Sunrise Day!

For the sun to rise on Scouting's sunrise day was special.

To rise with the sun on Scouting's sunrise day was not so easy. Especially as my duties didn't finish last night until 11-30 and I didn't get back to the tent until 12-15! It's quite some walk from one side of the site to the other!

No matter, we were up shortly after 5-00 ready to walk down to the Arena with the International Service Team. We arrived in good time for the Sunrise Ceremony. Representatives of each of the countries at the Jamboree had gone to join Peter Duncan, the UK's Chief Scout, on Brownsea Island ready to lead us all in renewing the Scout Promise. They stood on the very spot where Baden Powell led his first camp bringing together boys from inner city London and from Bournmouth to camp together. Just as then the purpose of the camp had been to bring people together from very different backgrounds and bridge the gaps in society, so too, 100 years on the World Jamboree is doing exactly the same thing.

Prayers from many different faiths focused on the call to peace. Wonderful 'puppet doves' flew around the arena before real doves were let loose and circled over the 40,000 crowd. As baloons in rainbow colours lifted over the Arena there was a real sense of peace to share.

Most moving of all was when Baden Powell's grandson, the present Lord Baden Powell took to the stage to read the final words of Baden Powell expressing his hopes for the future of scouting and its contribution to the search for peace.

That was followed by a service we shared in and then another day's work!

At dinner I shared with a new friend from Swaziland who pointed out that Baden Powell drew many of his insights for scouting from his experiences in South Africa, not least in what is now Swaziland. It was most moving to have started the day in the presence of Baden Powell's grandson and finished it with someone from the very place that inspired his vision for Scouting.

The evening has come to an end with a concert featuring the likes of Cool Play, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and co in a concert for peace, focusing on peace projects Scouting has been involved in during its centenary year.

Highlight of the day came at the end of the Sunrise Ceremony when we were invited to try to get 100 and more signatures on the special 'Sunrise Day' necker. I think I managed it ... and so did Felicity. Most moving of all was to meet two scouts from Bethlehem in Palestine ... the Christian prayer had recalled the Peace Light from Bethlehem that has played such an important part in our celebration of Christmas at Highbury. How good to see that a contingent of Scouts from Bethlehem had made it to the Jamboree!

Felicity sends her love ... she's driving a Mercedes 8 seater into the City Airport in London's Dockland to pick up a party who had flown over to Switzerland from the Jamboree to mark Sunrise Day in the Alps. Quite some experience (driving the Merc, I mean, not climbing the Alps!)

Great to hear news from Amanda of the Sunrise Ceremony on the Promenade in Cheltenham! Keep the comments coming in.

Every blessing,

Richard and Felicity