Matthew Johnson tries out his pioneering skills

Bedfordshire’s 36 Jamboree Scouts are training for 10-days of 5-star comfort when they travel to the wilds of Sweden next year. With support from the Duke of Bedford, the contingent has been using the grounds of Woburn Abbey to build all manner of shelters, bridges, Welsh dressers and camp fire tripods using nothing more than wooden poles and rope. They discovered that these mod cons required skill, team spirit and just a little brute strength. But the experience will give them a range of self-built structures to make outdoor life comfortable.

The Scouts spent two days at Woburn under the care of pioneering experts Steve Davies, the contingent leader, and Gerry Pope veteran of numerous Jamborees and international camps. This was where the Scouts turned theory into reality.

The tournament raised £320 for the CLIC Sargent charity. It will go towards the total of £150,000 in the nationwide ‘Kick for children with cancer’ event the charity is hosting. Mrs Taylor said, “I am really proud of them. This was a great effort and shows how much these youngsters care for others.”

Matthew Johnson from Dunstable said, “We built a rope bridge strong enough to support us. But the Welsh dresser we constructed out of miles of rope and three dozen logs was something else. No one could move it.” He went on, “We met the Duke of Bedford and he wished us luck. I reckon we’ll need it. I had no idea it was going to be so challenging.”

Jemma Clarke from Biggleswade added, “Most of our camps have been tame affairs compared with this. It will be fantastic to use our fantastic pioneering training next year in Sweden. It’s so cool.”

Jemma Clarke shows a bit of brute strength

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