'The outdoors belong to you as much as anyone else'

Dwayne Fields succeeded Bear Grylls as the UK's chief scout

The UK's chief scout went from "spending every waking moment" outdoors in his native Jamaica as a child to feeling like his "independence was taken" when he moved to London.

Dwayne Fields says he wants to help ensure all young people are able to enjoy the outdoors through the Scouts, particularly those in urban areas like the capital.

The explorer and presenter took on the role as the ceremonial head of the UK's largest youth organisation from Bear Grylls last September.

Fields told BBC London he aims to champion the importance of outdoor skills and make the Scout movement "a family for absolutely anyone".

Having moved to the UK at the age of six, Fields grew up in east and north London.

He said he faced difficulties adapting to life in his early years, particularly at school.

"I struggled in every aspect of school. I couldn't make friends. I struggled to read," he recalled.

Fields attended his first Scouts meeting in Palmers Green, north London, when taken there by chance by his friend's mother.

He said he was initially "terrified" but the promise to "make some friends" was the key for him going inside.

"I never thought I belonged anywhere until the moment I walked into that hut," he said.

The new chief scout wants to expand access to the outdoors

After moving from the area, Fields said he spent years "searching for what I had found in that Scout group, which was friendship, which was the chance to be myself".

He said his youth in London was challenging having experienced street violence and homelessness.

According to reports, he was stabbed twice when he was 19 after an altercation outside a nightclub.

At 21, he says he had a gun pointed at him and only survived because the weapon jammed.

In 2010, Fields went on an expedition to the North Pole - becoming the first black Briton to do so - and has since presented programmes for Channel 5, Disney+ and National Geographic.

He was later invited by the Scouts to become an ambassador for the organisation and held the role for seven years before becoming chief scout.

"If I can do something to say thank you, if I can do something to encourage more people to get involved, if I could do something to encourage more people to volunteer... then absolutely I will," he said.

The explorer said his main goal in the role was to "further the movement to get scouting in areas where it wasn't before".

'Told to stay inside'

"I had lots of access to outdoor spaces," Fields said, reflecting on his early childhood in Jamaica.

"If I wanted to swing, I'd climb that tree or throw a rope up over the tree, tie it, and you know, I was very hands on.

"I remember when I first came to the UK, it wasn't the same."

The adventurer said he was "told to stay inside" and the natural world was "no longer accessible".

As well as improving health, Fields said the outdoors could foster confidence and teamwork among young people.

"Many young people now don't necessarily see themselves as belonging in spaces like this," he added.

"This field, this forest, this woodland, this green space, this tree, these logs. They belong to you just as much as they belong to anyone else."