An explorer scout from Keswick is said to be safe and well in Seoul enjoying a revised programme after an ill-fated world jamboree.
Fifteen-year-old Tristan Stott-Bonsen was part of a team of 18 from Cumbria who joined up with 33 others from the North West as part of a 4,500-strong contingent from the UK at the event which the South Korean media have labelled “a national disgrace”.
After touching down safely in Seoul they then travelled to the jamboree site in Saemangeum in the south of the country.
However, the camp site itself was found wanting, with reports of overflowing bins, dirty toilets and bug-infested fields.
Taking place amid a heatwave, safety concerns prompted the UK contingent to pull out of the campsite before a looming typhoon forced everyone on site to leave.
The three-week experience, which was meant to include 12 days on site, with the balance spent sightseeing in Korea, including a visit to the de-militarised zone (DMZ) at the north/south border.
Taking place every four years, the jamboree is essentially a youth cultural exchange. The venue moves around the world, with Poland set to be the next destination.
On Monday, Matt Hyde, Scouts UK chief executive, said: “We’ve just relocated 4,500 young people and adult volunteers away from the jamboree site to here in Seoul over the past couple of days and they’re all in hotel rooms and the jamboree journey continues here in Seoul.
“I am truly inspired by the response of our adult volunteers and our young people as I arrived upstairs in a hall yesterday as young people were arriving and it was so inspiring to see their response.
“They were singing campfire songs. There was someone on the piano. They are a credit to scouting and a credit to the UK.”
A spokesman for the Cumbria scouts confirmed that they were all “well and safe” in Seoul and were enjoying a revised programme.
He also wished to add their grateful thanks to all those who helped fund their trip, including members of the public, charities, parents and supermarkets and assured them that their money and efforts were not wasted.
“They are having a great time, not the one intended, but one to be remembered forever.
“In many ways they will learn more about Korea than they would have done, they had a good few days on site mixing with world scouts, but the wise decision to move was, despite initial frustrations, well, wise!”
“We are all grateful for the team, (immediate and national) of leaders out there looking out for our children,” the spokesman added.
