I have been involved in Guiding since I was 7 years old when I became a Brownie. I spent the next 3 years as one then moved onto being a Guide - this is where I had a slight difference of opinion with the Guide Captain and left when I was 13 years old! Because I wanted to stay I managed to persuade the Young Leader coordinator that I could start as a Young Leader then instead of waiting until I was 14. I was a Young Leader when we celebrated our 75th anniversary of Guiding and was chosen to meet the Guiding light which was making it's way around the country when it arrived at Exeter - that was a great experience.
While being a Guide I started to help out at a local Brownie pack and have never looked back! I gained my Young Leadership Qualification with them, and then became an Adult Leader. I left my home town when I was just 20 and moved up to the Midlands which is where I live now. I took a break for 6 months to settle into my nurse training and then contacted County HQ to see if they could put me in contact with a unit in the city. I was lucky - there was an inner city Brownie pack who needed help. I started to help them and gained my Adult Leadership Qualification and also my Pack Holiday Licence. I spent just under 3 years with them but then due to moving I had to leave them and look elsewhere for another Pack.
The village where I live now was where I moved to and they had a very large Brownie Pack - 48 and girls in total. They welcomed me with open arms needing as many adults as they could persuade to join in.
I stayed there for approximately 3 years when because of work commitments I had to leave. When it was time for me to return there was no longer a place for me - a long story, upsetting, not worth sharing really! - so the then District Commissioner found me another Brownie Pack in a village about 5 miles away who were just starting up and needed experienced leaders to help them out. Off I trotted - 2 Brownie mums who were doing the daunting thing by starting up the pack - they thought I had been sent along to check up on them! After much reassurance, they welcomed me with open arms, we went on Pack Holiday and generally had a fantastic time.
Then I became pregnant and once monkey had been born I took a few months out but eventually had to leave as his tea, bath and bedtime fell at Brownie time - first time mum, slightly anal about sticking to times to get him into a routine!
Fast forward 6 years later - monkey is starting Beavers and I have decided to improve my computer skills by doing a course - meet the Brown Owl of one of the Brownie Packs in the village - the big pack of 48 had divided into 2 - who after she found out what I had done in the past asked if I would be interested in running the other Pack who were just about to loose their Brown Owl.
Of course I said yes! And I haven't stopped since!
Our unit when I took it over only had 12 Brownies in it, so we had our work cut out to get the numbers up! We had a bring a friend night and put out adverts in our local paper and we got the numbers up. 6 weeks after starting with them I had to take them away on a Pack Holiday which had already been arranged by the previous Brown Owl - even though I had my Licence, I still asked the Division Holiday Advisor to come out and visit to check that we were OK! It gave me the opportunity to get to know the other leaders too!
Since then, we've done scavenger hunts around the village, visited the Fire Station, Police Station, had the Teddy Bear Hospital Visit us, as well as the Animal Hospital, we've written to Brownie Packs in New Zealand and Ireland, make pancakes on the top of baked bean cans, we've done chip and welly walks in the winter in the dark and in the spring in the lovely sun, we've had bonfire parties with edible fireworks and sparklers, numerous Christmas Carol services at the local church, carol singing at a local nursing home, celebrated the Pack's 35th birthday, created individual time capsules for the girls, marched proudly through the village on Remembrance Sunday, done time travel (!), looked after our hearts, made Mother's and Father's day cards and presents, learnt about the stars, line dancing, to play the ocarina - ear plugs definitely needed! - visited our local windmill - not to be done again I might add - had a go at archery, had swimming parties, roller skaing parties, created a centenary collage, hama beading, peg knitting, made tiara's, had a go at hula hooping, had a scooter and bike race night, been on Pack Holiday 5 times and slept at the National Space Centre, and our best experience so far, visited London - No.10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace!
As a Guider I have become a mentor, Brownie Holiday Advisor, District Commissioner, Division GO! advisor, been part of the staff at the Centenary Camp and most recently been a first aider at Charnwood International camp.
Phew
Despite all of these things - the one thing which will stay with me for ever are the friends I have made along the way. There are 5 of us who regularly run the Pack - me and one other every week, the other 3 pop in and out to help keep the adult : child ratio correct but have also done their fair share of every week as well over the years, but now due to proper job and life commitments, have had to reduce the amount of time they can share with us.
I have been away with them with the girls and without the girls - county training weekends, Centreparcs - we have been out for drinks and meals. We have had great times, panicky times, chill out times! But all of them have been times not to forget!
When I look back on my life, Guiding has been a big big part of it. I have done lots of other things in my life which have been just as memorable - meeting my husband, getting married, having monkey, my nursing career, the friends I have met and made along the way - but Guiding for me has given me so much, that I'm not really sure I will have enough time in my life left to repay it!
I will do my best though to give it a go!
