Back in 1984, the Essex International Jamboree first welcomed members of Guides to join the fun, and thank goodness they did!! 

As at that first Jamboree a young German lady, called Christa attended with her troop and met my Mother, Stella Watts.  As Christa was learning and perfecting her English, they exchanged lots of letters and this led to both the families becoming great friends. 

Almost 40 years later, we have so many visits to Germany and the UK, including weddings, baptisms, parties, hospital visits as well as trips for no real reason other than to just see each other and have some fun!

And this all started in at the Essex International Jamboree.

A Jamboree has a lasting impact on those who attend, giving us not only an opportunity to make new friendships but also to get a much deeper understanding of other cultures, lifestyles and behaviours.

We hope through the Essex International Jamboree, we help everyone to build meaningful friendships and help make our world more inclusive through understanding and knowledge.

Rachel Kemp with Stella Watts and our great friend Christa Breitfeld