REUNION EXPRESS 2012

scouts.org.uk/reunion

Saturday 8 SEPt | ISSuE NO.2

Follow the Twitter hashtag #GilwellReunion

Shark Designs are a leading manufacturer and supplier of handcrafted leather goods, survival, camping and outdoors equipment, especially designed for professionals and bushcraft enthusiasts. They also run bushcraft courses and workshops, giving expert advice and demonstrating practical skills. Mark heads up the team and will be at Gilwell all day on Saturday and Sunday, passing on tips and tricks.

Mark’s interest in bushcraft was sparked at the tender age of 6 when he found some old books on survival that his father had. From then on he started camping in his parents’ back garden, lighting fires and trying to survive on foraged food found in his parents’ vegetable patch. This was in the days before Ray Mears had been invented!

Since then Mark has honed his skills in these and other disciplines. Professionally, he is a teacher of Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan, and prior to that he forged a successful career in arts & design, where he worked in sculpting, fine arts, industrial model making, metal & woodworking and

TWITTER FEED@KrisMcCabe (Kris McCabe)

@UKScouting Looking forward to meeting up with new and old friends. I have a challenge to shake as many people’s hands as poss! #GilwellReunion

@wxmmoz (Moz)

@UKScouting Looking forward to @WayneBulpitt’s Pimms reception, learning how to be a better DDC and Kings & Queens Sat night. #GilwellReunion

@IndieLette (Colette Morgan)

@UKScouting Gonna be catching up with friends I met this summer and last, at WSJ, Roverway and EIJ #GilwellReunion

@Terry_Shipp (Terry Shipp)

7 days of scouting! Finishing off with #GilwellReunion. I should do this as a full time job!

@SdnNorthScouts (Swindon North Scouts)

@UKScouting looking forward to meeting old & new friends. Look for our bell tent and pop in for a brew with @1stSSMTroop @PhoenixArcher

@marktyork (Mark Turner)

@UKScouting turn Gilwell’s heating up, I’m in car as tent’s cold!

Lost? Confused?Visit the Information Centre in the Gidney Cabin, where staff will be on hand to answer your questions and help you out.

Fri: 17:00 – 20:00

Sat: 10:00 – 16:00

Sun:10:00 – 13:00

NEXT ISSUE

SATURDAY 8PM

In Profile: Mark Hordon, Founder of Shark Designs

One of the Reunion weekend highlights is always the drinks reception, which takes place at 3pm on Saturday on the Training Ground. This year, Reunion has a very special guest in the form of Scouting Ambassador, Julia Bradbury.

The TV personality will be introduced at the reception by UK Chief Commissioner, Wayne Bulpitt. Julia will partake in a Q&A session with Reunion’s attendees and will answer questions about her love of Scouting and the outdoors.

Julia will then be taken on a tour of Gilwell where Reunion guests will be able to catch up and say hello.

Julia has a real passion for Scouting and recently visited 2nd Cottesmore Scout Group to promote Scouting in her home county. The TV talent and adventurer went along to Rutland to meet a Group from her area and was greeted by 60 young people including Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Young Leaders. During her visit,

the Scout Ambassador presented two Chief Scout’s Gold Award certificates. She then presented neckers to newly-invested Cubs and Scouts.

The Ambassador commented: ‘The Scouts are brilliant as they really give people those opportunities to experience adventure. For me, the last one is the best, but the great thing is that there is hopefully another one round the corner to top it!’

The drinks reception is hosted by Wayne and other members of the UK leadership team. The relaxed afternoon event offers the opportunity to speak to Julia, Wayne and other members of the team and ask questions related to the world of Scouting.

Scouting Ambassadors are prominent people who support us in transforming the lives of young people. They are representatives for Scouting, and use their knowledge and experience to benefit the Movement.

MEET OUR AMBASSADORJulia Bradbury – the face of Countryfile and a Scouting ambassador

leatherworking. But aside from these professional vocations, his passion is for the wonderful world of bushcraft, camping and survival, which continues to dominate most of his spare time. He particularly specialises in all aspects of fire lighting and knife sharpening.

Mark was in the Cubs as a little lad, but didn’t progress to Scouts, something that he regrets. He hopes that by passing on his skills this weekend, he can bring the enjoyment and excitement that he discovered as a young lad to today’s generation.

Meet Mark and find out more about Shark Designs by visiting them in the Orchard, where Mark will be demonstrating the art of tool sharpening using Japanese whetstones, leather strops and bricks as well as with modern diamond and ceramic sharpening stones.

Campfire circle Before the evening’s music festivities kick off, relax around the campfire on Saturday between 7.30-8.30pm.

The large campfire circle plays host to the annual gathering, which allows plenty of opportunity to chat to friends old and new.

Remember, if you have any good Reunion stories to tell, drop the them in the suggestion boxes (located at the Gidney Cabin, The Lid and Park Cafe) or catch one of our roving reporters around camp.

Prestonian 2012Tony Harvey, the 2012 Prestonian Lecturer, will make the first donation of £5,000 to The Scout Association Archive Development Project at 4.30pm on Saturday at the Archives store room. If interested in attending contact Tony at the Jam Roll on the front lawn.

Look for Mark this weekend...

Remember to leave comments in the question boxes

REUNION EXPRESS 2012SATURDAY 8 SEPT | ISSUE NO.2

Pick up your copy of Reunion Express from the Reunion Office (White House Reception), the Gidney Cabin, The Lid and at the Park Café.

Audio-visual ToursAudio-visual tours will be available throughout the weekend. You can collect a player, headphones and map from The White House reception throughout the weekend.

The tour of the Gilwell grounds features 18 stops, taking you on a journey through Scouting history that’s full of fascinating trivia and revealing insights.

QuizFancy yourself as Scouting’s answer to Stephen Fry? Put your knowledge to the test with our annual Reunion Quiz!

At 9pm this evening, we’ll be separating the eggheads from the blockheads during our multi-round general knowledge quiz. There will be a series of rounds covering an array of different subjects so gather your sports, film and history experts and come along to the marquee on the Training ground.

The quiz is a fun-filled highlight of the weekend, and there are loads of prizes to be won, so come along and join in.

Granddaughter of Baden-Powell, and daughter of Betty Clay, Gillian Clay is passionate about Scouting and a great advocate for the Movement. We caught up with her during her visit to this year’s Reunion for a quick chat about all things Scouting. She’ll be around all weekend, so if you see her, do say hello.Baden-Powell was your grandfather – do you have memories of him?

No, I was too little when he died. But I did meet him. My father sat me on his knee and ordered me to remember him but I didn’t! I remember him through what my mother has told me about him. He was 60 when she was born, but she never remembers him to be old. My cousin Robert does remember

him. He’s only a few months older than me but he does remember him. He remembers him as being his best friend and playing with him, unlike the other grown-ups.

Do you have any favourite stories about your grandfather?

Yes, my mother told me that they had his old war horse and a pony and donkey and they grew up learning to ride on those. My grandfather would send them off on walk rides – with the parents walking and the children riding – to find out details about their surrounding area, like how many telegraph poles were between here and there. They would have to go and find the answers, like a scavenger hunt. They would then trot back to

Reunion Royalty

Save the date: Scout Community Week will be back from 3–9 June 2013

Take on a challenge in 2013... Run the Silverstone half marathon on 3 March or the Virgin London Marathon on 21 April. For more information visit: www.scouts.org.uk/challengeevents

Gillian Clay - Granddaughter of Founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell

Let the fun and games beginReunion 2012 officially got underway yesterday as the opening ceremony kicked off with an introduction from The Scout Association’s Director of Programme and Development, Steve Peck. Together with his signer, Taz, Steve gave a warm welcome to Reunion’s attendees with the promise of fun, friendship and good weather.

After teaching us this year’s sign-language word, ‘Reunion’ (a new one is learnt every year – it’s a Reunion tradition), Steve talked about the weekend’s exciting and

Be sure to check in with the guys at ‘Harambee for Kenya’ at their stall (opposite the Essex Chase beer tent).

‘Fairer than fairtrade’ is the motto of the charity, which was founded by Leslie and Roger Dann, and all profits from their charity go straight back to the children on the streets of Kenya.

The stall is chock-a-block with impressive soapstone and wood carvings, from Baden-Powell plates to ornaments of animals and everything in between. But it’s not just about buying impressive carvings. You can also go along and make your own woggle at one of the stall’s workshops!

Harambee is Swahili for ‘all pull together’. Thousands of children live on the streets of Kenya, and since 1998, Leslie and Roger have worked closely with Kenyan adults to help combat the problem.

him and they would draw their horses to a halt, salute him and then give him the answers. It was the sort of games he no doubt played with his Scouts to teach them.

You must have been to Reunion a few times now?

My parents got engaged here so they always loved Gilwell and they came quite often, so I came with them. I gradually learned to find my way around.

What are you looking forward to about Reunion most?

It’s all exciting. I love Gilwell. I love the campfire and always look forward to that. And all the activities on the Saturday and Sunday. There’s so much that’s interesting.

Harambee for Kenya

varied programme that will hopefully give all visitors plenty of ideas to take back home.

A special shout out to our Scouting friends from Sweden, Nigeria, USA, Ireland, Germany, Oman and Uganda followed, and then it was time to bring on the lovely Bollywood dancers!

Ian West