A fundraising drive to send 27 Shropshire Scouts and their leaders to the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea in 2023 has been boosted by a leisure company from the county.
Salop Leisure, an award-winning caravan and motorhome dealership based at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, has pledged £500 to the Shropshire Scouts who need to raise £150,000 to attend the event from August 1-12.
More than 50,000 Scouts, aged from aged 14 to 17, from 161 countries around the world will attend the World Scout Jamboree which is held every four years.
Ed Glover, Salop Leisure’s marketing manager, said: “I was a Scout when I was younger and I think it’s very important to support children after the pandemic lockdowns.
“The Scouts is an inclusive organisation for all ages and Salop Leisure is delighted to support fundraising to give 27 young people from Shropshire the opportunity to travel to South Korea.”
Katie Russell, Shropshire Scouts’ assistant county commissioner international, thanked Salop Leisure for its support. “The donation is quite overwhelming because businesses have been hit hard over the past year,” she said.
“Knowing that there are companies like Salop Leisure out there waiting to support causes like ours is really inspiring.”
She explained that the 27 Shropshire Scouts will be joined by nine Welsh Guides in their unit of 36 attending the World Scout Jamboree. It will be the fifth jamboree attended by Shropshire Scouts.
“It’s really important that Shropshire Scouts have new and exciting opportunities to see the world, experience different cultures and make friends for life,” added Katie.
“We are now in the process of recruiting the participants from Shropshire and when they have been selected, they will be doing a lot of fundraising activities. We are contacting many local businesses for support.”
