Guiding never really stops

As we approach the summer break, on behalf of Helen, Lesley and Chris I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who continues to give their time, energy and enthusiasm to guiding across the county. Whether you are planning ahead, supporting volunteers, helping with enquiries or creating memorable opportunities for our young members, your contribution makes a real difference.

With the summer holidays just around the corner, many people might wonder whether guiding pauses for a few weeks. For our young members, regular meetings may slow down or stop for the break, but for volunteers across the county, guiding continues in many different ways.

Unit leaders may enjoy having an evening back to themselves for a short while, but behind the scenes they are often busy preparing for residentials, planning ahead for the new term, gathering craft materials, updating records and making sure GO is up to date. Some units also continue to meet during the holidays, keeping the fun and friendship going throughout the summer.

District and Division Commissioners may manage to take a short break too, but for them, and for the County Commissioner team, it is very much business as usual. So, the answer to the question is clear: no, guiding does not stop.

Welcome to Arwen

We have been fortunate to welcome Arwen Palmer to the team on a voluntary work experience basis. Arwen will be looking at adult enquiries, both historic and new, and helping to place interested volunteers into units or roles within Districts and Divisions.

In her first week, Arwen had already seen some positive successes, and we are very grateful for the time and enthusiasm she is bringing to this important area of work.

County vacancies

Thank you to everyone who responded to our recent “job” adverts. We are hopeful that a number of vacancies will soon be filled, and once appointments are confirmed, we will share the news with everyone. There are still a number of position to be filled, please have a look, there is something for everyone.

Bluebelle II takes to the water

Bluebelle II has now been officially launched and has completed her maiden voyage. The weather was perfect for the occasion, and the boat was crewed by

members from across guiding, including Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers, Young Leaders, our President and a Vice President.

Our thanks go to Chris Trasler for making this happen, and to Lynda Norris for the lovely way she started Bluebelle II on her official journey. It was a special moment for everyone involved and a wonderful new chapter for adventures on the water.



Remembering Hilary Whitwell

We were very sad to hear of the passing of Hilary Whitwell. Hilary was a friend to many and was well known not only within guiding, but also through the Trefoil Guild. She will be remembered for her sense of humour and, affectionately, as the “hedgehog lady”.

Hilary’s kindness, humour and friendship touched many people across guiding and the Trefoil Guild. She leaves behind many happy memories, and we send our love and deepest sympathy to her family and friends. She will be greatly missed.

Mandy Ludlow

Northamptonshire County Commissioner

Subject: Planning Ahead Together for 2027 Subscriptions

Following a recent meeting of the Board of Trustees, the County levy for the 2027 subscription has been confirmed as £15 per young member.

This was carefully considered and not taken lightly, with Trustees taking time to listen to everyone’s views before reaching a final decision.

Looking ahead, we very much hope that any future increases can remain in the region of £2 per young member. However, we want to be open that this cannot be guaranteed, as future planning depends on factors outside the County’s full control. These may include the wider economic climate, staff salaries, changes in young member numbers, and rising costs for utilities, venue hire, insurance, training, resources and events. If membership numbers reduce, the cost of providing the same level of support and opportunities may need to be shared across fewer members. Trustees will continue to review costs carefully, with good governance, financial sustainability and the best possible guiding experiences for our young members at the heart of any decisions.

For 2027 the total subscription amount per girl will be £71.50, before any local Division or District levy. The amount is made up as follows:

A simple budgeting tool is available on the Girlguiding website and may be helpful when planning unit subs. https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-volunteers/running-your-unit/finance-insurance-and-property/unit-finances/setting-following-budget/

We would like to encourage units to begin reviewing their finances now, giving plenty of time to plan ahead with confidence. If you have any concerns about the impact of the subscription amount or wider financial pressures, please speak with your District or Division Commissioner as early as you can, so that support and guidance can be explored together.



Next steps for units

·        Review your unit finances and begin planning ahead.

·        Use the Girlguiding budgeting tool if it would be helpful.

·        If your unit may need support, please speak with your District or Division Commissioner in good time, so that any guidance or support can be explored together.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, understanding and commitment. We truly appreciate everything you do to help girls and young women enjoy safe, welcoming and inspiring guiding experiences.



With best wishes

Girlguiding Northamptonshire County Team

16 July 2026 - 18.45

County Thanks and Recognition evening is being held at Barton Seagrave Village Hall, 11 Bertone Road, Kettering, NN15 6WF, this will be an informal event.

A further formal event will take place early in the new year at a venue to be confirmed. Those receiving awards will be invited to the formal event and are very welcome to attend both events.

Please RSVP your numbers and any dietary requirements to office@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

EVENTS

What's happening where and when?

Drop in for help with Safer Guiding or DBS

Saturday 22 August 10.00am to 2.00pm we will be running another "come and chat day" where volunteers can come and do their DBS have help logging on to saferguiding, use a computer at Unity if they can't do it at home. 

Roller Disco Extravaganza!

Saturday 24 October 2026

Calling all Rainbows, Brownies, Guides & Rangers/Young Leaders

• Rainbows & Brownies 12 noon -2.00pm
• Guides & Rangers/Young Leaders 2.30pm-4.30pm

Get your skates on and join us for a fun-filled Roller Disco. Dance, laugh and roll with your friends to some brilliant tunes!

Venue - Benham Sports Centre, Moulton Park, Northampton

Cost £10 including a badge for all skating

TRAININGS

To complete First Response, or Safer Guiding e-learnings (which replace Safe Space Levels 1, 2 and 3) please visit the Learning Platform

UPCOMING FIRST RESPONSE TRAININGS

All trainings will be held at the County Office, The Unity Centre, Unit 1 Brookfield, Duncan Close, Moulton Park NN3 6WL

Wear uniform or comfortable clothes. Bring a packed lunch and a drink and a paper and pen. This course is FREE

The first response e-learning will also need to be completed on the learning platform

Lynsey McIntosh is the training co-ordinator and adult support contact so please email her on training@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

Nicky Smith is the Leader in Training co-ordinator email ldp@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

Lesley Ingle is the Commissioner Mentor and Leader in Training Mentor and can be contacted on accleadership@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

Join us for Connect 2026,

A day of Inspiration. Network, Learn and Lead with Confidence

Date: Saturday 19 September 2026

Time: 9am to 4pm

Venue: Northampton High School, Newport Pagnell Road, NN4 6UU

This joint event is for all volunteers, with sessions tailored to different stages of your guiding journey:

• Young Leader Connect – for young leaders aged 14–17

Get ready for a day that puts you in charge. Join other young leaders for hands-on training that helps you plan brilliant adventures for your unit. From getting out and about, to shaping activities, to running everything safely and confidently. By the end of the day, you’ll walk away with a complete plan you can use straight away.

• Leaders in Training Connect – for anyone working on the leadership development programme

Step into your leadership journey with confidence. This day is designed to help you dive deeper into the Girlguiding programme, explore how to adapt activities for every girl, and complete one of your mandatory LDP sessions. You’ll leave feeling empowered, informed, and ready to bring brilliant guiding experiences to life.

• Leaders Connect – for all other adult volunteers, inc. unit helpers

Join us for Connect 2026 a day dedicated to inspiring leaders like you! This is your chance to connect with other volunteers, share experiences, and gain fresh insights to enrich your guiding journey. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your leadership skills. You have a choice of sessions to broaden your horizons. 

Please complete the booking form below by 1 September 2026 to secure your place. We’d love to see you there for a day packed with inspiration, practical learning and the chance to meet others from across Northamptonshire.

Additional information:

Please bring a packed lunch and a mug or bottle — hot and cold drinks will be provided.

The Trefoil House shop will be on site during the day, and you will be emailed an order form so your can be ready to collect on the day.

If you have any questions please contact us on training@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

Lynsey McIntosh 

Chair of Adult Support 

Girlguiding Northamptonshire

A little 6 year old Rainbow from 1st Upton Rainbows created this badge as part of My Thoughts Challenge 3 - share your thoughts. This is what she said;

I think we should have a Dress to Impress badge because...

• Its creative
• Its really good to dress up
• you can express yourself with different themes
• you can learn about yourself
• It makes you challenge yourself
• It changes your life
• you go and express and go out there into the world
• It has been emailed to amplify@girlguiding.org.uk so who knows we may see it in the future.....

Use the QR code to fill out on your phone or fill out on your pc HERE

If you would rather print the form and post it please use the link to the pdf below

Congratulations to Liv Elliott of 1st Harpole Guides for completing her Gold award and running a fun, home made crazy golf evening for the unit. 

Liv has now moved on to be a Young Leader with Brownies.

Bring the Battle of Naseby to Your Meeting Place

Discover the story of Naseby 1645 by welcoming a member of our team to your meeting place.

You’ll learn: why the battle took place, what happened on the day, what the aftermath meant for the Civil War

There’s also the chance to handle replica weapons and uniforms used at the battle — a hands-on experience that really brings history to life.

Leaders:

Naseby 1645 is a ready-made programme for Scouts, Girl Guides and Cadets meetings. The team will run most of the session — you simply open and close the meeting and help keep everyone focused during the presentation.

For those of the Scouts and Girl Guides movement the visit makes a significant contribution towards young people earning a History badge.

Best of all, it’s free! Contact us at enquiries@naseby.com

Girls from 32nd St Matthews brownies enjoying a talk about the Battle of Naseby - Well worth a visit

1st Broughton Guides completed the Day Tripper Badge in Cambridge. With the Guides having planned the trip in advance, we travelled in on the park and ride bus and completed a Cambridge mystery trail. This took us all around the city to some hidden places, finding clues and cracking codes.

We also explored the market (we can recommend the cake stall!), watched the Strawberry Fayre parade and explored the Harry Potter shop.

2nd Wootton Rainbows and 1st Wootton Brownies had an exciting experience last week meeting local author Louise Pentland. 

They took part in an activity to use their imagination to create a helpful invention tying in with our motto “Lend a Hand”. 

The brownies then went on to complete their book reviewer badge.

All the girls all learnt a lot and asked many questions about what it is like to be an author.

3rd desborough visited Thornby hall Buddhist centre. The girls really enjoyed themselves and thought deeply while in discussions about how we could help our world improve.

Congratulations on completing the Leader Development Programme;

Christine Warner - Isham

Beccy Rawlinson - Nene

Congratulations on achieving the old Going Away With Scheme

Erica Wallace 1-7 - Hardingstone & Wootton



Kim Humberstone 1-7 - Towcester

Congratulations on achieving the new online going away with scheme;

Lou Winter - RIFF District

Congratulations on achieving a training pin;

Training Record Cards are available to print from the county website

Nights Away Badges

Keep track of your nights away using the record card below. When you reach 1,3,5,7,10,15,25,50,75,100,150 and 200 nights you can celebrate with a Northamptonshire nights away badge. Buy from the local shops or use the form below to purchase from the county office (you will need to add on postage unless collecting)

We have two properties in the county that you can book for days, evenings or overnights.....

MacQueen House  

Information and availability for MacQueen HERE

Summer Buffet Thursday 16 July

Jubilee Campsite



Information and availability for campsite HERE

Jubilee 90th birthday

Come and celebrate on Thursday 9 July at our Quiz , AGM and Ploughmans

7pm Cost £8 . Numbers to Jennie Lewell or email jubilee@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

This year at Jubilee there will be a Special 90th challenge and a badge of course.

Look out for it. We are looking for all your memories of camping or visiting the site. Make sure you record them in the book at Jubilee.

How to contact the HQ safeguarding team

If you have a safeguarding concern, report it. If it’s an emergency and there’s an immediate risk of harm, you must call the emergency services first, and then report to the HQ safeguarding team.

Get in touch during office hours on +44(0)207 834 6242 ext. 3037 or email safeguarding@girlguiding.org.uk

For out of hours emergencies, call +44(0)7508 032997 (5-10pm Monday to Friday; 9am-10pm Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays).

The Queen's Guide

award

The Queen's Guide Award is the highest award you can work towards in Girlguiding. This award is open to members aged 16 to 30. You have 3 years to complete it or up until your 31st Birthday.

There are 5 sections; Personal Development Challenge, Guiding Challenge, Community Action Challenge, Lead the Way Challenge and Social Experience Challenge.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Queen’s Guide Award with Girlguiding, and we would love to celebrate with you. 

We are planning a special event on 21st November, and would love to hear from anyone who is currently working on or has completed the Queen’s Guide Award over the years.

#QueensGuide #Girlguiding #80YearsOfQueensGuide



contactl Rachael and Joanna at queensguide@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

Midlands Region Grants – free money

Apply now using the current forms available HERE if your unit or an individual member would benefit from the support.

Following on from our 3rd Glendon Gang Show in March 2026, we are pleased to announce the dates for our 2027 Gang Show, which will be held at:

The Core at Corby Cube, with a total of 5 Performances:  

Weds 17^th, Thurs 18^th, Fri 19^th, Sat. 20^th March 2027 (Matinee/ Eve.)

Registration for Glendon Gang Show 2027 will take place at:

Woodcroft Scout Centre, London Road, Kettering, NN15 6NQ

Sunday 20^th September 2026       2:00 - 3:30/4:00 pm

Sunday 27^th September 2026       2:00 - 3:30/4:00 pm

(you only need to attend one of the dates)

The Show will be open to all members of the Scout and Girlguiding Movement, regardless of their skills, ability and confidence level. Any young person listed below can register their interest to be in the Show, by attending one of the above events.

                             Scouting:                              Girlguiding: 

                            Cub                                        Brownie

                       (Aged over 8 years on 1st September 2026)

                            Scout                                      Guide

                             Explorer                                  Ranger

                            Young Leader                       Young Leader

                             Network / Leader                 Leader

                (Aged under 25 years on 20^th March 2027 – Last Day of Show)

Young people should attend in their Full Uniform, along with their Parents / Guardian. Further information about the Show, will be provided at the Registration Day(s), together with the rehearsal schedule and the expectations of commitment. Rehearsals will broadly be held at Woodcroft Scout Centre, Kettering, should there be any changes during the rehearsal period, due to room availability, these will be communicated to you in good time. The whole registration event, should last no longer than 1-1½ Hrs

We hope that as many young people as possible, will be able to attend this extremely exciting opportunity! Please note, there will be a one-off registration payment of £15 per cast member, to cover Show administration and rehearsal costs.

Should you be unable to attend on either of the days shown, please contact: 

Julie Barton – Cast & Adult administrator     Email: gangshow@glendonscouts.org.uk     Tel: 07875 044298

If you can help in any way towards the Show, or would like further information, please get in touch with us.

Yours in Scouting

Mark Phipps            /     Chris Curchin

Tel: 07505 131046          Tel: 07971 817454

County Office - The Unity Centre

Do some photocopying or get help with your DBS or any other aspect of Go!

We are open 9.30am-12.30pm Weekdays in term-time. During school holidays it is always best to call 01604 648740 or email office@girlguidingnorthamptonshire.org.uk

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