Over the winter break, we encourage our volunteers to take a well-deserved break from work and guiding. We know that some members may choose to pick up some admin tasks over the break, so our membership support team has put together the following template emails to help with responding to volunteer and girl enquiries.
Volunteer enquiries:
Thank you for your enquiry about volunteering with us. As current volunteers, we are taking a longer break as it’s the winter season and we will be returning to volunteering in the New Year. We hope to respond to your enquiry within the first two weeks of January with more information about availability in your preferred local unit and to have an initial discussion.
In the meantime, please check out our national website here:
And our region website here:
www.girlguiding-anglia.org.uk/
Kind regards,
Your name
Girl enquiries:
Thank you for your enquiry about a place for your daughter. As volunteers, we are taking a longer break as it’s the winter season and we will be returning to volunteering in the New Year. We hope to respond to your enquiry within the first two weeks of January with more information about availability in your preferred local unit.
In the meantime, please check out our national website here:
And our region website here:
www.girlguiding-anglia.org.uk/
Kind regards,
Your name
Our office will be shut from Friday December 20 – Thursday January 2. If you require any assistance, contact us via email (hello@girlguiding-anglia.org.uk) once we’re back and we’ll be happy to help.
As we head into the winter break, members will be taking a well-deserved break. During this season, as the days are short and the weather is getting frostier, maintaining mental and physical wellbeing can be exhausting.
We’ve compiled our favourite tips and wellbeing activities in this blog. We can’t wait to see you in the new year and to welcome you and your girls back!
Mental wellbeing
Indoor:
- Make a positive list about what you’ve most enjoyed about the year, in/outside of guiding and share yours with friends and family.
- Have your favourite warm drink – be it a loaded hot chocolate, mulled wine or piping hot tea, a warm drink can help ease anxiety and is a tasty way to lift your mood!
- Find a new festive film to watch or re watch and old favourite with warm freshly popped corn!
- Staying indoors alone can be isolating. Arrange an online or in-person Christmas jumper competition and get crafty! Will the winner be the one with the ugliest or most fabulous jumper?
Outdoor:
- Straight from our past partnership with the RSPB, why not set up a birdfeeder on your window and try to identify some of the feathered visitors?
- Though it seems daunting in the bitter cold, taking a stroll outside even just a short one is a great was to stimulate positive energy and relieve screen fatigue.
Physical wellbeing
Indoor:
- If you’re not keen on leaving the warmth of your home, crank up some music and have an indoor boogie session!
- Many towns and cities have indoor swimming pools that are heated during the winter. Why not visit your closest one for a dip?
Outdoor:
- If you feel up to exploring the wintry outdoors, go on a colour-led trail by picking a colour of the rainbow and walking where you see an item of that colour! You might just discover a hidden gem or a new secret hideout…
Additionally, you may have seen that we’re running an advent calendar leading up to Christmas day. If you’re looking for inspiration on indoor/outdoor activities for all ages, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages.
For more support on winter wellbeing, MHFA England have a selection of great blogs and articles which you can find here – mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/blog/
Check out our other article on supporting you through receiving volunteer and girl enquiries over the break – www.girlguiding-anglia.org.uk/support-with-vol…the-winter-break
This month we welcomed the new inclusion and belonging volunteers. They’ve put together this blog to introduce themselves, what they love about guiding and what they’re passionate about. If you have any queries regarding inclusion and belonging, send us an email at hello@girlguiding-anglia.org.uk and we will be able to connect you to the team.
Inclusion and belonging lead volunteer: Ruby Goold
My name is Ruby and I was a Brownie in the 80’s and enjoyed every minute! Now, in my 40’s I’m a Brownie leader in Norfolk and still enjoy every minute. I’m also a mentor for new volunteers completing the learning and development programme.
A fun fact about me: I absolutely love my dogs and have always had a dog or two as part of my family! I can also speak French as I lived in France for 17 years.
Passionate about: Drawing on my past and present life experiences, I’m passionate about everyone being included. I was a young carer for my elderly father and I am a strong advocate for disability rights, mental health and wellbeing. I care for my partner who has multiple sclerosis and understand the everyday challenges for people with disabilities.
Inclusion and belonging advisor: Jenny Whitcombe
I was a Brownie and then a Guide back in the 90’s. I knew I would encourage my children to try guiding when they were old enough. When my daughter joined Rainbows, I loved when it was my turn to be a parent helper, so I volunteered to help regularly. That lead to me completing my leadership training, and now I volunteer with Rainbows and Guides. I also coordinate our districts second hand uniform supply, and am extremely excited to be a part of Anglia’s inclusion team.
A fun fact about me: I love wombats! Having lived in Australia for a while, and still frequently visit, I’ve fallen in love with wombats. Every trip I try and find a way to cuddle a wombat!
Passionate about: Within inclusion I’m passionate about neurodiversity and mental health. I have a background in psychology and nursing, and have 2 neurodivergent children. I myself also have ADHD and suffer from autoimmune conditions and allergies.
Inclusion and belonging advisor: Pippa Yeoman
My name is Pippa, I’ve only been part of Girlguiding Anglia for a year, but have been involved in other youth groups since I was 18. I’m a Guide and Brownie leader and am really enjoying being part of such an amazing organisation.
A fun fact about me: I love anything Disney and my house is mainly Disney themed. I enjoy doing all sorts of crafts; in particular sewing.
Passionate about: I’ve been involved in SEN through work and enjoy creating an atmosphere which includes everyone and meet the needs of each individual. I’m a full time wheelchair user and have many disabilities and have been made to feel so welcome within the Girlguiding family. I aim help others to feel like they belong no matter their disability.
Inclusion and belonging advisor: Jessica Burr
Hi! My name is Jess and my pronouns are she/ her. I’m in my 30’s and was a Brownie, Guide and Ranger myself. Now I am a leader in training with a Brownie unit in Cambridgeshire, hoping Girlguiding can show every girl the potential they have.
A fun fact about me: My favourite thing to do is go for afternoon tea. In recent years I was diagnosed with coeliac disease, this meant I had to go back to every place I’d ever been to for afternoon tea to sample the gluten free edition!
Passionate about: I am dynamically disabled and pride myself on being able to think out of the box. I’m hoping to use my imagination and adaptability to support others. There are many things I don’t know, but I’m hoping I can learn lots in the role as I meet others through guiding. I aspire to be an ally to all.
Inclusion and belonging advisor: Hailey Evelyn Cocking
Hi, I’m Hailey and my pronouns are they/she. I was a Rainbow, Brownie and Guide as a child and now volunteer at two local units. I initially wanted to be a teacher; however, my disabilities had other plans, so now I enjoy being a part of creating a positive environment for children through guiding.
A fun fact about me: I love art in its many forms. Creating art myself through drawing, painting and photography; exploring the art of others through film and music; and delving into the history of all of the above are things that I enjoy.
Passionate about: Kindness and positive changes in the world. Each June for Pride Month, I help organise an international charity event which raises funds to aid LGBTQIA+ people globally in escaping the violence and oppression they face for simply being who they are. I also run an online community for LGBTQIA+ and disabled folks, many of whom take part in the charity event, and it is beyond rewarding to be able to create and maintain a safe space for those who need it.
If you have any queries regarding inclusion and belonging, send us an email at hello@girlguiding-anglia.org.uk and we will be able to connect you to the team.
Over the summer, Girlguiding Anglia’s international team headed to the WAGGGS centre in Sangam. International advisor Tina shares her experience on the trip.
(Photos top to bottom: after the welcome ceremony at Sangam, at the Taj Mahal, at the top of Sinhagad Fort, dressed up for the Maharastrian feast)
On the first full day that the Anglia group was at Sangam, I wore a T-shirt which declared, “Those who do not wander are lost”: because the aim of the trip was to encourage leaders not only to realise that India was not the strange and scary place they had possibly imagined, but one which was there to be explored – and to which they could consider bringing girls. The group absolutely embraced that idea, and were soon wandering both near and far, while based at the safe haven provided by Sangam.
For the first two days, I and an Australian guider friend, Rosey Donelly-Grubb, escorted the group, as we visited first MG Road (the main “new” shopping area of Pune) and Laxmi Road (in the old part of the city). We ensured they knew how to cross Indian roads (never assume traffic will be coming in the direction it should be, or that drivers will pay any heed to junctions, lights, or crossings) and how to get a rickshaw. Then they were on their own.
The group split into smaller groups of like-minded people, to visit temples, or historical sites; to stroll through gardens, or wildlife areas, or simply to wander through backstreets and alleyways, to see what was there to be seen. Most of the group opted to fly off for 5 days, to visit the Golden Triangle (of Agra, Jaipur and Delhi), and were, by then, seasoned and confident travellers around India.
The energy levels, throughout, were off-the-scale, as people shared their findings; enthused over new culinary discoveries, and showed off their purchases. By the time everyone was back at Sangam, ready to dress in their Indian finery, for the Maharastrian Feast, on the last night, it seemed hardly possible two weeks had passed – while, at the same time seeming incredible that they had packed so much in to such a short time: sightseeing; shopping; cookery classes; yoga; bird-watching; buying and tasting previously unseen fruits; eating in small, roadside cafes, and luxurious restaurants; walking through markets and bazaars.
Everyone was delighted to have been part of the experience. Those who already hold their Going Away With qualification were talking of planning trips for girls. Some of those without the qualification were planning how to work towards it!
Thank you to everyone involved.
Tina