More than 4,000 scouts took part in a weekend camp at the Royal Three Counties Showground in Malvern to learn new skills and make new friends.

Shirejam 2023 welcomed scouts from across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Gloucestershire who arrived on Friday evening (July 7) to entertainment by beatboxing legends Duke.

The youngsters aged six to 18 woke on Saturday to start their activities around the Showground visiting the six zones on offer – including climbling, water zorbing, arts and crafts and survival skills.

On Saturday, Shirejam’s Got Talent took place sponsored by outdoor leisure company Ol Pro, with entertainment from Wow party band and a DJ set, two cinemas and cafes.

The event also welcomed Squirrel Scouts, the newest and youngest section of scouting for the first time.

The four to six-year-old enjoyed the inflatables, soft archery, cardboard caving, beach play and giant Lego as day visitors on Saturday.

Programme activities concluded at lunchtime on Sunday with a closing ceremony headlined by pop songstress Channy, entertaining the young people and adult volunteers alike with songs of past and present.

Peter from Scouts Hereford and Worcester, said: “Events like Shirejam are only possible thanks to our amazing volunteers, some of whom have been planning this event for the past four years.

“We had around 100 volunteers step up to help us deliver Shirejam many coming from across the UK this was in addition to the hundreds of volunteers we had onsite looking after the young people camping during the weekend.

“Scouting is totally reliant on volunteers, we passionately want to deliver skills for life to as many young people as possible and we need more volunteers to allow this. You do not need to have been a Scout or Guide yourself and you do not need ‘scouting skills’. We provide free training and support for all our volunteers, training that also looks great on your CV.

“You don’t even have to like working with young people, we have many support roles behind the scenes including trustees for our charities and team leaders for our volunteers.”

If you are interested in supporting scouting in your local community call 0345 300 1818 or visit scouts.org.uk