More than 2,000 Scouts, Explorers and leaders from all corners of Wales descended on the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, last weekend for the All Wales Scout Camp.
It was a weekend of adventure, activity, learning and discovery as the Scouts, who are aged between 10 and 14 years old, came together for the biggest gathering of Scouts in Wales.
The event, which has taken place every two years since the 1990s and is run entirely by volunteers, saw the young people camping in tents for the weekend (in the rain!), as well as taking part in around 150 different activities. These ranged from more adventurous pursuits, such as air rifle shooting, archery, a climbing wall, rafting and driving a car, to arts-based activities including candle-making, drumming workshops, photo booths and soap carving.
Jon Williams, Deputy Event Lead, said: “It’s been another amazing All Wales Scout Camp, with over 1,400 young people taking part in over 100 activities, learning new skills and making new friends with memories that will last a lifetime.”
All the activities were designed to help the Scouts work towards their Activity Badges and Challenge Awards – nine merit badges which encourage Scouts to step outside their comfort zone and try things they wouldn’t normally be interested in. Earning all nine Challenge Awards helps them achieve their Chief Scout Gold Award, which is the highest award a Scout can earn.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the Pushcart Rally, which saw 22 teams create and race their own custom pushcarts. Part of the challenge is to come up with a unique team name, with this year’s winner La ’Toilet from 2nd St Clears.
This year’s camp marks the first time that 1st Pembroke has attended the camp.
James Calcutt, Scout Leader from 1st Pembroke, said: “It was an amazing experience for all the young people to see the scale of Scouting. The activities were great, and the staff were lovely and helpful throughout the weekend.”
A Scout from 1st Pembroke, who did not wish to be named, added: “An amazing weekend apart from the weather. My favourite activity was the Cave Bus.”
For other groups, the All Wales Scout Camp is a biennial tradition. 1st St Mellons have attended the Camp for several years and continue to return.
Sarah Holdstock, Scout leader from 1st St Mellons, said: “Thank you to all involved in planning, organising, and making of All Wales Scout Camp 2024! I’ve only seen a little bit of ‘behind the scenes’ and it’s a huge task taken on by superstars. From the huge amount of planning and preparation that goes into this event by the Leadership Team, to the Explorer Service Team who clean the facilities, support zones, sort through the rubbish and provide that friendly support through the weekend. Well done everyone, as me and my Scouts thoroughly enjoyed it!
“As part of the weekend, I ‘worked’ on one of the many bases and met so many amazing Scouts, young leaders and adults from across Wales. Despite the rain my Scouts had an amazing time, and their smiles were the best sight ever!”
The closing ceremony saw several new Scouts being invested into the movement by making their promise on stage. A number of Scouts were also presented with their Chief Scouts Gold Award, which is the highest award a Scout can earn.
This year saw the addition of Youth Leads to the All Wales Scout Camp structure. This was an opportunity for 14 to 18-year-olds to work alongside the zone leads and communications team to help deliver the event at a management level. Daisy, Georgia and Harri were some of the Youth Leads from Clwyd who supported the weekend.
Daisy said: “I loved being the youth lead for comms. I got to experience the AWSC again, and got to influence others’ AWSC experiences too!”
Harri added: “It was great to experience it from a different side.”
Georgia said: “I honestly think I had more fun than the Scouts”
When asked about the success of this year’s All Wales Scout Camp, Steve Holmes, Event Lead, said: “After months of planning, the All Wales Scout Camp happened! What a fantastic weekend. Even the weather couldn’t wipe the smiles off our young people’s faces. It was an honour to work with a fantastic team of people. Thank you and see you next time.”
Joe Holmes, Deputy Event Lead, thanked the team of volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible. He said: “What a weekend! Standing at the front of over 1,000 Scouts at the end of camp, it hit me the difference we make. Thank you to the leaders and the volunteers who gave up their weekend to make this happen. To the core team who has lived this for at least the last six months, thank you. We really did change lives.”
All Wales Scout Camp will return in 2026.
