Happy New Year Everyone!  I know this is a bit late, but we’ve been really busy making last minute adjustments to our new building; it is now almost ready for occupation and we are hoping to move in at the end of the month!  Nora’s Blog gives you an update and there are pictures on the Flickr site.  It will be really exciting to have our own headquarters; the building will provide state of the art offices so that staff can respond to all your requests and keep the business of the Region going.  There will also be two big meeting rooms so that we can get together for meetings and trainings, and there will be a depot providing Girlguiding UK and North West England merchandise for everyone’s needs.

The interior decoration reflects the intricate Siberian larch framework on the outside.  Unfortunately, it is whilst we were finalising this that we heard the sad news that Muriel Cunningham had died.  Many of you will remember Muriel as one of the founders of the links between our Region and guiding in Siberia; she was often to be seen with her stall of Russian delights, urging us to buy things to help support Siberia’s emerging guiding movement, and no one was more proud than her when the Siberian Association gained full WAGGGS membership.  Muriel worked unstintingly for all the areas of guiding where she was associated and will be sadly missed by her friends across North West England and particularly in her guiding County of Stockport.

I do hope you have all completed the Promise Consultation online.  As a member of the Executive, I realise that I shall be contributing to a major decision about our future when I take part in the review of the words which form the heart of our organisation.  It will help immensely if I know that lots of you have responded with your thoughts and those of your girls.

This month we shall say ‘goodbye’ to Jo Barclay from our Region Office.  Jo has made an outstanding contribution to the growth of the Region and its identity.  All those flyers, badges and challenges which have our distinctive look were designed by her and she had a real flair for promoting our work with partners and members across the North West.  Jo is going to develop her career in London and we wish her every success.

Julie Bentley, our new Chief Executive, is visiting the Region Office soon to find out how we support guiding across the Region.  Caroline and I will be telling her about all of the day to day activities we carry out to ensure quality guiding throughout North West England.  We shall show her our challenges and reports of our events, but most importantly we shall tell her how successfully our volunteers deliver the highest quality programmes to ensure that all our girls and young women have a fantastic time, and how this means our numbers are growing and have been for the past two years!

Thanks everyone – let’s make 2013 just as good!

Sue Lomas

I guess by now everyone is back into the routine of planning for unit meetings and other activities.  I have been involved in the Preston Guild over the past couple of weeks – this unique event dates back to 1179 and takes place only every twenty years.  Nowadays it is a chance for people who live and work in Preston to celebrate with arts, sport and music events.  Local guiding supported the event by participating in three processions through the town; the Churches, the Community and the Torchlight Processions.  I was lucky enough to ride on a float with Rainbows from Bamber Bridge District through the streets of Preston.  Everyone had put such hard work into preparing the costumes and decorations, including the staff from the Region Office, and it all looked and sounded fabulous!
I attended the PR launch of our new Inventor’s Challenge.  Wallace & Gromit were at Spaceport on the Wirral together with local Rainbows, Brownies and Guides who tried out the activities and had taken part in sessions about the great inventions that have allowed us to conquer space.  Spaceport had kindly arranged for reduced rates for all our groups to visit – visit the website for more details.   We hope this event would support our campaign to promote careers in science and technology for girls, as well launch a fun set of activities for your programme this year for all sections.
As the nights draw in and our thoughts are drawn to Bonfire Night and Christmas(!) I know that units across the North West will be providing a range of activities and opportunities that are girl-focused and fun to experience.  We all know that this good guiding brings such benefits to girls and young women and that’s why we want to grow our numbers so that even more can experience it.  Do let us know if you have been particularly successful at recruiting girls or adult volunteers – it’s always good to share successful ideas.

Sue Lomas

At last the better weather appears to have arrived – just in time for the Olympics!  I am very excited as I have tickets for the athletics and I’m really looking forward to visiting the Olympic Village and soaking up the atmosphere of the Olympic Stadium.  I think one of the surprise hits of the whole event has been the Olympic Torch Relay and Girlguiding UK has had many members carrying the torch all around the country.  I have followed our Facebook page closely as more and more stories have been posted about girls and women from Girlguiding North West England taking part.  I have also been interested to read about all the Olympic-related activities that have been happening for our girls and young women; from Olympic parties, to sports events and fundraising opportunities.  This just demonstrates how relevant and up-to-date our programme is; providing weekly opportunities for girls to learn more about the world they live in and the diversity of its population (I bet Girlguiding UK wouldn’t have put up the wrong flag for North Korea!).

Perhaps even more interesting for me have been the stories of dedication, courage and commitment that the athletes have shown – sometimes in the face of great adversity – in their determination to perform at the Olympics.  I think in many ways this is what we are trying to help our girls to learn every week; to give them new horizons to aim for, to learn to work with others in harmony and to build resilience in the face of adversity.  All our members will not become Olympic athletes, or doctors, or politicians, but we can support them on their road to a full and happy life whatever they do.

As we start our summer break from unit meetings, I do want to thank everyone who volunteers for Girlguiding North West England.  Look back on a successful year and be assured that you have made a difference to many girls’ lives.  And as you start to plan for next year, (when Great Britain are at the top of the Olympics medal table!), think about all the varied and exciting opportunities that can be provided to help our girls develop and grow.  Share your ideas and take advantage of all the support and resources that are available to you, through your Commissioners, your Advisers and the huge range of guiding websites.

Have a wonderful summer and don’t get overcome by Olympomania!!

Sue Lomas

Well, I did it – stepping out of that hole in the side of the Imperial War Museum was a real challenge, but once on my way across the Manchester Ship Canal on a zip wire, it really was like flying!  The worst part, to be honest, was having to step onto the weighing scales in front of everyone in the kitting up area so that they could fit you with the right sized equipment!  Many congratulations to everyone who successfully completed the Region Zip Wire Challenge – I think everyone enjoyed themselves in spite of the weather.  Thanks to Sarah Barnes and her team, and the Region Office staff for their efficient organisation of the day.  We received excellent TV, radio and newspaper coverage and found a new Ambassador for Girlguiding North West England in the process.

Across the Region, despite the weather, 12 other events took place that encouraged girls and their leaders to get ‘Up High’ in their area.  We walked to the top of Rivington Pike, Snaefell, Coniston Old Man, Nine Standards, Old Pale Hill in Delamere Forest and Thursaston Hill on the Wirral.  We also saw the sunrise on Nicky Nook (no really, that’s what it’s called!), flew kites, slept at Stevens Park and went on a ‘mass trespass’ around Kinder Scout.  We also managed to scale the heights of various buildings too.  Blackpool Tower was bathed in blue lighting for the weekend with our flag flying from the top, and 100 girls took their breakfast on the highest platform.  Not to mention the fifty leaders who had an amazing afternoon as guests of Ian Simpson and his wife in their penthouse suite at the top of the Beetham Tower in Manchester (the highest residential accommodation in Europe) and the many more who took High Tea in Cheshire and Lancashire.  Overall, more than 4,000 members took part in events that promoted activities in the out of doors and also raised our profile across the Region.  We will be collating all of the coverage we received across the Region and displaying it for all to see on the Region website.

Later that week, I attended the Celebration Event for the ‘Cracking Ideas’ competition which is run in association with Aardman Productions and yes, I did have my photo taken with Wallace and Gromit!  This is the competition which we have linked to our Inventors’ Challenge (see website) and next year we will have Girlguiding North West England prize-winners at the event.  The Parliamentary Under Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills, Baroness Wilcox, presented the prizes.  She was very interested in our Challenge and was keen to wear one of our Wallace and Gromit badges to promote our work; so make sure you look out for it in her next ‘Newsnight’ Interview!!

This month seems to have been a time for big events for our members.  Last Saturday I joined over 500 members singing their hearts out at a campfire in Preston as part of the Guild celebrations.  On Sunday, I was with hundreds of Guides from Greater Manchester West as they lined the route for the Olympic torch procession through Salford – the weather was horrendous, but the girls shouted and cheered until they were hoarse.  Later that day, over 1,000 girls and leaders took part in a ‘Get Set, Go!’ Olympic event in Carlisle and I learnt the dance for the closing ceremony from a very enthusiastic dance teacher.  The day finished with the Manchester ‘Highest Garden Party’ in the olive grove, planted on the 47^th floor of the Beetham Tower.  However, our sympathy went out to the 2,000 girls and leaders from Cheshire Forest and Cheshire Border whose ‘Fabfest’ event was cancelled that weekend – this must have been devastating for the organisers, who had been planning and preparing the event for nearly two years. 

All of these events have not only given the girls an opportunity to have a glimpse of the amazing, huge organisation they belong to, but have also provided really good ways to raise our profile in the community and amongst the press.  However, it will always be the programmes that we provide in our weekly meetings that keep the girls engaged and help develop them into confident and well-rounded young women.  It’s in the unit meetings we can really get to know each individual girl and help her to realise her potential, listen to her concerns and support her through difficult times, as well as providing opportunities for fun and exciting activities for her to share with her friends.  Thank you to everyone in Girlguiding North West England who volunteers to make this happen for all our girls and young women.

Sue Lomas

Well, I’m really grateful to everyone who has responded to the survey about whether I should do the zip wire on 16th June at Salford Quays!  As someone who gets vertigo looking out from the top floor of Marks and Spencers, I’m not sure that throwing myself from the observation deck of the Imperial War Museum (North) is my preferred activity for a Saturday morning.  However, I have just about persuaded myself that it will be an experience never to be forgotten and I guess if members of Girlguiding North West England are going to do it, I should be there too.  We are hoping for local press and media to be recording the event so let’s make sure we provide a fantastic example of the fun and adventure you can experience in guiding.  See you there!

Meanwhile, I have continued to travel the Region meeting many of our members.  I was privileged to be able to present Alice Roberts with her Star of Merit Award at Waddow.  Alice was very seriously injured in a road traffic accident in which her horse was killed.  She has shown such courage during her recovery and has been determined to continue with her guiding and her work as a Young Leader.  It was lovely to share afternoon tea with her family and friends and then surprise her with the award.  Alison Howson and Jean Simpson from Lancashire North West did a great job in preparing the citations for the award and arranging the presentation. 

I have visited some great PR events across the Region recently too.  Lancashire Border arranged an amazing open air display of all the things that are great about guiding in Bolton Town Square on a very windy Saturday in April.  Girls were invited to join in the dancing and climbing, as well as making all sorts of crafts, and the adults were invited to join us and become helpers in units across the County.  I understand that more than ten new adult leaders were recruited on the day and all have already been placed in a unit!  The event was arranged by the County Commissioner, Susan Smart, and Caroline and Jo from the Region Office were there to give much appreciated support. 

Our new Youth Participation Group met together with Barb Littlewood, County Commissioner for Cumbria North, to discuss how we can encourage more of our young women to take part in the decision-making processes in guiding.  They are hoping to arrange a Forum meeting in Preston in July, where members aged between 14 and 25 from across Girlguiding North West England can have their say about our future.  If you are interested in attending, please contact your County Commissioner (details can be found in the ‘Region‘ area of the website) and tell her you would like to take part.

It was sad to hear of the death of our first Region Chief Commissioner, Miss Mary Chance, last week, aged 92.  Guiding was well-represented at her funeral and she will always be remembered for the work she did to establish the Region and develop our networks.

As I look out into my garden, I’m thinking that summer may have arrived at last as the sky is blue and the sun is shining down.  I hope you all have a fantastic Jubilee weekend whether you are camping, or travelling to London to join in the festivities, or just chilling on a sun lounger.  Have a great Up High event too – I’ll see you in Salford!

Sue Lomas

Will she?  Won’t she?  Questions I’m asking myself actually, as I try to decide if I can build up the courage to travel across the Manchester Ship Canal on a zip wire!  If you fancy travelling between the Imperial War Museum North and the Lowry suspended in a sling, visit the Region website about our Up High event.  It will certainly be an exhilarating start to the weekend!

However, I’ve a few more travels to tell you about before we get to that.

When I left British shores the day after my last post it was warm and sunny, and after two weeks travelling to Singapore, Sri Lanka and Dubai, I was very surprised to return to the UK to find snow and hailstorms were the dominant weather conditions at home! 

The Summer Term always provides an array of opportunities for me to travel across the Region.  Not only is it Annual Review season, but people also start to venture outside to hold events and participate in trainings.  I love to visit County events because it gives me a chance to meet many more of our adult members and often, some younger ones too.

I was in Macclesfield early in April for Cheshire Border’s Annual Review.  Another very successful year for Sue Taylor and her team was illustrated by lively presentations from girls from every section – the Rainbows talking about their event stole the show!  It was good to see representatives from local businesses and Local Authorities in attendance too; ensuring our messages about the opportunities we offer to girls and young women are spread even wider.

We held our first training weekend for In4mers and their Coordinators at Guy’s Farm near Lancaster earlier in April.  There were some exceptional young women at this event and we want to make sure that they are given every opportunity to develop their skills and share their expertise, so look up your nearest In4mers and get them to come to your units to provide excellent programme activities.

Last Thursday I accompanied our new Region President, Suzie Reynolds, to Cumbria South’s Annual Event.  The venue was the brand new Furness College in Barrow where the students did us proud with a splendid buffet meal (and I spotted one of them wearing her badge tab!).  Listening to Barb Littlewood talk about their highly successful WOW event last year reminded me what a brilliant opportunity it had been for all ages to camp and live together beside Lake Windermere.  Young women also told us about their international adventures and over 200 years of service to Girlguiding Cumbria South was recognised in presentations.  A great evening!

A quick dash up to Edinburgh on Friday to give the after dinner talk at Girlguiding Scotland’s County Commissioners’ Conference finished off my week and meant I’d journeyed over 800 miles since Monday – lucky I love to travel!

I’m ending on a sad note this month.  Before travelling up to Cumbria I attended the funeral of a dear guiding friend in Leigh.  Anne Thompson had held Region appointments, was a Senior Section Leader and had been the President of Lancashire South County.  One of my best memories of her was, when we were both Senior Section Advisers, attending a conference at Sheffield University where we both took part in an Arts event that included parading through Sheffield Town Centre dressed as clowns!  Anne was a true Guide.  She worked tirelessly to support the girls and young women in her care and ensure that they were offered the best opportunities.  She was respected by all who knew her, a measure of which was reflected in the packed church in Leigh for her funeral service.  We shall miss her and we are grateful for everything she did for Girlguiding UK.

Well, the next few weeks see me visiting several more Annual Events, so perhaps I’ll see you there!

Sue Lomas

I have spent a lot of time with County Commissioners over the past couple of weeks and I do want to say what a fantastic job they do across North West England.  Although I believe it is one of the most rewarding jobs in guiding, it is also undoubtedly one of the most challenging.

Mel Price, County Commissioner of Manchester must have been really proud of the three leaders she took to the urban Garden Party held in Manchester to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  It was great that our volunteers were recognised for their contribution to Manchester life and that Girlguiding UK was represented at such a prestigious event.  Caroline Starkey and I were lucky enough to join them for the occasion which was held at Manchester Central last Friday afternoon.  The exhibition space had been decorated with huge red and white striped gazebos and topiary birds, and the floor was covered in green carpet to give the impression that we were in a garden.   We were treated to a buffet lunch and then entertained by bouncing rabbits, talking plant pots and flowers on stilts!  The Queen arrived looking weary after her long day in Salford and Manchester, but as she moved around the room talking to various groups she managed to give everyone a glimpse of her radiant smile.  Prince Philip was on form, as he talked and joked with the guests.  The royal couple then spent a few minutes watching displays by children from the city before leaving to rousing cheers and clapping.  Oh, and she was wearing a lovely delicate pink coat with a beautiful matching hat – immaculate as usual!

I spent last weekend with our County Commissioners and their Assistants as they attended the National County Commissioners’ Conference in Birmingham.   The meeting was very much centred on ‘Growing Guiding’ and we were given lots of opportunities to share our ideas and plans to make Girlguiding UK ‘where more girls want to be’.  Plans for the Brownie Centenary in 2014 were also revealed and you will be hearing more about that soon through your counties as we start to think about possible Region, County and more local celebrations. 

There were also some County Commissioners who attended Advisers’ Day in March.  We’ve had some really good feedback from this event.   I always enjoy the opportunity of being able to share the vision of guiding with leaders from across the Region who are so important in making it happen.  Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for the whole day as I had to rush off to Edinburgh for a meeting of the National Executive.  It’s at these meetings that I get the chance to meet up with the other Region and Country Chief Commissioners and there’s a good opportunity to share experiences and new ideas.

Wednesday saw me attending Wirral’s Annual Meeting where we said goodbye to Sue Dutton as County Commissioner and welcomed Linda Smallthwaite into the post for five years.  Sue has done a great job leading Girlguiding Wirral through the Centenary and beyond, but she would be the first to say the job has not been without its challenges.  However, she has used the network of County Commissioners across the Region to support her and to share and develop her ideas.  That’s what is so great about guiding; there is a huge pool of skills and support for us to draw on, to develop new ideas or to overcome seemingly huge difficulties.

So, although there have been one or two national press articles in the past couple of weeks that have tried to portray us in a less than favourable light, I know that it is the local messages that we give through the great unit meetings that we run and the amazing opportunities that we provide for the girls that really tell people what we are about.  Parents, carers and other partners who know and understand what we do are amazed and impressed by our volunteers.  Our reputation is sound and we need to continue to ensure that is the case.  County Commissioners lead their county teams to support and develop all our leaders to provide good guiding across the Region and they’re doing a great job.  So let’s say ‘hooray for County Commissioners and thanks for all they do’.

Sue Lomas

What great news about our membership numbers!  As I’m sure you’ve read, Girlguiding UK increased its membership by one member every hour last year and Girlguiding North West England is proud to have helped with this increase.  Girls across the Region are choosing guiding as the place they want to be because they know they can try out lots of new things, take part in a range of activities and just be themselves with their friends.  And it’s the 7,000+ adult volunteers across the Region who make that happen!  I enjoyed putting those points across to listeners across Manchester on Monday in conversation with Alan Beswick on his radio show (though I do wish you couldn’t use the latest technology to listen to it back – too many ‘erms’ from my liking!). 

I’ve had such an exciting few days!  Last Sunday we held our first Region Annual Review for several years – informally it was known as ‘The Red Party’ because we were celebrating 40 years since becoming a Region.  County Commissioners and a range of guests from both inside and outside guiding took afternoon tea together at the Barton Grange Hotel near Preston.  We reviewed the past year through talks about activities and events that had taken place; Vanessa Nokes spoke about our Morocco project, Hannah Lawrenson and Abbey Hewitt about Guystonbury (an outdoor pop concert in Lancashire North West) and  we also heard from Laura Carmichael about what it means to be a Leader in guiding.  I was delighted to present Sue Taylor with one of our new Region Thank You badges for her work in organising the Commonwealth Chief Commissioners’ Conference at Waddow last summer, and Girlguiding Thanks Badges to external partners who helped us at ‘A Grand Day Out’.  Alison Paterson, from Pleasure Beach Blackpool, agreed to be an Ambassador for us and Dawn Neary, the organiser of ‘A Grand Day Out’ also received a Region Thank You badge.

Anne Holt has come to the end of her term of office as our President and I was proud to present her with a Region Chief Commissioner’s brooch.  Anne has been outstanding in the role and I know those of you who meet her know how passionate she is about what we do.  Our new President, Suzie Reynolds, was welcomed into post and I know she is looking forward to meeting members across the Region over the next five years.  Suzie is a former High Sheriff of Lancashire and a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire.  She works full time in the leisure industry promoting her home, Leighton Hall, near Carnforth.  She shares our enthusiasm for the work of Girlguiding UK and I am looking forward to working with her to support and promote Girlguiding North West England.  The afternoon closed with Helen Maw singing a beautiful song that reminded us of the wide range of young women we have supported and encouraged over the past year.

On Thursday we had a visit from the Chief Guide.  She came to see the Region Office and meet the office staff, as well as discuss the new initiatives we are promoting and the challenges we have in delivering the vision of Girlguiding UK.  Gill listened to our comments with understanding and complimented us on the work we are doing to support Girlguiding North West England.  She also assured us that she would take our comments back to CHQ so that we could all share in helping to make things even better.

On Friday night I had a very positive meeting with a County Executive Committee.  They are reviewing their structure and have agreed that the way forward is to rationalise the number of Divisions and Districts, both to streamline communication and reduce the number of Commissioners they need in the County. 

This was followed by a quick trip to Gilwell Park (Scout headquarters in Epping Forest) at the weekend for a meeting about Growing Guiding; returning on Monday before attending a Youth United Meeting in the evening.  Just a normal week, really!

I’m really looking forward to meeting nearly 200 members at Advisers’ Day on Saturday.  This will be another chance to share all the good ideas and activities that are taking place across the Region.

Best wishes

Sue

I have just finished packing away the Christmas decorations and putting them back in the loft.  Each year we vow to sort out the ever-increasing range of baubles, tinsel and festive figures, but each year they all get bundled back in with a few additions and a promise to sort them next year!  So much of what we do as a family at Christmas is based on tradition -  the turkey for Christmas dinner, the nativity scene made by my daughter’s childminder (she’s 25!); her stocking at the end of the bed.  Traditions make us feel safe, remind us of happy times past and are easily recognised by all who take part, but they can also make us inflexible and leave no room for new ideas and can be irrelevant to the younger people involved. 

We must be careful that traditions that have grown up in our guiding, whether in units or at district, division or county level, aren’t outstaying their welcome and are perceived as ‘old-fashioned’ by girls and young women who are joining as new members.  In a world where time is such a precious commodity, we must be careful to provide activities and run meetings that are relevant to the participants and provide the best use of our time to promote exciting and fulfilling programmes for our young members. 

This year should see the replacement of our beautiful, old headquarters by a brand new fit-for-purpose building in Preston East.  The Region Team will continue to support counties and their leaders with relevant training and events that showcase our strengths and share our good ideas.  We will develop our working with outside partners to enable their professional expertise to support and promote the work we do – I think you will be delighted with some of the things we have planned.

The best news of the New Year so far, is that we have increased our membership by more than 6% over the past twelve months.  Thank you for all you are doing to make sure that Go! reflects our true membership and let’s hope the figures on 22nd February reveal an even greater increase.

In a year which is expected to be a difficult one financially, I am more than convinced that the fun and friendship we provide every week through our range of activities and events give real value for money and will remain popular with girls of all ages.

I hope your year starts well, wherever you are guiding in North West England.

Best wishes

Sue Lomas

Well, what a day!  Way back in January, on a chilly, rainy day the Executive approved the idea of an event to celebrate our Ruby anniversary at Blackpool Pleasure Beach; and on a chilly, rainy day in October we celebrated!!  But weather didn’t daunt us – everywhere I looked the 9,000 members who attended on the day were laughing and screaming with excitement, and that included the leaders and the Trefoil Guild.  The Ice Show, especially produced for us by Amanda Thompson, was a fabulous event which the skaters performed as enthusiastically the sixth time as they did the first!  And who would have thought a road tunnel could have looked just like a disco?  The dance workshop leaders, especially Anthony Johns, were amazing and hopefully, the decision about the World Record will be through soon.  My thanks go to Dawn Neary and her team and Caroline Starkey and all the Region Office staff as well as everyone at the Pleasure Beach, particularly Alison Paterson, who made such an effort to provide us with a unique experience.  But especially I want to thank all the leaders who gave up their Saturday to give our girls and young women such a fantastic day – one which they could only do because they are guides.  It was wonderful to see our flag flying all day over the Park too and to receive so many positive comments from members of the public. 

The day finished with an amazing event at the Sandcastle Water Park for over 300 Senior Section members.  They had exclusive use of the pool and were treated to ghost stories before sleeping on the terraces above the pool.  Many thanks to Jane Kelly and Chris Champion and their teams for making it a memorable event for our young women. 

Sometimes we are concerned that the press and the media don’t pick up our stories and help to promote us.  I think this sort of event, where we are working with partners and have a high profile in the community provide us with just as much important PR.  That is why I have spent a few days recently, attending events that will promote what we do to people outside our organisation – small businesses in the North West, other uniformed organisations and the Lord Lieutenancy, to name a few.  Don’t forget that any positive conversation you have with people outside Girlguiding means they then have information that they can pass on in other circles.  Word of mouth is a very important way to spread our good news!

Sue Lomas