WINGS merch flies off the shelves!

Shortly before midday on Saturday, the Six Kingdoms Trading Post – our very own WINGS shop – was abuzz with activity.

Finishing touches were being made to the displays, volunteers were getting to grips with the tech, and the shop leads – husband and wife duo Richard and Emily Goodyear were nervous with excitement. Months of planning finally coming to fruition.

“It is more like years,” said Richard, when we caught up with him just after the shop opened to its first customers. “We first agreed to run this shop back in 2018, when it was for WINGS 2020 – but obviously that didn’t happen, so here we are six years later!”

And it has certainly been worth the wait. The Six Kingdoms Trading Post is full of incredible souvenirs, snacks, and treats; in fact, we’re spoiled for choice. So, we asked Emily for her favourites. “I have two favourites. The bears with WINGS jumpers are cute, and we have a limited-edition scarf, which is very cool.”

The ideas for merch items have been gathered from numerous sources, explains Richard. “We’ve had input from anyone who we’ve seen in Scouting for quite a while, including our own Explorers. We might have ignored some of their suggestions, but they’ve played an important role. They are our target market after all.”

Several of the Explorers from the west of Berkshire modelled some of the WINGS merch at a fashion shoot back in February – the weather was a far cry from the hot conditions we have this week! Thankfully, the Trading Post has everything you need to cope with the conditions – from cold drinks and ice creams to slushies. Oh, and a lot of Haribo!

“We had a pallet’s worth of Haribo,” says Richard. “Or maybe it was two?”

“Three,” corrects Richard’s sister Lauren, who is making the WINGS experience a family affair for the Goodyears, along with their parents. “Mum is looking after the team in a welfare/clothing role,” explains Richard, “while Dad is helping to supervise the gas and deliveries. Only my little brother is missing!”

With over 200 different items on sale – including 30 souvenirs – there’s plenty to choose from.

Emily adds: “It’s been great, we have had many WINGS conversations at home – in fact, we had to ban them during our holidays – but it’s been nice to work on this together.”

“There’s no let up until the end of the week,’ concludes Richard. “It’s a question of how quickly all the Haribo gets eaten and when the next delivery arrives.!

The Six Kingdoms Trading Post is open daily from 9am to 10pm.