adult volunteers.”

There are now 7,218 scouts in the county, with the national figure at 525,327. In January 2001 there were only 5,980 scouts in the county.

More of the county’s teenagers are also getting involved, with a 12 per cent increase in the number of Explorer Scouts who are aged between 14 and 18.

Fifteen-year-old Beth Bowler, from Cowley, has been involved in the movement since the age of eight.

She said: “Scouting gives people a chance to see things in a different way. I went to the jamboree last year and it was a life-changing experience.

I see things in a different perspective now. ”

The Scout Association has put the rise down to the “enormous” range of adventures it provides as well as the fact that it offers an environment for young people to achieve their full potential.

Worldwide, Scouting has around 28 million members and operates in nearly every country on the planet. As well as traditional badges for skills such as tying knots, Scouts can be rewarded for their skills in astronomy, aviation and circus skills.

Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: “It is so great to see Scout numbers rising in Oxfordshire.

“More and more young people are realising that Scouting offers them so much – whether it’s the opportunity to go on a big international adventure or the chance to learn and hone vital life skills.”

Lorraine Crowther, Cub Scout leader of the 22nd Oxford Scout Group, took part in the St George’s Day parade at Windsor Castle on Sunday after being given the Meritorious Award for Conduct of an Exceptionally High Standard.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 but continued to lead her cub pack.

To join the scouts visit scouts.org.uk/join