Contributions - news from around the County

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County Rainbow Party 2010

Along with about 260 other Rainbows, 2nd Stoneleigh enjoyed an afternoon celebrating 100 years of Guiding at the Weald School, Beare Green.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and I think the most popular activities were the skipping (where even the adults watching learnt a thing or two), the bouncy castle, and the enormous slide.

Fun was had by all, and a big thank you to the County team, especially Jacky, for organising it.

Denise Gould - Rainbow Leader June 2010

Rainbows Fundraise for Save the Children

After seeing the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti and the terrible pictures of such distressed children, we decided that we must do something to help, however small. We chose the 'Save the Children' Haiti Appeal as the Rainbows themselves are so young, between 5 & 7 years old.

We decided on a Bring and Buy Sale as it was very quick to organise and, as we only meet for one hour on a Wednesday, time is very limited. We had a lucky dip, a cake stall, a small table for bring and buy items and also served tea/coffee and biscuits/cakes.

The Rainbows and their mums came up trumps. We raised £125.00 in one hour. One mum even bought her own chocolate cake back that she had made for the stall! No mum was allowed to leave until all the cakes had been sold! The Rainbows loved the lucky dip although probably the items have now found their way to the charity shops!

We presented the cheque to Philippa Holcroft (2nd right) from 'Save the Children' who explained how the money might be spent. The Rainbows were especially concerned that the children of Haiti would have all the things they enjoyed at home, and hoped the money would help.

Lynn Collins - Rainbow Leader March 2010

Girlguiding Surrey East Leader Laura Ede, aged 20 from Warlingham, has shown she is leading the way after receiving Girlguiding UK’s top accolade, the coveted Queen’s Guide Award.

The award was presented to Laura by HRH the Countess of Wessex – the Girlguiding UK President - at a special ceremony held at St James’ Palace in London on Tuesday 24 November. Girlguiding UK’s Chief Guide Liz Burnley was also on hand at the event along with 200 other invited guests.

Around 70 young women from across the UK joined Laura in receiving their Queen’s Guide Awards. The award sees participants take the lead in a number of exciting areas including developing a personal skill, working within pioneering community action projects, and overseeing ambitious outdoor pursuits.

Laura, whose Queen’s Guide achievements included a trip to Japan, volunteering for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, organising camps for Guides and being appointed as the Lord Lieutenant’s cadet said “Achieving my Queen’s Guide award has had a big impact on my life. I have become a much more confident, well rounded person through doing the Award. I have met so many inspirational people, both in and out of Guiding, learnt skills which will aid me in my career and added to my life experience. It has opened my eyes to the world and the possibilities that are out there and I’ll never forget any part of it. Now I am telling others about it and trying to get them to enrol on the Award so they too can experience the unforgettable activities!”

The Queen’s Guide Award is the most prestigious Guiding award open to members between the ages of 16 and 25. As well as the activities carried out by Laura, other Queen’s Guide Award recipients experienced challenging and innovative programmes such as visiting India, carrying out community action projects, and raising money for charity.

Hannah Rainford - County Public Relations Adviser December 2009

Girlguiding Surrey East launches into their Centenary with style

On 5 September 2009 Girlguiding Surrey East celebrated the Launch of Girlguiding UK's Centenary year at Lingfield Park Racecourse in Surrey.

Girls and their Leaders from all over the County descended onto the Racecourse on coaches and a special birthday train to enjoy a funfair to mark the special occasion. Attractions included much-loved fairground rides such as dodgems and a Ferris wheel, energetic cheerleading workshops, DrumJam and a punch and judy show performed by 'Pauline's Puppets'.

The evening entertainment started on a musical note with the Kingston and Malden Scout and Guide band marching to tune, followed by an original 1910 car. Following the car were the flags, banners and standards from across the County, as well as girls wearing uniforms from each of the decades, from the 1950's airline style Guide uniform to the infamous Brownie brown dress from the 1980's.

A celebration cake was lit and cut by Lady Toulson CBE, The High Sheriff of Surrey, who was so impressed by the day's events that she agreed to become an ambassador for Girlguiding Surrey East.

The Mayors of Reigate and Banstead, Tandridge, Epsom and Ewell, and Horley attended and got involved with all of the activities and met many of the local members and spoke to them about why they enjoy being involved with Guiding. Peter Ainsworth, MP for East Surrey, also attended and was keen to hear about what girls in Guiding were doing, including international trips and community action projects.

Katie Nash, a Young Leader with the 7th Redhill Brownies and 10th Redhill Guides, helped escort VIPs around the event for the day and talked about her experiences in Guiding. "I was really pleased that our VIPs were enthusiastic about Guiding and loved the events from the day; we even had one Mayor and Mayoress try their hand on the dodgems!"

Samantha Fryer, an Assistant Leader with the 10th Redhill Guides, really enjoyed the event. "The Guides I was with had such fun, and the Leaders did too! It's great to think that when people talk about the Centenary of Guiding, that I can tell them I was there for the Launch!"

Margaret Frosztega, County Commissioner for Girlguiding Surrey East, was pleased to have provided something that the girls will remember. "We've come so far in the last 100 years that we need to remember that this Launch is not just about celebrating the last 100 years, it's about looking forward to the next 100 years too."

Guiding has come a long way since a small group of girls stepped forward at the 1909 Boy Scout rally in Crystal Palace Park and asked Robert Baden-Powell to create 'something for the girls'. 100 years to the day, 1.2 million Girlguiding UK members and guests attended Centenary Launch parties across the United Kingdom to mark this illustrious occasion and, in doing so, launched a year of celebrations which will run from 5 September 2009 to 20 October 2010. The central event took place in Crystal Palace Park where it all started.

Recent viewings of the archive from the Holmesdale Natural History Club prove that girls from the 1st Reigate Scout Troop were present at the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally. Although we are unsure if these are the girls who approached Robert Baden-Powell, we're proud to say that girls from Reigate attended and helped to form one of the very first Guiding units.

As Girlguiding UK continues through its Centenary year, there are opportunities for girls and adults of all backgrounds and experience to gain new skills, make new friendships and, most importantly, have fun. For more details of how to take part contact 0800 1 69 59 01.

Pictures from the launch

Hannah Rainford - County Public Relations Adviser December 2009

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