Girlguiding groups return to face-to-face meetings for the first time in a year
Two Girlguiding units returned to in-person meetings on Monday for the first time since March last year.
The Church Aston Brownies and Guides groups have stayed in contact throughout the pandemic with frequent virtual meetings and are now meeting in-person, outdoors on a fortnightly basis.
For their first evening back, the Brownies (aged seven to 10) made kites inspired by Afghanistan fighting kites, while the Guides (aged 10 to 14) made improvised splints and tested their architecture skills by designing their own park.
The two units’ Brown Owl, Adreen Hart-Rule, said: “It was fantastic to be able to see the girls and fellow leaders in person again.
Moving towards normality
“We’re all living through really tough times and some of our members have been struggling. I’m glad that we’ve been able to provide a virtual offering to give the girls some social space each week, even during lockdowns, and I’ve had comments from some parents that they have really helped their children.
“It’s great to now be able to offer in-person activities as well, which all of our members can join in with, and we look forward to moving towards more normal sessions as and when we can.”
Over the course of the pandemic, both units have seen a drop in member numbers and so have several spaces available, especially for younger Brownies (seven- to eight-year-olds). Other units in the area have also experienced a drop in numbers and have spaces.
Anyone interested in joining Church Aston Brownies or Guides should email 1cabrownies@gmail.com or visit girlguiding.org.uk/joinus to register interest.
