We went along to say hello to the brand new recruits at Bradley Stoke’s first ever Guides, at Holy Trinity Church Rooms. Running since the beginning of September, the new unit has been made possible by joint leaders Emma Lerway, a newcomer to Bradley Stoke, and Anne Vaughan-Williams – who already runs one of the town’s very popular Brownie packs.

Emma ran her own Brownie unit in Manchester before moving to Bradley Stoke, and she was keen to continue her involvement with Girlguiding. When she contacted the District Commissioner to ask how she could help, she was told how desperate Bradley Stoke was for a guiding group – and that, as she says, was that!

Although the group is only in its third week, the girls had already made good friends and were evidently having a great time. Their main event this term is a trip to Bath in October where they will join in the ‘Great Guide Get-Away’ for a whole day of treasure hunts, crazy golf and no doubt finishing off the day with a bag of chips.

The uniform had changed dramatically since our time as Girl Guiders, but the ethos is still exactly the same. Members, aged 10 to 14, take part in a wide range of activities at their regular weekly meetings, and at special events or holidays. Guides do everything from playing fun games to adventure sports, and from taking part in community action projects to the performing arts. The girls can extend their knowledge and skills by working towards Guide interest badges covering many different hobbies and activities. They can also gain Challenge badges that recognise their participation in guiding over a period of time.

This group, and indeed all the local Guiding and Scouting units, rely on the goodwill and dedication of volunteers. Are you a local resident who has time to give – whether on a regular weekly basis or just occasionally? Would you like to be challenged by new experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment? Please call District Commissioners Liz Royle or Wendy Shore on 0117 985 3649 or 0117 983 6340 for more details on how you can help.