The BASC clay shooting line was a smash hit at the 2024 international Scout jamboree in Essex. Thousands of excited children grabbed the opportunity to try clay pigeon shooting at the flagship Scouting event in the south of England.
Scouts and Guides aged aged from 11 to 18 queued all day, every day, to get a lesson with BASC-accredited shotgun coaches on a shooting line at the Essex International Jamboree. To make sure everyone got at least one chance to shoot, BASC limited the sessions to five shots each, using 20-bore or .410 shotguns. Many youngsters enjoyed the experience so much, they returned again and again for more goes when the opportunity arose.
The week-long jamboree is the biggest event of its kind in the UK, and is held every four years at a huge camp set up in a field in Boyton Cross, Essex. This year it attracted around 5,000 Scouts and Guides, including 1,000 from overseas. There were also about 2,000 leaders and volunteers making sure everything went smoothly.
BASC head of training and education Dr Peter Marshall, who was at the event to organise the shooting, says: “It’s been a tremendous success and great fun for everyone. The kids have really enjoyed it – and so have the coaches. It’s great to see so many young people having a go at shooting sports, gaining confidence and hitting their first clays. It’s also one of the few jamboree activities where disabled youngsters can take part on equal terms.
“We gave 555 lessons the first day, 725 the next and 1,005 on Wednesday, and we expect those numbers to increase as the week goes on.
“The main reason we are here is that we are engaging with a completely different audience to our usual one. The Scouts and Guides are not generally people who are familiar with shooting, but they are keen on outdoor activities, and to be able to give them a taste of shooting in a safe, controlled but enjoyable environment is very rewarding for everyone involved. Whenever we have run a shooting line at Scout events, it has always been one of the most popular activities with the children.
“Many of these confident, well-educated young people will grow up to be the leaders and decision makers of the future – in politics, industry and commerce, and we hope they will carry a positive experience of shooting forward with them.”
