A SCOUT group have won an award after surviving 24 hours in the woods on their own.

A group of five from the 1st Theydon Garnon Scouts came first in the competition, which took place on Saturday, February 4.

To win the annual competition, the group, which was made up of five boys aged 10 to 13, worked together to build a shelter, cook themselves food and secure their camp with only a piece of rope and a sheet of tarpaulin.

Jacqui Mortimer, scout leader, has been competing in the competition for years, finishing third on a number of occasions.

She said: “I was totally elated when they won. They are very good and I’m quite competitive.”

The team were competing against 29 other groups, each with five members.

During the 24 hours, the scouts had to deal with rain throughout the day, before the temperature dropped to below freezing during the night.

One of the tasks was to make some gadgets to help them get through the night. Jacqui said: “They skinned a rabbit all by themselves and had rabbit sausages for dinner. They cooked them in a cardboard oven.”

The team were led by Ben Roberts, with Dan Padian, Henry Davies, Alfie Williams, and Tommy Somers.

The scout leader takes part in this competition every year, training her team for up to four weeks training before the event. At the end of the event, everyone gets together to celebrate.

To find out more or get involved with the 1st Theydon Garnon scouts, visit: www.scouts.org.uk.