We are part of GirlguidingUK, which has over 600,000 members in the UK and many more world-wide. The Girl Guide movement began in 1910 by Robert Baden-Powell, things have changed since then but the core ideas are still the same.

We have 25 guides in our unit and we are divided into 5 patrols

Pandas              Dolphins         Penguins              Lions               Parrots

We meet for 1.5hours once a week (contact our Guider for more details)

We wear the Guide uniform we can choose from t-shirts, gillet, sweatshirt or Rugby shirt

We can wear jeans or trousers with these tops but we are expected to dress smartly for special occasions such as the Remembrance Day parade.

The uniform can be bought locally but it is usually cheaper to order it direct from the Guide shop in Edinburgh plus any profits made go straight to guiding in Scotland.

When we join the Guides we must sign the unit guidelines. These are the rules that we decide on which are written by the guides and even the leaders are expected to sign and keep them. Every year we get a chance to review them and we can change them if we want.

When we understand the guide promise and the laws, we can make our promise, it is

I promise that I will do my best:

To love my God,

To serve my Queen and my country,

To help other people

And

To keep the Guide Law.

The Laws are:

A Guide is honest, reliable and can be trusted.

A Guide is helpful and uses her time and abilities wisely.

A Guide faces challenge and learns from her experience.

A Guide is a good friend and a sister to all Guides.

A Guide is polite and considerate.

A Guide respects all living things and takes care of the world around her.

Patrols are expected to plan and work together, we usually work on Go For Its. These are themed activities and we work on them for 4-5 weeks they include chocolate, fitness, peace, take action and healthy eating. We are responsible for choosing what to do, bringing in what we need, carrying out the activity and tidying up!

We can also work on badges either on our own, with friends, as a unit or in patrols. Last summer some of us were awarded our Spirit of Friendship badge for taking part in a triathlon that our Guider organised. We swam, cycled and ran (some of the way) around the pond. (Note to alarmed parents we didn’t swim in the pond- it’s too mucky!)

Just now some of us are working on our first aid badge and there are plenty more to choose from.

We also play games, do craft activities and sing, we like being out of doors and some evenings you may hear us as we lay trails and track each other.

We went on a county camp last September to Netherurd and most of us enjoyed the experience, it was the only wet weekend in September- we had torrential rain and thunderstorms not to mention the bees, the soup and no sleep (except for one of the Guiders who managed to sleep through the noise on the 1^st night and the thunder and lightening on the 2^nd night).

This year we are hoping to do lots more including camping, cooking, crafts and games. We have a project to do for thinking day and we have to find out about another country, information will include the flag, guide uniform, guide promise, types of food, a craft, a game, a song and anything else that we can think of. The best patrol will get a prize!