Five Girlguiding volunteers from across the Isle of Man received an unforgettable suprise when a group of girls and young women recognised them for their volunteering efforts.
The five women; Ann Doyle, Jayne Corteen, June Gawne, Julie Farrar and Su Simpson have recently been named as one of 75 ‘Guiding Idols’ in Girlguiding North West England – a campaign led by the regional charity to recognise its volunteers for their efforts.
Girlguiding North West England members were asked to nominate a Guiding Idol – a volunteer that they felt was an inspirational role model. Following the nominations, a youth panel of girls and young women, aged 5 to fourteen, were tasked with the difficult challenge of selecting nominees from each of the charity’s seventeen guiding counties.
The youth panel announced that they had selected 75 volunteers from across the North West and that each Guiding Idol would be invited to attend a special celebration afternoon on Sunday 25 June at Girlguiding North West England’s Region Headquarters in Preston.
The event included thought-provoking activities, a chocolate masterclass for the Guiding Idols and an afternoon tea with a sweet twist. Amid the celebrations, the volunteers received a Region Thanks badge from the Region Chief Commissioner, Julie Bell, and had yet another surprise when a plaque was unveiled in the Region Headquarters’ garden – a memorable tribute that named all 75 Guiding Idols for their achievement.
Su Simpson, who leads 9th Douglas Brownies, said: “I feel very honoured and surprised to have been nominated as a Guiding Idol."
Julie Bell, Region Chief Commissioner, said: “Once again, we’ve had a fantastic response to the Guiding Idols campaign and we’re looking forward to doing it all over again next year. We wanted to thank our volunteers for all the hard work and effort they put into Girlguiding and with the support of our young members, we’ve been able to celebrate our amazing volunteers in a really memorable way.”
If you have a couple of hours to give or want to volunteer on a regular basis, explore Girlguiding’s flexible opportunities at www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested. Guiding is active across the whole of the UK and in the North West of England we have 14,619 inspirational volunteers who give their time where they can. We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds, ages, cultures, faiths and abilities.
Photo - The attendees from Isle of Man receiveing their award next to the Guiding Idols plaque.
