Three Scouts from Bedfordshire have been chosen from Scouting’s 100,000 adult volunteers to represent the UK at the 22^nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden in 2011. As well as being a fantastic opportunity for young people, the event is an amazing chance for these adults to be part of the 500-strong International Support Team.  The team are the volunteers who will make the Jamboree happen, and their theme is “Contribute, Develop, Inspire”. This is exactly what they will do for the 30,000 Scouts at the event.

The three lucky individuals are Lucy  Onyango, 17 from Silsoe, Katy Eagle, 20 from Bedford and Ed Jenns 24 from Riseley.  Attending the Jamboree is the opportunity of a lifetime for these Scouts as well as three others from the Luton area who are all part of the select group of volunteers. Not only will they get to meet 30,000 people from nearly every country in the world - and share their knowledge and experiences whilst working towards greater international understanding - this Jamboree also offers them the chance to learn new skills that they can use in other aspects of their life.

At the event, the three Scouts will be close to nature, living in wild Scandinavian grassland surrounded by trees and woodlands for the two weeks the Jamboree runs. Nature is a key theme and the Jamboree programme will use the natural environment as a learning tool, demonstrating both its vulnerability and what individuals can do to better protect the world we live in.

Lucy has had a roller coaster ride over the last 18 months as a Young Spokesperson for the Scouts in the county and nationally. She said, “Last year I appeared on breakfast television with Peter Duncan and met the new Chief Scout Bear Grylls at a clandestine camp before he was appointed.” She added, “Later I met Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace where I demonstrated Scouting skills, quizzed MP Ed Milliband about global warming and introduced Ian Hislop to an audience of top industrialists at a fund raising event. I enjoy the thrill of water sports and go mud bathing at our annual camp. It’s great to be part of such an adventurous crowd.”  She admits that she came to Scouts in her early teens after a spell as a Guide partly because the Scouts have a really challenging programme.

Katy brings considerable international experience to her role. She spent six months looking after orphan children in India. On her return she decided to train as a Hindi translator at university so that she was better prepared when she returns to India after graduation. She has also spent several weeks living rough in Mongolia among the native horse riders.

Ed is an engineer and a blacksmith known for his skills in building automatic toilets. He says with a grin, “Maybe I will need this knowledge in Sweden.” Ed has also travelled the world. He was part of the same team as Katy and admits to sleeping one night on the Great Wall of China. He regularly helps to look after the Scout training centre in Bromham where the woodland needs constant husbandry.

Chief Scout, Bear Grylls said: “Congratulations to Lucy, Katy, Ed  and all the other UK volunteers who have been selected to go on this trip of a lifetime. While lots of people know that Scouting is all about adventure, they often don’t realize that adult volunteers get to do just as much as our young members through their involvement. The World Scout Jamboree is a great example of this. Over the course of the Jamboree they will be able to meet people from around the world, take part in mind blowing adventures and experiences and be challenged to think about global issues in a new light. I wish them all the best and I know they are going to have an amazing time next year”

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