Chief Scout Dwayne Fields in Epping Forest

Ramblings

BBC

Science, Nature, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.6 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2024

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Clare rambles around Epping Forest with the new Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields. He was appointed in September 2024, taking over from Bear Grylls, and has a wealth of adventure experience under his belt.

Dwayne was born in Jamaica and came to the UK at the age of six. He grew up in inner city London and says his formative years were wrapped up in social stigma, and he became a victim of both knife and gun crime. He managed to break away from this culture by spending time in outdoor spaces like Hackney Marshes, rediscovering a love of the outdoors he had felt deeply as a youngster in Jamaica.

He remembers watching a TV interview with James Cracknell and Ben Fogle who were looking for a third team member to join a polar expedition. Although by the time he applied he was too late for selection, Dwayne did eventually join another trip and became the first black Briton to trek to the north pole.

For Ramblings he leads Clare from the Scout Centre at Gilwell Park into and around Epping Forest.

According to the Epping Forest Heritage Trust, it’s the largest open space in London at just over 6000 acres stretching from Manor Park in east London to just north of Epping in Essex.

Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Karen Gregor

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I want to tell you why I love podcasting.
0:04.7	Hi, my name's Tommy Dixon, and I make podcasts for the BBC.
0:08.4	I'm a big fan of stories, always loved a good book.
0:11.4	But when I started commuting for my first job, I discovered podcasts.
0:15.4	I was blown away by how a creative idea and the right mixture of sounds could take you into
0:19.2	a whole new world full of incredible stories. You know, the type that make you go, wow. And that kind of inspired me to
0:25.2	give it a go myself, which to cut a long story short led to a BBC training scheme and a whole
0:30.0	new career giving other people that exact same feeling. So if you want to hear amazing stories
0:34.2	that make you go wow like I did, they're just a tap or click away on BBC
0:38.1	Sounds BBC Sounds music radio podcasts right so we're heading down this park here clear and it gets a
0:48.3	little bit muddy from time to time the pale winter sun is breaking through the clouds giving us light but very little heat on this beautiful day.
0:57.0	I've come to Gilwell Park, which is in Epping Forest.
1:02.0	And interestingly, Queen Victoria dedicated it for the enjoyment of my people forever.
1:08.0	So way back in 1878, it was entrusted to the city of London,
1:13.2	the Epping Forest Act.
1:15.1	It is now also the location for the national center
1:19.8	of the Scouts.
1:21.4	And I'm walking today with the new Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields.
1:27.3	I say new, how long, Duane, have you had the role? So I've been in the role as Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields. I say new. How long, Dwayne, have you had the role?
1:30.0	So I've been in the role as Chief Scout now for two months. But prior to that, I was an
1:35.9	ambassador for scouts. And I did that role for seven and a half years. So I'm not new to what the
1:42.5	role requires as Chief Scout, but I am new to the spotlight
	...

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