A COLONY of badge-collecting Beavers dropped into 10 Downing Street as part of a clean water campaign.

Members of the 30th Abingdon Beavers were inspired by water and sanitation charity WaterAid and voiced the cause to MPs.

The youngsters made the trip to the Prime Minister's home as part of the Scout Association's scheme A Million Hands, which encourages Scouts and Beavers across the country to support social issues.

Parliamentary under secretary of state Rob Wilson, who attended the reception earlier this month, said: "A Million Hands has been incredibly successful in mobilising young people to engage in social action.

"The Scouts are doing a brilliant job creating opportunities for young people to have a positive impact on their community while developing vital skills for life. We know social action can make a real difference and I want to ensure all young people regardless of their background have the opportunity to do the same."

The Beavers chose to investigate the issue of clean water and collected 1p and 2p coins to help fund a new toilet in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In summer they visited science labs at Abingdon School to experiment with water purification techniques, and learnt about the importance of clean hands by using glitter to show how germs transfer during a handshake.

Jack Abrey, chair of the Scout Association's community impact group, said: "It's been a privilege to work with thousands of my fellow Scouts to take decisive action on four of the biggest social issues of our time. I really believe that with A Million Hands we can change the world."

As part of the campaign the Beavers also made a video describing what they had learnt.