Our Diamond Jubilee service

On Sunday 20th May 2012 we held our service to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.  It was a parade and family service.
As it was impossible to cover everything that has happened to the queen in the past 60 years Christine based the service on the Queen's connections to and involvement in the Guiding movement. 


We were reminded that both the Queen, and her sister Margaret, were Girl Guides - first in a company based in a garden summer house of Buckingham Palace.  However, we learned how, when the Blitz began, they had to close down and move instead to Windsor.  We also learned about the amazing things that Guides and Brownies did for their respective countries during the war.

Coming right up to date we heard how three of our current guides, Hannah, Emily and Georgia, have just been awarded the Baden Powell award.  Hannah and Emily told us about some of the many things that they had  done to gain this  highest guiding award.                      Well done girls!


The service was enlivened by us all singing "Gin gang goolie" in a round!  If you don't know what that is ask a Guide or  try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ging_Gang_Goolie or listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNTrv_CVd-8 although, with respect to Kapiti Primary School, they were not a patch on us!


The service incorporated prayers based on the Guide Promise and law.  These included prayers for the Church, the Queen and her government, young people, parents and leaders of groups for children and young people.  There were also prayers for ourselves and those who are troubled in any way.







As it was a service for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee it concluded with our National Anthem. 

100 Years of Guiding

On Sunday 21st February a special parade service was held at St. John's to celebrate 100 years of guiding.

2010 marks the Centenary of Guiding. Each year members of the movement meet to renew their promise on or near Thinking Day which is celebrated on February 22nd, the birthday of the founder, Robert Baden-Powell and his wife Olave.

Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and Guiders all renewed their promise during the service.

The Promise is:
I promise that I will do my best:
To love my God,
To serve the Queen and my country,
To help other people
and
To keep the (Brownie) Guide Law.

The Rainbow Guide Promise is:
I promise that I will do my best to love my God and to be kind and helpful.

Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers from St John’s invited other units from Birkdale District to join them for a District parade at our service. There were Rainbows and Brownies from Birkdale United Reformed Church and Brownies from Liverpool Road Methodist church, as well as friends who have supported Guiding in Birkdale and members of the Trefoil Guild and Friends of Guiding.

The focus of the service was "promises" - the promise God made to his people and the promises we make to him and each other. Rainbows, Brownies and Guides participated. In addition one of the guides spoke very movingly about what Guiding meant to her.

A retiring collection was taken which, together with donations and the proceeds of coffee and the Guides’ cake stall, enabled us to send £150 to the Global Girls’ Fund, which is the Centenary Appeal of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

To find out more about Guiding
http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/about/guiding

To find out more about Guiding in the UK
http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/home.aspx

To find out more about the Global Girls’ Fund
http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/support_us/globalgirlsfund

Thank you to Sheila and Rachel for information and a photo and to Joyce for dicretely taking photos during the service.

Centenary launch‏ party - Greenbank School

On Sunday 6th September, exactly 100 years after a group of girls turned up at a Scout rally at Crystal palace asking to be included, parties were held all over the country to celebrate the launch of Guiding's centenary year. Our party was held at Greenbank High School.

It was hosted by the Division Commissioner, but we had a flying visit from the County Commissioner who visited parties all over Sefton, travelling between them on her motorbike. The commissioners and our Guide leaders are all wearing their bright pink Centenary shirts. We were welcomed by a giant sunflower. The Brownies' favourite was the magician and one Brownie was chosen to be his assistant, and got a balloon model to take home. The girl band was their favourite group, and Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers were able to dance to the music.

Sheila Matthews

Brownies in the Formby Pinewoods

During the summer term the Brownies visited the Formby Pinewoods. It looks like they had a good time.

The Brownies at Shirdley Hill

The Brownies were very lucky with the weather when they went to Shirdley Hill, the weekend of 2nd May.

They had a great time baking, playing with the ball pool and the parachute, enjoying a campfire lunch and much more!

One World, One City, One Amazing Day!!

This photo is of our Brownies' visit to Liverpool in February when World Thinking Day came to Liverpool for the 08 celebrations on 16th February. Thinking Day is when everybody in Guiding renews their promise. There were 7500 Rainbows, Brownies and Guides at the Liverpool Echo arena for the "One World in One City" event. Our newest Brownie made her Promise on a Mersey Ferry (her choice) during the afternoon.

Thanks for this Sheila - I am sorry to have been so slow to get it up on the Blog. S-A.T