A dedicated scout leader said it was "a great personal honour" to carry the Olympic torch through Barking and Dagenham on Sunday.

Malcolm McKee, a group scout leader from Ashtead, was nominated to carry the beacon by one of his colleagues at EDF Energy after hearing stories every Monday morning of his adventurous weekends with the scouts. 

Mr McKee is responsible for 250 young people, aged six to 18, and 30 adult volunteers at the 1st Ashtead (Pelham) Scout Group.

Working in London, he has seen the city prepare for the Games first-hand.

He said: "The Olympics is massively exciting for London and there is a real buzz in the city now.

"I am privileged to have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the biggest thing to happen in London for generations. 

"It is a great personal honour and also recognises the very real contribution that volunteers in scouting make in communities across the UK. 

"We really make a difference to young lives."

He added: "As a young person I got an enormous amount of experience, confidence and maturity from being a scout.

"As an adult, I continued to learn outdoors skills like camping, hiking and kayaking, but it was while learning bushcraft with Ray Mears’s company that I decided to volunteer with the scouts and pass these skills on."

Mr McKee’s wife, three young sons, friends and family cheered him on as he carried the flame alongside an energetic group of children, leaders, and parents from his scout group.