Youlbury Scout Activity Centre

Youlbury Scout Activity Centre

Youlbury Scout Activity Centre is one of a number of The Scout Association's National Scout Activity Centres in the United Kingdom and is the oldest permanent Scout campsite in the world (while Brownsea Island was the site of the first campsite, it was a private island for many years after).

The Centre, which is based near Oxford, is open to Scouts from around the world, and offers many activities as well as camping and accommodation in huts.

History

The site was first used as a meeting place and camping field in 1913 when the site owner, Sir Arthur Evans, had a cabin built for a local Scout Patrol. This building was demolished in the 1980s, but many other of the original buildings still stand.

Since then, the site has been developed and expanded to accommodate large gatherings of Scouts, offering activities such as swimming, archery, shooting, climbing, and more.

Milestones

* 1913 - the log cabin for the Scouts is built
* 1919 - Gilwell Park, a centre for Scoutmaster training is founded
* 1925 - Baden-Powell approaches the landowner to use Youlbury as another training centre
* 1939 - Gilwell Park is commandeered by the Army, and the "Scout Movement" move their headquarters to Youlbury
* 1941 - Sir Arthur Evans dies, leaving instructions that site be sold to the "Scout Movement" for a "reasonable price"
* 1946 - Headquarters returns to Gilwell Park

Location

Youlbury is situated in a wooded area just north of Boars Hill, about 5 miles west of Oxford.

Facilities

Campsites

Youlbury has a large number of fields and sites spread around the woodland.

Each camping area has designated fire circles, and have shared toilet and washing facilities.

Indoor accommodation

There are a number of buildings with varying facilities available on the site. This provides for the younger sections who require alternative indoor accommodation when camping, and also for training purposes.

* "The Lawn Hut" - was originally a Croquet pavilion and was the building which the Scouts had asked to be allowed to use before having the log cabin built. It has a kitchen and main hall, but no beds
* "Camp Headquarters Building" - has 2 rooms of 10 beds and 2 rooms of 4, kitchen, and a large indoor hall
* "The Gulf Building" - a self-contained chalet with 6 rooms of 2 beds and 3 rooms of 6, a kitchen, and indoor hall
* "The Brazier Building" - 4 rooms of 4, 1 room of 2, kitchen and hall. This building is alongside "The Lawn Hut"
* "The Training Centre" - has a kitchen, office, 4 classrooms, and a main hall
* "The Activity Barn" - simply a large hall
* "The Den" - has a kitchen, hall, and 18 beds. It also contains the museum

Activities

The site offers a number of activities on or near site, all properly supervised:

* Swimming
* Climbing and Abseiling
* Go-Karts
* Air Rifle Shooting (Indoor Range)
* Assault Course
* Archery
* Pioneering
* Orienteering
* Aeriel Trek
* 3G Swing
* Jacobs Ladder
* Crate Stacking

Sailing is also available nearby, and there is the CuriOXity Science Centre in Oxford, and a rural farm museum nearby.

taff

The site is overseen by a Chief Warden, who manages a small permanent staff who maintain the site and supervise the various activities.

Over the summer months, as the site is much busier, volunteers are recruited from nearby Scout Groups. There are opportunities for international members of Scouting to volunteer as staff. The minimum term is two weeks, and are in the months of June, July and August, with at least one day off a week (although, the other six days are not always full).

However, staff members must met the following requirements:

* Be a current member of a recognised Scout or Guide organisation
* A basic level of competence with the English Language
* The ability to work as a member of an International Team
* Prepare to try anything once
* Be over 14 years of age (no upper limits)

Service team is divided into two age categories. There is the 'Junior Team:' which age between 14-18, and the 'Senior Team:' which range from 18+. Although these two groups are individual by the scouting consensus, they work side-by-side with the senior team as one united authority.

ee also

* Baden-Powell House - hostel and conference center for Scouting
* Brownsea Island Scout camp - the birthplace of World Scouting
* Gilwell Park - the current home of UK Scouting
* The Scout Association - UK Scouting

External links

* [http://www2.scouts.org.uk/sac/Scouts/youlbury.html Official Website]
* [http://www.youlbury.com/index.htm Old Website]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Scout Activity Centre (The Scout Association) — A Scout Activity Centre is a campsite, hostel or conference centre of The Scout Association. They offer outdoor facilities and activities for the whole Scouting movement. The campsites typically have capacity for hundreds of Scouts simultaneously …   Wikipedia

  • Downe Scout Activity Centre — Downe Owner …   Wikipedia

  • The Scout Association — Infobox WorldScouting name =The Scout Association image size = caption = type = owner = age = headquarters =Gilwell Park location =Chingford country = coords = f date = defunct = founders = founder = award for = members =365,685 youth 87,593… …   Wikipedia

  • Chief Scout (The Scout Association) — The Chief Scout is the head of The Scout Association. The post originated with the appointment of Robert Baden Powell, 1st Baron Baden Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement, as Chief Scout. He was designated Chief Scout of the World in 1920… …   Wikipedia

  • National Scout and Guide Symphony Orchestra — The National Scout and Guide Symphony Orchestra (NSGSO) was formed in 1976 as a joint orchestra of The Scout Association and the Girl Guides Association in the United Kingdom.[1] The NSGSO slogan is Where else could you turn up as a stranger and… …   Wikipedia

  • Cub Scouts (The Scout Association) — Cub Scouts Owner …   Wikipedia

  • Scouting in South East England — is about Scouting in the official region of South East England. The largest membership is represented by the Scout Association of the United Kingdom, while there is also a presence of traditional Scouting groups, such as the Baden Powell Scouts… …   Wikipedia

  • Gilwell Park — Büste von Robert Baden Powell, vom mexikanischen Pfadfinderverband 1968 an Olave Baden Powell für den Gilwell Park gestiftet Der Gilwell Park ist ein Lagerplatz der britischen Pfadfinderbewegung und dient auch als Ausbildungszentrum für… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Scouting museums — Throughout the world there are many museums related to Scouting dedicated to preserving, communicating, and exhibiting the heritage of the Scouting movement for purposes of study, education, and enjoyment of society. A downloadable world… …   Wikipedia

  • Baden-Powell House — Baden Powell House, colloquially known as B P House, is a Scouting hostel and conference centre in South Kensington, London, which was built as a tribute to Lord Baden Powell, the founder of Scouting. The house, owned by The Scout Association,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”