2010 - OCTOBER - DECEMBER

Sunday 27 November

After a quiet couple of weeks, the last seven days have been very memorable. There was a lovely evening in Leeds at an event which celebrated all the leaders had done for the Centenary and the end of Gillian’s Ainsley’s term of office as CC. Leeds usually think big and this was no exception with about 400 leaders together in a large conference centre. It was terrific to hear of the huge variety of events that have been going on and no doubt all counties could reflect on a similar range which just proves what a terrific year we have provided for our young people. In years to come we will be sitting around remembering this as a truly special year. Needless to say our selective memories will be focussed on the high spots and the bits we thought were not so wonderful will fade. Fortunately there seems to be little doubt that the good did massively outweigh the other bits.

On the same theme of saying thank you to those who have given so much time to make this year all it has been, Girlguiding UK hosted an event at St James Palace attended by the Countess of Wessex. So there we all were in our best bib and tucker gathered in a very special venue and it made me proud to think how much you had all achieved. An extra but much appreciated finishing touch was that the Chief Guide said good bye to everyone as they left and gave a small gift to the participant. I am sure this will be a much treasured memento for all who attended. It does seem to me that we have become very much better as an organisation at showing our appreciation for volunteer efforts.

And on the same theme again I am writing this en route to London (again!) to the Council Meeting and final Centenary Management Group Meeting. We have been busy evaluating all of the events which have been taking place. It does seem clear that the year has been very successful with a very high percentage of people recording great satisfaction levels across a number of key events.

Perhaps I am beginning to sound smug about the success but mostly I think I feel we have given ourselves a fantastic launch pad for the next hundred years and achieved a new level of confidence in ourselves.

Onwards and upwards for North East England!

I think this is probably the final blog of this year as the needs of getting the Christmas Show on the road (Why does Mary always feel the need to grab Jesus by the scruff of his neck?) and the Carol Service sorted are paramount.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas and Good Wishes for A Prosperous New Year.

Hilary

Sunday 31 October

It has been a month since I wrote anything which is because there have been some fantastic events over that period of time as well as a considerable amount of time spent on camp evaluations.

As far as the latter is concerned it is pleasing to see that on the whole everyone agrees the girls had a fantastic time at the Camp and Fusion.  Perhaps not so pleasing is a few Guiders chose evaluation as a route to be personally abusive to members of the Camp Team. We all gave years of time and unending hours to try and get things right and as with everything that is a one off, we know and accept that some things were not as fantastic as they should have been. But everyone on the camp team is a volunteer and as such should be applauded for their willingness to give so much.

But enough of the moaning: what about Vision? I have heard about all sorts of fabulous and moving celebrations and certainly standing on the beach at Tynemouth on a brilliantly moonlit night watching the Rainbow faces as they said their promise and watched the fireworks was a pleasure. Interestingly, one of my non guiding friends who was standing on the cliff top looking down on our human trefoil commented on how lovely the promise was. Sometimes we seem shy of our “promise bit” and maybe this should teach us not to be.

Having been around the table in the York office when the Centenary Management Group dreamt up the Vision idea of  20:10 20/10 2010 some four years ago actually reaching the day certainly seemed to close a fairly intense guiding phase of my life.

However it wasn’t the end as I joined the Senior Section in Bruges, on their Bean To Belgium trip. The planning of this has been really fraught but the end result was a memorable week end; a chocoholics delight with a fantastic four course meal in a lovely very Belgian hotel which Jan Pamplin had spotted on the internet – what would we do without the technology.

And then a week in a cottage – well I say cottage but mean more of a mansion with some good friends. I’ve said it over and over this year about how important Guiding friends are  but this group sum it up.  Essentially this is a holiday based on the group who got together to  create Rocket camp in 1998 – quite a few people will remember that and I know other Rocket Rendezvous take place with sub camp groups.

The theme of friendship seemed to be evident last night in York as the local Guiders and partners donned their finery and held a black tie dinner to thank all the leaders. We must all look pretty awful most of the time as there was so much need to comment on how well people scrubbed up!

It seems appropriate at this point to keep the theme of thanks going a little longer and for me to take this chance to thank you all for everything you have done to make this whole year so truly special. I think we have exceeded our own expectations and have set ourselves a high standard to follow. My own vision of Guiding takes us forward with increasing numbers of girls who are increasingly confident of their own place in the world developed through ever more imaginative programmes. All of that is only possible with a motivated leadership, there was a thought before this year began that we would all collapse in a post centenary dip but I feel quite fired up to create new opportunities and I hope you do too.

Thank you so much for all you do and here’s to our next 100 years!

Hilary