Laura Jones ACC Explorer Scouts is pleased to announce the newest recruit to the County Explorer Scout Team

Jez Chapman

County Explorer Scout Leader.

“I started in Scouting as a Beaver when 2 nd Quorn opened their first Beaver colony. I progressed on to Cubs and then Scouts where we were one of the first Scout troops in Leicestershire to have girls in our troop. It was a bit of a shock at the time, but we soon got use to it. My Scout leader at that time was a chap called Byron Chatburn, who you may know as he is now County Commissioner for Leicestershire. While in Quorn Scouts, we went on a lot of camps including Lochgoilhead in Scotland, Sweden, Guernsey, Wales, Ireland and Kingsdown in Dover (where I spent two nights in Hospital with concussion). I was also very lucky to be selected to attend the 17 th World Scout Jamboree in Korea in 1991 with a unit of Scouts and Venture scouts form Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

 From Scouts I progressed onto Ventures, and then started to help out on the Service team at the Oaks in Charnwood Scout campsite under the supervision of the Warden Dave Hopkins. I helped run the various activities like Climbing, Archery, Mountain Boarding and Grass Sledging, but I also learnt lots of Skills including wood working, building and digging holes.

After gaining loads of teaching experience while on the oaks service team, I soon discovered I had a passion for outdoor activities and I started to teach in activity centres during the summer holidays. I taught a variety of activities all over the world including: Ross on Wye, Up State New York, France, Main (USA), and Milton Keynes where I headed up the summer water sports activity programme.

Once leaving University, I kept helping out at the oaks campsite. Building the Jungle trail and running camps like Experience and Experience medieval. It was a lot of FUN!

Over the last few years, I have been busy helping to re-establish our County events and have organised Wannado Wild West, Wannado Wantins and Trips to Leicester Tigers.

Last summer, I was one of the leaders who took the Leicestershire Foxtons Jamboree Unit to the 22 nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. It was great to go to another World Scout Jamboree and fantastic to see how the Jamboree has developed since 1991. Not only did we go to the Jamboree in Sweden, but we also spent a couple of Days in Denmark before the Jamboree and stayed in Home Hospitality in Holland for a week afterwards.

Now I have been appointed as County Explorer leader, I want to make sure all Explorers in Leicestershire get to have as many adventures and experiences as I did. In the next 4 months, I will be visiting as many explorer units in the county as is physically possible and telling them about all the fantastic opportunities they can get involved in. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone.”

Follow us on facebook “Leicestershire Explorer Scouts” http://en-gb.facebook.com/​groups/203026333119737/