Annual Report 2008

From the County Commissioner

It gives me huge pleasure to present the Annual Report for 2008 and to tell you of the vibrant and exciting activities undertaken by Girlguiding Surrey East.. So much has happened at all levels in the County thanks to the dedicated teams of Leaders and helpers who give their time and work with dedication to deliver a stimulating and fun filled programme week by week. I hope you enjoy reading about some of these activities,
Margaret Frosztega - County Commissioner

The Senior Section continues to lead the way, setting themselves challenges through the various programmes on offer. Some have achieved their Chief Commissioner challenge or completed octants of the Look Wider Programme. Others have achieved their Queen’s Guide Award. Many in this group are Young Leaders in Guide, Brownie or Rainbow Units, and are working on Adult Leadership.

The highest award a Guide can achieve is the Baden-Powell Challenge Award. Two Challenge weekends were organised; one with the theme of pampering and the other Christmas. About 40 completed the Challenge.

In November Surrey East represented Girlguiding UK at the annual Remembrance Day Parade at the Cenotaph in London. Thirty members of the County learned how to march smartly for the event and were proud to take part.

There were so many successful events over the year. Units went to Camps or Pack Holidays, played netball, followed trails, visited events such as the Big Gig; indeed, too many to record. In January Drum Jam allowed girls and Trefoil members to learn about rhythm and drumming. In the Spring a contingent of Guides and Young Leaders from around the County travelled to Gothenburg in Sweden. They explored the city and the surrounding islands, meeting up with other international travellers. During the summer two Godstone Leaders took a party of girls from across the Region to New Zealand. Experiencing both cold weather and thermal pools, they travelled over 40 thousand kilometres in all. We also sent three girls on Region trips. Brownies went to Jordan Heights in the Spring for a Venture Out Fun Day. They tried their hands at various activities based on earth, air, fire and water.

Most of a girl’s time in Guiding is spent in her weekly meetings, and these cover such a wide range of activities. Girls continue to work on badges and qualifications, but also develop life skills such as cooking, map reading, knitting and sewing, making cards, first aid and so much more. Girls are active and busy: they play games, they dance (even trying belly dancing), they sing, they go on hikes and rambles. They look at bugs and leaves and critters in ponds. They think about issues such as healthy eating and bullying through our peer education programme In4mers. Such a wide variety is on offer throughout the County.

With the Centenary celebrations for Girlguiding UK commencing in September 2009, we were challenged to 'Change the World' during the year commencing September 2008. Working with 19 national charities, girls have chosen which charities to support and tried their hand at a number of activities designed to raise awareness, make a difference o r support through fund raising the charity of their choice. If every girl does a little to make their world a little better, then together we can achieve such a lot. But helping others is nothing new. For example, Bookham and Effingham District filled boxes for refugees, and Tatsfield Brownies raised £226 for the Lisa Thaxter Trust.

Scoutabout was a highlight for the Guides. Every three years we get together with Surrey West Guides and Surrey Scouts to hold a weekend of activities at the Ardingly show ground. Over the weekend, participants had the chance to take part in adventurous activities such as climbing, zip wire, caving, or scuba diving. They could dabble in a huge range of crafts, or they could try their skills at games and challenges. In the evenings they were entertained at a disco or by a concert. The weekend finished with a parade of flags, one from each unit attending – and a long line it made!

Rainbow Guides celebrated their 21st birthday with parties across the county. Godstone Rainbows had a fun day in September with lots of games and circus fun. There was a Region competition to design a new outfit for Olivia, the Rainbow mascot, and a Leatherhead Rainbow was one of the runners up.

We continue to attract new volunteers, often replacing Leaders who leave for various reasons and increasing the overall numbers of adults leading or helping. New volunteers are supported by a network of mentors who are either existing Leaders or Trefoil members. The new group mentoring approach has worked well in providing better support.

Training activities for Leaders, Senior Section and older Guides have covered numerous topics. These included recognised qualifications such as Food Hygiene and Minibus Licence, Guiding qualifications such as basic Leadership, Camp and Pack Holiday, and taking girls abroad. First Response full courses, refreshers and renewals have been provided regularly. Our Be Prepared trainings addressed the issue of dealing with risk. Skills covered included computer skills and creation of websites, some crafts, fun first aid, basic guitar, and other activity related skills. All these opportunities help Leaders to maintain their skills and develop new ones. Leaders give many, many hours of voluntary service. Joyce Thompson was awarded her Good Service Award.

Financial Review

Our total incoming resources amounted to £140,826 compared to £95,332 in 2007. Our sources of income are from subscriptions, charges for activities, grants and donations. Resources used totalled £113,839 compared to £88,481 in 2007. The main areas of expense are the census fee paid onto Region, and training. Administrative expenses amounted to £8,872 (2007: £6,609). Net incoming resources were £26,987 which increased the total funds of the County from £74,308 to £101,295. Total funds are largely held as cash on deposit and cash at bank and, in 2008, £12,384 of deferred costs and deposits in relation to the Centenary celebrations commencing in September 2009.

We are grateful for the support of Surrey County Council through their grant towards the costs of Units which meet in school premises and towards our training costs for young women. Many of the opportunities for Leaders were open to older Guides or Senior Section members. All the activities across the County are only possible through the dedicated work of adult Leaders supported by Unit Helpers, the Trefoil Guild and other supporters. Thanks to everyone for your support for Girlguiding Surrey East. Without you we would not be able to deliver a vibrant, exciting and challenging programme for the benefit of girls and young women in the County. 2008 was another very successful and active year for Surrey East Trefoil Guild. Inter-Guild fund-raising activities are popular, and it is good to meet friends from other Guilds for lunches, theatre outings, quiz evenings, walks and other County events. In the year the Trefoil Guild presented a cross-stitched wall hanging for the Surrey East Room at Foxlease.

Statistically speaking, within the County there were 767 Rainbows, 2,091 Brownies, 1,251 Guides, 211 Senior Section members, 498 Leaders and Commissioners, 282 'Other Members' and non-members, and 292 Trefoil Guild members. The Census total at February 2009 was 5,392.

Contact Join Us on 07866 241899 or 07528 401990 - www.girlguidingsurreyeast.org.uk

You can download the full version of the report (with images).

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