Youth groups are clamouring for more volunteers amid a rise in the number of parents seeking affordable and sociable outdoor activities for their children away from screens. Groups including Girlguiding and the Woodcraft Folk are facing substantial unmet demand for their sessions as the Scouts this week said their waiting list has hit a historic high. More than 170,000 people are now on waiting lists to join the Scouts and Girlguiding, implying that unless about 40,000 more adults commit to the “radical act” of volunteering these children will remain unable to take part.