Jerome gets ready for the jamboree

A devoted Luton Scout leader has been chosen to lead a trip to a jamboree in the Appalachian mountains of America.
Jerome DoyleJerome Doyle
Jerome Doyle

Jerome Doyle, an Explorer Scout leader from Luton, will take 36 Bedfordshire teenagers and three assistants to the 2019 World Scout Jamboree in America. They will be camping on the shores of the fast flowing New River in West Virginia with the 1,500 miles long Appalachian mountains in the background.

Jerome will be one of 400 Scout leaders from the UK taking part in the event. They will be responsible for over 3,000 Scouts as they enjoy a three week adventure without parallel.

This Scout champion is one of those indispensable people who keep London Underground going from his base on the Piccadilly Line. His job as roving manager is to make sure there is a train driver available for every train.

A grandfather at the age of 44, Jerome came to Scouts via time spent in the Boys Brigade in North London where he was born. He moved to Luton in 2001 and became a helper with Lea Valley District (now Falkes District) when his son Daniel joined the Cubs. He is now an Explorer leader for the 16-strong Phoenix Unit, who meet at their Bodmin Road headquarters.

His international experience includes assistant leader at the last jamboree in Japan and a camp at the Le Mans race track looking after the needs of racegoers and the staff at the course. Jerome now has the task of selecting the three assistant leaders and the 36 Scouts who will accompany him to the jamboree. In America they will meet Scouts from nearly 200 countries in a tented city of 40,000.

He said: “We’ll have our work cut out to mould my contingent of enthusiastic mixed sex Scouts into a powerful team who can show the rest what Bedfordshire and the UK can do. These are lessons that will fit them for an active and useful life in the future. And I guess us leaders will learn a thing or two as well!”

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