Devoted Scout leaders with 110 years' combined service are lauded

Rosemary Verner, Mary Adams and Dorothy Parton were all awarded with top-level Scouting awards recently to praise their remarkable commitment to the organisation.

Rosemary, who has been with the Scouts for an impressive 41 years, first joined the Scouts in Northern Ireland in 1978 and has gone on to complete various important leadership roles.

The group secretary for the 1st Woodford Halse Scouts, she now works mostly with adults to provide training for leaders, as well as interviewing prospective new leaders and providing support as a county Scouting administrator.

Rosemary was presented with a Silver Acorn, which is awarded to those with no fewer than 20 years of 'specially distinguished' service.

Mary Adams, who has 34 years of Scouting membership under her woggle, first joined the Daventry Scouts in 1985 before becoming a helper and assistant Cub Scout leader.

She became a group Scout leader in 1995 at the 4th Daventry Scouts and is also a district training adviser and a nights-away assessor.

Mary was awarded the bar to the Silver Acorn, the second highest award available in Scouting. It is given to recognise at least a further five years of similarly distinguished service after the Silver Acorn.

Dorothy Parton, a member of the Scouts for an equally exceptional 35 years, joined the movement as a helper in Long Buckby when her son was in the Cubs back in 1984.

She later became a Cub Scout leader at Flore, a district secretary and an appointments secretary in Daventry for some 25 years.

Dorothy became the group Scout leader in Long Buckby in June 2010, a role she enjoys and still holds, and is also a district training assessor.

She was awarded the Silver Acorn for her many years of specially distinguished service.

All the awards were given out on Friday, April 26, at The Guildhall in Northampton.