Club news: 5th Gidea Park Brownies learn valuable life skills

The 5th Gidea Park Brownies started the year with a visit to the pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, at the Queens Theatre.

They had a fantastic time joining in with the production and had a back stage tour where they saw costumes and scenery being made.

Congratulations to Grace Barnard, leader with the 3rd Gidea Park St Michael’s Brownies, who was presented with her adult leaders certificate and badge by her mentor Sarah Cassidy at a meal for past and present St Michael’s leaders and helpers at the Harvester Gidea Park. Grace was a Brownie, Guide, pack leader and young leader at St Michael’s.

The 5th Gidea Park Brownies are working on their Brownie Skills interest badge this term which will help them learn some life skills. They’ve already practiced packing a suitcase for a summer week in Spain and an autumn weekend in Centreparcs. They’ve also studied timetables and are confident of being able to find their way from Gidea Park station to Southend and catch a bus to the beach should the occasion arise.

Many of our groups have already booked residential events for the summer so will be very busy finalising plans, organising activities and writing shopping lists. It can be quite a challenge for the caterers to plan menus, calculate quantities to feed 30 people.

So it’s not only Brownies who learn life skills with Girlguiding! Our leaders learn how to plan large events, how to cater for them, first aid, time management and even international trips. We also get the opportunity to try activities that we wouldn’t otherwise dream of – when you’ve got a group of Guides persuading you that you really must have a go at abseiling or Brownies insisting that you try the grass sledging, you really can’t say no! Sometimes I think that we have more fun than the girls!

If you would like to find out more about joining us, please contact Linda Taylor on 01708 471271 or email lin.taylor@talktalk.net