I originally applied to be part of the staff team for Poacher 2017, as I had just come back from volunteering at WAGGGS Sangam World Centre as their Marketing & Comms Intern.

I wanted to continue to do something international, while being in the UK and I was also not doing regular guiding, so wanted to be linked into Scouting and Guiding but in a different way. I also at this time was trying to get a job after university, and thought that volunteering to do social media for Poacher, would look great on my CV! (It did! – so thank you Poacher!)

I choose to volunteer at Poacher, mainly because of the personal links I have to Lincolnshire. I have never lived in Lincolnshire, never been to Poacher before 2017, but my grandparents used to live 5 minutes from the Showground and my parents have original Poacher 1977 memorabilia in our house, as we had relatives who went to the first ever Poacher! So I felt a connection!

What I didn’t realise was just how magic volunteering as staff for Poacher would be – seeing the faces of all the participants trying new activities, meeting new friends and just realising how much bigger the world of Guiding and Scouting is, just brings goose bumps to me! It is has also provided new friends and challenges which have allowed me to have experiences and develop new skills.

For me, the best memories of both Poacher 2017 and Poacher 2022, was the opening ceremony and seeing all the participants together in one place. This was especially special for 2022, after the rocky couple of years we had leading up to it (with the dreaded c word never to be said again!).

If you have never been to an international jamboree, and are thinking about it, I would say go for it, you will have such a fun week! You can find all staff roles here and book here!