Part of

 

Our Shop

Info for Parents

 

The Pack

Brownie Guides meet together in a Pack, made up of small groups called Sixes. A Six is a group of friends who share activities. We have 4 sixes: Elves; Imps; Leprechauns and Pixies. Each six has a Sixer, the leader of the six, and a Second who helps the Sixer. The leaders are Jackie (Brown Owl), and Rachel (Snowy Owl). We also run a parent’s rota to ensure we have enough adults present for the activities which is available on first night back each term, this enables us to have a more varied program of activities.

 

New Brownies.

Brownies in our pack are known as nooblets until they make their promise, we’ve tried many names in the past and still end up calling them nooblets so we just made that the official name in the end. Usually on their second or third meeting new Brownies receive a booklet called “Becoming a Brownie”, which is a fun activity book introducing them to Brownies and containing the Brownie Story.

 

Subscription money (Subs).

Subs are due at the start of each term and are currently £23 per term.  The majority of this money is used by the unit to pay for the hall, badges, books, stationary, sports equipment, craft products and cooking ingredients. A small percentage goes to the Guiding Association to cover the unit’s insurance policy and legal cover and a share of this is given to the Division, County and Regional Office without which we could not run the unit. If, for any reason, you are unable to pay please inform one of the guiders as soon as possible in complete confidence so that we can help. The Guiding Association will NEVER refuse a child due to hardship.

 

Records and forms.

Our records and permissions need to be kept up to date for insurance and legal purposes. It is also vital that we have up-to-date records of any medical conditions and contact details in case of an emergency.  

 

Brownie Uniform.

The Brownie uniform is range of mix-and-match clothing which the girls can choose from, the uniform can purchased through the unit, online at www.girlguiding.org.uk or locally at Meadway Outfitters, Reading Scout and Guide Shop (see also Fundraising below) or Jacksons. The uniform can be worn straight away however it is not required until the Promise Celebration, after which it should be worn to all brownie meetings, events and trips unless otherwise stated.

 

The Promise Celebration.

This is usually done on a special occasion, it’s when a nooblet becomes a Brownie and usually takes place during the latter half of the term after she has been with us a few weeks. When a Brownie makes her promise she will receive her Promise badge, unit name tape, County Badge (Berkshire Stag), and Promise certificate.  

 

Thinking Day.

Thinking Day is celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl scouts around the world on 22nd February, This date was chosen as it is the birthday of Guide and Scout founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and World Chief Guide. On this day we celebrate Guiding and Scouting all over the world and learn about Guiding in other countries and their cultures.

 

Badges and Books.

There are many Interest Badges that Brownies can achieve and we try to complete at least one each term as a pack. The girls can also work for some of the badges at school or clubs, they can have their teacher/instructor test them and complete a form for Brown Owl. Badges can be kept inside a Promise Box, sewn onto a Brownie Sash, Gilet, hoody or sewn onto a camp blanket. We have chosen to make the Promise Box, the Badge Book and Brownie Adventure books optional rather than supplying them in order to keep subs down, these can be purchased in the same way as uniform.

 

Fundraising.

Gift Aid – We can claim back 28% of subscription fees from the Inland Revenue, all you need to do is complete a form.

Vouchers – We collect Tesco’s Sports Equipment and Computers vouchers and Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers to obtain sports and games equipment and craft materials.

Recycling - We recycle printer cartridges (except Epsom), mobile phones and PDAs to raise funds for the unit.

10% of sales from Reading Scout and Guide shop go into unit funds, just give your receipt to Brown Owl when you are happy with your purchase so she can claim.

Webb Ivory – We distribute the Webb Ivory Christmas Catalogue in the Autumn term upto 25% of orders from the Webb Ivory Catalogue go into unit funds.

 

Church Parade

Although we are a multi-faith organisation and welcome members of all faiths and celebrate festivals from all over the world while learning about different cultures we are affiliated with St Matthew’s Church, Coronation Square, Southcote. We go there for special occasions and for a few Church Parade services each year when Father John Hudson holds family services and the girls can get involved by doing a reading, helping with the collection or carrying/escorting our flag.

 

District Events.

We try to attend a few district events each year as this gives the girls a chance to meet up with girls from other Rainbow, Brownie and Guide Packs from the area, it is particularly good for the older Brownies to see old Brownie friends who have already gone up to guides and to meet their Guider to discuss moving on themselves.

 

Trips and Holidays.

We try to have a few outings each year, whether it is the pantomime at the Hexagon, a day trip to Beale Park, a Sleepover or a Pack Holiday, we always have a lot of fun.

 

Website.

We are hoping to build up the website a little more by starting a section for the girls’ work: newspaper-style articles for activities or evenings that they have particularly enjoyed; stories; poems; artwork; etc. These can be submitted on paper or via e-mail.

 

If you have any questions please contact us.