Bene Cook, 17, from Midsomer Norton, has been selected to represent the UK as part of a team delivering the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia next summer. Bene will work with Scouts from nearly every country in the world to share life skills and deliver this life-changing event.

Held only every four years, a World Scout Jamboree is an opportunity young people in Scouting only get once. The World Scout Jamboree brings together 45,000 Scouts from across the world to experience international cultures and celebrate the Scouting principle: to create a better world.

UK Scouting has selected an amazing team to help make this life-changing event possible. The team has been brought together from across the country and will make the event possible, as well as picking up important skills for life. The team will help deliver all aspects of the event, from delivering world-leading activities, to awe-inspiring staged events through to mass catering.

Bene said: “It’s a great opportunity to Scout in another country, to try and learn about a new culture and do something different to help people, and I can’t wait to be part of it. Teamwork will be a massive skill I will learn and I’m sure I’ll pick up other skills along the way.”

Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, said: “Congratulations to Bene and all the other UK volunteers who have been selected to support Scouts at the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, USA. While lots of people know that Scouting helps young people learn the skills they need for life, they often don’t realise that adult volunteers learn just as much as our young members.

"The Jamboree is a great example of this. Over the course of the Jamboree our volunteers will be able to meet people from around the world, take part in amazing adventures and experiences, learn new skills and be challenged to think about global issues in a new light. I wish Bene all the best and I know they are going to have an amazing time next over the next few years.”

The 24th World Scout Jamboree will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico Scouting Associations, and will take place between July and August 2019. They aim to focus on the cultures of the ‘New World’.