Brownies
Update in July 2010
May
Essex Women’s Advisory Group (EWAG)
I am delighted to report that the Brownies have successfully gone through to the final round of the competition to design a Brownie outfit for 2110 from recycled products. The final will take place at Hylands House on 10th July 2010.
Sixers & Seconders Evening
The Unit held a meeting with the older Brownies cooking hot dogs for all the Brownies. The younger Brownies learnt how to set a table, and we all, thoroughly enjoyed the results!
June: Willow Foundation
The Brownies would like to thank all those who supported the Unit in their efforts to raise funds for the Foundation through donations for refreshments served after the Family Service.
Circus Skills Day
On 5th June, the Brownies took part in a district event with over 700 Brownies from other units in Essex. It was a wonderful sunny day full of opportunities to learn how to juggle, spin plates and ride unicycles. To the delight of the Brownies there were stalls with candy floss, face painting, hair braiding and crafts, and of course, a bouncy castle or two!
Sainsbury’s Active Vouchers
On behalf of the Unit I would like to thank all those at Christ Church who supported the Brownies. I am delighted to report that with the donated vouchers we will be able to purchase a parachute and accessories which we are all very excited about!
Fiona Coleman, Warranted Guider
Update in June
March
The Unit was delighted to welcome four new Brownies as we started to work towards our Book Lovers Badge. The Unit chose to look at Roald Dahl’s, George’s Marvelous Medicine.
The Unit visited Brentwood Library and organised activities within the Library to complement the badge work.
Finally, the Unit visited the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford during the Easter holidays and watched a performance of George’s Marvelous Medicine, which everyone enjoyed.
April
Earth Day: The Brownies made some wonderful Earth Day wobblers with lots of ideas ranging from planet earths, recycling signs and pom-pom insects on leaves. The results were fabulous and the Brownies had great fun.
Essex Women’s Advisory Group (EWAG)
A competition to design a Brownie outfit for 2110 from recycled products was taken on by the Brownies with great enthusiasm. Each Six designed an outfit, and the Brownies voted for the one they liked the best. The Gnomes were successful with their design and will lead a group of Brownies to put the design together for the closing date of 31st May 2010.
Sainsbury’s Active Vouchers:
On behalf of the Unit I would like to thank all those at Christ Church for their continued support.
Willow Foundation:
At the Family Service in June, the Brownies will be supporting this worthy cause. Any funds raised through donations for cakes and tea will be passed to the Foundation. Please come along and support us.
Fiona Coleman, Warranted Guider
Report for April 2010
World Thinking Day, 22nd February, is when Guides and Girl Scouts everywhere remember each other and their commitment to international friendship. It was first celebrated in 1927. The date chosen marks the joint birthday of the Founder and the World Chief Guide, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. On World Thinking Day, Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world do something special to celebrate such as an act of worship, an international party or a service project.
1st Warley Brownies and 1st Warley Guides took an active part in the Christ Church Family Service on 14th February with readings, prayers and the renewal of their Promise in a celebration of Thinking Day. It was a lovely event, and we hope the congregation found it enjoyable too.
February saw our new Brownies, together with our new Leader in training, enrolled in a traditional Brownie ceremony on the 24th of the month. There was a great deal of support from family and friends, and we were delighted to welcome to the Unit our District and Division Commissioners.
The Brownies worked together to perform two short plays, The Sunflower and The Brownie Story, which we hope our audience enjoyed.
On the 3rd March, the 1st Warley Brownies welcomed seven new Brownies to its Unit. This brings the Unit numbers up to 30, which is the largest number of attending girls ever! I am delighted that Brownies has captured the imagination of so many families, and hope that it continues to do so. With this in mind, the Unit are collecting Sainsbury’s Active Vouchers, in an effort to purchase some much needed equipment. If anyone has any vouchers to spare, the Unit would be very grateful for them. Thank you.
Fiona Coleman, Warranted Guide
Report from March 2010
Looking forward to the Girl Guiding Centenary year, our Unit is looking at and implementing many of the Brownie Traditions, as well as investigating World Issues. In January, the Unit was delighted to welcome three new Brownies, Millie, Holly and Lola.
January
Brownie Traditions Badge: As a Unit we have decided to return to the traditional Sixes; Sprites, Pixies, Elves and Imps. We were very lucky to have a visit from two representatives of the Trefoil Guild who explained a little bit more about Brownie meetings and what Brownies used to wear, play and sing in times gone by. It was great fun, and brought back some very fond memories for the Guiders!
February
World Issues Badge: The Brownies have looked at issues such as Fair Trade products; poverty; access to clean water and medical help. The Unit arranged for a speaker from Oxfam to join the Unit for one meeting which gave us all a great deal of insight into the challenges faced in developing countries. A very big thank you to Jess for joining us for the evening, and operating the electrical equipment in the Church.
The following meeting we were joined by a dentist, Mrs King, who spoke to the Brownies about the importance of clean water and hygiene. Mrs King explained how people have to make do without access to clean water, and of course, no Brownie left without a reminder on how to keep their teeth and gums looking healthy!
It’s been a great start to the year, with lots to look forwards to. Thank you to all those who have helped and continue to help and support our Unit.
Fiona Coleman
Report from Jan 2010
With Christmas only a few weeks away, the Brownies have been busy rehearsing and performing their nativity play, carol singing and making Christmas cards and decorations for their family.
December
For the Unit nativity play the Brownies wanted to do something just a little bit different, so our play was entitled “And the Animals Talked”. It was a tale about the nativity from the other side of the straw bales, and it centred on the animals in the stable, what they saw and how they felt.
The costumes were all home made, and I would like to extend my personal thanks to my mum, Mrs Richardson, for all her hard work in putting them together. Thankfully the talent in the family doesn’t stop there, as my sister, Mrs Hayward, made all the animal masks.
The evening of the nativity went very well, and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
On the 5th December, the 1st Warley Brownies joined the Brentwood West District carol singing at South Weald Park. It was a chilly day, but thankfully, we were asked to sing inside the Visitors Centre. The girls sang for an hour, and despite a small turnout made up for what we lacked in numbers in volume. All of the money raised from this event has been sent to the Guide Dogs for the Blind, who as a Unit, we continue to sponsor.
At our meeting on the 9th December, the Brownies put their talents to good use and produced some delightful decorations and cards for home. It was an enjoyable evening for us all, with Christmas music and a Christmas treasure hunt to finish the night.
On behalf of the 1st Warley Brownies we would like to wish all those at Christ Church a very merry Christmas and good wishes for the forthcoming New Year. I would like to thank you all for your continued kind support, which has made such a difference to our Unit, and the opportunities which as a Guider, I am able to offer the girls.
Fiona Coleman, Warranted Guider
Report from July 2009
Introduction
With the refurbishment of the Church Hall, the Unit has relocated to Thriftwood Scout Camp where we have capitalized on the outdoor location, and thankfully, the wonderful weather! We have been fortunate to be able to welcome six new Brownies to our Unit, who were enrolled on 17th June 2009.
The Brownies have been looking at and successfully completed the Wildlife Explorer badge, in addition to looking at the Out and About badge.
The Unit has been busy raising its profile within the community by participating in the Weald Show with the 1st Warley Guides, and organizing a number of fund raising events for local and national charities.
April onwards
The Unit has been looking at and completing the badge work for the Explorer Badge over a number of months whilst at Thriftwood. This has included making nets and taking part in pond dipping and insect sweeping, making woodland log books, as well as learning to identify four different types of trees, leaves, and insects. The Brownies thoroughly enjoyed the different elements of this badge work, and at the same time have learnt some useful information regarding the Countryside Code and the Water Safety Code.
May
During the school half term in May, the Unit organized and the Brownies took part in a Sponsored Swim which was hosted at the Holiday Inn, Brentwood. The girls worked exceptionally hard in the pool and each swam the equivalent of a quarter of a mile! Through their efforts, they completed their Swimmers Badge and raised an amazing £110 in aid of the National Deaf Children’s Society. This money went directly to a deaf Scout group in Chelmsford, who visited the Brownies and gave a talk on the work of their Unit and the day to day difficulties experienced by those with impaired hearing.
June
This month saw the enrollment of six new Brownies which brings the Unit to its maximum number of Brownies, which, I am delighted with. It is always a pleasure to welcome to the Unit, not just the girls, but the families as well who are very supportive towards the Unit’s endeavors.
The refreshment rota for the Family Service fell to the Brownies during June, and with the help of the Church, it was agreed to donate any money raised from serving cakes and tea after the Service to the Willow Foundation. In it’s tenth year, the Willow Foundation’s annual June campaign “A Piece of Cake” raises awareness and money for seriously and terminally ill young adults aged between 16 and 40. The Unit was delighted with the kind support from the parents of the Brownies and the Church congregation, and raised a wonderful £58. The Brownies have since featured in many local newspapers, and have been included on the Willow Foundations website. If you would like to visit the website of the Foundation for further information on their work or to see the Brownies, please go to http://www.willowfoundation.org.uk/pieceofcake2009 .
July
The Unit is holding a Carnival Themed evening at The Pines Guide Campsite, which can be found at the junction of Ingrave Road and The Avenue, on 8th July 2009 from 5pm to 8pm. The Brownies will be running a number of carnival themed stalls, in addition to a raffle and a “bring your own” style picnic at 6pm. The evening is aimed at Guiding Units, and families and friends, which of course include our Church community and their friends and family. Those who would be interested in joining us for the evening and require further details should contact Fiona on 07931 927425 or by email on 1warleybrownies@googlemail.com .
Report by
Fiona Coleman
Warranted Guider
1st Warley Brownies
Update from June 2009 - 1st Warley Brownies and The Willow Foundation
In the lead up to the Girlguiding centenary in 2010, every Rainbow, Brownie and Guide, is being challenged to “Change the World” in which we live by raising both awareness and funds for leading national and local charities.The “Change the World” project is designed to give all girls a chance to take part in meaningful community action through fund and exciting activities.
1st Warley Brownies has chosen a number of charities to support through 2009, which are the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the Willow Foundation.
NDCS: The Brownies chose to support the charity at a local level through the Essex Deaf Children’s Society. The EDCS supports deaf children’s societies and clubs which are run entirely by volunteers. Our Unit has been in close contact with the 1st Chelmsford Scout Unit which is specifically organised for deaf children, their siblings and friends.
On 26 May 2009, our Unit took part in a sponsored swim, kindly hosted by the Holiday Inn. All the funds raised, together with public donations, will be donated to the EDCS.
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association: The Brownies support the Essex group, led by Brentwood resident, Mrs Brenda Weaver. Mrs Weaver has joined our meetings with her guide dogs, Maxie and Vienna, which always brings with it a huge amount of excitement and smiles. Mrs Weaver has provided the Unit with an excellent insight into the charities work and the costs involved in training a Guide dog.
To date the Unit has helped to raise £50 for the charity. Looking forward, it is the Unit’s aim to hold a sponsored walk in September 2009, to raise further funds for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, during which it is hoped we will be joined by Mrs Weaver and Maxie.
The Willow Foundation: This is a national charity that funds and organises special day experiences for seriously ill young adults aged between 16 and 40 years of age. In its 10th year, the Foundation is running its annual June campaign “Piece of Cake”. Organisations and individuals are encouraged to hold tea parties to sell cakes in order to raise funds which are donated to the Foundation.
The 1st Warley Brownies thoroughly enjoy participating in the Family Services at Christ Church, especially when providing and serving the refreshments. They even love the washing up! So, I felt it would be a great idea to marry the two events together at our Family Service on 14th June 2009.
I hope that you will be able to join us for refreshments after the service, knowing that any donations you kindly make, will be going to a very worthy cause.
Fiona Coleman, Warranted Guider, 1st Warley Brownies