Unfortunately the July 2000 edition
of the County Bulletin is not available in an electronic
format. A few of the articles are reproduced below.
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Well - what an extraordinary event our Millennium Jamboree turned out to be! The appalling conditions worried the adults - but the young people by-and-large coped splendidly!
The result was an outstanding success. The conditions brought out the best in people: in the midst of all the mud and rain I heard young people being complimented for their good manners and patience. The weather put a strain on the organisation but this was robust enough to hold up well. I know that many of you have congratulated the Camp Chief and his Teams and I would certainly want to add my own thanks to them - and to all Leaders who battled on and coped so well. Lord Wraxall tells me that the ground is recovering well: Tyntesfield was a lovely sight and we are grateful to him for hosting us.
Somehow I think this will be a Jamboree we will remember for a long time! May you have batter luck with the weather at your camps, pack holidays and expeditions during the rest of the 'summer'!
Roger Starr
County Commissioner
roger.starr@avonscouts.org.uk
The following is the correct version of the article published in the County Bulletin.
Internet Site
Avon Scouts now have an internet website. You can access the site
at www.avonscouts.org.uk The site provides access to a wide range of both local
and national information. The site is to be further developed and
in time will include a great variety of information. The site is
aimed at leaders, and our young members as well as prospective
members. So, please take time to visit the site and see the
resources available.
Please let me know if your Scout Group already has an internet
site.
Email Addresses
Please note that the new email address for the County Office is office@avonscouts.org.uk
In addition to the website, we are also offering email addresses
to ALL involved with Scouting in Avon. With the growing
trend for people to have a work email address and home email
addresses, and for people to occasionally change address, we have
set up an email forwarding system. If you have existing email
facilities please visit www.avonscouts.org.uk/email to complete the on-line registration form. You will
then be allocated an email address of the format forename.surname@avonscouts.org.uk
Mail sent to that address will be forwarded automatically to your
existing address/es. This will enable users to have a permanent
email address, which can easily be changed to point to a
different dial-up/work account if your 'real' email address
should change.
Full details of this service are at www.avonscouts.org.uk/email
Email addresses for the County Team are at www.avonscouts.org.uk/directory
Mailing List
An email mailing list has been established to help the speedy and
efficient communication of information throughout Avon Scouts.
Membership of the list is open to ALL involved with
Scouting in Avon (including leaders and our young people and
their families). To join the list simply send a blank email to joinmailinglist@avonscouts.org.uk you will then receive an automated reply to confirm
that you've been added to the list.
The County Commissioner, and the County Team, will use the
emailing list to circulate information throughout the Scout
county, including copies of the County Bulletin.
For information on this service, and an on-line sign up form,
please see www.avonscouts.org.uk/mailinglist this page also includes details of the national mailing
list. Don't worry if you don't yet have email. The new services
are being used to supplement existing communication channels, not
to replace them.
Philip Bird
County Webmaster
philip.bird@avonscouts.org.uk
Despite the weather conditions, the Avon Scout and Guide Millennium Jamboree has been hailed an outstanding success. Over 5,500 people were involved in the event, which was held at Tyntesfield, North Somerset, over the weekend 26th to 29th May.
As a result of the weather many of the other Scout Association Millennium Camps that were running the same weekend were either cancelled or curtailed. But here in Avon we soldiered on Roger Starr, County Commissioner, summed it all up in his comment "I have heard it claimed that we were the biggest Camp which went ahead - courageous or crazy, one or the other!"
Over the weekend nearly 200 different activities were running for the young people – you name the Scouting or Guiding activity, and it was probably there!
The Organising Committee faced a number of problems, sorry challenges, over the weekend. The most significant one being MUD! Anyone that attended this Jamboree – and many of you reading this will have done so – will remember the mud. Mud, mud everywhere mud! But despite this (or perhaps because of this!) the young people enjoyed themselves and that, after all, is what it is all about.
Yes - the young people got muddy, yes – some of their clothes may never be the same again, yes – some of your equipment will be covered with 'Tyntesfield mud' for years to come. But, it was clear to all those at the Jamboree that the entire event, the largest ever run in the County, was an outstanding success.
It was a real pleasure to see so many people
enjoying themselves. Everyone that attended the event will have
their own special memories of the weekend.
Here are just a few:
- Going climbing and abseiling for the very first time
- Seeing the campsite in the glorious sunshine (Monday!)
- Eating in a tent with 350 others
- An entire day doing crafts
- Waking up at 3 in the morning to see mud all over the floor of
the tent!
- Designing my own web page
- Four hour broadcast from the site on BBC Radio Bristol
- The lake that appeared around the flag poles in the arena
overnight
- Turning the B3128 (Bristol to Clevedon Road) into a Car Park
for people collecting the campers on Monday
Going home early because we were 'washed out' – then
returning the next day as a Day Visitor
Hopefully, you'll have your own special memory of this very successful event.
An outstanding
weekend, that provided a wonderful opportunity for the
3,500 campers and over 2,000 day visitors to develop new
friendships whilst taking part in the exciting and
challenging activities that were on offer. The weather
did nothing to dampen peoples enthusiasm, with young and
old united under the common aim of enjoying themselves
and making the most of the weekend. Well done to everyone
and I hope that you have taken something from this camp
which will allow you to live up to the Jamboree theme, to
make a difference in yours and others lives. Neil Salter, Camp Chief |
I was delighted
to visit the largest Millennium Camp held in the UK over
the weekend 26th-29th May 2000. The pleasure on the faces
of the Scouts and Guides told the whole story - It may be
raining and it may be muddy but we are going to, and are,
having a great time. Many new friendships will have been
created and some will last a lifetime. Well done to all that were involved with this event. You really did 'make a difference'. Richard
Butler, |
Don't forget to look at the Jamboree Photos
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