Scouts are prepared for a celebration

Members of the 248th Scout Group celebrating their 90th anniversary

A SCOUT group is celebrating 90 years of “dib, dib, dobbing” and is appealing for old photographs.

The 248th Scouts, based in Derby Street, Failsworth, will be celebrating on Sunday next week when its 85 members will gather for a service at Hope Methodist Church, Oldham Road, at 10.30am followed by the group’s annual meeting and a barbecue.

Group leader Stan Shepherdson (67), of Stansfield Road, joined the cubs in 1951 before becoming a scout leader when he was only 17.

The father-of-four and grandfather-of-seven has stayed with the scouts ever since, as have members of his family including his eldest daughter, who is a county training leader.

Mr Shepherdson said: “There is a lot of interest in our scout group at the moment because we’ve got some great leaders.

“If you’ve got the right type of leaders, that creates the interest among the children. We’re also a very outdoors group and do a lot of camping and activities.”

One of the group’s leaders Ray Wood (50) recently joined 22 leaders from across Greater Manchester for a fortnight in Kenya restoring the grave of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the movement.

Mr Shepherdson said: “Scouting makes children better people, it gives them independence, teaches them how to look after themselves and be a good person.

“That’s the core of the scouting movement, and I hope we are still here in another 90 years time.”

Mr Shepherdson is appealing for anyone with old photos of the group to contact him on 0161-681 7292.