Thursday, August 4th
Issue 4
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Exclusive Talk to Camp Chair
Skills and Thrills PAGE 3
PAGE 8
Best Paddle Forwards
by Kate Broadbent
At the water village, on the self-named Beach Fest subcamp, there are heaps of activities going on. Buoyancy aids are a must on this site, as everyone wears one past the blue barrels. If you want to do “something different” as Millie, Market Rasen Guides and Rangers, Wild West subcamp
labelled it, try Bell Boating. Ideal for larger groups, fitting 10 or more on two adjoining seating areas, it’s an excellent teamwork challenge. Freddie, 2nd Stanford, Circus Fest, loved his time on the water, “I splashed my friends quite a lot”. Kayaking is a good option for those wanting to move under their own steam. Each
person has their own boat sitting low in the water. However, there’s still some teamwork, “making the massive raft on the water” was the favourite part of the kayaking for Ruby 1st Martham, Quest Fest. She said it involved “everybody who was kayaking” working together. On a breezy day, the sailing boats really
speed up on the lake. A group who had just unintentionally capsized included Charlotte, 4th Hucknall, Wild West subcamp. Despite her confession, “I just don’t seem to be very good at sailing,” she appeared to have had fun as she hastened to add, “it was good though” as the group laughed and headed to get changed into some dry clothes.
Canoeing and Paddleboards are also offered at the water village. Paddleboards, in particular, are a lot of fun and are available for individuals and groups. However, kneeling and standing whilst moving these boards is a test of coordination. Although, several groups seemed to enjoy leaping off the larger boards rather than paddling.
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Puzzles and Polls Crossword
What is the weirdest costume you brought to camp?
Can you complete our crossword with answers which all relate to Poacher? “Spiderman” - Elliot, Pegasus ESU, Wonder Fest
“Inflatable horse costume” - Charlie, Rutland Scout Group, Circus Fest
The Poacher Poll
Necker 88%
Neckie 8%
We asked Poacher participants what they call one of these.
Scarf 3%
Sudoku Can you fill this 9x9 grid with the number 1-9 without repeating any number in any row, column or 3x3 grid? Across 3. Not modern but... 5. A group of travelling acrobats, clowns, and performers 6. Not the whole camp, but a... 8. A rolled up Scouting/Guiding accessory 9. Horses and long poles 14. Many nations 17. Precipitation 18. A group of people you like hanging out with 19. All of a quiver 20. Camp home away from home 21. Sheriffs, duels, and awesome hats 22. A large rally of Scouts or Guides 23. Their motto is ‘be prepared’
Down 1. Sword fighting but keep your limbs 2. A challenging adventure, often undertaken by heroes or knights 4. Hurtling through the air, attached to a rope 7. On what island did the first scout camp take place? 10. An English County bordering on Cambridgeshire and Nottinghamshire 11. 34 12. A person who hunts or catches game or fish illegally 13. Experience space without the space suit 15. An annual celebration with, merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading 16. Awe, admiration, amazement
Answers Loads of you have loved our puzzles but have been wondering where all the answers are. Thankfully, you will be able to find them all in our final edition. out tomorrow, Friday, August 5th.
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Thursday, August 4th
Wild West
Back To Basics by Isaac Mason and Emily Probert
On Tuesday we went to visit some activities in the southwest area of the site. The activities we visited include the Tomahawk Throwing, Archery, and Bushcraft. We talked to staff and participants to get their opinion on the activities we saw and all of the activities looked really fun and exciting. Georgina from the Derbyshire Mountain Bike team camping on Retro Fest said that “It’s fun!” as there is an interesting start in a bike shed, and the activity is available for anyone of any skill level or age. There are some experienced Bike Ability instructors there to teach you some skills
and an amazing course that goes through the woods with some challenging ramps and a large mound. Andy, from the Bushscout team, on Retro Fest showed us round the array of activities available to the participants and we have to say that they all seemed really interesting. The available activities were swing braiding which is where you make a length of rope, woodland resources which is where you make a wooden block with a hole in and try to stack it in a fun teambuilding activity. You can also make a fire on a raft and learn about how to start a fire, as well as learn about how Kelly Kettles work and
by Alice Blackwell and Emma Blackwell
Dress of the Day
boil some water in them that supplies the team of nineteen people with their hot drinks. What an innovative way of getting your morning cuppa. You can also build a shelter to defend you from the elements. Archery and Fencing are available for the Scouts and Guides which are extremely fun martial sports that the volunteers have put on for the participants. We also visited the Tomahawk throwing activity. Tomahawk throwing is a target sport that helps you improve your discipline and hand-eye coordination. This activity is accessible and can be attempted by people of all ages. The targets can be adjusted to accommodate those with less experience.
There are a range of throwing devices that you can try including Angels and Tomahawks. Colin from the Bushscout team on Retro Fest said that the objective of their activity station was to help young people “Have fun with a different target sport.” There is a briefing which helps you to do the activity safely. Aurora from 1st Minstreet Guides on Circus Fest said that the activity was “really fun to do.” People take part in Tomahawk throwing all over the country and it is a fantastic opportunity to try it at Poacher 2022. The next activity that we visited was the digger challenge, it was teeming with young people looking forward to taking part. Oz, a
leader on the activity, talked to us about the controls and the skills that you can learn from completing the activity. He said that it was an experience that everyone should try. We also visited the escape room activity. It was amazing to see all the excited faces coming out of the rooms. We spoke to Melodie and Jack from 1st Snaith Explorer Scout Unit. They said that the experience was “overall amazing,” and that they would recommend it to others. In general, all of the participants that we spoke to were having an amazing time doing all of the really fun activities and we think that Poacher 2022 is an amazing opportunity.
7th Corby, 38th Corby Guides and 1st Corby Rangers are doing themed dress up every day this week. They have had great fun so far and would love if you joined in with them for the remainder of the camp! They have already done Moustache Monday, Tutu Tuesday and Welly Wednesday (which had some amazing entries). Today is Tattoo Thursday and tomorrow they are ending with Funky Friday, so pick out your best outfits and head over to Wild West Fest to show them off to groups from Corby.
Line Dancing Claire Mumby from 1st Laceby will be running some line dancing this evening. If you would like to take part, please head down to our subcamp HQ for more details.
Gateway Competition The Gateway Competition will be judged today, and the results will follow soon.
Old Man Clanton Old Man Clanton is waiting to meet you, rise to his challenge to collect keys!
Birthdays Matthew, 3rd Sleaford Jack, Pandemonium
Leader’s Meet Leader’s Meeting at 4pm daily, don’t forget!
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You Can’t Stop The Beat by Tom Meads
Tuesday night in the barn was another showing of Poachers Got Talent (PGT). Queues are long, and talent is overflowing from Poacher 2022; I’m glad I don’t have to judge the final. Kicking off with a cultural and, as one judge put it, “Truly inspirational” Klomper Dans (clog dance) from Verkenners, Holland, Schoonoord. Circus Fest successfully infused the crowd with their energy. Kai, 1st Horncastle, Carnival Fest, took to the stage, feet together and arms behind his back as he let his voice carry his rendition of ‘Be More Kind’ by Frank Turner. The judges loved it, saying, “Really lovely, lovely voice, and sung with such emotion.” Darcy from Tweed Valley, Wild West, then hit the stage with a spectacular Irish dance routine filled with “loads of confidence and loads of energy”. Returning for another
go at getting to the final, Maddy from 3rd Allside, Wonder Fest, sung ‘Proud Mary’ by Tina Turner. This performance proved popular with the judges ‘you know, I loved that, I was absolutely amazed’. We also saw the first Ventriloquist act seen at Poacher. Sophie, 2nd Tetney Guides, Quest Fest, and Jack hooked the crowd with this unique performance, starting with an introduction and then singing a duet. Jessica, Moulton Rangers, Carnival Fest,
Poacher by Ger Hennessy
Poacher participants have taken some time out to enjoy some of the 15 movies shown throughout the week from the Main Stage. This reporter struggled
to endure the emotional final scenes of Pixar’s ‘Coco’ on Tuesday evening, but, fearless, he kept it together for the ‘The Lion King’’s love story. Wednesday morning, while Disney’s ‘Cruella’
embodied the strong stance of Veronica Sawyer singing ‘I Say No’ from the hit musical, Heathers, while Libby, Pandamonium Explorer Scouts, Wild West Fest, performed one acrobatic trick after another with her acrobatic dance, impressing the judges “So Clever. Dramatic!” A few of my favourite things: singing, dancing, and performing - or at least that seems to be a few of Millie’s. A member of Market Deeping Guides, Wild West Fest, her excellent rendition
at was on show, we asked some of the movie goers about their viewing experience. 1st Quarrington Guides, in Carnival Fest explained why so many young people had chosen movies over activities. “You can do activities, but you can also just relax with friends here,” says Kaleisha. “We can’t always be with our friends for some of the activities, because of tickets, so it’s nice to be with everyone here,”
of ‘My Favourite Things’ was thoroughly enjoyed by the judges. ‘What a voice for a 10-year-old so powerful.’ With the second Irish dance of the night, Sinead, Tweed Valley, Wild West Fest, gave an energetic performance with 90-degree high kicks and fantastic footwork. Commenting on the performance, the judges said, ‘Very good performance with good use of the whole stage.’ Rymer, Hessle, Wonder Fest, came on stage supporting the Non-
the says Jessica. “It’s just nice to be outside, but also cosily enjoying a film”, says Dayna, “and you can meet people who like the same films”. “I don’t always have the time to watch films at home,” says Phoebe. Alex, West Grimbsy Scouts, in Circus Fest has tried to see as much as possible. “So far I’ve seen Turning Red, The Lion King and Raya and the Last Dragon,” he says, ”but I haven’t seen any all the way through!” He’d
Binary Pride flag, ready to show off an original song called ‘Echo Chamber’ from their band Avis (@AvisBand). Not only was it an amazing song, but the crowd also loved it and so did the judges. Playing the guitar and singing is no easy feat. Looking the part with her epic wig and 60’s inspired outfit Medeline, Market Rasen, Wild West Fest, sang ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ from Hairspray before transitioning into a dance to ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ from
Hairspray. She smashed the high note, and her dancing was neat, energetic, and matched the high expectations of a challenging musical number. The acts that made their way to the final are Rymer, Maddie, and Libby. Very well done to all the acts, as I am sure the judges had an incredibly hard time choosing 3 of the 11 acts. So come along tonight to see all the semi-final winners in Poachers Got Talent finals in the barn at 7pm.
Pictures never seen ‘The Lion King’ before this week and didn’t know any of the songs. “Sometimes I need to relax, and get away from the activities with a blank space in my day,” he says, and, sitting in front of the stage and catching a movie is a great way to wind down. Thomas from 78th Leicester, in Circus Fest felt happy to just sit back and watch a film as he’d done a lot of activities and felt a bit tired. “It’s really nice watching
films with lots & lots of people is better than at home!”, says Emily from Wonder Fest, Lincoln district Explorers. 2nd Market Rasen Explorers Louise and Lucie, also from Wonder Fest, were happy to have a place to just relax, for when you need to calm down. “There’s a lot going on right now,” says Louise “so it’s nice to have time for Me!”. The next film might just be perfect for you. Are you ready for it?
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Bumper
Boat
Thursday, August 4th
Bonanza!
Folk by Emily Cowling
by Kate Broadbent
The next generation of Poacher participants is already here! Rainbows, Squirrels, Beavers, Brownies, and Cubs have been seen all over Poacher as they throw themselves into every activity available to them. Scarlett, Freya, and Maisy, 2nd Tattershall Brownies, were learning a new skill at the Tightropes. Though Freya says they’re “not any good at it” at the moment, Maisy was confident they “had got better” throughout the day. The three Brownies had quite an adventure on the inflatable slide earlier in the day; Maisy described her highlight, “It was funny when I bounced up and down, and it was funny because I flied up”. Scarlett contributed to her friend’s story by
Food Bank Collection A huge thank you to Annabelle, Olivia, Jess, Tia and Kacie, from 1st Inkersall Guides, who have helped to collect food for Folk Fest’s food bank donation.
saying, “Because I was jumping as well”, which made all the young people laugh. Charlie, 2nd Pinchbeck St Marys, describes his experience on the inflatables, “the best bit was that we got to go on the inflatables, but the only bad bit was we got really hot and sweaty”. It’s no surprise they
were a bit sweaty on such a hot day, but the heat didn’t beat them. Ethan’s enthusiasm knows no bounds, “I think the best bit is going to be coming here in four years time. That means I get to go on all the rides!”. His leader confirmed that they are indeed coming back in four years as Scouts.
Explore, Discuss and Share Ideas by Amy Crombleholme
After a successful debut in 2017, the Global Development Village returns to Poacher bigger and better. The Village includes several zones covering global issues such as poverty, health, conflict resolution, and STEM. It aims to provide a safe space for young people to explore, discuss, and develop their ideas on these topics. “It’s about passing on knowledge and getting them to think about how they look at the world and what they see,” co-manager Mickey Wardlaw explains.
The Village is open during the daytime and from 6:30-8pm in the evenings. It hosts a range of activities, including a daily paper aeroplane challenge and the Global Development badge which has seen huge demand. “We’re all working towards the badge,” said Katie, Libby, Alex and Niamh from Sleaford Rangers, Carnival Fest. “We’ve been doing each of the activities and it’s been good to reflect on current events. There’s a lot of variety and they do it in a fun way with puzzles and tasks.” This year the Village has two new zones
covering world faith and the environment after campers specifically asked for these topics to be added. “They are generating ideas for us and telling us
what they want for next time, which is brilliant,” says Mickey. “It’s three times the size of last time and hopefully we’ll keep growing.”
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by Amy Crombleholme
Located right at the top of the showground, Carnival Fest lives up to its name with lots of colourful archways welcoming you as you walk around. Units have taken inspiration from carnivals around the world, from Notting Hill to Mardi Gras, to decorate and really get into the party spirit. “We brought loads of Hawaiian leis,” said Eva from 1st Steeple Bumpstead Scouts. “Our theme is very colourful
and mad!” “People are quite nice,” added Alfie, also from Steeple Bumpstead. “We sing with camp next door at night.” Inside the subcamp tent you can play carnival games such as Splat the Rat and Hook a Duck, or even have your fortune read. Daytime craft activities, such as mask-making, are available for younger campers; while some engineers from 125th Littleover Scouts have built a mini helter skelter that people can sign their names on.
Carnival loves to party – on Wednesday evening they put on a colour run where campers could pelt each other (gently, of course) with powder paint, while the Canadian contingent hosted a maple syrup night at the waffle tent. “The organisers at Poacher graciously helped us order our equipment,” says leader Sean. “Everyone is welcome to come out, we’re going to have some Canadian music blaring in the background and some fun activities.”
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Meanwhile, Jersey Scouts are still celebrating their victory in Tuesday’s Trek Cart racing event. “It was good fun,” says Cian, “we all had a certain role we played and that made us go better together.” The group proudly showed off the woggles they won as their prize – because at Carnival Fest, you can never have too much pride!
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Thursday, August 4th
Network and Chill by Kate Broadbent
Poacher is a bustling camp full of action and constant energy. There are plenty of opportunities for young people to take a breath and watch a film or escape, but what about the volunteers? For staff and leaders, the options may seem very limited, but do not fear! Here’s several places where adults can go to take a break and protect their mental health. Leaders’ Coffee Bar Located in the shopping area, next to the tuck shop, the big red and yellow tent is a young person-free zone. They have plenty of seating available along with cakes, pop, hot drinks and even sandwiches for sale. So why not head over there and try one of the jigsaws on the centre table? Reflection Zone A space for leaders and young people, found between Poacher’s Got Talent and circus fest, this zone is open
during normal activity time. Hollie from the reflection zone says they aim “to take their minds off of things that are going on.” How do they do this? There are plenty of small crafts, colouring, and bubbles. A quiet space in the back gives those who need to gather their thoughts a chance to do so. A listening ear is also open to all. Hollie thinks that one of the benefits of the reflection zone is that they “try not to be too busy,” as they’re “here for the people who need quiet time to clear their heads”. There are also several religious services going on. So, for young people or adults who are in need of de-stressing, this may just be their destination of choice. Retro Fest Retro Fest is another young person-free zone. The fantastic team always have tea and coffee available, and their leaflet advertises “a chill out area in our
1st Hasland Guides & Rangers from Derbyshire had a bit of an odd morning on Tuesday. They’ve decorated their site, in Folk Fest, with a farm theme. Scarecrows dancing around a maypole and plastic chickens pecking at the ground. “I was first up this morning, and I noticed that the chickens had
laid eggs”, Christine, a leader in the group, reveals, “which is odd, because the chickens aren’t real”. “They’re not even on the edge of our site,” another leader Annie, explains, so whoever did it (assuming it wasn’t the chickens that did it), did so at considerable risk of being noticed. At the time of going to press there were no prime suspects, but “a Welsh group” has
by Rachel Lawson
Awards and Promises Circus subcamp are having a promise ceremony and awards giving evening at their subcamp HQ tonight. If you have any awards or promises you would like to be presented, please let the subcamp team know before 1pm today and they will make sure to fit you in.
Lost Property We have a Norwich City shirt at our subcamp HQ. We assume someone has lost this (rather than dediced to try and through it away and support Lincoln FC instead), so we would love to return it to it’s rightful owner.
marquee so you can come along for some quiet time”. Not only that, but there is a small pool table and a place to charge electronics. Each evening there is entertainment,
including games nights and bingo. Big Top It will truly be a shock if leaders are unaware of the big top. There’s a pizza oven out front and light-ish refreshments
available from the friendly Big Top staff. Each night comes with a theme, with, for example, a table quiz on Sunday and a superhero themed party on Monday.
Do Count Your Chickens by Ger Hennessy
Circus
been spotted passing the scene of the crime. There’s a Scout group opposite that may be called in for questioning, or for an omelette. In general, the Hasland Guides & Rangers warmly welcome visitors, especially to see their scarecrow which has been dedicated to a former leader Anne. “Please come and peg our scarecrow in Anne’s memory,” says Christine.
It’s the Final Countdown Everyone at Circus Fest would love to wish the best of luck to anyone who is performing in the final of Poacher’s Got Talent! The acts from our subcamp so far have been amazing and we will be sure to be there to support you tonight.
Cool Offerings We still have our subcamp freezers available for purchase. Despite travelling 120 miles to collect them, we haven’t formed a bond with them and would love for them to find a forever home. Head over to our subcamp HQ to see them or make an offer.
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A Sit Down With The Chair by Isaac Mason
Here at Poacher 2022 there are over 1,500 members of staff, taking their time to run games and activities for participants to enjoy, but there’s one person with a huge amount of weight on her shoulders. We went to see the Camp Chair, Lizzie, on Wednesday, to have a chat about Poacher and her experiences at camp. We asked her what a typical day would be like as Camp Chair with the answer being that “there is no typical day, every day is very varied”, but every day starts
with an early morning and countless miles are walked across site each day in a superb effort to keep the camp running smoothly. At this point, she made sure to thank all the amazing volunteers for giving up their time to make Poacher 2022 the amazing event that it is. After that we asked about the small joys that she finds in the day: “I don’t get much time to myself” but “the job itself is fun and I do like a good decaf tea when I have time.” The topic then turned to confectionery – in her opinion her fellow county commissioner,
Linda Ward’s lemon drizzle cake is one of the best on site, although supply is unfortunately running low. Her favourite songs are apparently DJ Casper’s Cha Cha Slide or Walk the Moon’s Shut Up and Dance. Finally, we asked her what she was looking forward to after camp, once her job as Camp Chair is over. It turns out she is most looking forward to a hot bath and her own bed, and that the end of her job isn’t until September to October time, after the debriefing of Poacher has occurred. This is Lizzie’s fifth Poacher since she first
attended as a Young Leader in 1992, with the next three being spent as the finance manager. For Poacher 2022, with long-time Camp Chair Alan Scott MBE stepping down from his role, Lizzie decided to take up the mantle, given she was exemplary in her previous role. The topic then moved on to Junior Poacher, and we wondered whether she has had the time to meet any of them. Unfortunately not yet, but she will be making every effort to find some time to say hello. Apparently, Lizzie has brought two teddy bears
to camp – Dino the dinosaur and Hero the dog – and she is looking forward to getting a Poacher-branded cup and gin glass from the shop. Poacher 2022 has been in the works for
Jill Bagnall has been attending Poacher since 1982, they are having a party today to celebrate this achievement
strange trend around camp… hats. There are so many different varieties of hats I’ve seen: cowboy hats (courtesy of the Wild West Camp), caps and somehow, most often, bucket hats? For some reason, a lot of people are wearing bucket hats, tie-dye, and a rainbow… cow? My favourite hat so far is the unmissable cow bucket hat, proudly worn by George from Wonder Fest. It’s a strange phenomenon, but I feel an urge to buy one of my own. What hats have you seen? Isaac, Brandesburton Scout Troop, Wild West Fest
them on Friday at 1:30pm outside the Admin Hub for a group photo. We want to see how
many pairs we can get.
five years and the whole team has put in lots of effort to make this event an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime for us all, so we would like to thank everyone for their hard work.
Your Announcements Don’t forget to look out for our very own media mascot, Poacher Panda, who will be hiding somewhere around the showground this morning. If you find him, and return him to the media centre, there will be a prize waiting for you. Today the Poacher Cinema will be showing: 9:30am - Zootopia PG (PG) 2:00pm Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (12A) 6:30pm - Enola Holmes (PG) In the Main Arena Happy 5th anniversary to Laura and Jamie who met at Poacher 2017
Your newspaper was brought to you by:
Happy 21st Birthday to Levi on the Hot Air Balloon Team!! xxx Much Love Holly, Vonny, Warrers, Guy, Toby, George and Jodie Fern Jones is running a badge and Scout memorabilia stall at 1st Calow in Circus Fest. She is selling items that were collected by her grandad for her Brownie charity badge. She is raising money for a community defibrillator. A large volume of Canadian badges part of the items on sale. Since the start of Poacher, I’ve noticed a
If you own a pair of rainbow and sprinkles camp leggings, wear
Chess Challenge. If you fancy a game of chess, then pop along
to Lancaster Scouts, 6:30-7:30pm tonight, on Knot A Road, Circus Fest. Don’t forget to bring your chessboard!
Happy Birthday Thursday 4th August Jack P, 16 Karen T, 54 Kacper D, 12 Claire R, 46 Liberty M, 11 Max M, 14 Matthew B, 12 Annabel B, 15
Newspaper Team Leader - Jake Dixon Reporters: Kate Broadbent, Thomas Meads, Amy Crombleholme, Deanna Carden, Lily Hambly, Amy Emmot, Ger Hennessy, Alex Richardson, Emily Probert, Isaac Mason
Rachel R, 41 Deborah B, 16 Michael N, 24 Caleb J, 14 Thomas H, 32 Frankie-Mae R, 13 Edward M, 17 Louis W, 13 Tehya G, 14
Jackie W, 59 Abi E, 16 Christine T, 37 Richard S, 44 Daisy F, 13 Mark W, 38 Kayleigh R-P, 32 Denis M, 15 Joseph E, 11
Photography Team Leader - Ellen Tack Photographers: Helen Zealand, Zackery Phelps, Stephen Way, Ian Guy, James Hage, Emily Mackwood, Katie Burgess, Eli Bush