Staffordshire Scout raising money to fund Korean trip of a lifetime

Oliver Poulton from Wombourne is looking to raise £3,500 in order to fund his trip to the 25th Scout Jamboree in South Korea in August 2023.

The 14-year-old, who goes to school at Highfields School, is an Explorer Scout with the Wolverhampton Fubar unit and a young leader with the Bratch Cub Pack, and is one of 36 scouts from the West Mercia Scout Country to be selected for the Jamboree.

The £3,500 he needs to raise will cover the costs of travel, accommodation, and equipment costs and supports Scouts from developing countries attending the Jamboree, with around 45,000 scouts from across the world set to attend the Jamboree.

Oliver has since raised £2,000 through donations from the Bratch Scout Troop and members of his family, as well as selling paracord woggles and survival bracelets, doing bag packs and even doing a Lego walk of pain.

His mother Michelle Poulton is a leader of the troop that Oliver is a member of and said when the family found out he had been selected, there was trepidation at the cost, but joy at his selection.

She said: "It's a lot of money to raise and in a shorter time than normal as they weren't sure, due to Covid, whether the Jamboree could go ahead, so we've only got 12 months to raise the funds.

"However, it's amazing for him to be selected as so few scouts get that opportunity and he really enjoys being a scout as he likes the togetherness with his peers and he's a young leader with the cubs and leads activities, and they really look up to him."

Ms Poulton said Oliver had until the end of May next year to get all the funding in, with the scouts flying out to the South Korean capital Seoul at the end of July for five days, then heading to the Jamboree from August 1 to 12.

She said she hoped people would get behind Oliver's fundraising campaign and help provide him with an amazing experience.

She said: "I would say to people that is will be an amazing experience for him, not just as an individual, but he will also come back and inspire the younger generation of Cubs and Scouts ahead of the next Jamboree in Poland in 2027.

"He'll come back and be full of stories and able to talk about his experiences and, hopefully, keep inspiring them towards going for that Jamboree themselves."

To find out more and to donate to Oliver's fundraiser, go to gofundme.com/f/ollies-journey-to-the-25th-world-scout-jamboree.