Sophie Bayliss, a leader with Girlguiding Shropshire, was presented with her Queen’s Guide Award by Megan Phillips (Queen’s Guide Coordinator) yesterday evening at Hodnet Hall.
The Queen’s Guide Award is the highest award in Girlguiding and is open to all members 18-30.
27th July to 31st July 2024 The Girlguiding Shropshire County Camp took place on the Newport Showground. 356 girls and leaders had a fantastic time taking part in a variety of activities including canoeing, climbing, team challenges and archery. They were joined on the Sunday by 200 Brownie and Rainbow visitors who also took part in the fun. The evenings had camp fires, silent discos and films. All of the girls said it was the best camp ever helped by some amazing weather.
Saturday 19 to Friday 25 October 2024
The Chamois Mountaineering Centre Snowdonia. See the link below for full information.
The closing date for applications is 30th June 2024
Congratulations to 7 of our young members who completed their Peer Education training this weekend! (24/25 Jan) Peer educators are 14–25-year-olds who help Brownies, Guides and Rangers explore important topics. As young people, they use their own experience to bring the subject to life. Peer educators run safe, fun and challenging sessions which are developed with expert partners.
Safe Space Level 3 courses available at County HQ:
This is a social walking weekend for adults in Girlguiding. Would you like to explore some Lake District hills, fells and mountains, with friendly people to go out with? This is the weekend for you! This is the first social walking weekend we have offered for a long time in Girlguiding Midlands, so please come and join us. There will be a mix of day walks on offer for you to join in with, from lower level walks with a teashop included, to longer walks up bigger hills and mountains. Or you may like to do a walk of your own choice. We hope you will be able to get some log book walks in if you are already involved in the walking scheme, or find out about the scheme, or simply come and enjoy walking with new people. More information and booking form on the Girlguiding Midlands website link below.
If members of Girlguiding Shropshire wish to join in with the Shamblers walking group for the weekend and coordinate the transport and food etc. please put “Shambler” in the any other information box on page 2 of the booking form.
Face to Face trainings available at County HQ:
Congratulations to Clare Wassall and Kay Sankey who received Chief Commissioner Awards from the Region Chief Commissioner, Clare Shinton. Pictured are (from left to right) Catherine Coleman (Assistant County Commissioner) Clare Wassall, Kay Sankey, Clare Shinton (Region Chief Commissioner) and Elaine Brannon (County Awards Chair). The presentation took place at Barton Under Needlewood on 3rd Dec 2023
The award recognizes the extraordinary contribution and dedication given by a member of Girlguiding Midlands who is providing quality guiding to girls and young women primarily at a unit level.
15 intrepid leaders from across the Region volunteered to fundraise and raise awareness of Girlguiding by completing a tandem parachute jump in July…. Including our very own Ranger Leader Debbie Bray.
“The date approached but sadly the weather was not in our favour the jump was postponed until October.”The date approached but sadly the weather was not in our favour the jump was postponed until October.
Blue almost cloudless skies beckoned in Nottingham as we approached SkyDive Langar Airfield. We had our training and then we were off….14000feet up, attached to my instructor James, filmed by Pete and we made my very first parachute jump.
Freefall initially then the parachute opened and we gently took in the sights, I was allowed to steer and we did two half spins then two full spins (alas none were caught on camera but we DEFINITELY did them!!) and then a gentle, graceful landing – just like we’d practiced!
It was an absolutely amazing, fantastic experience! Thanks to my hubby Lance for driving all that way, to Graham and Josh for cheerleading, to Stephanie, Clare and the Region team for organising us all and for bringing badges, certificates, cake and refreshments! to Skydive Langar especially James and Pete my instructor and cameraman and the biggest thank you to all my wonderful sponsors…thank you so much.
More photos and the videos are on my fundraising page….
Debbie Bray is fundraising for UK Skydiving Adventures | Give as you Live Donate
Another amazing opportunity from Girlguiding…what will your next adventure be? Make sure you grasp it with both hands!”
After a year of planning including two weekends and three days getting to know each other, our Midland Region group of 16 Rangers and 4 Leaders, with one Ranger and one Leader from Shropshire, set off on the flight from Heathrow to Belgrade where we were met by volunteers from the EcoCentre, Sremski Karlovski and taken by coach to the Centre (about an hour’s travel) where we stayed for our adventure.
We volunteered at the Nature Reserve 15minutes walk from the EcoCentre, on the banks of the River Danube, where we helped sanding and painting the picnic benches, open sided classroom and the bridge which a previous group had built. While one half of the group were busy with this, the rest of us moved the logs, branches and twigs which had fallen during a recent horrific storm….we loaded them onto a trailer and the tractor driver took them off site to be used locally. The following day the groups swopped over so everyone had a turn with both activities. We even made it into the Regional Newspaper!
This was the daily morning routine (we started early as temperatures reached 34degrees C some days.) Then in the afternoons and evenings we had a variety of activities including a visit to the Bee Keeping Museum, a walk up Mount Fuska Gora, time exploring Belgrade, Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovski, we learnt how to make Kuglof cake, had an International evening and a Board Games night with local volunteers.
It was an amazing adventure, with new friendships made, opportunities taken, and challenges overcome. Thank you to all who made it possible, all the people we met who made this so memorable, Concordia (the travel Company) and to Midland Region for allowing the trip to go ahead.
Look out for the next local, national and International opportunities and sign up for your own adventure – anything is possible.