This article was originally published at blog.poacher.org.uk on July 30th 2022. Photos have been removed due to copyright.
The majority of the Scouts and Guides who are pouring into Poacher today are here for their very first Poacher jamboree, but there are also plenty of veterans on site who have attended our jamboree in the past. For some, such as Adrian Robson of T-Rex ESU, their first Poacher was in 2017. Now camping on the Wonder Fest subcamp, he returns “looking forward to the activities I couldn’t do last time” such as the Subaqua diving school.
These exclusive events proved popular amongst other Scouts and Guides we spoke to as well. Daisy from Gainsborough Division Rangers, who are camping on the Quest Fest subcamp, is attending Poacher for the second time as well – this time she is looking forward to the 14-17 chillout zone and disco in order to “get away from my sister”.
Of course, there are things to enjoy at Poacher that go beyond the activities programme. Talking to Emily of 1st Corby Rangers at their campsite in the Wild West subcamp, she said she is looking forward to “meeting up with friends in other subcamps”, while Sammy Cooper of Crusaders Explorer Scout Unit wants to “see if it’s changed at all” since he attended last in 2017.
Some young people, however, are taking it a step further and are dedicating a portion of their time to helping the Jamboree run smoothly through our 50/50 offering. Here at the Best of Fest we have two such volunteers – Emily and Issac – whose articles will be gracing your papers and screens throughout the week.
Many members of staff have been attending Poacher since long before 2017 though. For example, Chris – Poacher’s Branding and Onsite Media Manager – has been attending Poacher since 2004. When asked why he keeps coming back, he commented “I just love the atmosphere, and I really enjoy spending time with the people I work with”.