Former scout leader is appealing to bring together scouts from Harborough district for reunion

A former scout leader is appealing to bring together scouts from the Harborough district for a reunion.

Patrick Emmet led the first Fleckney Scout group to the international scout camp in Switzerland, in 1983.

Mr Emmet is hoping to reunite with scouts who joined the trip to Kandersteg – the heart of the Swiss Alps – to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Scout leader Patrick Emmet said the trip was a first for intrepid Harborough scouts.

The trip itself was a first for the Harborough district and aimed to celebrate 75 years of Fleckney Scout group - one of the oldest in the world.

Patrick said: “It was quite an adventure. We couldn’t just jump on a Ryan Air flight in those days. We went by coach and ferry with a night’s stopover before getting to Kandersteg. Young people weren’t used to going abroad like they are now.”

He said travel arrangements were not the only things that were different.

“Communication has changed massively with the technology we have today. It was different in those days when you camped on a mountain above the snowline, you’re completely cut off.

Taking the plunge - scouts from Fleckney and Market Harborough enjoying a glacial dip.

“Health and safety was different too, in some ways we were freer. After camping on the mountain in Kandersteg we jumped into a lake off a glacier. It was freezing. Luckily it was my job to get out an take the photo.”

According to Mr Emmet, who led the scouts for eight years, other trip highlights included trying to teach Italians how to play cricket and helping to maintain the campsite.

He added that the community and environmental activities were similar to his time as a scout, only it was called ‘bob-a-job’.

While he has fond memories of the earlier days, he is pleased the movement is continuing to thrive.

The scout veteran told the Mail: “It’s a fantastic organisation that’s really grown. It even has Bear Grylls as the chief scout, that’s really helped push it forward. It’s just a great way of providing young people with so many opportunities.”

Patrick is urging anyone who was on the trip, including four venture scouts from Market Harborough, and who would like to get together to mark the trip’s anniversary, to get in touch by emailing Harborough Mail on [email protected]