AN AMBITIOUS and tenacious Cub Scout has camped, volunteered, lashed and canoed his way towards winning his best badge yet.
Ivor Welford, an Ongar Cub from Longfields, has been awarded the Chief Scout's Silver award, the highest award a Cub can get.
The ten-year-old is the first Cub Scout at the 3rd Ongar Cubs to win the award, which very few across the country have ever achieved.
A special ceremony was held at the Kelvedon Hatch-based Rope Runners, a highwire course, and the District Commisioner came down to do the honours.
Ivor said: "It was hard work but it was really fun. It was good when I was given the badge."
The younger of two sons, Ivor will now move up into the Ongar Scouts.
He added: "I am really looking forward to it."
Ivor's mother, Tanya Welford, could not have been prouder.
She said: "He is so ambitious and obviously I am really proud of him.
"He just tries everything.
"He volunteers to run stalls to raise money for charity, and he goes camping whenever he can.
"I am very lucky."
The 44-year-old, whose older son Oscar was also a Cub, explained how Ivor has been all the way through the system from Beavers when he was younger.
"He was at Beavers before he became a Cub and now, after a few taster sessions, he is moving on to the Scouts.
"Children need to do the things they do at Scouts, they need to be outside and away from the computer screen as much as possible. Luckily, we are blessed in Ongar as the Scouting organisation in the town is very good, but I know some places – as in Ongar before – don't have the provision."
Mrs Welford added she was very thankful to Lisa Portman, known to Ivor as Akela.
She said: "She puts so much into the Cub Scouts – we need people like her."
Ms Portman, who has been with the Cub Scouts since stepping in to stop the pack's closure in 2006, said: "Ivor is just incredible, he throws himself into everything and just has to do as much as he can.
"We are very proud of him and it is amazing that he has won this award. He already has an armful of other badges.
"We wish him the best of luck in the Scouts, and the remaining Cubs will miss him.
"He was a Sixer, which meant he was in charge of his Six – he led by example."
