Category: Uncategorised

One of our key objectives this year has been to try and find places for all those on our waiting lists. As a division, we decided that a great way to get started was to open a new Rainbow unit! Starting a new unit is a big endeavour and finding the right resources to make it happen is key to its success. Luckily we had have some amazing people across our division. One of our commissioners had some time to commit to administration, while another set out to recruit leaders & volunteers. Our 3rd commissioner got ready to provided hands on training and support to the leadership team as it formed formed. We found a venue and a time that nicely aligned with Brownies & Guides to ensure continuity of Guiding journey for young members. We got the unit underway in the fall of this year.

Within the first few weeks of launching, we managed recruit 2 previous Girlguiding members as young leaders and we found a new volunteer to Guiding to be a Unit Helper. After a little bit of advertising and contacting girls already on waiting lists, we were ready to start our first meeting with 10 Rainbows. We focussed on getting to know each other using the activities from our programme in the “Know Myself” theme. Highlights include drawing Topsy Turvy pictures, making promise baubles for Christmas and painting a rainbow with handprints to use in our promise ceremonies.

Opening a new unit has had its ups and downs. We are still in need of more volunteers to form a committed team and to enable the division team to be able to take a step back. We would also love to have more girls to join us and begin their Guiding journey. It’s been such a positive experience overall. The girls are enthusiastic, the parents are positive and the leaders are learning new things! We hope the unit will continue to grow and offer amazing experiences for years to come.

Feel like volunteering? There is a place for everyone. https://girlguidingleeds.org.uk/volunteer/

Application Deadline: The closing date for applications is 5pm, Friday 17 May 2024

Overview of the Role:

Join our team to help us provide opportunities for girls and young women to develop their full potential

We’re currently recruiting for a County Business Support Officer to have responsibility for business support for Girlguiding Leeds; delivering a high quality service to volunteer members. This is a paid role involving 12-16 hours per week, 46 weeks per annum.

The successful applicant will provide comprehensive support to commissioners and lead volunteers, dealing with day-to-day admin including enquiries, meetings, subscriptions, training sessions, county residential properties, campsites, and more! To do this, they’ll have great administrative and organisational skills, and be enthusiastic about Girlguiding! The role will be a mix of working from home and from the Trefoil Centre.

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How to Apply

For more information about the role and details on how to apply, please read our application pack:

To apply for the role, please download the application form and send to cc@girlguidingleeds.org.uk. 

This role is subject to a successful DBS check.

Girlguiding is always looking at ways that we can support the young members across our programmes. We’re so proud of our volunteers as they work tirelessly to make it happen for their units, their division and our county. It takes a special person to give time to a charitable organisation, and we are incredibly lucky to have so many of these very special people in our County! But we are victims of our own success. There is still so many kids on our waiting lists and we’re always looking for more incredible volunteers.

This past month, our Crown Park Division has been busy doing just this! Our division commissioner Janet Norfolk, Nicky Clark from 3^rd Middleton and her 2 guiding daughters , Hollie (6) and Malissa (13), and Harriet from 51^st Leeds (Hunslet) Guides attended the Middleton Railway Community Day to promote GG Leeds in the hope of recruiting some more, much needed volunteers. Big THANK YOU to this bunch of super stars!

We spoke to lots of different people including members of the public, all the ward councillors for the area from 3 different political parties, to make them aware of our presence in the area and to find information which may be beneficial to us in recruiting volunteers. We also spoke to Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn and the Lord Mayor of Leeds Cllr Al Garthwaithe. 

Jeremy Morton, local journalist from South Leeds Life (free local news paper distributed right across area aswell as online) was very interested in us and has agreed to write an article specifically about GG in the crown park area to help promote local units and call out to potential volunteers. The day was also an opportunity to network with other community groups in the Crown Park area and see what else is available in the area in the hope of providing new opportunities for the girls in our units and to see who else could help us in recruiting new members.

The Yorkshire Evening Post were also in attendance to cover the event as a whole and took photos (with permission) of our stand and the Rainbow and Guide who came to help on the day.

 The event was well attended by members of the public who came to see the railway and enjoy the free steam train rides on offer for the day. We gave out lots of postcards, sweets and chatterboxes to the passing crowds. Postcards were also given to other local community groups to display in their relevant locations in their notice boards and display units to ensure we spread the word across the division about GG.

If you see a postcard, or a pin, or a badge, or a volunteer in uniform, reach out! We need help not only with units, but with planning, finances, building, fixing, cleaning and all sorts! Come join this incredbile group of really great people.

Our division is made up of units in Wetherby, Collingham, Clifford, Thorner, Boston Spa and East Keswick.

Many of the units have completed the 50th Birthday Challenge, which included completing acts of kindness, welly walks, edible campfires and so much more.

We finished off last year with lots of units doing residential visits with 6 units visiting PGL at Newby Wiske! We’ve also had units attend Curly Hill, Hazel House, and Robin Hole. This has provided a wealth of opportunities for independent learning, life skills, crafts, time with friends and lots of fun!

In the winter months, the Rangers and young leaders spent a night at Robin Hole in the snow, where they had lots of adventures, demonstrated their pyrography skills, used slack lines, night lines and toasted marshmallows – yummy!

We’ve had some Animal encounters  – one Brownie unit spent a meeting visiting Alpacas, they had a great time, and 2 other brownie units had a visit from the local hedgehog hospice. Whilst one of the Rainbow Units had a visit from Guide Dogs for the Blind, which was a great experience for girls to get up close to the animals while learning about the importance of guide dogs. 

We have a lot of inspiring leaders with 6 of our leaders being presented with long service awards at a county recognition event. These included a 40 year’s service, a 30 year’s service and four 20 year’s service. Locally, we awarded a handful of 5 and 10 year service awards.  For after their hard work at the Bold in Bramhope Camp last May, two of our leaders were further recognised for outstanding service with county commissioner’s awards. Lastly, several of our amazing leaders have been awarded with recognition pins for growing guiding, inspiring leaders, and being personal achievers. 

All of our Volunteers continue to work hard to provide lots of girls with exciting opportunities and interesting experiences to help them to grow, develop and know that girls can do anything!

The units are regularly working on programme based activities completing UMA’s and skill builders. We continue to see Bronze, Silver and Gold awards being completed which is a magnificent achievement of their dedication, commitment, and hard work.

We’re looking to keeping up momentum as we enter our summer period!

Seven Hills Division have had a busy year so far. 

At the start of the year the leaders gathered to create a new division team with a new Division Commissioner and team around her. Our division has brought together units in Morley, Churwell, Gildersome, Drighlington and Tingley after previously being spread over various districts before covid. 

2^nd Churwell Brownies spent a weekend on pack holiday at Curly Hill for a Roald Dahl themed weekend. 

1^st & 2^nd Morley Guides and 2^nd Churwell Guides attended the Leeds County Camp at Bramhope Campsite and enjoyed a wonderful weekend of new experiences and of course lots of fun in the sunshine! Two Rangers from our division also attended as part of the service team and did a tremendous job, along with local members of the trefoil guild who ran the handbell ringing activity and other volunteers helping with various roles across the weekend. 

We have also celebrated lots of our wonderful volunteers, with leaders being presented with awards for long service with three leaders having completed 10 years service and an incredible 50 years service award to the leader of 1^st Gildersome Brownies. One of our leaders was also presented with a growing Guiding pin after opening a new unit in our Division this year allowing even more girls the opportunity to join Guiding. 

And we keep going! We’ve enjoyed our summer break and are in full swing for the autumn term. It started with a full Division Skills Builder Day in September where all sections from across the division came together at a local campsite to complete the Camp Skills Builder within a day. We also had units attend Flamingo Fling at Flamingo Land! We’re busy planning more residentials along with lots of exciting weekly meetings and events.