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Poacher International Jamboree is one of the United Kingdom’s largest international Scouting and Guiding Jamborees. Here are 99 facts about its history, traditions, activities, and the upcoming 2026 event.
1. Poacher International Jamboree is the official name.
2. Generally, the event follows a 4-year cycle (1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2017).
3. Since its inception, it has always been held at the Lincolnshire Showground in Lincoln, UK.
4. The first Poacher was held in 1977.
5. The inaugural jamboree coincided with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
6. It is named after the famous folk song The Lincolnshire Poacher.
7. The “poacher” in the song lived and died in Welton, a village only 2.5 miles from the campsite.
8. It is co-organised by Lincolnshire Scouts, Girlguiding Lincolnshire North and Girlguiding Lincolnshire South.
9. It is run by dedicated volunteers.
10. Participants are typically aged 10 to 17.
11. In 1977, over 400 campers came from overseas (Austria, Canada, France, USA).
12. Poacher 1982 marked the Year of the Scout, celebrating 75 years of Scouting.
13. The 1982 event celebrated the legacy of Lord Baden-Powell’s first camp on Brownsea Island.
14. Our 2026 event hosts an Equali-tea party, to celebrate diversity and equality in our movements.
15. Poacher 2021 was delayed due to COVID-19 and eventually held in 2022.
16. The 2017 event celebrated 40 years of the jamboree.
17. It has grown from a few thousand to over 6,000 participants.
18. During the week of the jamboree, the site becomes the 20th largest settlement in Lincolnshire.
19. Over the decades, various members of the Royal Family and Chief Scouts have sent messages or visited.
20. Poacher 2026 will be held from 1st – 8th August 2026.
21. We are expecting to welcome over 10,000 participants, leaders, staff and Junior Poacher participants during the week.
22. Poacher 2026 became so popular that a waiting list for groups had to be set up.
23. The booking fee for 2026 is £300 per participant.
24. Leaders pay a reduced fee of £30.
25. The participant fee covers all on-site activities but not food/transport.
26. The theme for 2026 is “A World Adventure of a Lifetime.”
27. The subcamp themes for 2026 were revealed one year before the event.
28. There are over 1,200 volunteer staff members needed to run the event.
29. Each group brings their own tents and cooks their own food.
30. Each subcamp has its own team who are there to support the groups who are camping on the subcamps.
31. The subcamps for Poacher 2026 are: Europe, Asia, The Americas, Oceania, Africa and Antarctica
32. Each group are welcome to create their own gateway, which will highlight the subcamp theme they are on.
33. Most subcamps ask groups to dress up or do something around the theme, like the gateways. You will get more information on this in your subcamp newsletters.
34. There will be quiet and low impact activities available on the subcamps including board games, friendship bracelets and dreamcatchers to name a few.
35. There are more than 100 different activities to choose from.
36. The Global Development Village (GDV) is an area dedicated to learning about world issues and sustainability.
37. The Water Village is a dedicated zone for kayaking, canoeing, and rafting, located off-site at a nearby lake.
38. Adventurous Activities includes climbing, abseiling, and high ropes.
39. The Main Arena is where the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony will happen, including the lunchtime entertainments.
40. Previous lunchtime entertainment includes professional motorcycle or mountain bike stunt teams and medieval jousting displays.
41. Main Stage activities include stage night and cinema.
42. There is also 10 -13 disco, 14-17 disco and chillout area in the evening.
43. There will be afternoon and evening cinema, showing films for those wanting a quieter evening.
44. We will be holding Poacher’s Got Talent, a week-long talent competition.
45. The winner of Poacher’s Got Talent will perform during the Closing Ceremony.
46. There is a dedicated creative area, which participants can drop in and do not need tickets.
47. There will be outreach exhibitions and activities from educational charities and corporate partners.
48. Participants can visit local attractions like Lincoln Cathedral or Lincoln Zoo.
49. Participants, Leaders and Staff can take part in the Poacher Challenge and gain a badge.
50. Participants will be given tickets for the different activities. These tickets are like a fast pass to get on the activity. Other participants can still take part in the activities, but just need to queue.
51. Participants will be able to ticket swap with friends and in the subcamp HQs.
52. Groups can do offsite and trips all together as a group. They just need to book it at the transport hub.
53. If you want to, you can take part in the morning fitness in the main arena at 7.30am every morning!
54. Lights out across the whole of the site is 11pm.
55. Participants can badge swap and sharing their guiding and scouting experiences.
56. Jam FM will be broadcast on FM and online live from the site.
57. Group leaders from 1st June will need to support the completion of the medical forms and activity permissions on our booking site.
58. Group Leaders will be able to set up their cooking and eating tents on Friday 31st July between 3-9pm.
59. There will be plenty of showers and toilets around the site.
60.Everyone attending Poacher will receive a wristband, which will be connected to their information they have shared on the booking site.
61. There are more than 290 groups coming to Poacher 2026.
62. Over the four days of Junior Poacher, we will have over 2000 participants. They are the future participants of Poacher!
63. You can order your Poacher clothing here until 28th June.
64. We have internationals from the following countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Ireland, The Netherlands, UAE, USA.
65. All relevant Poacher policies can be found here.
66. There is a dedicated safeguarding and welfare team to support and provide oversight for the event.
67. There are medical and fire teams on site.
68. We will be using an app called Halo during the week to report an incidents including blocked toilets or toilets without loo roll!
69. You can get your supermarket deliveries to site from Sunday to the Friday between 10am and 5pm.
70. For Leaders, there will charging lockers, where they can charge phones and battery packs.
71. There is a range of food options in the Poacher Food Court including Waffles, Crumbles, Jacket Potatoes, Pizza, Ice cream, Tuck Shop, Leaders Coffee Bar.
72. In the Epic Centre, you will be able to buy Poacher Souvenirs, Camping Supplies and more.
73. There will be a Poacher magazine, which will be delivered daily to your subcamp HQ.
74. New to Poacher 2026 is the Poacher App, which will be available a couple of weeks before the start of Poacher.
75. Make sure you visit the Leader’s Coffee Shop, which is a popular hangout for adult volunteers.
76. Staff can book on to our staff catering via the booking site here, they just need to log in with their account.
77. Staff will be allowed to arrive onsite from Friday 31st July at 3pm, but gates will close at 9pm! Staff can of course arrive on the Saturday.
78. The Lincolnshire Showground covers over 200 acres.
79. Staff should bring their own tent, sleeping equipment, cooking equipment if self catering or pot bag if using staff catering.
80. All staff and leaders should bring photo ID for when they pick up their wristband.
81. Everyone should wear uniform for the opening ceremony at Poacher.
82. Junior Poacher will be running onsite from Monday 3rd August to Thursday 6th August to to allow Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows, and Brownies to experience a large international Jamboree.
83. The Junior Poacher participants will have a dedicated activity area, but will be able to participate in some of the bigger activities and also get to see the lunchtime entertainment.
84. You can create your own Poacher biscuits, by using this Poacher Cookie Stamp here.
85. Each Poacher will have a different colour theme, Poacher 2026 is navy and red!
86. You can watch previous videos from Poacher here on our YouTube channel.
87. The Poacher logo is actually a friendship knot, and it’s nickname is knottie.
88. If you want to come to Poacher as a visitor, your group leader should email bookings@poacher.org.uk nearer to the event.
89. Payments onsite can be made both in cash and by card.
90. There are 7 teams across the staff volunteers which include:
91. Depending on where you are based, we might be able to offer a shuttle bus from the station, please contact bookings@poacher.org.uk
92. Coaches will be able to drop off at subcamps and will be directed via the main gate.
93. Lincolnshire groups will be given arrival slots for when to arrive on the Saturday 1st August, make sure you keep an eye out on emails nearer to the time.
94. If you have gone to WINGS before Poacher, watch out on our social media for how you can get a special WINGS and Poacher badge.
95. Everyone at Poacher 2026 will be given a neckerchief, which will link to their subcamp.
96. If you still don’t have anything to do in the summer of 2026, we are still looking for staff volunteers. All the roles can be found here.
97. Follow us on Social Media – Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
98. We can’t wait to see you at Poacher 2026, and we hope that you make long life friends!
99. It is officially 99 days until Poacher 2026!!
Rachel
Rachel only found out about Poacher in 2015, as she is not from Lincolnshire but some of her family attended the first Poacher in 1977! She is Joint Head of Communications for Poacher 2026 and is now sad that the colours are no longer orange, as she loves and has a lot of orange merch!