THOUSANDS of Scouts across Dorset are set to take part in parades tomorrow to commemorate St George’s Day.

Children and their adult volunteers who are part of the Scouting Association will parade through the streets, watched by members of the public in honour of the Patron Saint of Scouting and England.

The parades take place this year after St George’s Day, which was on Tuesday.

The Bournemouth parade will form up at 10am from Durley Chine clifftop before moving off at 10.30am.

It will move down the clifftop behind the BIC and through Pier Approach, past Hot Rocks café before going up and through the Pavilion car park. It will then go down Westover Road and turn into the gardens.

Participants will then congregate in front of the bandstand.

Poole’s parade will start at 2pm on Poole Quay by the lifting bridge and will see Scouts make their way down the Quay and past the bronze statue of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the scouting movement. Lord Baden-Powell established the first scout camp on Brownsea Island in August 1907 with the sculpture at Poole Quay unveiled in 2008.

A ceremony will then take place at the old lifeboat station where Scouts will renew their Scout Promise.

Christchurch’s parade will also take place from 2pm starting at the Quomps before it makes its way to Christchurch Priory for a special service, which is organised by Mudeford Sea Scouts this year.

After the service, troops will form up in the Priory Gardens, where three Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards and a Queen’s Scout award – the highest award available for someone aged under 25 in Scouting – will be given out.

Brett Jones, district commissioner for Scouting in Christchurch, said: “It is a very important event for us as it is to all the districts in Dorset.

“We are part of the community and it is important for us to be seen by people in Christchurch.

“It raises the profile of young people and Scouting. We always get a very good response from the public.

“The hashtag for Scouting is skills for life and we continue to achieve that.

“At the moment we have 200 young people on a waiting list to join Scout groups. If we had more adult volunteers coming forward we would be able to let more young people get involved and enjoy the experience of Scouting.”