SCOUTS from across Flintshire put in over 400 hours of work on community projects as part of their St George's Day Celebrations.

With St George being the patron saint of Scouting, Scouts every year celebrate St George's Day, and this year, Flintshire Scouts decided to do something a bit different with their day.

This is because the Scouts helped out at various community projects across Flintshire, varying from painting walls in play parks, and planting new shrubs in village centres, to litter picking around towns.

Steven Love, Explorer Scout Leader, and one of the organisers of the event, said: “After asking our young members how they wanted to celebrate our Patron Saint it became clear we needed to do something different from the usual parades and church services.

"Listening to their feedback we decided to host our community action sessions and the fun day which have been a real hit with all involved. We are very lucky in Flintshire to have Scout groups in almost every corner of the county, and they are run entirely by dedicated adult volunteers.

"The communities where we are based are extremely supportive and appreciative of the Scouts so it felt right to give something back. Being a Scout is all about developing skills for life and experiencing adventure, the event really encompassed the spirit of this, and proved that now, more than ever, we are really relevant to young people and their development."

One of the communities the Scouts worked in was Penyffordd, where they helped brighten up the local clock tower in the centre of the village as well as clearing weeds and rubble in the British Legion car park.

David Williams, Penyffordd County Councillor, said: “The village scout group recently approached me for ideas on how they could support the community.

"On viewing various possibilities we met with the leaders and together decided to look at the area around the village clock.

"Here they carried out some weeding, and put some new plants and shrubs put in, they also cleared out the flowers boxes in that area, re-stocked them with new plants, and gave them a new lick of paint.

"The work was all carried out to a really high standard and the village is very grateful for the effort of these young people who are a credit to their families, the community and their generation.”