The image of a druid that springs to mind is somewhere between Getafix, the potion-making elder of the Asterix comics, and the New Age travellers who gather for the summer solstice. In any case: bearded, white robed and aged.

But an influx of young (though perhaps still bearded) environmentally minded people attracted by the ancient religion’s emphasis on respect for nature is changing that perception.

Membership of the British Druid Order (BDO) — one of the leading denominations of the religion — has jumped from 3,000 to 7,000 in ten years, Amanda Hart, 48, an elder and a chemotherapy nurse in Devon, said. A few years ago we were concerned about the lack of young people but that is no longer the case.

“Particularly among