Regular features
03 Welcome
06 Noticeboard
22 2023 Trefoil Walk
26 Our journey so far
28 Tradition and folklore in… Scotland
36 Classified
Your pages
08 Your snapshots
24 Meet a Trefoil –Rilshaw Trefoil Guild
30 Your letters
34 Achievements
The official journal of the Trefoil Guild
Published each March, June, September and December
National president Della Salway
National chair Eileen Martin
Editorial board Judy Ellis (editor), Jane Smart (deputy editor), Eileen Martin, Jean Kelly, Sheila Leete, Sheran Oke, Margaret Froome, Tasha Best, Lydia Clarke
The Trefoil is issued subject to the following conditions, namely that it shall not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in mutilated cover or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to or as part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.
The Trefoil Guild takes no responsibility for statements made in any advertisements or from any matter arising whatsoever. Readers should be aware that The Trefoil is not in a position to investigate goods or services advertised in
Features
04 Shaping up for the future
12 Our 80th Anniversary
14 What motivates you?
16 Charities our members support
18 Away day in…
32 Subscriptions
35 Festive quiz
Annual Meeting
20 2024 Annual Meeting and booking form
inserts included in the magazine, and the inclusion of the inserts is not to be taken as an indication that the goods or services concerned have been investigated or approved. Responsibility for the failure of any advertiser to fulfil his or her obligations to customers gained from an advertisement or insert in The Trefoil cannot, and will not, be accepted by the Trefoil Guild or The Trefoil
The Trefoil Guild
17-19 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 0PT
Tel: 020 7834 6242 EXT 3010
Email: trefoilguild@girlguiding.org.uk
Website: trefoilguild.co.uk
© The Trefoil Guild 2023. Registered charity number 1075232
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The Trefoil,
write to Trefoil Guild, Advertisements,
the postal or email addresses above
Newhall Publishing Ltd, New Hall Lane, Hoylake, Wirral CH47 4BQ
Tel: 0151 668 0493
Email: hello@newhallpublishing.com
Managing Director Richard Woolliams
Editorial Director Fergus McShane
Managing Editor Gill Hook
Art Editor Owen Moran
Picture Editor Tracey Pocock
Print Swallowtail Print Ltd
Welcome to our last issue for 2023, our 80th celebration year, and what a year this has been! I have been amazed at the innovative ways in which so many of you have completed our 80th Anniversary challenge and shared this with our Girlguiding family.
Ideas have been shared and events have been held locally, in counties, countries and regions. Food is always an important addition to finding friendship, giving support, getting involved and getting active.
Another successful Trefoil Walk has been held as well as our Trefoil Gathering – held every 4 years. Our thanks to all who work so hard to make all our events, large and small, such a success.
We are now looking forward to 2024 and Motivate 24 (see page 14), as well as all our other activities. It won’t be long until we see the first signs of spring when snowdrops begin to appear.
I send you all Season’s Greetings and my best wishes for 2024.
Eileen Martin National chair
Members of the board of trustees got together to discuss Trefoil’s priorities, recruitment and updating the constitution
As part of our board of trustees residential weekend in April 2023, our operations day was facilitated by Sandy Kinnersley, who led us through the process of identifying our strategic priorities for Trefoil from 2023 to 2026. We worked in groups to identify areas of concern and development.
Following the operations day, we drilled down to identify our priorities, which were then organised under:
Recruitment and retention
Communications and engagement Member opportunities
Organisational process
The final priorities were ratified by the board of trustees at their September meeting.
As our membership numbers are in decline, we have set up a task and finish group to address the challenges around both recruitment and retention of members. You can make a difference to reversing our declining membership by introducing a friend to our amazing organisation and ensuring that we continue to promote
an exciting, varied programme of activities for all our members.
Our constitution was last changed in 2017. The world and Girlguiding have changed considerably since then, so the trustees agreed it should be updated. A task and finish group was set up to look at the constitution and legal advice taken on amendments. The updated constitution was ratified by the Trefoil board of trustees and then by Girlguiding board of trustees. It can be found on the Trefoil Guild website under the ‘Info and resources’ tab. Some of the changes include:
Affiliate membership to be removed Membership open to anyone over 18
Men can hold roles, and although Trefoil do not have many male members, the usual appointment procedure would apply
Trefoil now has a policy of removal of membership in accordance with the handbook and policies.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved in this process.
Ourstrategicprioritiesfor2023-2026are recruitment andretention communications andengagement member opportunities organisational process
Tosupporttheachievementoftheaboveprioritiesthefollowingobjectivesareidentified:
Recruitmentandretention
IncreasetheoverallmembershipofTrefoilwhilstpromotingandsupportingthe equality,diversityandinclusionagendatobroadenthedemographicsofthe membership.
Minimisethelossofmembers.
Communicationsandengagement
Developdigitalplatformstosupportthedeliveryofaclearcommunicationplan whichmeetstheneedsofaninternalandexternalaudience.
Improvetheprofile,opportunityandbenefitofTrefoilGuildmembershipwithin Trefoil,Girlguidingandtothewiderpublic.
DeveloptheTrefoilwebsiteasaneffectivecommunicationtool.
Memberopportunities
Ensurethatanyopportunitiesofferedareaccessibleandachievablefor all members.
RecogniseboththenationalandinternationalaspectsofTrefoil,offering opportunitiesformemberswhichreflectthesekeycharacteristics.
Offerarangeofeventswhicharefunandenhancementalandphysicalwellbeing.
Organisationalprocess
ReviewthestructureandcontentofthenationalAnnualMeetingtoensurethatit meetstheneedsoftoday’smembershipandfulfilsconstitutionalrequirements.
Developsupporttoupholdtheprocessofsuccessionplanningforvolunteerroles atalllevels.
Ensurethesalariedstaffinglevelissufficienttoeffectivelysupporttheorganisation andthedeliveryofagreedpriorities.
ExploretheuseofexternalpartnershipswhichwillpromoteTrefoilandsupportthe deliveryofourpriorities.
Amoredetailedoperationalworkplanwillbedevelopedwhichsupportsthedelivery oftheabovepriorities,identifyingtimelinesandestimatedcostsorbudget.
After Avril Duncan’s talk at the Annual Meeting in Glasgow, many members asked if we could let them know when Avril’s charity, The Free to Live Trust, obtained its FCRA licence to allow the charity to collect money from foreign donors. We recently received the following from Avril:
‘After my talk in Glasgow at the Annual Meeting on 24 June, a number of members expressed interest in donating a little towards our charity to support the children in our 2
children’s homes in Pune. Thank you so much for this. We couldn’t accept money at that time, but I’m delighted that our FCRA licence has now been approved (Sept 2023), meaning that we can again accept donations and send them out to our Trust in India.’
If anyone would still like to donate, the best way is by cheque, payable to The Free To Live Trust. For details on this and other ways of donating please visit freetolivetrust.org/howto-donate
We asked… We actively listened… We are acting… Thank you to all members who took their time to respond to the survey on our future Annual Meetings. Having heard your feedback directly at our last meeting in Glasgow, and read the responses from the online survey and from the magazine, your messages are clear – you have told us what you think works well, what isn’t so good and additional suggestions of what
you would like to see and be involved in during the day. It’s great!
All information has been analysed and findings and recommendations developed. These will be presented and discussed with Trefoil trustees at our next Board meeting. We will then share our plans as soon as possible afterwards – publishing on our website and in The Trefoil
Keep a lookout, and thank you once again.
My name is Kris Clarke, and I am thrilled to be taking on the new role of national communications and engagement adviser. I am joining an established team of other advisers – both nationally and at country and region, and county levels. As national communications and engagement adviser is a new role, I am looking forward to growing and developing this position to make sure that together we can deliver the best outcomes for you, our Trefoil members.
My Girlguiding and Trefoil journey began when I joined as a Brownie. I moved on to Guides, Rangers and then unit leadership alongside being a Trefoil member. I have covered many roles from division and county and more recently, in Trefoil, as North West England public relations adviser. I have also held roles in my own Trefoil (Hope Farm), such as social secretary. I have two daughters, aged 21 and 25, who are also Trefoil members and together we enjoy all the challenges and friendships Trefoil delivers.
Submissions to The Trefoil and website
We welcome all submitted items using the appropriate pro forma, which can be downloaded from the website. Please state whether you’re happy for items to be considered for the website if there is too little space in The Trefoil.
Submissions date for the March 2024 issue is 2 January 2024
We take a look at what Trefoil members have been up to
Radio Trefoil
Members of Cambridgeshire West took over the airways of Huntingdon Community Radio in an hour devoted to all things Trefoil Guild. Songs were chosen by members to represent our organisation (including ‘We Are Family’, ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’ and of course ‘Reach for the Stars’) and we gave listeners a taste of some of the fun activities we get up to –including pantyhose bowling! A great way to recruit new members.
Julie Swindells, PR adviser, Cambridgeshire West
As part of our 80th Anniversary challenge and summer picnic, 12 members of Ely Trefoil visited an 900-year-old oak tree in Ely that has been given a tree preservation order to prevent it being felled to make way for a road-widening scheme. Several of our members signed a petition to save the tree, which is situated in the Roswell Pits Nature Reserve.
Sue Carpenter, Ely Trefoil Guild
Airfield visit
Kington Trefoil Guild members enjoyed a tour of Shobdon Airfield while one of the instructors told us the history of the airfield. We’re pictured in front of a red Tiger Moth plane. After our tour, we had tea and cake in The Hotspur Café on the base. It was a brilliant day.
NancyWheatland, Kington Trefoil Guild
The Saffies Trefoil Guild went to the Croydon Pridefest as part of Girlguiding Croydon, taking part in the parade and meeting prospective new Trefoil members at the festival in Wandle Park. We used this year’s event as a recruitment activity, celebrating the Trefoil Guild’s 80th Anniversary and reaching out to people who have maybe never heard of us or considered joining. We spoke to over 100 people about what Trefoil Guild is about, the sorts of activities that we do and the amount of fun that we have.
Debbie Goodier, The Saffies Trefoil Guild
Members of the Chobham and Horsell Commoners Trefoil Guild took to the water with paddleboards at Longside Lake in Surrey. We are an active group with varying degrees of experience in water. With our usual perseverance with new things (including getting into wetsuits!), we all managed to stand up and manoeuvre around the lake.
Eleanor George, Chobham and Horsell Commoners Trefoil Guild
In July, members of the Bexhill Trefoil Guild met in front of Bexhill Colonnade to celebrate our 80th Anniversary – a sea of red in front of the rough sea of blue. We were joined by Bexhill Mayor Cllr Lynn Brailsford. Bexhill Trefoil Guild reached their 60th anniversary back in 2021, and planted a rose bush at Guide Headquarters, London Road, to mark the occasion.
Rachel Bridger-Cocking, Bexhill Trefoil Guild
During the Annual Meeting in Glasgow, Karen Taylor of York City Trefoil made her promise outside the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art. We then went to The Drum and Monkey pub, which prompted this photo!
Anne Tong, PR adviser, North Yorkshire South
Sew far, sew good Scarborough Coast Trefoil Guild members had 2 weeks of sewing tuition from Scarborough Sewing Bee organiser and fellow Trefoil member Rev. Emma Morgan. They all made their own aprons, the majority with little previous sewing machine experience, and the results were great!
Gill Armstrong, Scarborough Coast Trefoil Guild
Around 42 members of Trefoils across Merseyside celebrated our 80th Anniversary onboard The Floating Grace, a restaurant boat in Liverpool. A commentary on Liverpool’s historic docklands played whilst we cruised the River Mersey with afternoon tea.
Catrina Williams, Merseyside county
Dibbinsbrook Trefoil Guild members enjoyed a trip to Glasgow, which included being Lord Provost for a minute, a tour of Glasgow City Chambers and afternoon tea at the Willow Tea Rooms. Everyone had a great time.
Margaret Goodier, Dibbinsbrook Trefoil Guild
I spoke on BBC Radio Shropshire about Trefoil Guild and what we’re all about. I then presented the host with an 80th Anniversary badge and told him about the postbox topper that I had helped to crochet. Lots of other members in Shropshire contributed to the topper and it will now travel around the county.
Muriel Rayner, county chair for Shropshire
Beryl Paddison of Newquay Trefoil Guild is the treasurer of Trefoil Photography Group and invited Lynne Gouldsmith from St Austell to join the group on a visit to Lorne House in Northern Ireland. They had a great time, visiting the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Distillery, the Ulster Folk Museum, the Titanic experience and the Titanic Hotel, where they tried the famous Titanic Cocktail. Lorne House is a beautiful place, and the Photography Group had an amazing time. Lynne had a go on the children’s play equipment, but quickly learnt that she was too big for the slide!
Lynne Gouldsmith, PR adviser, Cornwall
Members from across Trefoil Guild Scotland met at Dolphin House, near Culzean Castle, to celebrate our 80th Anniversary. Activities ranged from shell collecting, tree identification (and climbing), caving, rock pooling, orienteering, pond dipping, beach yoga and fire-lighting. Outdoor activity instructor Neil had designed an incredible day where we learned, laughed and had the best time while 4 new members made their promise by a campfire.
Patrice Graham, Ayr and DistrictTrefoil
Guild
Members of Penylan Trefoil Guild celebrated 80 years of Trefoil Guild on a rainy day at Caeglas, hence the umbrellas. Because of the monsoon weather we were all jammed into a room together, but it was the most enjoyable afternoon, with county guiding helping us eat lots of cake.
Vivienne Grant, Penylan Trefoil GuildIf you’d like to see images of your own guild’s activities on the pages of The Trefoil, please email your photographs to trefoilguild@girlguiding.org.uk for consideration.
As this special year ends, it’s still not too late to complete the Trefoil challenge, says Sheila Leete, national programme and development adviser
With just one month left before the end of 2023 and our 80th Anniversary celebration, there is still time to complete our Trefoil challenge. So, what challenges have you met?
In 1920, ex-guides started to form unofficial groups to keep in contact with their old Guide companies and by 1935 an organisation named ‘Old Guides’ was formed, with groups growing far and wide.
In 1943, the Girl Guides Association amalgamated these groups and the name Trefoil Guild was adopted. Now 80 years on, it is this amalgamation that we celebrate.
20,000 badges have been sold for our challenge ‘from small acorns to giant oaks’. It’s not too late to order yours, we still have until the end of December to complete challenges. Don’t forget to remind your local Girlguiding units too!
Whether we are 18 or 108, have been a part of Girlguiding or not, together we follow the 4 key messages (top right). We will always remain young at heart, looking out for each other.
At the time of writing this article, over
With so many photos on social media or reports in The Trefoil magazine, challenges have been shared from individuals, from guilds, counties, countries and regions. To name just a few – LaSER joined hands in areas around the region, including the coastline and parts of London; North East England members had a grand afternoon tea in the gardens of Newby Hall; and members in the Midlands had an activity-filled day in Staffordshire. We would love to hear from you all about events that have been happening in your area.
It’s still not too late to celebrate and complete your challenge. Now is the time to make your mug cake, with a Christmas theme. It’s not quite so easy to identify the different varieties of oak tree now that the leaves have fallen, but maybe pick up pieces of wood, or acorns, that have fallen and look out ideas of how to use these for Christmas decorations.
And at this time of year, some relaxation is always good for the soul. Try some simple yoga positions or 8 minutes of mindfulness.
How about an end of year party dressed in 80s fashions with 80s music? 80 minutes without any electricity just might be a challenge that doesn’t suit this time of year
but why not get out the candles and give it a go?
You may have missed joining in the celebrations for Oak Apple Day, but why not adapt this clause to celebrating Wassail? Although usually celebrated around 12th night, celebrations can be found in some areas before the end of the year. Otherwise, organise your own wassail celebrations and learn and sing ‘The Wassail Song’!
We still have time to design Christmas postcards to send to a local nursing home. And don’t forget to save your Christmas cards to make tangrams for a post-Christmas guild challenge!
And finally, a good way to end the year could be a movie night, along with a pot-luck supper.
I hope that you have all enjoyed our 80th Anniversary challenge that the task and finish group prepared for you. With 28 challenges to choose from, we hope that you all had fun.
Once again, I would like to say a big thank you to the team members, Alison Plummer, Jenny Hunt and Tracey Johnson for such sterling work in helping to produce our Trefoil 80th Anniversary challenge.
The hand of friendship can help us all take a step further forward, as Sheran Oke, international adviser, and Sheila Leete, programme and development adviser, discover
We’re sure that any of you who attended the Trefoil Annual Meeting at Llandudno in 2022 will well remember the inspirational talk given by Tori James, adventurer, keynote speaker and president of Girlguiding Cymru.
Tori is renowned for major challenges, including being a member of the first all-female team to complete The Polar Challenge, a 360-mile race to the Magnetic North Pole. She is also the first Welsh woman to climb Everest and completed this aged only 25. To find out more about Tori’s exploits, visit her website, torijames.com. Read
about Girlguiding’s lasting influence on Tori in the September 2022 issue of The Trefoil
Tori inspired us so much that when planning the annual residential training session for the country and region advisers in March of this year, our challenge to the advisers was to explore motivation and how this impacts us as Trefoil members. With a key focus on supporting each other and by offering support, we can motivate with the hand of friendship, to take just that little step further. The words in both the demotivate star and
the motivate star pictured here are the words that our advisers shared with each other over the weekend.
Advisers worked initially in their adviser groups then moved on to work with their country or region colleagues to produce ideas to build on the motivation that can be ingrained in Trefoil members.
Scenarios were shared – we discussed struggles that any one of us may have to deal with and, by sharing with others, how motivation and encouragement can build self-esteem. However daunting the challenge – mentally or physically – with others by our side, we can all achieve what may seem at times to be the impossible.
Each one of us can take time out to consider who has been, or continues to be, influential in our lives. Whether it is someone famous, a local charity leader, friend or neighbour. Looking back to our childhood days, maybe a school teacher or Girlguiding leader?
The country and region advisers are continuing to work together to provide a framework to build and motivate by reflecting on our Trefoil key messages: get involved, get active, give support and find friendship.
As we come towards the end of 2023 and head into the new year, look out for more information about ‘Motivate’ on the Trefoil website and in our next issue of The Trefoil.
As Tori states on her website, ‘Embarking on a self-sufficient, self-reliant, human-powered journey is what is at the core of true adventure.’ As well as adventure, what motivates her is ‘being able to give something back. People have supported me to do amazing things, and I am very grateful for every bit of help I have received. If there’s an opportunity for me to pay this back, I take it.’
Wishing our Trefoil members, wherever you may be, Christmas joy and a happy and peaceful new year.
We’ve heard from you that you really enjoy stories about other members in The Trefoil magazine, and that one of your favourite things about Trefoil is connecting with others. We also know that Trefoil members take to heart our key message ‘give support’, and do so much in our communities. So, recently we reached out on Facebook to find out where and how you support others. And this is what you said…
Lots of you volunteer as leaders or helpers at Rainbow, Brownie, Guide and Ranger units. Others support young women through organisations like The Girls’ Network. Some of you are trustees for places like Carers Trust, or have started trusts of your own, like the Ghanaian Children’s Trust, to support others abroad. We have members who volunteer at well-known
organisations like the National Trust or the RSPB. Some of you give support more locally through community drop-in centres, food banks, providing free meals and supporting the homeless. You help others in need through charities that support the bereaved or hard of hearing, for example. Some members who love the arts are supporting youth choirs, community radio award shows, local cinemas and youth theatres, not to mention our members who help out their neighbours with all of the dog walking, lifts to appointments, community transport and shopping they do for others.
Many of you volunteer in places tied in to your interests, like reopening the canals, driving steam trains, leading walks, preserving heritage buildings or getting involved in Park Run in a
variety of ways. Some of you have taken this a step further and started projects for your Voyage award or Queen’s Guide and then carried on volunteering after you’ve finished – like connecting people in need with pets, or helping people to train their own assistance dogs.
All this before we even begin to count the members who fundraise, litter pick, knit, craft, crochet, felt, collect, have coffee mornings, and put together comfort bags for those in hospital.
We’re sure there is so much more we
haven’t heard about yet. Do you volunteer somewhere like the above? Or somewhere totally different, or particularly unusual? We’d love to hear from you. Email us today: trefoilguild@girlguiding.org.uk
Welcome to Portsmouth, with its many attractions, situated on the south coast overlooking the Solent towards the Isle of Wight
A visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard takes you on a journey through time, allowing you to step on board worldfamous ships, including Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory. During the Battle of Trafalgar, did you know that, as well as Lord Nelson and
Captain Hardy, there were 820 crewmen on board? Why not step aboard and imagine the living conditions of those sailors.
Other displays at the Dockyard include Queen Victoria’s HMS Warrior, as well as the only surviving ship from the First World War’s Gallipoli campaign, HMS M33. Also within the dockyard is the world-renowned Mary Rose Museum. Built in 1510, the Mary Rose served Henry VIII until in 1545 she sank, defending England from a French invasion fleet. Many will remember the Mary Rose being discovered by a team of divers in 1971,
followed by a major operation to bring the ship to the surface. After 30 years’ restoration, the Mary Rose is now on show for all to explore.
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery features many exciting displays. As well as the story of Portsmouth there is a study of Sherlock Holmes, exploring the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a GP here for a number of years. Could Portsmouth actually be the birthplace of Sherlock?
If you enjoy taking in the sea air there is lots to do along the promenade, like the D-Day Story, the only museum in the UK dedicated to the Allied Invasion in June 1944. It tells the unique personal stories behind this epic event. The last surviving Landing Craft Tank from D-Day is now open on Southsea Seafront, with access included as part of a museum ticket.
At the centre of the museum sits the Overlord Embroidery, made as a tribute to the sacrifice and heroism of those men and women who took part in Operation Overlord. The embroidery is 83 metres in length, and is the largest work of its kind in the world.
Or you can explore the Rock Gardens on the way to Southsea where you will find the Canoe Lake, the pier and a model village. On along again is Portchester Castle, a Roman fortress, a Norman stronghold and even a prisoner of war camp during the Napoleonic Wars.
If you like taking in a view then you will want to head to the Spinnaker Tower. Experience the vista from the
stunning 170-metre icon of the South Coast and via the view decks, or bravely venture across the amazing glass Sky Walk. There is even a Sky Garden café.
Alternatively, if you enjoy shopping or would like to experience other leisure activities, then Gunwharf Quays has a great array of shops, bars, coffee shops and restaurants from around the world to tempt you.
And finally, we’ll see you at the Portsmouth Guildhall – our amazing venue for the 2024 Annual Meeting. Read more about it on page 20. The venue is run by The Guildhall Trust, a registered charity. At the heart of their work are their community-led programmes which engage schools, colleges and develop partnerships to encourage people to engage with culture. Inside the Guildhall are independent exhibitions to continue the art and culture you can experience all around Portsmouth.
Saturday 8 June 2024 in Portsmouth – order your tickets today!
In our survey, you told us that one of your favourite things about our Annual Meeting events is finding friendship and reconnecting with others. So why not try it out when you join us at the Portsmouth Guildhall on Saturday 8 June 2024, at Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AB. You can discover Portsmouth, too. To find out more about what this area has to offer, read our Away Day article on page 18.
The venue will be open in the morning and we invite you to join us to catch up with friends, browse the stalls, find out more about Trefoil opportunities like TOPAZ or meet your trustees.
hear from our speaker Sue Riches with her inspiring adventure talk.
In the evening, Trefoil Guild South West England invite you to join them for the entertainment – The Royal Marines Association Concert Band will put on a great show for you. You can buy tickets for this with the form opposite. And friends and guests who aren’t Trefoil members are more than welcome to join us for the entertainment.
At 2pm the Annual Meeting will start and we will hear from our national chair with an update about the previous year. A representative from Girlguiding will update us about their year – last year, we heard from new chief guide, Tracy Foster – and we will
So, will we see you in Portsmouth on 8 June 2024? We hope so! Use the order form on the next page to buy your tickets, or purchase them via our Trefoil website. Log in and look under the ‘Programme and Events’ heading. We will be in touch to confirm your booking and will send out your tickets and badges in 2024 before the event. Tickets are £9 each for the Annual Meeting and £14 each for the evening entertainment.
8 June 2024, Portsmouth Guildhall
Your ticket price includes a badge which will be posted with your ticket before the event in 2024.
Return to: Trefoil Guild, 17-19 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PT
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Saturday 8 June 2024
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A mini heatwave was a bonus for those taking part in the 2023 Trefoil Walk, say Janette Willetts of Allington Trefoil and Pam Sharland of Invicta Trefoil, both Kent Weald
Mention Dartmoor and maybe you think of the Hound of the Baskervilles, made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the Sherlock Holmes series. But when we think of Dartmoor, we think about the 2023 Trefoil Walk. No Dartmoor bogs, notorious villains or the sound of howling hounds, but glorious walks, fantastic scenery and great walking companions.
At the beginning of September, 80 members from across the country travelled by plane, car and train, bringing with them rucksacks, walking poles and boots, all heading to Okehampton, for the Trefoil Walk.
full occupancy of the youth hostel – meaning bunk beds, and for some the toilets and showers across the corridor! There was lots of noise and laughter as people met for the first time, or caught up with friends not seen for a while. For many, this was their first taste of a Trefoil event.
The YHA in Okehampton, situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, is an old Victorian railway goods shed. Perhaps a perfect setting for a Sherlock Holmes mystery but instead it has been converted into a modern-day hostel and an ideal setting for us to make our base.
We soon filled every room, taking
After settling in and dinner, we met our walk leaders – all Trefoil members themselves, from across the country, bringing with them enthusiasm to lead us on various walks planned over the last 9 months. Each evening, the walk leaders would provide a summary of the walks for the following day. They varied in length, offering different Dartmoor experiences and scenery, from moorland to streamside. Walks included some of the best locations and landmarks on this part of Dartmoor, including Kestor Rock, Black Tor, High Willhays and Yes Tor. One walk passed under the striking
wrought iron Meldon Viaduct built in 1874. Some days a coach took us off site to Chagford or Castle Drogo and we enjoyed walks in the Teign Valley. Some walks even provided opportunities for cooling our feet in the streams!
Dartmoor is renowned for being wet and windy, but at the beginning of September there was a mini heatwave:
7 continuous days of high temperatures, and 5 of those days during our time in Okehampton. So much sun lotion used by so many people in one week. But did we moan? No! Cool drinks and showers were the priority at the end of the day.
Enormous full English breakfasts, packed lunches with homemade cookies straight from the oven, afternoon cake and evening meals supplied all the calories and more.
Some members did their own walks, or caught the train to Exeter, or took the bus or their car to Bude, Tiverton and other local sites whilst others explored the town of Okehampton. One member even hired a bike to ride along the Granite Way, running past our hostel. The evening meals were always a hubbub of chatter as
everyone swapped stories on how they had spent their day.
We had great fun, not only walking and getting to know our companions but also enjoying the evening activities – craft, quizzes and a campfire. On our final evening, we were treated to the funniest Murder Mystery play, organised and acted out by our leaders. No stage drama awards for this performance, but we all found it highly entertaining.
This holiday definitely embodied the Trefoil ethos – finding friendship, getting active, giving support and getting involved.
If there is ever an opportunity to walk with Trefoil members again in a beautiful part of the country, we’ll certainly be signing up: maybe we’ll see you there too?
From ‘Strictly’-style dancing to axe throwing, members of Rilshaw Trefoil Guild are enjoying plenty of adventures, says Mandy Wood
A group of guiding friends decided to re-open Rilshaw Division Trefoil Guild last autumn. We spread the word and gained a few more members, some of whom now belong to 2 guilds. Last December, with members aged between under 20 to over 70, we had our first planning meeting. Since then, we have been extremely active.
Our first adventure was our Christmas meal –a great way for us all to get to know each other. We have done some of the 80th Anniversary challenges, including trying wood pyrography, where we made our own labels, and some leather craft for bookmarks.
Some of us attended the region celebrations for Trefoil Guild’s 80th Anniversary at Blackpool, which was a great day. There was a scavenger hunt, afternoon tea in the ballroom, and professionals who did a ‘Strictly’-type session, where the judges were really funny. We learnt a couple of dances, finishing off with a
free-for-all. This was closely followed by our own Cheshire Forest county celebrations, a friendship day at Pettypool, our local county campsite. Here we achieved a few more clauses for the 80th Anniversary challenge badge as well as a few STARS clauses. One of the highlights was getting all members (except those in wheelchairs) to make a Trefoil 80. It took a bit of organising, but did look great.
In June, we joined with members in Cheshire Border and Cheshire Forest for a day of activities run and organised completely by our local Rangers. We had lunch, tea, activities and a campfire. A brilliant day was had by all and a few more clauses were signed off. It was also a great PR exercise for the Rangers to know about Trefoil as an option once they turn 18. We are hoping to do more events like this involving the Rangers. After this, we spent 2 days manning the tiered seating at the Royal
Cheshire County Show, another great PR exercise for us as a Trefoil, as we could speak to all who arrived, gave out cards and information, and hopefully gained a few members.
Our favourite activity by far was axe throwing. We were greeted by a ‘Viking’ named Andrew who gave us a talk about the history of the Vikings, which was very interesting – Andrew really knew his stuff. After this we were given a safety talk on how to and how not to throw an axe. It was then our turn. We were all a bit apprehensive at the start – after all, they were quite sharp – but we were in separate wire
lanes, which protected us from any mishandled axes. Once we got the hang of it, the time went amazingly fast and we didn’t get as tired as we thought. We even managed to get a few bull’s-eyes.
With all these activities, the majority of us have completed our 80th Anniversary challenge badge and also quite a bit of the STARS challenge. Now we are looking at the Voyage award with a guest speaker in December.
We have planned our next adventures, from attending our county Annual Meeting to doing pottery painting (while partaking in a glass of wine and some nibbles), and going to the local village pantomime. We are planning on bowling or crazy golf next year, finishing off with cake at Haute Dolci to celebrate all we have achieved in 2023-2024 – another year of finding friendship, giving support, getting active and getting involved.
Meet the TOPAZ Thailand 2023 team and discover what they plan to do while on their adventure
By the time you read this article, these 8 Trefoil members from around the UK will have been to Thailand to work with the Girl Guides Association of Thailand (GGAT). This is our opportunity to share with you our journey so far. We will update you on our actual adventures in a future issue and you can follow along on our trip via Facebook or our website topazthailand2023.uk
We are keen to share our experiences and we are already taking bookings for talks in the new year at region, county or guild events… and even the WI are keen to invite us to speak too.
We met for the first time at a TRIO weekend in December 2022 when 18 Trefoil Guild members met to ‘find out more’ about TOPAZ (Trefoil Overseas Partnerships: Adventure with Zest). We had great fun, learned about previous TOPAZ projects and did some team-building activities. In early 2023, 8 of us were excited to
learn that we had been selected to go to Thailand in November of this year. So, what has happened since then? We have had monthly meetings on Zoom and have occasionally met up on visits around the country. It has only been possible to have 2 face-toface weekends together as we live so far away from each other, but those weekends have been fabulous and well worth the travelling. We have got to know each other, exchanged ideas, and thrashed out what our programme in Thailand might look like. At our September meeting, we finalised our programme and exchanged final fundraising ideas and sponsorship items. Raising awareness of the programme has been essential. We have held afternoon teas, gin-tasting experiences, book sales, games afternoons, Thai food tasting, raffles, tombolas, badges and pen sales –just to name a few. If you came
to Glasgow for the national Annual Meeting this summer then you probably met us and we probably persuaded you to part with £1 in exchange for a pen. We have sold 1,300, including a Scottish Trefoil one sold by mistake.
We are nearly ready to embark on our Trefoil overseas partnership. We fly to Bangkok on 15 November and will meet members of the Girl Guides Association of Thailand. We will then travel north to the Chiang Mai and the Chiang Rai regions. We will be staying in Guide centres and talking to the leaders about Trefoil Guild.
We are planning to exchange programme ideas too. In particular we will be helping with a number of
projects such as fence construction and painting a training centre. We will be working with children on activities and English language skills, playing games, singing campfire songs, doing recycling activities and much, much more. We will also be taking part in the Festival of Light (hence our badge design, previous page).
We look forward to updating you, so for now it’s Best Wishes in Guiding and Happy New Year from Suebee, Jayne, Ravi, Heather, Joyce, Emma, Sue and Lin.
From Nessie to selkies, fire festivals to royal connections, Scotland has more than its fair share of legends, says Ann Gordon of Monifieth Trefoil Guild
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the old year and is celebrated by visiting friends and neighbours, bringing gifts and sharing a dram. The ‘first foot’ is the first person to enter the house on New Year’s Day and brings good fortune for the coming year. In fishing communities, the gifts would have been a dressed herring, whilst in other areas the gift was a lump of coal with the greeting ‘Lang may yer lum reek’. It is thought the traditions
have Norse origins – when the winter solstice was celebrated with bonfires and drinking. Some fire festivals still continue – at Stonehaven with the fireball swinging, at Burghead with the burning of the ‘Clavie’ or tar barrel, and burning the longship in Shetland (although that is held at the end of January).
St Andrew’s Day is celebrated on 30 November.
According to the Bible, Andrew was one of the disciples of Jesus and was martyred through his crucifixion. In the 9th century, he is said to have appeared to King Angus in a dream, promising him victory in battle the next day. As that day dawned, a white cloud cross appeared against a blue sky. Angus vowed that if they won, Andrew
would become the patron saint of Scotland and his symbol would become the Scottish flag.
The Stone of Scone (above) was said to come originally from Spain via Ireland where it had been used for their coronations. Another legend suggests that it was Jacob’s pillow, but geologists have shown that is it composed of old red sandstone, which had been quarried near Scone.
It was used for the coronation of 34 Scottish kings over a 400-year period before it was taken by Edward I to Westminster Abbey in 1296. There is a prophecy associated with the stone which says, ‘If fates go right, where ere the stone is found, the regal race of Scots shall monarchs there be crowned.’ The prophecy was fulfilled in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England.
However, on Christmas Day 1950, 4 students removed the Stone from Westminster Abbey to return it to Scotland. After an intense police search the Stone was left on the altar at Arbroath Abbey where the police recovered it and returned it to Westminster. In 1996 the Stone was formally returned to Scotland on
St Andrew’s Day by Prince Andrew, who represented the Queen. It is now beside the Honours of Scotland (the Scots regalia) in Edinburgh Castle, although it was borrowed this year for the coronation of King Charles III.
St Columba is said to have encountered the Loch Ness monster on his travels to bring Christianity to Scotland. He asked one of his monks to swim across the loch to fetch a boat for him. The monster, disturbed by the swimmer, rose from the depths and made for the monk, but Columba made the sign of the cross and ordered it to return to its lair. Over the years there have been many reported sightings and photos of a ‘monster’ and people still search for Nessie.
Legend has it that selkies, or seal people, are creatures who can shed their fur skins and take on the likeness of humans. Sometimes they even marry mortals but always hanker to return to the sea. It is said that if a mortal can steal the selkie’s fur skin, then they can become the selkie’s true owner.
Earlier this year a long-awaited event happened in Warwickshire when a blue plaque dedicated to Juliette Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, was unveiled on Wellesbourne House where Juliette lived from 1889 till 1901.
Trefoil involvement started in 2019 when 12 members from Warwickshire visited Our Chalet and met a group of
American Girl Scout archivists. One, Karen Schillings from Chicago, had visited the UK the previous year and was disappointed to find there was nothing to show where Juliette had lived in Wellesbourne. On her return home, the Americans started to raise funds for a plaque to go on the house.
When Karen discovered where we came from she was excited, though we were ashamed to admit that we knew very little about Juliette Low or that she had lived in our area.
We offered to host Karen when she came for the unveiling and to arrange suitable celebrations. After the 2020 date was cancelled, eventually it happened in April this year.
Lesley Goodhead, Stratford-on-Avon Trefoil Guild
Essex North East Song Group met on a sunny August afternoon in a garden and sang 80 songs to celebrate 80 years of Trefoil Guild. Of course, there were breaks for tea, cake and more tea – which allowed the birds to have a rest, as the robins in particular sang as loud as us in accompaniment! In all, 172 verses were sung from the 80 songs in 4 hours – a thoroughly enjoyable day. Chris Tanner, Essex North East Song Group
In February, a group of members from Anglia met at Heathrow for a Coviddelayed visit to India and Sri Lanka. We visited many wonderful places, including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Pink Palace of Jaipur and the home of Mahatma Gandhi. But the place that left a lasting impression in our hearts was a small, unassuming café in a dusty side street about a mile from the Taj Mahal, appropriately named Sheroes Hangout – a play on the word ‘she’ and ‘heroes’.
The café is run by women who are acid attack survivors. Whilst their faces and bodies have been damaged by cheap, easily acquired and horrifically corrosive acid, their spirit is unbroken. Through the café they receive medical care, counselling, education and training, and run a successful business of which the proceeds go to helping more victims.
In half of all cases, acid was thrown at them by members of their own families; in almost every case, by someone they knew. The reasons are varied – jealousy, revenge, failure to produce a male child, rejection of a marriage proposal – but the aim is to disfigure the women, so they are identified for their ‘sins’ in society.
The organisation behind the café is the Chhanv Foundation started by two
(male) journalists, Alok Dixit and Ashish Shukla, who were reporting on acid attacks. Shocked by the injuries, lack of support for the victims and the way they were shunned in society, they decided to act.
We sat with the women, listened to their stories of courage, and bought items crafted by the survivors. These women exude courage and beauty on the deepest levels, even after being betrayed and hurt by those who should love and protect them; with the help of ‘Sheroes’ they live happy fulfilling lives.
Their true-life struggles and triumphs gave us all more to be thankful for when we observed the tranquillity of Sangam on Thinking Day. Karen Batten, Buckinghamshire county Trefoil Guild
Email your letters to us at trefoilguild@girlguiding.org.uk or write to the contact details on page 2.
It’s that time of year – subscription renewal time! Remember, to continue your membership in 2024, you must pay subscriptions in one of the ways detailed here. We are grateful for guilds who pay early, but remember, new members who join before 22 February must also pay subscriptions, so let’s all make sure we are on the same page on how to pay.
The process for renewing your Trefoil membership remains the same as in previous years. See the timetable on the next page for the key dates you need to remember
To continue your Trefoil membership for 2024, you must pay your subscription fees by the deadline of 22 February 2024 (World Thinking Day). Online payments (option 1) can be made right up until 22 February but any guilds paying by the cheque and form method (option 2) must have both with us in good time before the deadline. Subscription fees are due for all members, including new members who join before 22 February, to ensure that they continue to receive their copies of this magazine and all the other Trefoil benefits like access to our programme materials and events in 2024.
How to pay.
Your guild must pick just one of the following methods with all members in the guild paying the same way. We would ask that if you are able to pay online as a guild, please use option 1 where possible.
Option 1:
Pay online using our secure Trefoil website. Remember that all members in the guild should pay the same way: either each member logs into their Trefoil website account and pays individually, or one member (such as the guild treasurer) collects the subscriptions for all members and then logs into their account and pays for all the members in the guild. Payment is straightforward. Simply add the membership(s) to your virtual basket and go through an online checkout where you can pay securely. The memberships will be instantly renewed, and a receipt emailed to the member who paid.
Option 2:
If you are unable to pay online, you can still pay by cheque, but this must:
be for the whole guild
November 3 January 22 February May
Guild treasurers received email with a membership list, rates and information.
Payment window opens. Members pick 1 way to pay: online (as a guild or individually) or by guild cheque and form in post.
be the full amount for all members who are renewing accompany the 2024 version of the subscription payment form for guilds paying by cheque.
Incorrectly filled-out cheques incur bank charges and generate high administration costs, so please take care when writing it out.
In November, your guild treasurer (or relevant guild contact) received an email that included the following info: the national rate for the 2024 annual subscription fees, which is £17 your country or region and county levy information (also available from your executive team)
a list of existing members due to renew and their membership numbers ready for the payment
Payment window closes. All guilds must pay by this time.
Guild treasurers receive follow-up email confirming who has paid. Check this list carefully.
window – remember to add any new members when paying the 2024 version of the subscription payment form for guilds paying by cheque.
If in doubt about how your guild is paying subscriptions for 2024, please check with your treasurer, chair or secretary, and if you need step-by-step instructions, these are available on the Trefoil website trefoilguild.co.uk/subscriptions
We know there are membership changes over the year. Keep us up to date with transfers or deaths via email to trefoilguild@girlguiding.org.uk, but to update your own contact details or obtain your membership number, call the membership helpline on 0151 668 0493.
Gillian Halliday of Boston Trefoil Guild, who featured in the June 2022 issue of The Trefoil for raising funds for Buxton Mountain Rescue, has received a Lifetime Honorary Membership Award from the charity. Gillian composes and sells postal quizzes to raise money for the service. She said, ‘I feel really honoured and privileged to receive such an award.’ Buxton Mountain Rescue is celebrating its 60th year in 2024. Gillian has composed Quiz 19 to mark the anniversary, available from Spring 2024 via gillianihalliday@gmail.com
At the County Annual Review Meeting, Barbara Nicolaou, county chair, presented Janet Wilkins from Newquay Trefoil Guild with a Cornwall Thanks Badge. Another Thanks Badge was presented to Jean Whetham from Falmouth, who has provided First Aid cover at county events and helped to deliver the 80th Anniversary service in Truro Cathedral. Jean is not actually a member of Trefoil… yet!
Members of Penylan Trefoil Guild are pictured at their AGM earlier this year with a £100 cheque for their chosen charity, Wales Air Ambulance.
The quiz this issue features books, food and drink
A nostalgic look back at books which include Christmas. What are they called and who wrote them?
1As the door opened, one of the elder ones that carried the lantern was just saying, ‘Now then, one, two, three!’ and forthwith their shrill little voices uprose on the air, singing one of the old-time carols that their forefathers composed in fields that were fallow and held by frost, or when snow-bound in chimney corners, and handed down to be sung in the miry street to lamp-lit windows at Yule-time.
2All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street; and they stop at the rim of the ice-edged fish-freezing waves, and I plunge my hands in the snow and bring out whatever I can find.
3Elsie’s present was a pen-wiper, with a gray flannel kitten on it. Johnnie’s, a doll’s tea-tray of scarlet tin. ‘Isn’t it beau-ti-ful?’ she said, admiringly. Dorry’s gift, I regret to say,
was a huge red-and-yellow spider, which whirred wildly when waved at the end of its string.
4Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fireside and his quiet home!
5‘It’s many a year since there was a Christmas dinner here, Mistress Blythe,’ said Captain Jim. ‘Miss Russell always went to her friends in town for Christmas. But I was here to the first Christmas dinner that was ever eaten in this house – and the schoolmaster’s bride cooked it.’
6For this was Christmas, which had always been a time of magic, to him and to all the world. This was a brightness, a shining festival, and while its enchantment was on the world the charmed circle of his family and home would be protected against any invasion from outside.
Please turn to the next page for the rest of the festive quiz...
Can you identify the winter religious festivals from the food and drink described here?
1During which festival of commemoration would you be offered sharbet to drink and khitchri to eat?
2If you were given heart-shaped biscuits, rice and milk which festival and with members of which religion would you be celebrating?
3Fried foods are important to this festival, as they commemorate a
miracle which allowed temple lamps to burn for eight nights on one night’s worth of oil.
4You might find yourself dazzled while eating samosas and gulab jamun at a party to celebrate this festival.
5On Yalda, the food you are offered is mostly red – pomegranates, beetroot, water melon. Why, and which religion celebrates it?
6If you were drinking amazake at midnight during Omisoka, which culture and religions would you be celebrating?
The answers to this quiz will be in the March 2024 issue of The Trefoil and on the Trefoil Guild website from 4 January 2024
Anniversary quiz answers from the September issue of The Trefoil
1 King George VI
2 Winston Churchill
3 Bletchley Park
4 Benito Mussolini
5 Operation Chastise
6 Old Guides
7 The Honourable Betty Clay, daughter of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell
8 Aberdeen
9 General Dwight D Eisenhower
10 Oklahoma!
11 Ferranti Defence Systems Ltd
12 1971
• VHS & camcorder tapes copied to DVD
• 35mm slides, negatives & prints scanned and saved on DVD
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