A GROUP of five Scouts and Explorers from the Wharfedale district are set for a trip of a lifetime after being selected to attend the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea.

Leo Easton, 13, of Otley Parish Scouts, Hannah Tomlinson, 15, of Ilkley Explorers, Noah Dockar, 16, of Ilkley Explorers, Natalie Bowman, 15, of Otley Methodist Scouts and Alice Walsh, 13 of Addingham Scouts, will represent the Wharfedale District at the massive worldwide scouting event from Tuesday, August 1 to Saturday, August 12 August, 2023.

The World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) is a World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) event, it happens every four years, each time hosted by a different country and involves 40 to 50,000 scouts.

It will be a life changing trip as they experience different cultures, adventurous activities, visit new places, meet new people and grow personally by meeting Scouts from around the world.

However, as a group they need to raise £19,000 over the next 15 months to attend the jamboree.

Leo said: "This is a lot of money, but some of the money we raise will be used to fund Scouts from less developed countries, as they don’t have the funds to secure this for themselves. This shows the true spirit of Scouting."

To raise this money the group have done various activities over the last few months including helping at a number of local events and running stalls at Otley Show, Ilkley Carnival, Otley Carnival and Addingham Gala. Over the next couple of months they are going to be doing a couple of big fundraising events.

On September 3rd they will be doing a sponsored walk - the Otley Nine Leagues - a 27 mile circular walk from the White House passing through Pool, Timble, Ilkely, Burley and Menston. On October 29 they will be holding a Ceilidh at Otley Parish Church.

Leo added: "I'm very lucky to have been chosen to attend the jamboree, it's going to be a life changing experience which is now less than a year away so the excitement is starting to build."

Hannah said: "I'm really excited about going to the World Scout Jamboree next year. To begin with, the amount I needed to fundraise was intimidating but fundraising with the other young people from Wharfedale has made it feel more achievable. Working together is good fun and has allowed us as a group to raise funds for our trip but also get involved in local events like the Otley Show and Ilkley Carnival."

"It's going to be an amazing experience and I can’t wait to enjoy meeting so many people from around the world," said Natalie.

If you would like to donate visit https://gofund.me/abe8c3d0 or if business/people want to get in touch to discuss how they can support the group email: leo.jamboree23@gmail.com