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At the end of July many of the Brownies enjoyed the seaside themed pack holiday. A typically British day trip to Blackpool included visits to the Sea Life Centre and an Amusement Arcade with a fish and chip lunch, ice cream and rock, but it was far too cold for paddling or Punch and Judy. Even the donkeys looked miserable. It didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the Brownies or the few Guides that went with us.
Our end of term rush to make floating animals for the Gala was worth it as the animals were much admired, looked very colourful, didn’t sink and actually won some prizes. The three entries by the Guides (Owl, Scared Chicken and Peacock) all won prizes and one of the Brownie Sixes (Badger, Hedgehog, Fox and Rabbit) won a third prize whilst the others were Highly Commended. As we only had one meeting to make the animals they did very well to produce such varied models. Well done. The Brownies also made Collages which filled the boards in the Club room but did not win any prizes. A few girls did enter some of the classes and won prizes. Well done.
We returned a week later than usual in September and we seem to have only just got into the term’s programmes. After a Get to Know You evening the Brownies have decorated biscuits, had a Promise evening, a Guess the Crisp Challenge and started their Seasons’ Badge which will take most of the year to complete. For ‘Autumn’ they are making a collage using leaves and seed heads etc. and cooking cakes using autumn fruit. Time flies and after Half term we’ll be thinking about the Advent Festival and Christmas.
After doing the Football Challenge last term, the Guides continued with a football theme to get the Football Go For It and should by now have completed their Experiment, Five Senses and Healthy Eating Go For Its. The Experiment GFI has raised two interesting questions. Why does only one variety of corn pop and why does water mixed with cornflour in equal quantities behave like a solid when it is stirred? I’m waiting to see if they find the answers. The Panda patrol amazed us by keeping silent for half an hour as one of their Senses Challenges. On a more relaxing note the girls have enjoyed several games of chair football and other activities and made a Guiding Notebook.
Time flies and after Half term both units will be thinking about the Advent Festival and Christmas. We will be making a delivery of mince pies to elderly people in the village and hope that the girls will be joining in the village carol singing on the Alms Houses. Three of the older Guides are starting the Baden Powell Challenge, the highest award in Guiding and a few Brownies will be joining us soon.
Delia Wyers.
As usual there are never enough evenings during the summer. The Brownies completed the Culture Badge at Tutbury where they looked round the museum and walked around the Mill site and through Tutbury. They were particularly interested by the bell collection which includes one from Rolleston Hall and the many named bricks on the Sunday School building. We will have to look at their Family Trees next term. They collected a charity cheque from Stretton Co-op and we have to decide on an outing. Some of the Brownies have a pack holiday with St Chad’s Brownies to look forward to at the end of July, with a trip to Blackpool and the Sea Life Centre.
The Guides spent the term doing Go For Its, Experiment, Healthy Eating and Five Senses; with Hilton Guides for an evening walk back to Rolleston where they made Smores on portable Barbeques, had a football training evening and spent a weekend on a Wild Night Out Event. Even though it was wilder than could be imagined on a very wet night in very muddy conditions it didn’t put them off camping. The final meeting of term was spent at Tafflands enjoying the activity equipment there.
Both Units took part in the Carnival/Jousting Pageant. The Brownies dressed to go to a Mediaeval Fair whilst the Guides were characters from the Canterbury Tales. They enjoyed the Jousting Tournament and at the following meeting the Brownies played mediaeval themed games. It was a busy weekend as Burton Division held their May Fair on the Saturday, the competition this year being Celebrity Scarecrows. The Guides entered Elvis and the Brownies Richard lll. We spent two evenings weeding the Waiting rooms/booking office site on the Jinnie Trail. I hope the weeds have not grown back again! Next year we hope to use the site for a Conservation/Environment Award. All the girls had an evening Bell Boating at Manor Park Sailing Club at Kings Bromley. They got very wet but the water was very warm so lots of fun.
At the end of term the girls made Gala entries. Unfortunately John of Rolleston leavers’ evenings clashed and only a few of the Guides were present. Perhaps some of them could produce entries during the holiday? Details were in the summer Rollestonian. All Burton Guiding members were invited to the AGM at the Orchard campsite at Tatenhill. We celebrated the completion of the campfire horseshoe with campfire singing and a performance from the Massai Warriors from Kenya on a lovely summer evening.
All our leaders went to Ragley Hall in Warwickshire to attend the Midland Region Picnic and enjoyed a tour round the house and walking around the gardens and woodland.
We still have one event to complete. The 2015 Steps with activities Walk
around Tatenhill was postponed because of the dreadful weather, and that is now
scheduled to take place on 18th July. We’re hoping for much better weather this
time.
Have a good holiday everyone.
Delia Wyers
This has been a long and busy term for all the girls with many different activities, challenges completed and badges gained. The Brownies had a fun-packed Bring a Friend evening when they made Valentine’s Day cards. They celebrated the Chinese New Year by making dragons from colourful hand shapes. We missed the Pancake Races for the first time ever but the Brownies practiced tossing pancakes very successfully and enjoyed eating real pancakes at the meeting. More goodies - marzipan Choc-nut logs were made for Mother’s Day gifts as well as cards. These and lollipops completed the Sweet Shop Challenge badge. Several evenings were spent on the Culture Badge. Torchlight Thinking Day walk took place round Burton with all the Division Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Senior Section, Leaders and the Trefoil Guild. The Brownies made Family Trees, finding out some interesting facts about their ancestors in the area (more in a future Rollestonian), learning about the history of Brownies in the village and making Staffordshire Jomballs, a caraway and coriander biscuit recipe from 1655. We managed to squeeze in a Promise evening for the new Brownies, a few Brownies completing their Hostess badges, and on the last evening the girls made colourful boxes for their Easter Eggs, chicks and rabbits.
The planned Rolleston and Doveside WI Coffee morning at Rolleston Club was more successful than we had ever hoped, raising enough for Vanessa to complete her Queen’s Guide expedition in the summer and the remainder going to the Guide Unit. Our thanks to everyone who helped make the morning so successful but joy turned to sadness when we heard of Kate Goldsmith’s sudden death, she had done so much for us.
In February the Guides enjoyed a Torchlight Thinking Day Walk to Marston Church where they met up with Hilton Guides for an evening of TD activities and games. Most of the term was spent completing the Showtime Go For It. They wrote their play, ‘The Witch of Guiding’, designed costumes, scenery and props (including an amazing Red and Blue Brick Road) and performed it very creditably for parents and friends.
The summer term is going to be very busy with Celebrity Scarecrows and Five-a-Side football at the Guiding May Fair, Rolleston Carnival, Bell-boating, Guiding Steps at the Orchard campsite at Tatenhill, meeting up with Hilton Guides, helping with the Jinnie Trail, making floating animals and entering Gala Classes. The Guides Go Wild for a weekend in May, sleeping in shelters and have a camp planned in the summer. There is also another Go For It to work towards and more sports and craft.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has collected Sainsbury’s Active Kids’ vouchers for us. We are hoping to have enough for a cricket set.
There are places available at both the Rolleston Brownie and Guide Units. Please contact 01283 520743 for more details. Brownies meet at Rolleston Scout HQ, 5.30 – 6.45 pm on Wednesdays and the Guides at the OGS, 7.15 – 9.00 pm on Thursdays.
Delia Wyers
The end of the autumn term saw both Brownies and Guides busy making their Advent Tree decorations. The Brownies made shiny bells ringing out Glad Tidings to the sheep and shepherds in the fields below whilst the Guides made paper baubles and jam jar snow globes as well as tinsel decorated Smart phones with text messages of Glad Tidings. Hopefully, this was the first of many community events for the Guides.
Before Christmas each Guide patrol completed a Go For It, the Confectioners badge, the Sweet Shop Challenge and Football Challenges. The Brownies were invited to Guides to watch ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ – a start to their Sweet Shop Challenge in January. On the last meeting of term the Guides restarted the tradition of delivering mince pies and fudge to elderly single people in the village. Does anyone know how long that has been going? It must be well over 25 years (with a few breaks).
The coach trip to Wembley to watch England Ladies play Germany was the main highlight of the term although the girls would have been ecstatic if England had won. However, they were certainly excited about being a part of football history watching the first time that an England Women’s team had played there. This was the culmination of the Football Challenge for Brownies and Guides from all over Burrton who had taken part. As part of her Queen’s Guide Award Vanessa has been working with Burton Albion to promote Women’s football and in the spring term will be organising football training with Burton Albion Community Trust.
There is plenty to look forward to this term. The Brownies will complete the Sweet Shop Challenge (which does not involve evenings eating sweets!), and the Culture Badge which includes finding out about the history of Brownies in the village, making and enjoying local food, making a Family Tree, hearing a local song, poem or story and starting a Commonplace Book.
The Guides will have their first Promise Ceremony and on February 5th a Harry Potter evening. They will complete the ‘Showtime’ Go For It as a unit culminating in a fundraising evening. Thinking Day will be celebrated with a torchlight walk when we are hoping to meet up with Hilton Guides at Marston on Dove Church where activities are planned for the rest of the evening .
In January, Rolleston Club and both Rolleston and Doveside W Is are hosting a Coffee morning to fundraise for Vanessa’s Queen’s Guide expedition. I hope to report that it was very successful. Our many thanks to them and to all the parents and girls who help both units.
There are places available at both the Rolleston Brownie and Guide Units. Please contact 01283 520743 for more details. Brownies meet at Rolleston Scout HQ, 5.30 – 6.45 pm on Wednesdays and the Guides at the OGS, 7.15 – 9.00 pm on Thursdays.
Delia Wyers
Last updated: 31 December 2015