‘HOW many other teenagers can claim to have shaken hands with Prince William, appeared live on television and met 40,000 people from around the world - in one week?’ asked The Mail in a report in August 2007.
Brad Wrightwebb, 14, had done all that and much more at the World Scout Jamboree earlier that month.
The teenager, of Ainslie Street, Barrow, was one of a handful of Scouts picked from Cumbria to represent the UK at the centenary celebrations, held in Essex, from July 27 to August 6.
SCOUTS: The 1st Flookburgh Cub Scouts team, which took part in a Cub Scouts five-a-side competition in 1997
More than 40,000 people, form every corner of the globe, attended the event to mark 100 years since the movement started.
As an official greeter Brad, a St Bernard’s School pupil, was among the first to glimpse Prince William when he landed by helicopter.
“He came along for the opening ceremony and I shook his hand,” said Brad.
The opening ceremony was broadcast on television and despite such a huge crowd Brad was able to pick himself out, running towards the stage in a Pearly King costume, alongside others wearing Beefeater costumes.
“We had to run down to the stage with our flag,” he said. “It was all the countries and all flags.
“Each country did a show on stage.
COMPETITION: The 1st Pennington Cub Scouts team, which took part in a Cub Scouts five-a-side competition in 1997
“We saw Haka from New Zealand, Japanese dancing, Irish dancing and singing.”
Hylands Park was transformed into a mini city to host the Jamboree, complete with shops and cafes.
There were four main camps - Mountain, Desert, Tropical and Ocean - and they were split into four sub-camps.
SCOUTS: The 1st Duddon Dalton Church Cub Scouts team, which took part in a Cub Scouts five-a-side competition in 1997
"Every group had to be in their camp by 11pm and someone in each camp had to get up at 4.30am to collect the food," said Brad.
The Scouts also travelled off site for a number of water-based activities.
In 1997 Cub Scouts from across the Furness area took part in a five-a-side competition and The Mail was on hand to take photographs of many of the teams taking part.
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