Edinburgh scout becomes one of four Scots to receive global award

Fraser Dunmore, six, at a scouting event in Edinburgh.

Outdoor enthusiast Fraser Dunmore joined his local scouting group at six-years-old.

Now, 20, Mr Dunmore volunteers as an explorer leader for the scouts alongside working full time in environmental education.

Over the last 14 years the keen outdoorsman has gained numerous badges and passed countless courses.

Fraser Dunmore, 20, clearing Samonberry from Corstorphine Hill in Edinburgh.

Now, the scout has become the first person from the Lothians to receive the Scouts of the World award.

Only three other Scots have received this prestigious award which requires the scout to develop, plan and carry out a sustainability project.

Mr Dunmore has cleared Corstorphine Hill of Rubus spectabilis, commonly called the salmonberry, as his project.

Samonberry is an invasive species of plant from North America which spreads easily across woodlands and wipes out ground flora and native trees.

Fraser Dunmore hopes to encourage others to join their local scouts.

Corstorphine Hill was completely covered by this plant and many native trees have died out in this area.

But after 420 hours of hard labour Mr Dunmore, and a group of 30 local helpers, have successfully cleared the area of most of the Samonberry.

Delighted with the success Mr Dunmore said: “ We have made more space for native plants and are helping keep Scotland’s wildlife happy.

“I have to admit it was a lot of hard work but I am very proud of myself and hope that other people will be motivated to get the award now, it’s such a great thing to do.”

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.