Southwick’s Beaver colony is back, six months after it was forced to cease due to a lack of leaders.

The group, which for boys aged six to eight, could not re-open after Christmas because a new leader could not be found.

However, Victoria Turner and Karleen Redhead have since come forward and an investiture ceremony for the new leaders took place last Friday.

The Beavers group, which now has 12 members, meets on Friday evenings at the Southwick and North Bradley Scout Group headquarters in Frome Road.

Ted Pomeroy, the Group Scout Leader for the village’s Scouts, said: “It’s taken us nearly six months to find new leaders and get the group going again, but the boys were really proud.”