BASC and the Essex International Jamboree - Boys done good!

[Fatcatsplat]

Following on from Peter Marshall's post a while back, I've just returned from a very successful and mainly sunny week at the Essex International Jamboree held just outside Chelmsford and attended by 7,000 Scouts, Guides and Explorers from all over the world, plus their Leaders and camp volunteers - Give or take 10,000 people in all.

 

The jamboree was divided into a series of subcamps, each celebrating human achievement with each subcamp going to different bases daily to undertake fun and challenging adventures such as sailing, climbing, canoeing, arts and crafts, young entrepreneur, survival skills etc. Bundles of fun for everyone to enjoy!

 

Our base was classified as "On Target" and included football/handball challenges as well as archery and an air rifle range, but this year’s piece de resistance was a clay pigeon taster session run by BASC with help with supplies from Eley, Promatic and Browning.

 

BASC had already had a dry run practice of how the event could be run as the main problem was being able to get up to 1,200 people a day firing 5 shots at a clay in a useful, safe and constructive manner.

Cometh the day, cometh the man - The BASC guys and girls had been very busy beavering away and had managed to get 18 cages and 22 traps set up around a central hub with a reception area to report into, leading to one of four gunfit areas where each child was issued with a card attached to a lanyard where they were checked for right handed/left handed preference and eye dominance (The card could then be read by the instructor quickly to avoid any language issues – The camp was very international!!). Each entrant was then shown how to position their feet and to shoulder the gun (using a proven empty gun) and to observe the correct body position. After this, they went through to one of 4 waiting areas where they were handed eye and ear protection and waited in line until their turn - As they got nearer to the front of the line, they were handed a very nice Eley/BASC shooting waistcoat to put on and were then directed to one of the BASC instructors as and when they became free. Quick chat and introduction, shoot 5 shots, keep any empties that you hit a clay with as a trophy and then pass the vest, glasses and ear defenders back to the next in line as you exited the shooting area.

 

The instructors were initially a little worried whether they would be able to cope with the amount of human traffic that was potentially coming our way - Basically, would they be able to give enough time for the 5 shots to be fired and for the young person to learn something from it at the same time and to get some value? That question was very quickly booted up the behind and into touch with a very resounding "YES"!!

 

We opened at 9.30 on Sunday morning and commenced shooting at 10 until 12.30 when lunch was called. Shooting then resumed at 2.00 pm and continued until 5.00pm. The young people were shooting 20G and 410s only with guns donated from Browning, BASC and those belonging to the instructors themselves. We were busy from the off, but the system was working well, keeping a nice steady flow of people into the shooting queue – Average wait was in the region of 20 minutes from joining the first queue to shooting which we felt was more than manageable.

Come 5.00pm and the last customers have shot, it’s time to fill up the traps (Free BASC hat to the child that picks up and returns the most undamaged clays after all the traps have been disabled and made safe!!), book all the guns back into the secure and guarded unit on site and then off to the next day. A few of us were there with our own Troops, so we made our way back to them – The BASC folks then made their way back to their 5 star accommodation – Oh, no they didn’t, they went back to their tents in the staff section and camped, just like the rest of us!!

That was the pattern for the next 5 days with each subcamp coming through and the instructors slogging their guts out, hour after hour, in pretty intense heat for the whole week – Every time a new young person came up to them they were greeted with a big smile and a hello and a big high five for every clay they smashed – I really can’t give enough praise for the cheerfulness and positive attitude shown constantly by every single instructor – They were absolute diamonds and it was definitely reflected in the way the young people enjoyed themselves. This was despite some initial teething problems with the catering arrangements and some tents that weren’t quite as waterproof as their guarantees said they were.

We finally arrived at Friday – All the subcamps had completed every activity, so Friday was free for all day where they could do anything they wanted. I’d mentioned to Peter that I reckoned traffic would be slow as everyone was tired after a long and very full week and having a lie in – The dust cloud coming our way, like a herd of stampeding bison soon put paid to that theory!! We had a queue 8 deep and 100 yards long all morning with everyone coming back for one more go – 12.30 eventually came around and it was time to finish.

 

 

 

We cleared the site, loaded up all the gear and said our goodbyes – A lot of people were putting a lot of miles on their cars taking the gear back to BASC HQ in North Wales from Essex and then driving back to their own homes, before they could get a hot bath and their own bed.

 

We all do a bit of BASC bashing every now and then - I guess it’s part of human nature, but let me tell you here and now they scored this time and they scored very well indeed – We didn’t have any aggro from any antis. If somebody asked what I shot, I told them and when I told them I ate most things I shot (Which my belly does give away), the expressions were mainly of the “Well done you” variety.

 

Think the most repetitive quote of the weekend other than thanks and praise was “My Grandad has a shotgun and shoots clays/pigeons/rabbits etc – He’ll be so proud when I tell him”. Think I make them right.

 

If I’ve got this right, there are a few pictures attached – Nothing too action packed ‘cos I was busy when that was happening, but it will give you an idea of what the above was all about. You may recognise one of the old codgers off here!!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

FCS

Edited August 11, 2016 by Fatcatsplat

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Marvellous work, well done to all involved! :good:

[matone]

Quite an achievement is an understatement !

Marvellous work by all concerned.

[bakerboy]

Final numbers 5,800+

 

I would like to thank the Marshalls supplied by the Scouts they all did a wonderful job. The Scouts, Guides etc. were so well behaved I could not believe it, no messing around and superbly patient.

 

The tents as Matt has said could have been a little better but the organisation by the Scouts was beyond reproach.

 

I heard a rumour we will be asked to do this type of event again, given better accommodation I will be there along with a lot of other BASC Coaches.

 

Matt,great write up and great pictures, and you sir worked very hard and it is and was really appreciated

[Westley]

I congratulate all those that made this possible. I did the same thing single handed for around 10 years with the local Scout camp and managed to get an air rifle Field Target Club to attend too. The field target club are still there to this day and I believe that the clay shooting has restarted on an annual basis. I would have jumped at the chance to have been involved with the event as I am a Life Member of BASC, just a shame that they refuse to recognise my CPSA qualifications and I am a bit long in the tooth to start all over again. When I helped arrange a Young Shots day, the best that BASC could offer me on the day.................the safety briefing (just to stop the youngsters becoming bored), oh and the brushing up. That was despite providing the air gun Lads, the Falconry display and the Gundog demo's. Needless to say, that was the first ........and LAST event I organised.

[Zapp]

Excellent stuff, well done to all involved.

[Cranfield]

What a great occasion and congratulations to everyone involved and thanks particularly to Matt for the excellent report.

Its events like this that do a great deal for shooting.

Proud to be a BASC member.

[Fatcatsplat]

A few more shots I found

 

The bag of empties!

[Fatcatsplat]

^{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUck986x8gM&feature=youtu.be}

^{And we made the telly (nearly) 19.35 onwards}

Edited August 18, 2016 by Fatcatsplat

[rbrowning2]

Educating and encouraging young people into or about the sport is the life blood for the future of the sport.

A very well done to all who run and organised or sponsored the event.

Edited August 18, 2016 by rbrowning2

[Whitebridges]

Very well done to all concerned giving opportunity and encouragement to future generations of shooters.

[tx4cabbie]

Some pals and I did the clay shooting at the Essex County jamboree from 1992-2004, and it's a mammoth endeavour but supremely rewarding.

 

We had to make do with our club manual traps and a sponsorship from browning one year, but still got 500 kids a day through, and they loved every second.

 

You will remember their faces long after the memory of the hard Essex ground and the poor ventilation of tents fades.

 

One lad couldn't shoot, too small, we could only afford 12bore ammo, and he was just too little. He stood watching for three days without complaint.

Robin had a Lee Enfield no4 converted to 410, and I held the weight whilst this lad wielded it like an AA gun with both hands.

Little sod only hit 5/5! He was like a dog with two appendages as he walked away with as many spent shells as his pockets would hold.

Wonderful.

Need help for next one, I'm in.

[Peter Marshall]

The equipment is put away, I've had a holiday, now back to work.

 

By all accounts this was a fantastic event, even If I do say so myself.

 

Thanks need to go firstly to the Coaches who worked their volunteer socks off - LEGENDS!

 

A close second goes to the Scout volunteers and Safety officers, who's hard work, enthusiasm and dedication supported the Coaches no end. They were a dream to work with.

 

Well done to the whole team and thanks to the Jamboree organisers

 

Many thanks, Peter