Girl Guiding

Blog 6 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…

The final charity I have chosen to support is Girl Guiding. The Brownie Guide law states: A Brownie Guide thinks of others before herself and does a good turn every day.

When I was a child I was a Brownie. I was a Pixie and became both Seconder and Sixer of my Six. I didn’t continue to Guides as in Year 6 my vision started to significantly deteriorate. However, I always had fond memories of being a Brownie.

In 2015 I started volunteering for my local Brownie pack. Initially it was to gain experience with children as I once planned on going into teaching. It soon became part of everyday life and Friday night became Brownie night.

Having a disability I was nervous to volunteer for a non-disabled organisation. I needn’t have worried as from day 1 Brown Owl welcomed me with open arms and continuously works to ensure my Brownie experience is inclusive and accessible. She encourages me to lead where I can and ensures I receive the Brownie resources in an accessible format.

The girls are lovely too. They don’t bat an eyelid at my visual impairment. They happily describe the activities they are completing and love to fuss my Guide Dog, first Calvin and now Riley.

Volunteering at Brownies pushes me outside of my comfort zone. At times I chastise myself for not throwing myself into the meetings more. On occasion I recognise that by attending in itself is an achievement and remind myself that I am doing my best.

During lockdown I have been in awe of Brown Owl and Silver Fox who are managing to keep Brownies running. They are using their daily exercise to deliver materials to the girls. We have a closed Face Book group where the parents are uploading photos and videos of the Brownies work. It has been heart-warming to see how the girls are still enthusiastic and motivated to do Brownies from home.

Please consider doing a good turn and donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here

Thank you, thank you, thank you and stay safe x