New Scout badges: Be prepared ... to make a fruit salad

From now on, however, it is more likely to be for skateboarding, racing quad bikes ... and making fruit salad.

The Scout Association is adding 40 badges to its list in the largest-ever overhaul of the movement's activities since it was launched by Lord Baden-Powell a century ago with the motto: Be Prepared.

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The new Scout badges - top row: Health and Fitness, Healthy Eating, Healthy Eating (in colour) and Hobbies. Bottom row: Imagination, Safety, Adventure and Air Activities

Chief Scout Peter Duncan, the former Blue Peter presenter, said he hoped they would help attract more youngsters to the half-a-million-strong movement in the UK.

Among the new badges is an award for healthy eating for Beaver Scouts aged six to eight.

They will need to make a fruit salad, two different sandwiches, healthy snacks such as omelettes or homemade meatballs, and list some unhealthy foods.

Scouts aged ten and above will be given the chance to try parascending - where they wear parachutes and are towed into the air by a cord attached to a vehicle.

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Scouts used to be awarded badges for simple cooking skills and lighting camp fires

They can also earn a badge for street sports, while older Explorer Scouts can take part in motor sports such as karting and quad bike racing.

The new badges are launched this weekend at the Scouts' winter camp at Gilwell Park, East London.