Crawfords at Lincolnshire Poacher Scout Event 2026 | Six Days, Six Thousand Scouts, and a Whole Lot of Beeps
The Crawfords and Minelab team at Lincolnshire Poacher 2026
August 2026 | Lincolnshire Showground
Some events leave you energised. Some leave you exhausted. The Lincolnshire Poacher Scout Event 2026 left the Crawfords team both — in the very best possible way.
Over six extraordinary days at the Lincolnshire Showground, we had the privilege of introducing metal detecting to thousands of young people who had never held a detector before. Around 6,000 Scouts aged 10 to 18 passed through the site across the week, and a good number of them swung by our stand — curious, enthusiastic, and utterly unfazed by the idea of digging up the ground to find something.
It was, without question, one of the highlights of our year.
How It All Came Together
Lincolnshire Poacher is one of the largest Scout events in the UK — a week-long camp bringing together thousands of young people from across the country for activities, workshops, and the kind of adventure that Scouting has always been built on.
When the opportunity came up to attend as a partner, we didn't hesitate. Metal detecting and Scouting are, when you think about it, a natural fit. Both are about getting outdoors, staying curious, working as a team, and finding value in the world beneath your feet.
We were given a 15m x 15m pitch on site — enough room to set up a proper stand with a marquee, storage, and most importantly, a test bed: a dug-out area where Scouts could actually swing a detector over buried targets and experience that first, magical beep for themselves.
The CMD and Minelab team, ready and raring to go at the Minelab Test Bed stand.
Planning the layout was a team effort. Scott, Craig, Paul, and Sam all had a hand in making sure everything was ready — from sorting the gazebo to designing the registration set-up so we could run a proper competition and collect entries for a prize draw. (Yes, a full CMD detector was up for grabs for one lucky Scout group.)
We then had help from a huge range of Crawfords staff, ambassadors, and Minelab team members. We'd like to thank Michael, Sharna, Detexpert Paul Cee, Detexpert Luc Van Assche, Detexpert Artur (Metal Detecting Buddy), Timmy (Detector Timmy), Malc the Magpie, and Martin Stokes from metal detecting club Digging History UK. All of whom you'll see featured at some point throughout this blog.
⭐ A Surprise Visitor...
We also had a bonus visitor: musician Lucy Spraggan — a new ambassador for the Scouts, a keen metal detecting enthusiast, and a proud member of both Team Minelab and Team CMD. Lucy spent time on the test bed helping inspire the next generation of budding detectorists.
Lucy Spraggan — musician, Minelab ambassador, and CMD team member — getting the youngest Scouts started on the test bed.
Thank you to the whole team — we couldn't have done it without you!
On the Ground
The atmosphere at Lincolnshire Poacher was everything you'd hope a Scout event would be: busy, buzzing, and brilliantly organised. Thousands of young people in neckers and hi-vis moving between activities — archery, pioneering, cooking challenges — and then, now and again, a curious cluster appearing at our stand to see what all the fuss was about.
And that's where the fun really started.
Total focus — a Scout working the test bed for buried finds.
We ran informal metal detecting talks and workshops throughout the week, explaining how the technology works, what you're actually listening for, and how to search a patch of ground methodically. We showcased the Minelab Vanquish 360, one of Minelab's most capable and beginner-friendly multi-frequency machines, and let Scouts have a go on the test bed with targets buried just below the surface.
Learning to read the target ID — one-on-one coaching at its best.
The reactions were brilliant. There's something about that first beep — the moment a young person realises that the machine in their hands is actually detecting something — that never gets old. Eyes light up. Hands start digging faster than you'd expect. Finds get held up triumphantly, even if they're a coin buried by us five minutes earlier.
Left: A Scout girl concentrating on the test bed. Centre: CMD and Minelab team reviewing finds. Right: The Vanquish 360's target ID screen in action.
The queue builds — watching a teammate get their turn always makes the wait worthwhile.
Certificates of achievement were awarded to participants, and the competition ran throughout the week, with Scout groups competing to find the most — and identify exactly what they'd found.
Every participant received a Certificate of Achievement from Minelab and Crawfords — a keepsake from a brilliant week.
Left: Personal coaching for older Scouts. Centre: A selection of the real finds used on the test bed — buckles, relics, coins. Right: A proud competition participant with his certificate.
Why Metal Detecting and Scouts Make Sense
It's easy to see metal detecting as a niche hobby for a certain kind of person. But spend a week watching 10-year-olds unearth targets in a test bed, eyes wide, and you quickly realise it's one of the most versatile outdoor activities you can offer young people.
? STEM in the real world
Understanding how a metal detector works — the electromagnetic field, how different metals respond, why multi-frequency technology is better — is genuinely educational. And it's the kind of learning that sticks, because it's active, hands-on, and immediately rewarding.
?️ History that you can hold
Even in a purpose-dug test bed, there's something visceral about pulling an object out of the ground with your own hands. In the field, on permission land, that object might be hundreds of years old — a coin from a long-dead monarch, or a buckle from someone's boot. Those connections to the past are powerful, and metal detecting makes them tangible in a way no classroom can replicate.
? Patience and teamwork
A good detecting session requires you to move slowly, cover ground methodically, and pay attention. For young people used to instant feedback, that's a skill in itself. And when you're searching as a group — taking turns on the machine, watching each other's finds, celebrating a good signal together — it builds the kind of easy camaraderie Scouts have always been great at fostering.
Left: The CMD TEAM in force. Centre: A custom Minelab sticker badge-A free giveaway by CMD team at the event. Right: Every age, every level — our team was on hand to help.
What's Next for Scout Groups
From wristband to first find — the Poacher 2026 experience.
Following the event, we've launched an exclusive offer for Scout leaders and families. Please visit our store or contact us for more information on this.
If you're a Scout leader thinking about adding detecting to your programme — whether for a one-off outdoor activity, a STEM session, or a regular club night — our team is here to help you choose the right equipment for your group and budget. We also offer bulk pricing for groups purchasing multiple detectors, which makes equipping a troop far more affordable than you might expect.
The Minelab Vanquish range remains our top recommendation for Scout groups. Lightweight, easy to set up, and forgiving for beginners, the Vanquish 340 and Vanquish 360 are brilliant first machines — and the Vanquish 360 Starter Bundle gives everything a group needs to get going right out of the box.
A Genuine Thank-You
Events like Lincolnshire Poacher remind us why we do what we do.
Crawfords has been around since 1995, and in that time we've introduced a lot of people to this hobby. But there's something particularly rewarding about introducing young people — watching the spark of curiosity catch, knowing that for some of them, this week might have planted a seed that grows into a proper passion.
If any of the Scouts or leaders we met at Lincolnshire Poacher are reading this: it was a genuine pleasure. Thank you for visiting our stand, for asking brilliant questions, and for being as enthusiastic as you were.
We hope to see you out in a field somewhere.
Good luck out there.
The Crawfords Team
Crawfords Metal Detectors are the UK's leading Minelab specialist, established 1995. For advice on choosing the right detector for your group, call 01724 845608 or visit crawfordsmd.live.