THE Forest of Dean Scouts are desperate to go on an Australian adventure – and with donations from a charity swim, they will begin their voyage next month.

Sixty competitors took the plunge in Monmouth School Sports Club’s fifth Great Wye Swim, which raised £1026.34 for the Royal Forest of Dean’s Inferno Explorer Scouts, who have manned the safety boats every year since the swim began.

A group of 16 scouts will be heading to Brisbane on August 7 for a jamboree, and will also be visiting Cairns and Sydney.

Inferno Explorer Scouts Leader, Andy Heaysman of Newent, said: “This is the first time we will be travelling to Australia as an exchange group and we can’t wait.”

“We are very grateful to Monmouth School Sports Club for the donation which we will use to help pay for our ground-breaking trip.”

Event organiser and sports club manager Iain MacDonald said: “We hope the group has a memorable and enjoyable adventure in Australia and we look forward to working with them again in our Great Wye Swim next year.”

Ian and the sports club felt that the Scouts were worthy of going and the donation was the least they could do for them helping to run the river swim safely every year.

The Great Wye Swim was the brainchild of Teresa Tranter and includes swimming 1km downstream from St Peter’s Church.

This year, Michael Lewis and Lydia Stratford won the male and female wetsuit categories of the 2km swim.

Emily Harper triumphed in the 2km non wetsuit event, while Leon Meek and Katie Allen achieved first place in the male and female 1km wetsuit swim.

Killian Walley also took the honours in the male non-wetsuit discipline, with Josie Parkinson taking the plaudits in the female category.