Gilwell Takeover
Author: Howard Nelson
Published: October 3, 2024
Gilwell Takeover Camp Report
This summer, many of Coastal and Manby Scouts, from the sleepy Louth District, had an adventure many miles from Lincolnshire at Gilwell Park, headquarters of Scouts UK. From August 11th to 18th, 151 miles and four hours away from where they started, 12 Scouts and two tired leaders spent a full seven days at one of the largest permanent Scout sites in the world, and made a trip to the capital as well. And perhaps most exciting for the leaders and parents, this camp was fully funded by Scouts Adventures for us!
The Scouts began by helping spruce up Gilwell with a spot of fence painting and gardening, before taking on a range of adventurous activities across the site, including fencing (of the sword variety this time), archery, climbing, rafting, hiking and fishing, alongside more calming activities such as a morning of crafts, and some coding with the Raspberry Pi team. Mid-week they learnt about the cultures of many volunteers at the site, trying Brazilian sweets, Mexican salsas, playing Kenyan marble games, Korean paper throwing game and the Argentinian Necker Stealing Game!
But of course, the big day followed, a trip to London on the Overground and underground trains, to enjoy a boat cruise on the Thames. We saw many buildings from the cruise, including the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge, before spending an afternoon with creatures from across the world in Sealife London including the popular penguins.
In the evenings Scouts watched movies and scavenger-hunted their way through the historic park, but also a lot of time was spent mixing with other Scouts from across the UK. We had one Scout finish the week with a different accent to the one she started with! One of the most popular spots was the Quick, a hill that overlooked an estuary and part of the London area, where Scouts went for their own private time to talk amongst themselves. And if they felt peckish, Gilwell had many blackberry bushes ripe for the plundering.
But food wasn’t a concern with the fully-catered meals becoming a welcome change from other camps for Scouts and Leaders. We had hot meals with a pudding for lunch and dinner, and even began the week with a full roast! We didn’t even need to do the washing up, which I think adults appreciated even more than Scouts.
At the end of the week, after an invigorating campfire and a busy night of necker trading (including with some visiting German Scouts), it was no wonder that all but one Scout slept on the ride home. But they all perked up in time to tell their parents of their many, many adventures.
We couldn’t have had this trip without the generous funding from Scouts Adventures, for which we extend warmest thanks, and encourage other eligible groups to apply in the future. We weren’t expecting to receive it either, and here we are!
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Lincolnshire County Scout Council
Registered Charity (England & Wales): 522395
Room 14, Greetwell Place Managed Workspace, 2 Lime Kiln Way,
Off Greetwell Road, Lincoln, LN2 4US
Part of The Scout Association
Registered Charity (England & Wales): 306101
Gilwell Park, Chingford, London, E4 7QW