Shoreham scouts enjoy ‘fantastic’ experience at the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia

Six scouts from Shoreham have said that attending the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia was ‘an unbelievable experience full of memories, new skills and new friendships’.
The scouts at the jamboree eventThe scouts at the jamboree event
The scouts at the jamboree event

Erin Whitmore, Ben Gardner, Alex Harvey, Sydney Colburn, Abbie Wade and Logan Wilks were selected to represent Adur Valley Scouts at the event in America this summer.

Each scout had to raise £3,500 in order to take part, which Alex said was ‘a lot of hard work’.

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But it was all worth it when they had the chance to join more than 40,000 scouts from around the world at the two-week event.

Alex, a 15-year-old Shoreham Academy student, said: “It was fantastic.

“There were loads of activities to do, stand up paddle boarding, lots of stuff like that.”

He said he particularly enjoyed a cultural day, where scouts had the opportunity to learn about each others’ countries.

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Alex said he was camping next to scouts from Sweden, Angola and Belgium.

There was also a large American contingent, and he said: “It was interesting to see their views on politics and see their views on Brexit.”

Bear Grylls attended the opening ceremony and assisted with some of the climbing activities.

There were also opportunities for the scouts to try scuba diving, cooking and even welding.

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As well as attending the jamboree, the youngsters spent a day in New York and went to watch a baseball game in Washington.

Alex said: “There were so many highlights. Niagara Falls was one of them.”

The other scouts agreed the event was ‘awesome, an unbelievable experience full of memories, new skills and new friendships’.

Alex advised other scouts in the area to take part in the event if they could.

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“You learn so much, it’s a fantastic experience,” he said. “Anyone that can do it should go.”

The teens thanked their scout groups – the 1st Shoreham, 3rd Shoreham, 3rd/5th Lancing and Barracudas – for their support.

They also thanked everyone who helped make the trip possible by donating money to their fundraising efforts.