MORE girls than boys joined the Scouts in Cambridgeshire for the first time ever last year.

The news comes as the Scout Association publishes its membership Census for 2010-2011. During that period - the twelve months up to January 31 this year - 113 girls joined the movement compared to 50 boys.

Cambridgeshire is the top county in the UK for higher growth in girls than boys joining the group, with a 12 per cent rise in the past year. The number of girls joining the scouts has rocketed by 130 per cent since 2005.

After six years of consecutive growth the combined total of youth and adult membership in Cambridgeshire now stands at 7,666. The demand to join the scouts means that there are currently nearly 1,000 young people on the waiting list to join groups across the county.

As a result there is a huge need for more adults leaders to cope with the demand.

Bear Grylls, Chief Scout, said: “It’s great to see that more and more girls are signing up to scouting and that the movement is continuing to grow as a whole. “Being a scout represents all that is great about life: adventure, life skills and friendship - and it is no surprise that so many girls are wanting to be part of that.

“It’s absolutely crucial though that more adults sign up as volunteers as well, to ensure that we can keep up with the huge demand.”