Starting a new unit – a Girlguiding adventure!
This month, I want to dig deeper into what it’s like to open a new unit. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a sparkly new recruit, there’s something exciting about this journey. If you like lots of guidance, flow diagrams and checklists for your adventures, take a look at our starting a new unit support pack. It’s full of helpful advice and useful links to help you navigate this adventure. If you want the shorter summary version, read on! Maybe you’re not sure this adventure is for you but let me tell you a story.
The Spark of Inspiration
Picture this: You’re sipping your favourite cuppa, maybe it’s a steaming mug of hot chocolate or a zesty herbal tea. Maybe you’re at a district meeting, looking at lengths of waiting lists or socialising with guiding friends. Someone suggests it would be a good idea to open a new unit. Maybe it’s Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, or Rangers—it will depend what the evidence is telling you. What are your next steps? How are you going to make this happen? Let’s break it down.
Step A: Build your team
Every great adventure needs a team, right? Gather your fellow leaders, parents, and enthusiastic volunteers. Imagine the brainstorming sessions: “What should our unit be called?” “Can we have a unicorn mascot?” (Spoiler: Yes, you totally can.) Remember, lots of hands make light work so find people who will be happy to do small, one off jobs. Things like handing out flyers, putting up posters, researching grants or finding the cheapest place to buy pens and paper!
Step B: Location, location, location
Where are you going to meet and how frequently? What times suit your age group and volunteers? Find your perfect venue using this checklist. Make sure it’s accessible, safe, and has enough space for giggles, crafts, and maybe a dance party or two.
Step C: Money, money, money
You’ll need a bank account for the new unit and this can take time to set up so start early! Unless you love spreadsheets like me, this step is probably less fun than the others but take time to think about your budget. How much will you set your unit fees at? Can you apply for grants or do some fundraising?
Step D: Awesome adventures and brilliant badges
Now comes the fun part: planning your activities! Think about badges, crafts, outdoor adventures, and those unforgettable campfire sing-alongs. Maybe you’ll teach the girls how to cook on a fire or explore constellations under a star-studded sky. When you open, you’ll be able to get the girls thoughts on activities and they can help plan and deliver them. For now, plan the basics, think about your risk assessment and what you’ll need to let the parents and carers know about in advance.
Step E: Spread the word
You’ve got your unit name, your meeting spot and a team. You’ve started to think about the finances, activities and the admin. Now, let’s shout it from the treetops (or just post it on social media). Create a buzz! Tell everyone you know—friends, neighbours, and that friendly barista who always spells your name wrong. Share the excitement and be prepared to respond to enquiries promptly.
Step F: And we’re off!
Just like that, your new unit is ready to fly! Don’t forget to take time to celebrate your success and watch the girls smiles and giggles. You made this happen!
From dream to reality
If you are ready to take this from dream to reality, Girlguiding Anglia offers a fantastic grant to kickstart your unit. It’s like finding a hidden treasure chest filled with glitter, badges, and maybe a magical unicorn horn (okay, fine, it’s actually practical stuff like badge books and 6 weeks rent). Check out the Anglia New Unit Grant on our website for all the details.
In Conclusion
Starting a new Girlguiding unit isn’t just about paperwork and logistics. It’s about creating a space where every girl can laugh, learn, and be herself. It’s about the thrill of doing something for the first time. It’s the buzz of getting a new badge. It’s coming home exhausted but full of stories, experiences and a healthy amount of glitter. Doesn’t that sound exciting!
Remember: You’re not alone. Build a great team, download our starting a new unit support pack and involve parents and carers. If you need more support, speak to your commissioner or email us on member.support@girlguiding-anglia.org.uk
Last month’s blog, July blog number 2, next month’s blog is coming in September.
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Welcome to 1st East Hagbourne Guide unit and 1st Barton Ranger unit – 2 units we have funded recently. 1st East Hagbourne Guides are the first project unit in Oxfordshire and 1st Barton Rangers are the 3rd new unit in Cambs East! Don’t forget, if you are opening or re-opening a unit, it is probably eligible for our new unit grant. In the next month, we hope to update this to reflect the fact that many Girlguiding programme materials are now free.
June is a very busy and exciting month. Many units are going away or getting ready to go away for summer adventures. Girls might be trying to finish up badges they’ve started so they can be awarded for them before the summer holidays. It’s also Volunteers Week which will run from 3 – 9 June and will finish with the Big Held Out campaign (7 – 9 June). These two initiatives give us the chance to show our appreciation for existing volunteers but also encourage more people to get involved. Here are some top tips for using these celebration days well.
Cherish existing volunteers
In Girlguiding Anglia, we have over 10,000 volunteers supporting guiding at all of our levels. From people that help occasionally through to volunteers that help at weekly meetings. There are also those that volunteer flexibly at county events or by being a peer educator or a trainer. Every volunteer is precious and we appreciate you all.
Many areas will celebrate their existing volunteers by sharing what makes them special on social media, sending small gifts through the post or a simple thank you email. Can you think of a volunteer to thank?
Use the Big Help Out to connect with one-off volunteers
Maybe you have a campsite or a meeting venue that needs a bit of love? Use the Big Help Out App to get one-off volunteers. This type of volunteering has become very popular in the years following the pandemic. Lots of people are looking to support their local community without making a lasting commitment. You could use people power to clean gutters and windows, maintain outside spaces, take away unwanted items, deep clean kitchen or bathroom spaces.
You’re not restricted to the weekend
1st St Ives Rainbows are offering their unit meeting on Tuesday 4 June as a taster session using the Big Help Out App. They’ve got a science themed evening planned and promise lots of giggles. Adults are encouraged to attend for a taster of volunteering for Girlguiding. They’ve shared how Girlguiding gives girls a space to have fun, explore their own interests and learn to be good members of their wider community. Whilst, the Big Help out is focused on the weekend of 7 – 9 June, you’re not strictly restricted to this. There’s an audience of people with an inclination to explore volunteering in their area. They’re community minded and want to join with others to make a difference so show them how they can do that with Girlguiding.
Give everyone a warm welcome
Whether someone is volunteering on a one-off basis, coming to a taster night or have registered as a new volunteer and are looking for a suitable role, it’s important that everyone gets a warm welcome. Girlguiding recently updated their webpages on this but my favourite top tips are listed below
- When you agree to meet, make sure you include all the details – they might seem obvious to you so don’t forget to include date, time, location and what to bring or wear.
- Ask if there are any adjustments that you can make so they can be fully included and make the most of the session.
- Suggest meeting for a quick chat before the girls arrive. It’s ok to ask how to pronounce their name or what pronouns they use.
- Make sure to supervise them during their visit. This means not leaving the volunteer alone with young members until they’ve completed the required recruitment checks.
- Within a few days of their visit, send them a message to follow up. Thank them for helping and ask them if they’d like to continue or explore other opportunities to volunteer with Girlguiding. They don’t need to make a decision right away – they can visit the unit up to 4 times before committing.
For more advice on welcoming new volunteers, take a look at the Girlguiding website on this topic.
If you’ve enjoyed this blog and would like to read more about the project head to our first blog.
Last month’s blog, next month we wrote 2 blogs! Blog 1 and blog 2
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A couple of months ago, I shared that we were able to support units with over £6000 worth of support towards subscription payments. This month I caught up with Sylv of 2nd Westcliff Rangers, a unit that received £160 towards their subscription invoice. At the beginning of our project, 2nd Westcliff Rangers had 1 Ranger. By subscription time, that had increased to 6 Rangers. We know increasing capacity and girl numbers close to subscriptions can make budgeting a bit tricky and so we offered the unit some money towards this important bill. I caught up with Sylv to hear how the unit had grown and how the money had impacted them.
Hey Sylv, your Ranger unit has really grown in the last year. Can you tell other volunteers what has worked so well for your unit?
The unit has grown from 2 girls (one YL) who didn’t want to leave Guides. Now our Guides meet weekly and Rangers fortnightly. We invite 13+ Guides to come along to Rangers. This has really helped with keeping girls in guiding past their 13th birthday, it’s now natural to just move up to Rangers.
What fun activities does your unit like to do?
Our Guides and Rangers are very active in guiding. Last term we had a ‘Ready Steady Cook your lunch on a budget’ day as we were saving every penny towards the subscription bill in February.
Most of our group were involved in the 30th Gang Show in Southend held every alternate February Half Term. I have always encouraged my Guides to sign up as it’s such a fabulous experience giving girls additional confidence and a completely different circle of local friends, many of which they keep for life. 5 of the 16 Rangers and 5 of the 22 Guides appearing in the show were ours. Rehearsals start in September, and it is a huge commitment alongside attending Guides/Rangers.
One Ranger said:
Gang show meant seeing friends and having fun with them, making memories, and learning unforgettable dances and singing that we still do every Ranger night!
Many of our group are attending Hautbois Fest in August and they’re really looking forward to the festival experience – music, adventure and spending time with friends.
You called me your Fairy Godmother when I wrote to you to offer you the funding. Can you tell me what it means to your unit?
I’d just told the other guiding volunteers that we should focus our fundraising efforts on the Rangers group this term. Paying our subscription bill was going to wipe out our savings pot. We were booked on a CluedUpp CSI day on Saturday 13 April as a celebration after the February Gang Show. The grant means we can now think of doing something else with them in the summer term too.
Tell me a bit more about the CSI day, what did the girls think?
7 of our group went on a murder mystery event in Chelmsford, where 4 people had been found dead. Guided by a mobile app the girls had to hunt for clues, solve cryptic puzzles and interrogate virtual witnesses. They competed with other general public teams, primarily adults, to see who the best detectives were. This is the official report from our group in their own words:
This was a great day out and a very challenging exercise. We should have spent more time reading the lengthy instructions as it took us the first half hour to work out what we needed to do. However, when we did, it was good fun. We suffered network problems but we managed to eventually work out who the murderer was. The weather was beautiful, we ate our packed lunches in the sunshine, pausing the challenge and enjoying some down time with our friends. A large challenge was to walk though Primark, the fastest route, without stopping to look! Our day concluded by eating delicious ice creams before catching the bus back home. We would recommend this type of activity. We felt it was too complicated for Guides, but it would certainly challenge any Ranger/Adult groups.
That sounds like a lot of fun and very age appropriate for those older Guides and Rangers. Is there anything else you’ve done differently since the grant?
After we received the grant, I went shopping and bought the ingredients to make DIY Easter eggs, which the girls had asked to do. The grant really helped as I didn’t feel panicky about spending money. They are good girls and have not asked to do many activities needing bought resources since we opened as they are aware of finances. It was wonderful to treat them.
It was great to catch up with Sylv. If your unit has welcomed new Guides or Rangers this year, I’d love to hear your story and share it in a future blog. Do get in touch.
If you’ve enjoyed this blog and would like to read more about the project head to our first blog.
Last month’s blog, next month’s blog.
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We’re officially at the end of year 1 of the project but it will take a few more weeks to finish counting up all the new spaces we’ve created for Guides and Rangers. In the last month though, we’ve opened another new unit. Welcome to 1st Chiswell Green Guides, we hope you have had a great first half-term. They are our 10th new Guide or Ranger unit in the project. We’re aiming for 14 new units in total.
In last month’s blog I wrote about the £6000 financial support for units with subscription costs. In March, we were able to offer nearly £4000 in Girlguiding vouchers to support units that have increased their capacity. These have been spent on a whole range of things from uniform for new young leaders and unit helpers to promise badges and handbooks for new Guides. More than 1 unit are buying this term’s badges with their vouchers. They will then spend the money they would have spent on badges on items from their wish list to support their growing unit.
Spring is a time of change and new growth and that is definitely true for guiding as well as nature. I enjoyed reading Girlguiding’s new support page for parents and carers. It tells adults everything they need to know about their child’s Girlguiding experience. From where to go for support to what our programme looks like and how parents and carers can support the unit and their child get the most out of their time with us.
Our membership experience survey is also a chance for us to reflect and grow. We heard over 750 responses between December 2023 and February 2024. Do head over to our blog where we share what we’ve heard from our members and what we’ve done in response. This will always be the place to see the small ways that Girlguiding Anglia serves you, our amazing volunteers.
If you’ve enjoyed this blog and would like to read more about the project head to our first blog.