Chief Scout celebrates 20 young people as his 2026 Unsung Heroes

Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields has honoured 20 young Scouts from across the UK with his Unsung Heroes Awards. They recognise extraordinary acts of kindness, bravery and selflessness in local communities.

Maya Hussain Khalid has raised over £50,000 for various charities since 2021Chosen from hundreds of nominations, this year’s recipients are a group of remarkable young people making a real impact. Together, they’ve helped to save lives, raised over £50,000 for charitable causes, and offered hundreds of hours to volunteering in their local communities.

The Chief Scout’s Unsung Heroes Awards are open for nominations from volunteers across the UK Scout Movement, recognising young people aged 4 to 24, from Squirrel Scouts to Scout Network.

This prestigious award celebrates young people who put the skills, values and confidence developed through Scouts into action, making a positive difference to others.

Nominations are submitted by Scouts volunteers, with recipients selected by a panel of volunteers led by the Chief Scout and UK Youth Lead, Ayesha Karim.

Joshua Fuller committed to sleeping outdoors for over two years to raise £10,000 for hospice care

Quick thinking and compassion

Among this year’s recipients are examples of quick thinking and compassion, such as Conor Tuohy (6), who used skills from his Emergency Aid badge to save his mother’s life when she was choking.

Meanwhile, Joseph Parkes-Hatley (22) made a life-saving decision to stop at the scene of a road collision and support two seriously injured passengers until help arrived.

Community action

Others have channelled their determination into challenges and community action. These include Joshua Fuller (12), who committed to sleeping outdoors every night for over two years (so far!) to raise £10,000 for hospice care in honour of his grandparents and Maya Hussain Khalid (17) who has raised over £50,000 for various charities since 2021 through annual Ramadan challenges, fitting in daily fundraising efforts around fasting, school and exams.

Katie Thomas (10) showed leadership and courage beyond her years, taking charge of a group of younger children to make sure they got home safely after they were left without adult supervision.

Katie Thomas took charge of a group of younger children to make sure they got home safely

Courage, kindness and care for others

These inspiring stories of our Unsung Heroes reflect Scouts at its best: helping young people find a place to belong, gain the skills, confidence and resilience to act and make a positive difference in their communities.

‘I’m incredibly proud of our Unsung Heroes 2026,’ said Dwayne Fields, Chief Scout. ‘Each of them has shown real courage, kindness and care for others. They’ve stepped up and made a difference when it mattered most. They truly represent what Scouts is about: building skills, using them to do good in the world, giving everyone a place to belong. Earning an Unsung Heroes Award is an incredible achievement. Thank you and well done to each of them for inspiring us and giving back to their communities.’

The awards were presented at a special ceremony held at the home of Scouts, Gilwell Park, in northeast London attended by recipients’ families, friends and fellow Scouts.

Thank you to all our volunteers who nominated young people this year, and to our generous supporters. The awards are kindly supported by the Vasey Family Trust and players of the Postcode Lottery.

A group of Unsung Heroes, all wearing uniform and standing outside, smile at the camera

20 young Scouts have been recognised for their extraordinary acts of kindness, bravery and selflessness