I PROMISE THAT I WILL DO MY BEST…

Victoria Seanor, Brownie Leader

2nd Halton (RAF Station) Brownies held their first meeting on 9th September 1960 and have continued to meet ever since. During lockdown the Brownies met online and activities were sent home to continue the wonderful tradition of Girlguiding from their own homes, earning new skills and plenty of badges along the way. We even joined in with an online District sleepover, with the girls camping out in their own gardens or living rooms. The Brownie Pack has been hosted by RAF Halton in different meeting places over the years and we feel very lucky nowadays to have use of the Youth Activity Centre for our meetings, giving the girls plenty of space to create, play and have fun, including use of a superb new kitchen where we are now able to enjoy cookery activities.

Brownies join from the age of 7 until 10 and our pack has a lovely mix of both RAF and local girls. We are always ready to welcome girls who have moved from another base and have had to leave their old Brownie Pack behind. The link with the RAF doesn’t stop there though. At the moment we are very happy to count three serving personnel amongst our Leadership team. Volunteering with Girlguiding is fun, rewarding and a lovely way to spend a couple of hours once a week with lively and enthusiastic girls who never cease to amaze us with their creativeness and enthusiasm.

Since 2018 Girlguiding has followed six main themes and each term we plan a varied program of activities to enable the girls to earn badges. Girls love badges and we love handing them out! Over time they gain a Theme Award for each strand and when a Brownie has all six Theme Awards she finishes her Brownie journey by working for the Brownie Gold Award which is an achievement to be proud of. There are Bronze and Silver Awards along the way but most of our Brownies have also left with their Brownie Gold, with 10 awarded so far to the 11 girls who have been able to stay with us until age 10, including Brownies who continued online during lockdown. Brownies promise to do their best and these girls really did excel themselves.

There are plenty of outings too. Every December we go to the Odeon for an exclusive Girlguiding showing of a new film. Last year it was Matilda, before that Encanto. In recent years we have had picnics and fun at Waddesdon Manor, a mystery outing (a superb day of fun and games in the grounds at Stowe with Rainbows, Brownies and Guides from the whole District), activity evenings at Phasels Wood Scout Camp, a weekend sleepover at Paccar Scout Camp, a Saturday trip to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital with the Brownies meeting the animals up close and another adventure by train from Wendover to London for an activity day in Girlguiding Headquarters on Buckingham Palace Road.

On Remembrance Sunday we join the RAF and the 1st Halton (RAF) Scout Groups at the service at St. Michael’s, Halton where the Brownies are very proud to lay their wreath.

Due to high demand locally we are in the process of opening the 2nd Halton (RAF Station) Rainbow Unit, meeting for the first time in April and welcoming girls from the age of 4. When the girls are 7 they will be ready to continue their Girlguiding journey in our Brownie Pack.

If you would like more information about enrolling your daughter or volunteering to join our team please do contact us on either 2haltonbrownies@gmail. com or 2haltonrainbows@ gmail.com

Mary, Victoria, Tash, Georgie and Bex