British astronaut Tim Peake, who was the first Britton to land on the International Space Station (ISS), recently enjoyed a visit Haywards Heath, West Sussex. There, he officially opened a brand new scout hut. The event brought joy and inspiration to approximately 50 scouts aged four to 14 from the Fifth Neighbours East Scout group, who gathered to witness the momentous occasion.
Peake, who is 53 years old and hails from Chichester, made headlines during his six-month mission in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first Briton to conduct a spacewalk. In remarks during the ceremony, he credited the local grassroots community. Their phenomenal fundraising efforts helped them to raise in excess of £850,000 to construct the new centre!
“It was really important to get involved with [the] guys because that’s where my journey started, you know, getting exposed to the great outdoors, meeting other people,” Peake stated. He pressed on about the value of the skills he learned as an eagle scout. He noted that qualities such as resilience and teamwork were invaluable once he was up in space.
Peake painted a beautiful picture of life onboard the ISS. From batteries to pencils and pens, he told us how everyday items floated by him during his spacewalks. Photo Credit: NASA TV He touched on some of his favorite meals from space, including bangers and mash and chicken curry.
The unveiling of a plaque marking the new scout hut during the opening ceremony. Even more recently, Peake fired up the innovative young scouts even more by answering their questions about life in space.
And all those skills that are so important in everybody’s life about how you get on with other people, how you build teams, how you communicate together, work together, make decisions… that’s what scouts does. It’s all of these principles of scouting, reinforced, and reminding you why we scout truly matters,” Peake added.
In a jest that signaled the playful nature of the proceedings, Peake had one unexpected line ready. Before the opening, he joked that he’d forgotten his scissors in his car. Despite the fanfare, his performance was a reminder of why scouts were “over the moon” to have him in attendance.
Mark Schofield, an adult leader in the Fifth Neighbours East Scout group, was appreciative of Peake’s visit to help inspire young people. “We made an extra effort for Tim just because we’re so grateful for him to be here,” he said.