A group of Scouts from Flintshire and Wrexham have been on the adventure of a lifetime to Hungary.
Forty teenagers and nine adult leaders from Blaze Explorer Scout Unit from Penyffordd and K2 Explorer Scout Unit in Wrexham spent two weeks split between a house near Szentendre on the river Danube, and a youth hostel in Budapest.
During their time the Scouts took part in a massive range of activities including a high ropes course, tobogganing, a visit to an aqua park, a murder mystery evening, go karting, thermal baths, canoeing, water skiing, paint balling, a tour of Budapest, a medieval banquet, paddle boarding and a Segway tour.
To help keep the cost down so the experience was open to all the group fundraised £22,000 by putting on bag packing at supermarkets, attending car boot sales, holding a casino night, selling rugby frames and items they no longer wanted or were donated on eBay and Vinted. They were also sponsored by local video production company Follow Films.
Explorer Scout Niall Kenton, 15 from Wrexham, said, “Hungary was an amazing experience and was well worth every fundraiser worked towards it. For 12 days we had a variety of different activities such as water skiing and paint balling, or go karting and thermal baths, with extra activities in the evening like murder mystery and a scavenger hunt. It was definitely an experience I would do again if given the chance. The leaders put some much effort into making it a perfect trip. I have made new friends and have lots of things to tell people.”
Volunteer Steve Love said, “Before the trip, I had so many work colleagues and friends asking me why on earth I would use two weeks annual leave to take a bunch of teenagers abroad for 12 days. Well when the teenagers are as brilliant as the ones we took, it hasn’t felt like a chore at all.
“I too have had the time of my life these last two weeks, and if the Explorers had anywhere near as much fun as me, they will have had a brilliant week! The parents should be incredibly proud of how amazing their children are. They have really made the trip excellent for us leaders.”
Parent Sue Clarke said, “Thank you to the leaders who put the trip on. They are such incredible humans for not only volunteering but being so involved and making the Explorers more independent, self assured and motivated to achieve so much.”
