I knew Dave Burton from an early age, when I was 12  maybe. He was in charge of the then Skip and Steve, (he was Group Scout Leader) so he must have been important. He came to our Friday night scouts sessions and he knew lots of knots. I knew him as a person who was always happy; always smiling and laughing and always had time to listen. He had the patience to teach me the one handed bowline. In the 1980s all I knew was football and Scouts. I was lucky enough to travel with the Scouts, inspired by Dave and team. The Scouts opened up a new world to young people, with Aled and myself attending the 15th World Scout Jamboree in Alberta Canada. Dave led a group of people to have a very successful scout unit and gave an opportunity to young people from the age of 8 to 18. His contributions to many went unnoticed. He always had time for young people. Dave always had a positive outlook on life. He was all about aspirations and getting the best out of people and situations, with many of us achieving our Queen’s Scout and Duke of Edinburgh awards. I will miss seeing him around the village and the lovely chats we would have in the street.   Diolch Dave,  you did so much for so many of us.

Skip introduced me to the idea of a world scout jamboree at my very first explorers meeting, and encouraged each of us to apply, attend, and have an amazing experience. He helped myself and the others from Bryn Y Pys along every step of the journey, with fundraising and many other preparations. The experience is one I shall never forget, and that wouldn't have been possible without him. He was an inspiration to myself and many others, and his enthusiasm for trying new things and helping others having amazing experiences is something that I will always remember and aspire to achieve myself.

Skip will be greatly missed by all of us at Bryn-Y-Pys Explorer Scouts. It just won't be the same without his stories, his sense of humour and his wealth of knowledge. A truly great guy.

We hope that you find this tribute to Skip a place of comfort, support and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.