Wsj 2007

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ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
Attended as a day visitor at the World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park in Essex to celebrate 100 years of Scouting yesterday expecting a couple of thousand scouts in a collection of tents playing with their woggles. What I actually got was 30,000 scouts from 180 countries (only six countries of the world not represented, China biggest amongst them) with a site so vast (which will be used for the 'V' festival in 17 days or so time) you couldn't visit it all. The logisitics must have been a nightmare (the toilets certainly were) but it was all very well done on the whole. Quite impressed at the sheer number of countries represented and the impressive number of female venture scouts from Brazil/Spain/Sweden/Croatia [kidding, wife was there].

What I wasn't prepared for was that every contingent had bought bikes with them, even those from overseas (hence fair number of Schwinn bikes from the US, if indeed they came from the US). The organisers had provided pink mountain bikes for use by the workers which were great but for the fact it had been raining and the bikes had no guards. Therefore every user got a muddy back. Not so much 'be prepared' as 'be badly advised'. The other bikes there were much better suited with the step-through upright versions with fat tyres and mud guards winning the day. Huge variety of bikes on site (especially folders) with one country all having the same black folder which was very impressive (must have been the Germans). I suspect the non-racing cycling press could have a field day if anyone attended. A nice compare and contrast of countries bikes article would have gone down very well and the photos would have been good. If there's any 'Cycle' (or equivalent) journalists out there it's not too late; the Jamboree lasts until 8th August.
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
I hope you took a few photos of the bikes so you could post them on here!!!
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
Sad thing is Keith I didn't! Too busy carting my two boys around and the two metric tonnes of food & stuff me missus wants to carry. I wanted to travel light and eat on site (lots of outlets from different countries) but as my 7 year old's favourite saying is "I'm hungry" we took a fridge full. She was right of course it was all gone by the end of the day and it turned quite hot early afternoon so we were grateful for the liquids.
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
I think it's very easy to be cynical Spen and I can't say the military undertones were lost on me especially as a marching group of 6' + Austrian venture scouts went by singing the Horst-Wessel.:thumbsup: It struck me that not so long ago they would have been coming out of the trenches wearing a skull and cross bones. The leather full length ledehosen were particularly unnerving.:thumbsup: Mind you, should we be surprised as the movement was founded by a soldier who completed his draft of 'Scouting for Boys' during the siege at Mafeking.


On the plus side, I didn't see one occurence of bad behaviour yesterday from any scout and I have never seen more helpful role-models, tbh. The minorities, disadvantaged and disabled were all well represented. I could think of worse organisations to be a part of.
 

monnet

Guru
spen666 said:
It is very easy when I was a member for many years :thumbsup:

Bad experience?

I was a member of the scouting movement from 7 to 21 and still regard myself as a scout. It was absolutely brilliant, especially as a teenager. While my school mates were experimenting with anti social behaviour and cider on street corners of an evening and weekend, we were out hiking, climbing, canoeing, abseiling, cycling, caving,the list goes on. Of course we did our fair bit of drinking as we got to that age but as it was in the middle of the fields we weren't intimidating anyone.

Chris, I went to big jamborees in Sweden and Austria (the one in Sweden was half the size of the one in Essex) and I felt a twinge of regret that I've not stayed involved so I could go to the one this year.
 

spen666

Legendary Member
monnet said:
Bad experience?
....

Not at all, I loved my years in cubs and scouts- had great time there
 

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
My son, who is now 19 was in the beavers, then the Cubs, then the Scouts and went on into the Venture Scouts, gaining the top scouting award, The Queens badge. He loved it. It has taught him all sorts of things that may or may not be useful in life, but it has given him confidence to deal with people and situations as they arrive. He also made some very good friends within the Scouting movement
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
It's not too late to visit, monnet, as a day visitor, if you still have the inclination. They're also crying out for Scout leaders and helpers at the moment (at least ones without a criminal record!) and would welcome you back into the fold I'm sure. If I could arrive home earlier in the evenings I would be doing more. My two sons are only Beavers but I'll be encouraging them to move on to Scouting. The eldest will be at Belchamps for the a.m. sunrise celebration on August 1st linked to Brownsea Island, Hylands Park and other locations around the world. You don't forget occasions like that and as I told him, it will be 50 years until the next (big) one.

PS, I believe it's back in Sweden in four years time. See you there?
 

monnet

Guru
Unfortunately I'm in the north west making a day visit difficult, added to which, I'm struggling to write my MA dissertation. Getting involved as a leader is definitely something that I'm thinking of though, and hte incentive of another camp in Sweden, well....could be just the inspiration I needed.
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
I hope everyone dib dib dibbed this morning.

Got up to an empty house as everyone is away at camp celebrating 100 years of Scouting (except my four year old who broke his thumb in a door yesterday and ripped off the nail which had to be sown back onto the nail bedxx(;)).

I wish I could have been at Hylands Park or Brownsea Island today.
 

Fnaar

Smutmaster General
Location
Thumberland
I was asked to leave the cubs.... ;) They (rightly) assumed my main motive for attending was to be in the football team. Took 2 yrs to not get my bronze arrow.
 
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