Shropshire Scout hails South Korean jamboree experience despite heatwave and typhoon threat
A Shropshire Scout who has returned home after visiting the ill-fated jamboree in South Korea says it was still a "fantastic experience" despite the many challenges.
Leo Davies, 15, from Worfield near Bridgnorth, was one of 27 Shropshire Scouts chosen to represent the county at the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea.
Leo, a pupil at Bridgnorth Endowed School, fundraised more than £4,500 for the trip of a lifetime to represent the scouting movement at the jamboree in Saemangeum in North Jeolla.
However, the trip was marred by a heatwave, unsanitary conditions and an evacuation owing to a typhoon threat that forced all the Scouts to move to the nation's capital, Seoul.
Leo, who flew out to South Korea on July 29 with the rest of Unit 87 from Shropshire Scouts and returned home last Friday, said despite the many tribulations, it had been a "fantastic experience".
"When we initially landed we noticed it was hot but it was mainly the humidity, but we had water bottles and there was plenty of places with air conditioning where we could cool off," he said, adding that the heatwave hit several days later.
"The part of the camp we were in was okay but we saw other areas of the camp where it was really bad.
"During the opening ceremony I was standing next to the Dutch unit and a girl there collapsed and had a seizure, presumably from the heat."
He said after several days, all the UK scouts were moved to Seoul, the nation's capital, where organisers put on a host of activities for the Shropshire unit.
"It was not the jamboree experience that we had been expecting," said Leo. "We were moved from place to place but they had put a lot of activities on for us from parties to a search task.
"Everywhere we went people would point to us and say 'jamboree?' - we were almost like minor celebrities, but everybody was really nice."
He added that while it wasn't the jamboree experience they expected, the difficulties didn't taint the trip for Leo and his pals.
"It was an amazing experience," he said. "The difference in culture was incredible and at the closing ceremony we were all invited to see around 20 K-pop [Korean pop] bands which was amazing.
"It was a different experience than we expected but was still an experience of a lifetime."
He added that Shropshire Scouts had kept all the parents fully informed to prevent them worrying.
"They were incredible," said mum Anna. "I was teary throughout his trip but they kept us all informed so alleviated any worries we might have."
