The Duchess of Cambridge paid a special visit to a group of youngsters at a Cub Scout Pack in Kings Lynn on Wednesday evening to celebrate the Cubs' 100th anniversary. Kate, who previously worked as a volunteer with a Cub Scout pack when she and Prince William lived in Anglesey, joined 24 school children all from the Kings Lynn area.
Wearing a turtleneck jumper, Zara khaki jeans, her favourite Really Wild brown boots and the traditional Cub Scout scarf, the 34-year-old Duchess went casual as she interacted with the young crowd. Her brunette tresses were typically glossy, while her pretty facial features were highlighted with subtle tones of make-up, consisting of black eyeliner and a pale pink blush.
Keen to get involved, the mother-of-two happily played parachute games with the children in a bid to develop teamwork and cooperation skills. The Duchess also helped the Cub Scouts celebrate their milestone by decorating cupcakes and cutting a special 100th birthday cake, joining in with an upbeat rendition of Happy Birthday.
"Who wants the pink?" she asked, to which none of the youngsters responded. "No one, it's me then," she said as she tried to create a Cubs 100 decoration on the cupcake.
She also watched as the youngsters took part in an activity focused on respecting yourself and others; the group built a wall of positivity, writing down things they are good at and making promises to help others.
"I'll have a go but I think it'll be a short list!" said Kate, before writing down "bonfire building".
They also played a game to develop trust and confidence in each other, and after Kate helped the schoolchildren learn how to tie a sling - a very important skill that can make a difference in an emergency. Dylan McKenna, nine, from Heacham, Norfolk, put Kate's arm in a sling with the special Cubs 100 scarf.
"It was fun putting her arm in a sling as I was one of the only ones" he said afterwards. "She said I did a good job.
She said 'well done I'm very impressed with this'. She kept the sling on for a wee bit then took it off.
She asked me what badges I got and how much I enjoy cubs.
She was exactly how I expected her to be, really kind, delightful and just a pleasure to be with.
It was great that she came to see us and sing happy birthday."
Alex Peace-Gadsby, the Scout Association's Chief Commissioner for England, who also leads a group of young people in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, welcomed Kate to the event and said: "We're thrilled that the Duchess has been able to join us as we celebrate the Cubs' 100th birthday. We have hundreds of events planned across the United Kingdom, with a chance for each and every one of our 150,000 Cubs to take part.
"We passionately believe that Cub Scouts gives young people the skills they need to succeed in life, helping them develop resilience, self-reliance, confidence and initiative. In fact, recent research has showed that the mental health benefits of participation in Scouting activities in childhood last well into later life. Our challenge as we head into the next 100 years is to ensure that as many young people can take part as possible. Scouting has seen eleven straight years of growth and the only way we can keep pace with demand is to recruit more adult volunteers.
"That's why I'm encouraging adults from all sections of the community to help ensure that the next generation of young people can be Cub Scouts. Not only is volunteering highly rewarding, our adults also learn valuable practical and employability skills themselves."
The official birthday of the Cub Scouts is 16th December, when thousands of Cubs across the country will be renewing their Cub Scout Promise at 19.16. The Cub Scouts was officially founded on 16th December 1916 with a public display at Caxton Hall, London. Within just one year, over 1,000 Cub Packs had been formed, with almost 30,000 young people having joined up. There are now over 150,000 Cub Scouts in the UK.