Eleven Scouts and three leaders from the 1^st Bedford Scout Group (The Onesters) joined 2,500 others from across the UK to brave the elements in a new year of adventure. The Scouts were attending The Scout Association’s annual Winter Camp and they defied sub zero temperatures to camp at Gilwell Park in Chingford, the home of Scouting and outdoor adventure. The sun shone, the thermometer dipped to below minus 6°C at night and all around the camp site the snow drifted to two foot or more. But the Scouts said, “We hardly noticed the cold. We had so many activities to keep us warm.”

Winter Camp takes place every January and provides the opportunity for all Scouts to take part in over 70 adventurous and fun activities ranging from abseiling to zorbing.  Over 1,800 boys and girls aged between 10-18 along with over 600 adult Leaders enjoyed the experience of sleeping in tents for two nights, cooking on open fires and enjoying a packed programme led by a team of 200 adult volunteers while all around them the frozen landscape had an Arctic look. The Scouts used sledgehammers to knock tent pegs into the frozen ground and, as a finishing touch, added a barrier of snow around the tents to keep the cold out. It made tents warmer than on a summer camp was one comment.

Elliott Wallace, 11 said. “It was great!  For the first time, I experienced climbing, quad biking and riding on a Segway”.  He added “My friends at home were wrapped up by the fire all weekend and think I am mad.  But really it’s great fun and a real laugh. Adventures like this make me feel so alive. My friend Connor Strong and I had a fun time racing on quad bikes in the snow.”

Chief Scout Bear Grylls, who is well known for his adventures around the world, said "Every young person deserves an adventure. It's great to see young people from the Onesters getting stuck  into adventurous activities like Climbing, Abseiling, Quad biking and having a go on the high ropes, all in the coldest month of the year and in truly Arctic conditions."

Sunday evening saw the Onesters travel back home to Bedford. Scout Leader Paul Farrow said “Trying out all these activities with the Scouts was great. As an adult in Scouting I get stuck into all the activities and I have an absolutely fantastic time. So if you fancy climbing or zorbing and want to meet some amazing people why not give Scouting a try?”

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