Girlguiding South West England
Encyclopedia
Girlguiding South West England is one of the nine Countries and Regions of Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...

. It is further subdivided into 16 Girlguiding Counties and Islands. These are generally not the same as the counties defined by the British government
Counties of the United Kingdom
The counties of the United Kingdom are subnational divisions of the United Kingdom, used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. By the Middle Ages counties had become established as a unit of local government, at least in England. By the early 17th century all...

, and in this Region, two of the Islands, Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...

 and Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...

, are not even part of the United Kingdom.

The regional Headquarters is St Ann's Manor in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...

, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

.

Counties

Girlguiding South West England is subdivided into 16 Counties and Islands. These are:

History

A letter survives from 1908, addressed to Lord Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....

 from May Jones in Brislington
Brislington
Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. The Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley...

, asking him whether she can start a Girl Scout patrol. The encouraging reply is also extant. A year later the Brislington Girl Scout Owl Patrol was formed.

Guiding started on the Island of Jersey in 1919 with the formation of three Companies and its history is extensively documented.

Guiding in Plymouth was started by Lady Nancy Astor in 1917. She was "perturbed at the fact that several flourishing Guide units existed in Exeter and other parts of the County while Plymouth had none." She called a meeting of prominent people, especially those already involved in girls' organisations. Astor was appointed Divisional Commissioner and Mrs Palliser Hickman (the garrison commander's wife) was elected chairwoman of the local association. By July 1917 over 4000 girls had signed up.

Channel Islands in World War II

The Channel Islands were occupied by Germany between 1941 and 1945. Official meetings were banned, but Guiding continued under cover. On Jersey, three Companies, the 5th St. Marks, 10th St. Aubin and 12th Gorey continued to meet at the homes of their Guiders. Miss Grace Le Roux, Captain of the 5th St Mark's Girl Guides received the Gilt Cross for her work for Guiding during the occupation.

Camp sites

Foxlease
Foxlease
Foxlease is a training and activity centre of Girlguiding UK near Lyndhurst, Hampshire, UK. The Foxlease estate has been owned and managed by Girlguiding UK since 1922. The estate is and main house is known as The Princess Mary House, in honour of her marriage...

, the national Girlguiding UK training and activity centre near Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Lyndhurst is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the north-east...

, is in this region.

Centenary

Both Jersey and Guernsey issued postage stamps honouring the Guides' centenary
Guiding 2010 Centenary
The Guiding 2010 Centenary will comprise celebrations around the world in which Girl Guides and Girl Scouts celebrate 100 years of the world Guide and Scout movement....

 in 2010.

Bath and District Gang Show

Bath Gang Show website

The Bath and District Gang Show
Gang Show
A Gang Show is a theatrical performance with a cast of youth members of Scouts and sometimes Guides too, by invitation. Adult leaders and parents help out behind the scenes. The aim of the shows is to give young people in Scouting and Guiding the opportunity to develop performance skills and...

 was started in 1997, and generally has a cast of about 60 Scouts and Guides. Cast only have to audition for solos, duets and sketches and any member of the Scouts or Guides prepared to give the required commitment to the show can take part. The show takes place each year at the Kingswood School Theatre, in Lansdown, Bath. In 2004, the Gang Show
Gang Show
A Gang Show is a theatrical performance with a cast of youth members of Scouts and sometimes Guides too, by invitation. Adult leaders and parents help out behind the scenes. The aim of the shows is to give young people in Scouting and Guiding the opportunity to develop performance skills and...

 were awarded the Gang Show Emblem. In 2008 the show was awarded the NODA's Stage Electric's award for technical achievement. In November 2009 they performed at the Bath Male Choir concert at the Bath Forum. In December 2008 and 2009, they staged 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' at the Rondo Theatre, Bath. Members of the team also production manage events at various international jamborees
Jamboree (Scouting)
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom...

.
2012 marks their 15th Anniversary and plans are in place to stage a celebration production from the 6th - 10th June to make these celebrations as well as a Christmas show at the Rondo in December 2012.

See also

  • Scouting in South West England
    Scouting in South West England
    Scouting in South West England is about Scouting in the official region of South West England. It is largely represented by the Scout Association of the United Kingdom and some Groups of traditional Scouting including the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association....

  • Scouting in South East England
    Scouting in South East England
    Scouting in South East England is about Scouting in the official region of South East England. The largest membership is represented by the Scout Association of the United Kingdom, while there is also a presence of traditional Scouting groups, such as the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association.The Scout...

  • Scouting in Jersey
    Scouting in Jersey
    Scouting in Jersey is a part of the Scout Association in the United Kingdom, covering Jersey in the Channel Islands. The Island Commissioner is Helen Woolsey...

  • Scouting in Guernsey
    Scouting in Guernsey
    Scouting in Guernsey is organisationally part of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom, covering the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, which are not part of the United Kingdom. The Island Commissioner is Richard Leale. There are no separate Districts. There are 11 Scout Groups,...

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