The first national memorial to scouting has been unveiled in Alrewas.

The new scouting memorial
The new scouting memorial
More than 3,000 people visited the National Memorial Arboretum to see the official dedication.

Among them were relatives of scouts who had lost their lives, including Ann McFerran, whose sone Peter was killed in Iraq, and Elizabeth Holmes-Daniels, the sister of Cpl Harvey Holmes who died in Afghanistan.

The idea for the memorial was devised by five 16-year-old Birmingham scouts in 2009 after a visit to the arboretum.

The Scouting Memorial Project was officially launched by a team of youth and adult volunteers in May 2013 and has gone on to receive donations of over £200,000.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.