Scouts in Sweden for World Jamboree

The event at the 12 square mile old airfield near Kristianstadt was attended by 40,000 Scouts from all around the world.

UK Chief Scout Bear Grylls and Carl Gustaf, the King of Sweden, also visited the Jamboree as VIP guests.

Mr Grylls said: “This is an awe-inspiring camp with Scouts from 156 countries all sharing one common theme, to live in peace and harmony. It’s a wonderful experience that will change their lives forever.”

After the opening ceremony, the Scouts took part in various activities, facing physical and intellectual challenges.

In the ‘Dream Forest’ they were asked to journey backwards to be reborn with a fund of new ideas to make them a better person.

Part of the adventure was to walk through a dark forest with only the light from a lantern to guide them.

There was also a replica English castle which gave visitors from around the world a taste of English tradition, from fish and chips to tea and crumpets.

The Bedfordshire Scouts even put on an energetic display of Morris dancing.

Cameron Mason from Luton said: “We spent time looking at what we could do about global warming and how to deal with the limited fuel resources we have around the world.

“It was an eye-opener for all of us to meet up with Scouts from other countries and see how many things we had in common.”

Explorer Scout James Jackman said: “I got off the coach and I was stunned by the sheer size of the site. It stretched for miles.

“There are tents and people from every corner of the globe. It’s an amazing sight.”