The Canadians arrived early on Friday. When we visited in the afternoon they were still very much in high spirits despite 20 hours of travelling, from Ontario. Whilst 27 Scouts are already here 29 more Scouts and Girl Guides are due to arrive soon. Sean, the leader for the Canadian Contingent for Ontario, talked about how he heard about Poacher. He told us about how he hosted Lincolnshire Scouts at World Jamboree 2019. Whilst there, Lincolnshire Scouts asked whether they had heard of Poacher before. Sean’s interest was piqued, and he researched Poacher. He then shouted about it around Ontario asking who would like to join them, with Lincolnshire Scouts hosting them this time around. The Scouts are excited to try the many activities on offer over the week including; driving school, hovercrafts, hot air balloon and the water park. The leaders are looking forward to swapping their case full of badges and would love to trade with as many as possible. Over a period of 17 days, Poacher is the first stop on their itinerary. Touring around the country, with Skegness, Thorpe on the Hill, York, the JORVIK Viking Centre, Castle Howard, London, the Imperial War Museum and Gilwell all on the must-see list.
The Jersey Contingent has also made it to the Showground on Friday. Paul, the leader for the contingent, has brought 91 Scouts, Explorers and Leaders with him. Their travel time was slightly less than their Canadian counterparts, with an overnight ferry leaving Jersey at 7pm on Thursday and arriving portside at 6:30am Friday, then coach travel to arrive at the Showground for 2pm. Holly, one of the Scouts, is looking forward to meeting with lots of different people, as Jersey is a close-knit community, and this is her first jamboree. Rebecca is looking forward to the opening and closing ceremonies and the water sports, and, like Holly, this is her first jamboree. Charlie is looking forward to the whole Poacher experience and can’t wait for the activities to begin. Ethan is looking forward to the air-rifle shooting. The Scouts and Explorers from Jersey arrive with a mixture of camping experiences, some have attended three camps, but for many of them it’s a first time experience.