UK youth groups seek volunteers as parents try to prise children from screens

More than 170,000 children are on waiting lists to join the Scouts and Girlguiding

Youth groups are clamouring for more volunteers amid a rise in the number of parents seeking affordable and sociable outdoor activities for their children away from screens.

Groups including Girlguiding and the Woodcraft Folk are facing substantial unmet demand for their sessions as the Scouts this week said their waiting list has hit a historic high.