Scouts has announced that adventurer Dwayne Fields, the first black Briton to reach the North Pole, has been appointed as the UK’s chief scout.

He succeeds adventurer and TV personality Bear Grylls, who has been the charity’s chief scout since 2009.

Fields is an explorer who became the first black Briton to reach the North Pole in 2013. He is also a TV personality, having presented shows on Channel 5, BBC One, Disney+ and National Geographic.

He is the charity’s first chief scout of colour and has been an ambassador for the organisation since 2017.

A key part of Fields’ mission will be to attract new volunteers, the charity said, particularly in communities that are new to Scouts.

The charity said Fields will visit these areas to encourage and inspire teams to grow the movement.

Fields was born in Jamaica and came to the UK aged six, where he grew up in inner city London. The charity said that without access to nature, Scouts offered Fields “new horizons”.

Fields said: “Scouts helped shape who I am today and I hope my story will encourage others to join and achieve their dreams. 

“My volunteer leaders believed in me as a young person and taught me to believe in myself. They showed me I could do anything I put my mind to and others would help me along the way.”

Fields said that he wants a new generation to “learn the skills for life, friendship and belonging I felt when I needed them most”. 

He said: “I want to show that the outdoors is a place for all of us to be at our best and truly open to all. I am calling for more volunteers to step up and make a difference to young people’s lives across the country.”

Carl Hankinson, UK chief volunteer at Scouts, said: “A committed scout ambassador since 2017, Dwayne has visited hundreds of Scout groups, events and camps across the UK and internationally. 

“He champions the sense of belonging Scouts gives young people. He is able to reach across generations, to further expand reach across all communities.”

Hankinson said: “He is passionate about encouraging people from all backgrounds to explore nature, support their communities and be the best they can be.”

Sophia Sanyahumbi, an explorer scout aged 17 from south London, said: “I had the pleasure of spending time with him [Fields] this week and can tell he is passionate about making sure more young people get the chance to join the Scouts.

“He talked to me about how scouting gave him a sense of belonging and confidence as a young person and how he intends to create more opportunities for young people from all communities to have the same opportunities as he did.”