Levels Scouts have been busy competition camping during the last term.thirteen Scouts attended the District Competition Camp at Lufton at the beginning of May.  Entered as novices two patrols, led by Jesse Stilling and Amy Chainey-Lane managed to attain two pennants each; Camping Standard and Good Camping.  This was quite an achievement as neither patrol had ever competition camped before and there was a limit to the amount of equipment we could get to the site for them to use.

Competition camping involves setting up a campsite, cooking for yourselves, making gadgets and maintaining the campsite over time.  Patrols are marked for teamwork, spirit, cooking area, site layout, tent pitching and maintenance, store tent and more.
Three weeks later, following that practice at District Jamboree, six of the Levels Scouts went to County Jamboree – another competition camp, this time competing with Scouts from across Somerset.  They set themselves the target of getting one pennant more than they had achieved at District Jamboree; that being an Advance Camping Pennant.

The patrol of six were again entered as novices because only one had attended a County Jamboree previously.  Camping on the France sub-camp they exceeded their expectations!  Ably led by Jesse Stilling (Patrol Leader) they gained the following camping pennants; Camping Standard, Good Camping, Advanced Camping and First Class Camping.  To gain a First Class Camping Pennant meant that they were among the top 10% of the patrols on the camp.

Before you think that the Scouts spent all weekend on both occasions getting organised and tidying things up, they all also took part in a variety of activities on both weekends.  District Jamboree offered backwoods cooking, shooting, wide games, cooking competition, pizza making and making mallets.  County Jamboree offered an aerial runway, shooting, archery, craft activities, climbing wall, evening discos, talent competition, county cooking competition, Monkey Bridge, blind trail, cart racing, circus skills and more.  All the Scouts enjoyed all of the activities immensely.
At the end of County Jamboree there is a short ceremony to award prizes to the best campers.  Various shields are awarded within Districts and across the whole County.  We are exceptionally proud that our novice team of scouts from The Levels won the Runner-Up Shield for Yeovil and District Scouts.  The patrol that they were runner-up to came 4th across the whole county.  An amazing achievement for a novice patrol whose members were:Jesse Stilling (Patrol Leader), Amy Chainey-Lane (Patrol second), Jessica Viney (Quarter Master), Josh Norris, Benjamin Chainey-Lane and Sam Norris

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