A THRIVING Guides group urgently needs adult volunteers to step up and become Guide leaders to protect their unit. 

Sally Clarke has been involved with Girl Guiding since she was a Brownie, and for the last ten years she has worked alongside fellow leaders to build the Silver End Brownie unit.

However, Sally says the biggest problem they faced was not demand - there is a six-month waiting list for her popular unit - but a lack of willing adult volunteer leaders.

With not enough “young fresh new blood” coming in to be leaders, girls such as Sally’s 26 Brownies across the country are at risk of losing their vital community and social outlet.

Sally looks after 26 youngsters at the Tuesday sessions that she runs and the Guides meet on a Monday.

In the Silver End district, which is part of the Witham division, four new leaders are needed.

She added: “The Essex county could do with a good thirty to fifty leaders”.

A further problem specifically to Silver End, is that Brownies end up joining the “very thriving” Scout community meaning that the Guides, without more money and resources, cannot compete.

Sally said: “We still need female only spaces. Brownies and Guides, are a very important thing to young women.”

Sally is very passionate about teaching girls performing dance, physics, and the group even went on a brilliant trip to PGL adventure holiday park this summer.

She said: “I feel like there’s a perception of Girlguiding UK which is very much church-parade and cake decorating, which is very wildly out of date.”  

She argues Brownies is a much more affordable activity for young girls, and together with Guides, gives “young women more self-confidence”

She added: “Its absolutely joyous. You do love it."

Girlguiding UK is the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls and welcomes all girls from age 5 to adulthood. 

To find out more about Silver End Girl Guiding visit www.facebook.com/girlguidingsilverend