Chief Scout Dwayne Fields joined over 4,000 young people at the international WINGS Jamboree, taking place in the grounds of Windsor Great Park, a unique celebration of Scouting and Girlguiding.
For Dwayne, the visit marked the first visit of a Chief Scout to the WINGS event in almost 30 years (since 1998). This year’s Jamboree, jointly hosted by Berkshire Scouts and Royal Berkshire Guiding, is the first held since 2014 following the cancellation of the 2020 iteration due to the Covid pandemic.
Young people aged 10-18 flocked to Windsor Great Park in their thousands for a week of fun, adventure, and friendship, supported by over 1,000 adult volunteers. They have enjoyed an action-packed programme with kayaking, survival crafts, circus skills, climbing, and engineering among the many activities on offer. For three days this week, the camp has also been open for Mini WINGS, allowing young people from four-years-old to get their first taste of an international jamboree.
While on-site, Dwayne Fields – who has been visiting young people up and down the country – joined groups of Scouts taking part in some of the hundreds of activities on offer. Getting stuck in himself, Dwayne took part in a game of wheelchair basketball, one of the many activities being hosted on Windsor Great Park over the seven-day camp.
Chief Scout Dwayne Fields said:
“It was an honour to be the first Chief Scout in almost 30 years to attend the WINGS International Jamboree in Berkshire. What an incredible event, bringing together thousands of young people and adult volunteers for a week of fun, adventure, and friendship. Events like WINGS offer a place where young people can belong, where they can try new activities, learn new skills, forge new relationships and grow in confidence. It was truly wonderful to see so many smiling faces, to feel the energy and excitement, and heartwarming to know that the memories being made will last a lifetime.”
WINGS Camp Lead Stuart Ford said:
“It was an honour to welcome the Chief Scout and Chief Guide to WINGS today, on a bumper day of activities for the 4,000 young people on-site. Our camp unites people from around the world, with participants from as far afield as New Zealand and Canada joining us for the first WINGS Jamboree since 2014. Bringing young people together for fun, friendship and adventure is what we’re all about, offering a place where they can belong, to be themselves, and to make memories for life.”
Scouts and Explorers from around Berkshire have enjoyed their experiences so far. Young people from Slough have given their verdict. Vihaan, Victor, and Timothy from Slough Explorers said:
“I have found it exciting and fun. I enjoyed the chocolate making the best in the Merchants Guild,” said Vihaan.
Victor added: “I found it amazing meeting loads of different people going to the concerts and doing the activities. Lots of dancing and lots of noise. I found it interesting to see other people, meeting them and seeing how they are camping.”
Timothy said: “It’s been quite excitng and thrilling, and I hope it’ll be even more exciting later in the week. I feel like we’re in part of a community together. I met a few people from around the world.”
Ethan from Colnbrook Scouts added: “It’s amazing, all the people are wonderful. I like the Wavefinders Guild with colour run and slip and slides. We got really messy. I carried the flag for our troop at the opening ceremony; it was a real honour.”