New town of tents built in a week for Scouting Jamboree
As thousands of youngsters descended on Detling for the Kent International Scouting Jamboree, reporter John Nurden dug out his woggle to see what camping with the pack is like in the 21st century...
Acomplete town of tents with its own running water and miles of electrical cable was created for the Kent International Scouting Jamboree. Axe-throwing, shooting arrows, firing guns, driving cars across fields and riding in a 4x4 through woodland replaced pens of sheep and cattle normally associated with the county showground at Detling between Maidstone and Sittingbourne.
Thousands of youngsters were camping under canvas last week from across Kent, including Sheppey, Medway, Canterbury and Ashford, along with visitors from the rest of Britain and abroad.
There were still campfire songs but there were also dodgems, an outdoor cinema, a stage for live bands and a giant screen so jubilant youngsters could witness the England Lionesses beat Germany 2-1.
This was camping in the 21st century with all mod cons.
It had been a massive operation to put it all together. Services manager Kevin Filmer from Boughton Monchelsea spent the previous week overseeing the arrival of 27 toilet trailers, 12 shower blocks, 115 rubbish skips, the laying of seven miles of electrical cable and two miles of water pipe.
He spent £150,000 buying or renting marquees and tracked down Sittingbourne firm FloGas to provide all the gas cylinders for cooking. “They were the only ones able to do it,” he explained.
There was a fully functioning control room led by Simon Rosenberg of Ashford, whose team monitors CCTV safety cameras 24-hours a day, and a dedicated hospital under the watchful eye of clinical lead Adam Waller.
Camp director Andy Trill from
Herne Bay said: “We have about 3,500 young people aged from 10 to 18. About half of them come from Kent, another 30% from the rest of the UK and the rest from abroad.
“We have 29 countries represented here, including Canada, Brazil, Egypt, the Middle East, a number of African nations and middle Europe.”
He added: “Language doesn’t tend to be a problem. A lot of countries speak English and, in the Scouting way, we find ways of communicating and getting through barriers. This is very much about making new friends, learning about how other communities and faiths work and seeing how the world can come together.”
More than 100 activities were on offer including yoga, a history of scouting, a First World War trench experience, archery, 4x4 rides, axethrowing, shooting, mountain biking, climbing, inflatables and a science zone. Each day, 1,000 are ferried off site in a fleet of coaches to explore other parts including Dover Castle, Canterbury, Hastings and London.
The 4x4 trek through the trees proved particularly popular.
County Commissioner Dean Harding from Gillingham said: “Scouting has been evolving since 1907. In fact, Monday was our 115th birthday. But we have had to learn to work in different ways because of Covid. We had to take a lot of activities online.”
This is the seventh year in its current format. It is normally held every four years but was delayed in 2021 because of the pandemic. A
boost from Kent County Council’s Reconnect Fund has helped make this year’s Jamboree a reality and keep fees down.
Mr Harding said: “Scouting is all about giving young people skills for life but they are different from BadenPowell’s day, although traditional skills like knot-tying still have a place.”
So, do they still chant DYB, DYB, DOB?
“No,” said Mr Harding, with a smile. “Do Your Best is something young people in Scouts do anyway and is a key part of our Promise.
Scouting has moved on and is now