Poacher 2022 - The Adventure of a Lifetime

It was back in September 2021 that bookings opened up for the Poacher International Jamboree 2022 - The Adventure of a Lifetime - and the prospect of a week-long Scout Jamboree felt almost unimaginable after the impact of the pandemic. Twelve of our plucky Scouts signed up for the Foston and Caythorpe Contingent, four of them still in Cubs at the time, with the anticipation of activities galore and a week away from home feeling a lifetime away.

Fast forward to July 2022; Scouting activities were back to ‘normal’ and the school academic year had finished. That meant only one thing…. Time to pack for Poacher!

On Saturday 31 July parents excitedly and nervously delivered their offspring to Lincolnshire Showground, along with about 6,000 other Scouts and 4,000 volunteer leaders and staff who would also be staying for the week, delivering everything from activities and crafts to three meals (and endless snacks) a day, amazing concerts, rubbish emptying, toilet and shower cleaning and the occasional bit of motivation for homesick and tired Scouts and Explorers.

The Opening Ceremony was amazing; Scouts and Guides were welcomed from 11 countries including Jersey, Canada, Holland and the USA. A truly international affair! Once the formalities were complete, the flags were raised and the camp was declared ‘OPEN’, the fun began! Three bands sang their hearts out on stage – most of the Leaders feeling somewhat old ('Who are they?') while the Scouts partied until bedtime.

Activities started on Sunday. Scouts were randomly allocated tickets for activities throughout the week, with the option to swap with friends or try and pick up different tickets at the Sub-Camp HQ. There were over 150 Adventurous Activities on offer, ranging from climbing, archery, circus skills, bungee trampolines, sailing, scuba diving, roller disco, water zorbs and a trip to the water park. The Craft Village offered loads of activities, including glass engraving, woggle making, quilling, pyrography and making beeswax candles.

As the week went on our Scouts built firm friendships with the Scouts and Explorers from 1^st Foston as well as meeting Scouts and Guides from other Groups across the UK and further afield. Some earned the Poacher Challenge badge. The badge requirements were to complete ten activities ranging from learning CPR, inviting a new friend to tea, performing in front of an audience and taking part in ‘Poacher’s Got Talent’. The evenings were full of fun, with events including watching the UEFA Women’s football final, discos and visits to the on-site funfair. Our four new Scouts were also invested on the climbing wall!

The week whizzed by and soon it was time to strike camp, pack the worn (and unworn) clothes, find things that had been lurking for days in the depths of tents, and prepare for parents coming to collect their Scouts. Weary, tanned (or mucky?) faces lit up as parents and siblings collected the Scouts from the Showground. Non-stop excited chatter from the back of the car suddenly stopped as Scouts dropped to sleep before even leaving the Lincoln ring road, all that remained of Poacher 2022 was happy memories, firm friendships made, new skills, souvenirs, and laundry. Piles of laundry.

We send huge thanks to our friends at 1^st Foston Scout Group. Without their help, support and the use of their equipment we would not have been able to take our twelve Scouts to Poacher 2022. And of course, thanks to our very own Tic Tac, our Beaver Leader Jenny, who spent the week on camp helping to cater for 60 Scouts, Explorers and Leaders in the camp mess tent, as well as being there with emotional and practical support for every participant. Thank you!

Next stop…. Poacher 2026!!!