So, I’ve set the ‘out of office’ email, found the tent, mown the lawn and bought a new sleeping bag. No, not to prepare myself for the Harry Potter queue, but because from Sunday I’ll be helping to run the 21st World Scout Jamboree.
The journey to Kathmandu, where I am going to attend the Asia Pacific Scout Summit Conference, is a long one. I am currently in Doha airport in Qatar. It’s midnight local time and I could really be anywhere. I’ve enjoyed an excellent journey so far, courtesy of Qatar Airways, with the best economy class meal…
Tonight, France is in mourning. Last night, between 21:20, local time, and 22:00, Paris suffered a series of deadly attacks, described by President Francois Hollande as “unprecedented”. They were, he said, an “act of war” organised by Islamic State (IS) militant groups. Shootings, bomb blasts and a hostage siege have left at least 128 people dead and hundreds…
This evening, I had the enormous pleasure of joining Oxfordshire Scouts for their annual Adult Awards Dinner, held at the beautifully appointed Bicester Hotel and Spa. Nestled just outside Chesterton, it’s a rather lovely setting – part country retreat, part hive of activity – and it proved the perfect venue for a night of celebration,…
I woke at 2, 4 and then at 9:30; grabbed a quick breakfast and then joined the morning’s committee meeting – the cultures may be different, but the issues are the same – how to get better youth participation in decision making; how to reinvigorate training and support of adults; how to tell the story…
I returned home from Delhi at 7:00am and immediately traveled on to Gilwell Park to help with the organisation of the second Heads of Contingent meeting for the World Scout Jamboree. Over 60 countries represented from all over the world and over 150 delegates. We provided them with logistical information about the Jamboree, took them…
