Lewis Howe is becoming so famous, maybe William and Kate were excited to meet him.
North east Scout Lewis Howe has been to Downing Street and COP26 in the past few weeks, making quite a name for himself.
And while in Glasgow, he met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to discuss his pioneering food waste idea.
The 12-year-old chatted with William and Kate in his role as a One Step Greener ambassador.
The Mearns Academy pupil, a member of 1st Laurencekirk Scouts, came up with an idea to repackage unused food and give to those in need.
He had already discussed this at Downing Street and hopes to roll out the project.
But what did he think of the royals?
‘They were really interested’
Lewis seemed impressed with William and Kate.
He said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were really interested in my project and asked lots of questions.”
“They knew I had cycled 5km for 50 days during lockdown to raise money to put towards an end of lockdown activity, so we talked about that.
Lewis shows the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge his badges.
“They asked me what badge was the hardest to earn and I said it was my environmental.
“We made seed bombs and spread them in the grass. It was great to meet them, they were very nice and it was a fun afternoon.”
‘A shining example’
Kate, 39, who is joint president of the Scouts, jokingly threatened to slap her husband’s face with her dirty gloves. They were making wildflower seed-bombs with the youngsters.
While making vegetarian burgers with the boys, William asked if they had ever tried one before and whether they liked them more than meat burgers.
Meanwhile, Kate, wearing a Scout neckerchief, helped to prepare ingredients. She asked the boys: “Do you get enough veg at school?”
The couple helped the youngsters tighten bike brakes and fix loose handlebars before joining the children mixing flour, soil and wildflowers into seed-bombs, which they threw at a grassy bank to encourage natural growth.
‘A true role model’
Lewis’s Scout leader Paul Quigley expressed pride on behalf of the group.
He said: “The fact Lewis has taken on this challenge on his own personal initiative shows that he is keen and passionate about climate change and reducing food waste.
“Lewis is a true role model for young people and even us as leaders to keep learning and improving the world around us by our actions.”
Regional commissioner for North-east Scotland Scouts, Dougie Simmers said: “Lewis has worked exceptionally hard to drive his initiative through from an idea right through to clear action.
“Using the skills learned during his time with Laurencekirk Scouts, Lewis is a shining example of what it means to live by our organisation’s values and how we, as an organisation, help young people to do more, be more and share more by giving them the skills needed for life.”
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