People and Personalities

10-year-old James Ward, of 1st Linslade Scout Group, is only the fourth cub scout in the country to have achieved the remarkable feat of gaining all 33 award badges.

James had to successfully complete a range of tasks in order to gain the badges and secure his name in the Scouting record books, starting only two years ago with a fitness challenge.  This was soon followed by his water activities badge, the stage two swimmers award and a test of James' seafaring skills in a kayak.

James proudly shows off his badges!

To the astonishment of his parents, James even learned horse riding and animal care as he went for his equestrian badge, which he describes as the probably the hardest challenge.

"That's when I knew he was going for the full armful," said his mother Maxine, who has sewn all but one of her son's many badges on to his uniform.

The BBC Three Counties Breakfast team decided to invite this remarkable youngster into their Luton studios to see if James could gain one more award - his Radio Presenter Badge!

James joined our presenter Stephen Rhodes in the studio where Stephen explained how to introduce the programme, read a cue, and even introduce a song track - all LIVE on air!

Listen here to find out how James got on!!

James broadcasts LIVE on the BBC!

James has all 33 Activity badges, six Staged Activity badges and seven Challenge awards. He was awarded the Chief Scout's Silver Award in September 2009, the highest award a cub can get.

Here's the full list.

Activity badges:
Air Activities
Animal Carer
Artist
Astronomer
Athlete
Athlele plus
Book reader
Camper
Chef
Collector
Communicator
Cyclist
DIY
Entertainer
Equestrian
Global conservation
Hobbies
Home help
Home safety
Local knowledge
Map reader
Martial arts
My faith
Naturalist
Navigator
Personal safety
Physical recreation
Road safety
Scientist
Skater
Sports enthusiast
Water activities
World's faiths

Challenge badges:
Promise Challenge Community Challenge Outdoor Challenge Outdoor plus Challenge Creative Challenge
Global Challenge
Fitness Challenge

Staged Activity badges:
Emergency Aid, Musician, IT, Swimmer, Nights Away and Hikes Away.