Four Explorer Scouts from Dunstable district have just received a royal accolade from Buckingham Palace after becoming the first Queens Scouts in the district for over six years. The prestigious awards, the pinnacle of Scouting, come with an invitation for all four to attend the St George’s parade at Windsor Castle on Sunday 25^th April.

The top performing four are Tom Rochester, 18 and Ian Wilson, 17 from Dunstable and Olivia Calloway, 20 and James Lake, 19 from Edlesborough. Each Scout had to handle six tough challenges to reach the high standard required for the award. The list included service, a sport, environment, a skill, an expedition and a four day, 50-mile hike. It took them almost four years to complete.

For their sports challenge Tom and Ian joined their school Badminton Club and even played in international matches. Then for 10 days in 2008 they led a team of Explorer Scouts on an expedition to the Bavarian mountains. The following year they hiked the entire 84-mile length of Hadrian’s Wall in a gruelling six days. They admitted it was exhausting but thrilling.

Tomboy Olivia joined the rough and tumble of her local women’s rugby football team and helped them win several matches. But she admitted that her favourite challenge was the fortnight she spent at Lochearnhead on the seven-mile long Loch Earn with spectacular views of The Trosssachs. She said, “I joined a West Herts team to sail around and explore this fantastic area. My hike was tough. The Scottish mountains rise to over 3000 feet and it rained non-stop. It was the hardest four days of my life. But what an achievement.”

Young leader James is another outdoor type. He spent a week last year on a sheep farm in Somerset helping with the lambing. “Lots of early mornings and late nights,” he says. His big adventure was a 100-miles canoe trip down the river Severn where he and his colleagues had to take everything they needed in the tiny space just big enough for a rucksack. He said, “It was wild camping just like Bear Grylls in his survivor series.”

For service and environment all four helped with their local Cub Scout Packs and have introduced them to woodland conservation to support the local wildlife. As James said, “We found out what was needed and went ahead to impress on our Cubs the importance of continuing to preserve our surroundings.”

Tom, Ian and James have enjoyed the fun and adventure of Scouting since they were six years old when they were still in the 20^th century. For Olivia the transition was something of a eureka moment. She started as a Brownie Guide at the age of seven but she admits, “I was hooked three years later when I went to help at Beavers with my mum. I took one look and decided I wanted some of that. I fell in love with the fun and all the wonderful outdoor activities.

Now undergraduates studying law, physics and history, Tom, Ian, Olivia and James are busy polishing their shoes and getting their uniform in order to make a good impression at the parade in Windsor. They said, “You only get one chance at this so it’s important to get it right.” And they have this message from the Queen on their royal certificates to remind them: “I wish you God-speed on your journey through life; may it prove to be a joyous journey.”    

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