SCOUTS endured a weekend of cold, mud and camping at Gilwell Park as part of their centenary celebrations.

Bracknell scouts joined 4000 others from across the UK to learn new skills such as putting up tents, cooking, empathy and looking after one another during harsh winter camping conditions.

The event held on January 11 to 13 marked the 100th anniversary of Gilwell Park which in 1919 became the home of Scout skills training for adults and young people and adopted the 'Scout movement'.

Zack Smith-Wesson from Bracknell Scouts said: "Winter camp has been really fun. You get to learn new stuff that you haven't done before and get new experiences.

"It has also helped me learn to be a bit more organised and you have freedom and independence here."

Winter Camp is an event were scouts aged 10 to 14 survive the winter weather through activities such as a 3G swing, abseiling, white water rafting and climbing.

Scouts under the age of 17 also got the chance to drive a car on a constructed driving experience.

All of these activities are aimed to teach vital skills such as resilience.

Leah Deller, who is 10 said: "It is great, you get to do so much than you can on a normal meeting night. You have tons of freedom too, so you can pick and choose what activites you do.

"I really enjoyed the bush craft skill base as I learnt how to use a flint and steel for fire lighting.

"There is so much fun here, it is hard to describe it all."

Andrew Thorp, organiser of the weekend, said: "The Bracknell scouts had an amazing time and learned lots of new skills for life. 

"They challenged themselves to take on the cold conditions and learned how to survive in the wild. They should all be really proud of themselves."