During the first two days of May half term, I time to camp with Unit 13 – Bedfordshire Black Cats as part of my World Scout Jamboree journey. It was a chance to meet up with friends, spend time outdoors, and continue building teamwork within the unit.
We camped for two nights and spent a lot of time playing games, cooking, helping with community work, and generally bonding as a group.
Arrival Day – Setting Up Camp and a game of Blood on the Clocktower
On the first day we arrived after tea so the most important thing was for us to practice the set up our tents and getting the camp organised before starting one of the fun activities of the camp: playing a game of Blood on the Clocktower.
Blood on the Clocktower is a social deduction game where players try to work out who is secretly “evil” while different characters use unique abilities to help or confuse the group. It was incredibly fun, and we ended up playing it many times across the camp.
What I particularly enjoyed was how strategic and psychological the game became. Even when players were eliminated, they could still influence the game, which made it more interesting than some other social deduction games.
Full Day – Community Service and Camp Cooking
Volunteer work teaches us to support something bigger than ourselves
The next morning, we woke up and had breakfast before helping with some community work around the Scout hut that we were staying at.
Being able to give something back through volunteer work is a crucial value that teaches us to support something bigger than ourselves.
I spent part of the morning painting a fence with some of the others. I actually found it quite calming, and it gave me time to reflect on everything I’ve been doing over the past few months as part of this Scout Jamboree experience.
After finishing the fence, we moved on to painting the shooting range floor. Before painting, I had to clear away all the spiders and their webs first, which was probably the least enjoyable part of the task but as no one else was willing to do it I stepped in. I don’t like large spiders so I am glad there was only of these but there was plenty of smaller wispy ones which were not as bad.
Once we had finished the volunteer work, we took a break and visited the shop. I bought:
- An ice cream
- Some badges
- A drink
- A pack of cards
- A slushy
Altogether it cost £9.47, which I thought was quite good considering how much I bought.
Campfire cooking skills
Later in the day, we cooked a sausage casserole and dumplings over the fire from ingredients we had been given. It was a bit of a learning experience as I started cutting the potatoes wrong for a casserole. I struggled with the getting the right sizes. It is definitely a skill I need to develop, especially as I have had to work on my fine motor skills in the past. Many people with Autism experience fine motor skills challanges,
Cooking outdoors is something I’ve been improving at through Scouts in general, and it’s useful learning how to prepare meals in different situations not just in a kitchen. Campfire cooking is definately more challenging as there is less control of the heat but usually have to cook everything in 1 or 2 pots.
More Blood on the Clocktower Chaos
That evening, we played a few more rounds of Blood on the Clocktower. It is a very addictive game that I really enjoyed. I love strategy games.
Out of around ten games, I was usually eliminated by the second round, which initially frustrated me because I liked using my role’s abilities. However, after a while I realised it probably meant I was seen as a strong player or a threat.
Ironically, once dead, I often enjoyed the game even more because I could not be killed again and could focus entirely on strategy.
The most interesting game was when I was evil. I died by the second round and everyone immediately suspected I was evil, but I still managed to confuse people about my actual role. I was secretly the Spy, although many people thought I was the Poisoner or the Baron instead.
I intentionally created confusion, drew attention away from more important evil roles, and saved my dead vote until the final execution to help protect the Demon. In the end, our team won the game which I feel I contributed to. As I said I love strategy games with lots of information to learn and possibilities.
We were playing the Trouble Brewing version of the game, which I think is a very good introduction for newer players because it stays balanced while still allowing lots of strategy.
Our Final Morning
On the final day, we made pancakes before packing away camp.
I made a thick pancake and a good amount of Biscoff spread on it. This was a great way to finish the camp.
After breakfast, we packed away our equipment and prepared to head home.
What I got from this camp
Looking back on the camp, I think I gained:
- Strengthing of friendships within my Jamboree Unit
- More confidence in outdoor cooking though still more practice with potatoes is required!
- Developing teamwork skills
- A new favourite strategy game!
I also appreciated having the chance to give back to the Scouting community through the volunteer work we completed as Scouting has given me so much over the years.
Camps like this are one of the reasons I enjoy Scouts so much. They combine practical skills, teamwork, problem solving, and fun in a way that is very different from normal day-to-day life.
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