Last Scout Camp in the World

Helsinki, 12th October 2034 - More than 125 years of camping history comes to an end today, as the final whistle is blown at the world's last Scout Camp, on the main island of the Ålands, half way between mainland Finland and Sweden.

The scouts at Camp Pooki found themselves joined by a mob of hundreds, many of them ex-scouts, who turned up to witness the last camp in the world. John Smithson, from Newcastle in the UK, was at 87 one of the oldest and most vocal demonstrators. He expressed the views of those around him, striking out angrily at the destruction caused by the modern world's nanny culture. It has, he said, stopped youngsters using knives, sleeping under canvas, touching cooking equipment, or ever being out of the sightline of at least two adults. When you add to that the European ban on camp- and bon- fires, the risk assessments to be carried out prior to each camp, the invasive clearance processes that all adults have to undergo before they can assist at such camps, plus the massive insurance coverage that has to be arranged, it is not surprising that the Scout Movement has decided to pull the plug on camps.

It is 25 years to the day since Britain started enforcing the requirement that anyone, even parents, who help out at organised events, would have to undergo a criminal records bureau check. Volunteer numbers immediately fell, young people's sports and outside activity events were called off, and childhood obesity increased. Various countries followed this lead, with the whole of Europe signing up in late 2029, when, shortly after UK-born Blair took office as President, the enhanced Vetting and Barring scheme was instituted across the Union of European States. It is expected to be made global, across the Union of Nations, by the end of this decade.

Baden-Powell would be horrified.

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