The Edmonton youth group that helps girls grow

7th Edmonton Guides excels in inspiring girls and building confidence and self-esteem, writes Anna-Louise Adepegba

Girlguiding UK has been around for many years – 116 to be exact.

With progressing age groups – rainbows, brownies, guides, young leaders and rangers – the charity continues to inspire, teach and build the confidence of many young girls from all backgrounds and some with special needs.

The 7th Edmonton Guides is the only remaining girl-guiding unit in Upper Edmonton but remains a prime example of what the charity does. It excels in inspiring girls and building confidence and self-esteem.

Between cooking, sports, life skills, camping and various other trips, girls can expect a wide variety of activities when they attend the club each week on a Thursday evening. On my recent visit, the girls were playing football.

As a former member of the unit myself, returning to the group was a reminder of the memories, friendships, skills and support I gained during my own time there.

At the heart of the unit for decades has been Christine Swallow, traditionally known as ‘brown owl’. She has dedicated her time to girl-guiding for more than 30 years and has watched generations of girls come through the unit. She is a true role model.

Today, the unit has around 30 girls, with an equal number in each section – ten rainbows, ten brownies and ten guides.

For brown owl, a main reward comes from watching the girls grow in confidence. When asked for a favourite moment, she was lost for words.

“This is a really hard question, as the favourite part for me is seeing the girls participating in all the activities,” said Christine.

“I especially love watching the joy on girls’ faces as they receive badges or have mastered an activity.

“Working with the girls helps them achieve confidence and self-esteem; the girls come from all different backgrounds and, for some that come from more deprived families, this might be the only activity they can look forward to during the week.”

Christine explained that the unit has grown from just having brownies to now having rainbows and guides and some young leaders, supporting girls from age four to 18.

She continued: “On our holidays, they learnt to cope with emergencies, looking after themselves, and socialising with girls and adults in new and different settings. We’ve also had lessons in first aid, where they’ve learnt things like resuscitation in times of emergency.

“Even though school teaches them some of these things, the girls seem to learn better in a relaxed atmosphere, and guiding helps them grow as a leader and a young person, getting to know themselves and build good morals.”

Christine was once a brownie herself. Now, she has welcomed her own granddaughter into 7th Edmonton, who will enjoy the experiences of the club just like her.

Christine’s story is similar to many leaders in the district and around the country, including those in her own unit. Lorraine Fergus, the unit’s second ‘brown owl’, said she had known she would stay in the organisation for a very long time. “I was one myself, and I knew when I had a daughter I would make her a part of it. I used to stay during the sessions and didn’t want to leave,” she said.

Lorraine has been a part of girl-guiding for 21 years, and when her group in Edmonton closed down in 2020 due to not having enough girls, the two groups merged. Last year, Lorraine received the ‘Middlesex East Good Service Award’ for her contributions to girl-guiding.

All leaders at 7th Edmonton have been given awards, and ten girls have also been given Jack Petchey awards.

Keira, aged 17, has been at the group for ten years and is now a young leader. Her favourite things are the friendships she’s made, new skills she’s learnt and camp. She said: “I love going as I get to help the girls come out of their shells a bit. I mainly help the brownies, activities and I would definitely encourage young girls to join.

“For me personally, I’ve grown as a person, and learnt things I wouldn’t have learnt so young in the outside world. It’s taught me a lot.”

Even when girls leave, they are fond of staying in touch, along with their parents.

Christine said: “We have a very good relationship with the parents and an open door that they can discuss anything at any time, with any one of us, if they have a concern.

“To a parent wanting to sign their daughter up, try one week to see what it all about and then take it from there, A lot of times the parents or child does not know what is involved and once the child has come along they normally return as they did not realise what fun it can be.”

When the girls were asked their favourite things about the club, many of them referred to their experiences camping, cooking activities and unit cinema trips. Others mentioned learning, sports and filling their sash with badges to showcase their growth.

Christine added: “We have a very good and unique relationship with the parents and an open door that they can discuss anything at any time, and we can count on them to volunteer if needed.

“To a parent wanting to sign their daughter up, try one week to see what it all about and then take it from there.

“A lot of times the parents or child does not know what is involved and once the child has come along they normally return as they did not realise what fun it can be.”

For now, every Thursday evening brings another opportunity for girls to learn something new, make friends, gain confidence, and perhaps begin a journey that will last a lifetime.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

ACT NOW!

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.