Scout leaders get engaged at international jamboree

Two scout leaders have become engaged following a surprise proposal at an international jamboree for Scouts and Guides.

Chris Falkner, 27, proposed to his girlfriend, Hannah Williamson, 29, at the week-long Wings Jamboree at Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, which is taking place until Saturday.

The plan was jokingly codenamed Operation Ring and was carefully arranged to be a surprise.

Chris said he had been "planning this for a little while", adding "what better place?" for two scout leaders to get engaged than at a "massive jamboree like Wings 2026".

The event is a gathering of 3,000 young people, along with 1,000 volunteers.

The couple met on Tinder but gravitated towards each other for their shared love of scouting.

Hannah is a Beaver Scout leader at 1st Purley & Pangbourne, West Berkshire, and Chris is an Explorer Leader in Wokingham.

For the surprise proposal, Chris said everything had been thought out, with different Scout leaders and organisers using walkie-talkies to make sure the couple were in the right positions.

Chris wanted his 20 scout explorers to be involved, and they all hid in a tent with balloons that spelled out: "Will you marry me?"

One of the explorers was Joshua, 15, who, outside of Wings, is a young scout leader in Chris and Hannah's Monday scout session and knows the couple well.

He said: "I was so excited about it and wasn't expecting it and we got balloons and rose petals and hid in a tent and we all went out when he popped the question.

"I knew she was going to say 'yes', but we were still nervous."

Chris said to get his scout explorers involved was a "no-brainer" as "scouting means so much to me and Hannah"

"Being able to involve the young people in it and have that memory for us and for them just meant a lot to us and being able to say we got engaged at Wings, it's pretty cool," he said.