Author: Alex Richardson

We are Moot Together!

World Scout Jamboree isn’t the only World Scout event hosted every four years – World Scout Moot gives a jamboree-like experience for the Network age range (18-25) with over 5000 attending from across the world, supported by over 1500 members of IST.

This year Moot went to Portugal – starting on the outskirts of Lisbon, the participants split up into 118 different paths across the whole country – with some travelling as far as Madeira – spending time exploring Portuguese culture and making new friends. As for the IST, some went with the paths to support them, while others continued to Cortegaça, a small village south of Porto (the Moot tripled its population while they were there!)

For the participants and IST, it was the adventure of a lifetime. Making lifelong friends from across the world (otherwise known as finding free accommodation for your next holiday) and diving straight into an amazing cultural experience, the contingent team were delighted to see them engage with the Moot so well.

The fun doesn’t stop here for the UK Contingent team though. They’ll be spending the next few months reviewing what went right (and what went left wrong) and passing that along to those going to Poland and Taiwan.

As for Matt, he hasn’t decided where his next adventure will be, but for now he’ll be working with the Cubs team here at Gilwell.

But of course, it wouldn’t be a Moot reunion without the Moot Song. It’s irritatingly catchy!

A Reunion under the Family Tree

It’s not every day that you get to invest a new member to your Scout Group, but it’s even rarer to invest someone into the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group, with membership reserved to adult members who have completed their Wood Badge.

Today we met under The Gilwell Oak for a very special investiture: David Baden-Powell, 5th Baron Baden-Powell (great-grandson of Sir Robert Baden-Powell) who was invested to the group by members of his family: Gill and Robin Clay and Annarella Prime, who started the proceedings with:

“Normally I would say a spiel of ‘are you ready to join’ and all that, but I think we all know he is!”

Historically, the wood beads that are awarded were made from the branches of The Gilwell Oak – a practice that the tree clearly wanted us to resume, given it dropped two branches on us throughout the presentation! In David’s case however, he was presented with his dad’s wood beads in his honour.

“If Dad was here… He’d be absolutely stoked. I love it here – it truly feels at home. Thank you all for coming and I look forward to having a beer with you all tonight!”

It was at this point that the group burst out into song, for it is traditional (apparently) to sing Back to Gilwell – also known as The Wood Badge Song – when investing someone into the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group. (Although they could have just wanted to get some practice in before campfire…)

As for what Dave’s doing next? More of the same – volunteering with his Venturers (Explorers) back in Melbourne. He doesn’t see earning his Wood Badge as the end of anything, he’s a firm believer in continuing to put in the work to become a better and better Scout leader. “I see it more as a recognition of ‘you’re doing a good job as a leader, keep on doing it!’”

London Calling!

A lot of things are happening in 2027 – it’s the 120th Anniversary of Scouts, 20 years since the 2007 World Scout Jamboree in Essex and of course the 26th World Scout Jamboree in Poland will take place over the summer.

But something that might have flown under your radar is that the UK won the bid to host the 44th World Scout Conference, the first to be held in the UK since 1979 and the first in London since the first ever World Scout conference back in 1920.

Held every three years, the conference is an opportunity for the 176 National Scout Organizations (NSOs) to come together. Many resolutions will be proposed before the conference, covering important policies and standards to shape the future of the Scout Movement. But the conference also decides the host nations of future World Scout Events, including Jamborees and Moots.

Unfortunately, the World Scout Conference is a very exclusive party – with each of the 176 NSOs only allocated a handful of Delegates to vote on behalf of their nation. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can get involved!

The conference will, of course, need plenty of helping hands to make sure everything runs smoothly, so the team are looking to recruit volunteers for the delivery team over the next few months. If you’re interested and would like to find out more, you can express your interest here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/ff02eb2a6997448e836ec6835905b039

The team also hope to make the 44th World Scout Conference the most inclusive and accessible yet, and so they’ve set up a solidarity fund to help support participants from other countries who may find attending the conference financially challenging. If you would like to donate to this fund, click here to find out more: https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/international-scouts-and-events/44th-world-scout-conference/

If you donate more than £100 you can become a Friend of the Conference, with benefits including updates from the Delivery Team and an exclusive Friends of the Conference Pin Badge.

You can also donate cash – the team are collecting cash of any currency, old or new, which will be converted to GBP and used to support the fund. If you have any coins you would like to donate, speak to the team in the international tent, or send them an email at support@scouts.org.uk for more information.

If you’d like to find out more about the conference, Michelle invites you to have a go at their human fruit machine down in the international tent!

Welcome to the 100th minus 1 Gilwell Reunion!

(That’s the 99th Gilwell Reunion for the non-mathematicians in the field.)

These were the words of Sam Morris, our Camp Chief for the weekend as he opened the camp this evening following a spectacular performance from The UK Classic Rock Experience.

Carl Hankinson also made an appearance with a “curly whoop with a chocolate” – whatever that means – and a promise of dry weather and good company. Not sure if either of those are going to be possible, but with people here from Scouting associations across the world, we at least stand a chance!

Carl quickly handed over to Aiden Jones – who was elected as our Chief Executive back in October – made a point to remind us that Reunion is not, in fact, a sentient beast and does require a huge amount of people behind the scenes who make it possible, who we are of course immensely grateful to.

Nathan Heath from the UK Youth Team also made an appearance, being welcomed to the stage with great cheers from the “under 25s” in the audience. Reunion is always a great opportunity for the “adults” to learn how and where they can get involved, and to show just how powerful they can be as a group.

But the overall message was simple: enjoy your weekend, recharge your batteries, make new friends and in the words of Aiden, “make contact” with one another. (And don’t forget, it’s Carl’s fault if it rains!)

KISC Back and Relax!

Make the World Scout Centre your next adventure! While Gilwell Reunion may be over, if you’re looking for your next adventure, why not consider the Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) in Switzerland?

As the only World Scout Centre and being run entirely by volunteers, KISC welcomes Scouts of all ages – adults included! Whether you fancy bringing your group, doing a reccy or just coming as a group of friends for a Scouting holiday in the Swiss Alps, KISC is here to welcome you!

KISC is open all year round, with plenty to do every season! In the summer that means beautiful hikes, lakes to swim in, water activities, mountain tubing, canyoning, paragliding, cycling, climbing, sight seeing and of course meeting Scouts from around the world!

In the Winter, you could learn to ski or snowboard (or put your skills to the test!), go sledding, venture out on winter hikes, snow shoe around the countryside on special winter paths, go curling or skating on the lake, build igloos, try out cross country skiing, have snowball fights and join together around the campfire even in the snow!

Consider visiting for New Year’s at KISC to welcome in not only 2024, but also the end of KISCs 100th year around the fire holding hands with Scouts from around the world!

Tempted? Just take a look at https://KISC.ch or drop us an email at info@kisc.ch to find out more, or visit ISSU at https://www.issu.org.uk/ to find out how the International Scout Support Unit can help make KISC your next and greatest international adventure!

Penguins, attention! Penguins, read!

A true menagerie of creatures came out of the gutters for the traditional Saturday night campfire this year. From flies to penguins and even the occasional brontosaurus (with a swishy tail) it was certainly a night to remember.

Of course, we weren’t alone around the campfire circle, with thousands of viewers from across the world joining us for the night through the power of the internet as we climbed onto pirate ships, yodelled like Austrians and conducted our barnyard orchestra.

As the night drew in, our gibberish took to new heights with a chorus of Ging Gang Googlie, before taking a chance to think about the good times – and the not so good times – through the Scouting (or Guiding) Spirit.

Rounding out the evening, Gill Clay took to the firelight to lead us through her rendition of Walk in the Light, as she reminisced on her time in Africa, waving the African guides off as they bundled onto a truck to summer camp.

Roverway: North of the Ordinary

After a rather eventful summer, what’s next for the UK Contingent team? Roverway!

Yes that’s right, we’re off to Stavanger, Norway with our biggest Roverway contingent ever – 550 participants aged 16-22 and over 100 IST travelling together for 11 days of Norwegian adventure.  

Martyn, a member of the Contingent Management Team, could barely contain his excitement as the contingent charges full-sails-ahead towards the jamboree, gleefully showing off their brand-new hoodies and t-shirts, complete with Viking-inspired logos.

Of course, we can’t talk about future contingents without acknowledging the challenges experienced in Korea, but the team is keen to incorporate those lessons into their strategy as they look to the adventures ahead.

Be sure to subscribe to the UK Contingent socials to keep up-to-date on this adventure, as the Roverway team are in charge now, with some “top secret” details coming soon to a feed near you!

Just Plane Sailing

It was on June 10th, just before her 86th birthday, that Gill Clay – granddaughter of our founder – undertook her maiden flight.

Standing on top of the plane.

Yes Gill, inspired by her sister in law’s mother, decided to raise funds for Gilwell Park and 1st Cowbridge Scout Group to celebrate her Silver Wolf Award, The Scouts’ highest award. She’s raised over £3100 so far, but is hoping to reach her goal of £3500 by the end of September. 

But this was far from her first daring adventure. From 60mph zip lines to leaps of faith, Gill is no stranger to high velocity, high altitude action. And so what’s up next? “I’d like to go on another wing walk. One that goes up to 3000ft and does loop-the-loops!”

If you would like to support Gill’s cause, you can donate at her JustGiving page: justgiving.com/campaign/silverwolfwingwalk

Welcome to Gilwell Reunion 2023!

Gilwell Reunion 2023 – the largest Reunion for 5 year – officially kicked off this evening on The Training Ground. Matt Hyde, CEO for The Scouts, was up first, asking us all to “gather nearer” and use our phone torches to illuminate him, due to the lack of lighting. He reflected on the difficult summer many have had and congratulated Scouts for “making the right decisions, keeping people safe and carrying on”.

Sam Morris, our Camp Chief, was up next, talking us through the exciting programme for the weekend, including the new Inclusion Zone as well as old favourites such as the International Zone. He was quickly followed by Ayesha Karim, UK Youth Commissioner, who warned us of the Youth Team’s selfie frame and that we may remember none of this by Monday.

Finally, Carl Hankinson, UK Chief Commissioner, took to the stage, who thanked us all for what we do before declaring Reunion open!

Scouts Own – a Chance to Reflect

Scout’s Own. A moment of calm, a time to reflect on everything we’ve done together over the last weekend. Why we belong to this great movement, what binds us all together, what we have in common.

These were Ayesha’s themes for Scouts Own this year, inspired by the late MP Jo Cox in her maiden speech to parliament: “we have more in common than that which divides us.”

There are three things we all have in common as Scouts: our values, our promise and our scarf.

Scarf. Necker. Neckie. So many different patterns and designs, it shows we belong to one family. Every scarf has a story, a reason for its being, and we heard five such stories today. From the tartans of Scotland to the wildlife of Brazil, every necker has a story to tell, a reason for being unique.

Scouts are also connected by our values – the very fundamentals of Scouting. Each speaker this afternoon explored a different value, allowing us to reflect upon its importance.

Our first speaker Andrew Sharkey, Chief Commissioner of Scotland, spoke on Integrity. “When we act with integrity, we inspire other people to the same. We are all role models for our young people and for each other.”

Gee, an Scout Adventures volunteer at Gilwell Park, reflected on Respect. “Listening to each other is the best way to show respect. Just by listening to each other, you care about what they’re saying and you show them that they are welcome wherever they are. “

Next, we heard from CJ, about caring. “When we each all show care and kindness, something truly remarkable happens: everyone around us feels better. We feel like we’re welcome, that we’re safe and we belong.”

Craig Turpie, our Deputy UK Chief Commissioner (Transformation) was greeted to the stage to talk about belief. “Understanding our beliefs is one part of discovering our own identities […] Scouts is a safe place to be while we make these discoveries. It’s a place to belong; no judgement, no pressure and all the help we need to find our place in the world.”

Last but not least we Marina Kruger, another Scout Adventures volunteer, spoke about cooperation. “When we cooperate, we make a really positive difference. We make friends, and that’s all Scouts is about, right? Teamwork.”

Finally, of course, Scouts are connected by our promise, a celebration of the values we follow. As is traditional, attendees were given the chance to renew their promise, before bidding farewell to their friends and embarking on their journeys home.

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