News / Sea Mills
75-year-old Brownie unit could be forced to close
It’s 6.30pm and a groups of girls are deep in discussion.
They have been learning about campaigning and are now designing one of their own.
Tilly, Victoria, Natalia and Cara are creating a diabetes awareness campaign. All of them know people affected by the disease and agree it’s important people know about it.
is needed now More than ever
This is part of the evening’s activities for the 34th Bristol (Sea Mills) Brownie unit for girls aged 7-10.
Elsewhere in the room other girls are talking about helping animals and stopping plastic pollution in our oceans.
Tilly, Victoria, Natalia and Cara work on their campaign
The session is being run by Nicola Burand, who the girls know as ‘Brown Owl’. All the adults running Brownies are volunteers and tonight Nicola has the help from ‘Dragonfly’ and a young leader, ‘Robin’. Two of her regular volunteers are about to stand down which means the future of the unit, which has existed for at least 75 years, is in jeopardy.
“I’m on my own some weeks so we have had to keep the group small, even though we have a waiting list,” Nicola explains.
Nicola first got involved with the group when she wanted her own daughter to go to Brownies and took over leadership in 2016 when the group was then threatened with closure.
“I fell in love with it, it’s lovely seeing the girls achieve things, going camping and doing things for the first time,” Nicola says. She had to do an online safeguarding course and first aid training to become a leader but learned everything else while running the group with support from the Girl Guiding organisation.
Nicola Burand is the 34th Bristol Brownie unit’s Brown Owl
Sea Mills Brownies aren’t the only ones struggling for leaders at the moment. In the Bristol West Division -which covers Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Avonmouth, Westbury On Trym, Stoke Bishop, Henbury, Brentry and Clifton – three of the twelve Brownie units are in danger of closing at Christmas.
This will leave 60 girls without a unit. There are also long lists of girls wanting to join.
Several Guides and Ranger groups for older girls also have similar issues.
Tilly, Victoria, Natalia and Cara start eating the fruit they have been using to represent elements of their campaign planning. When asked what they like about Brownies, Cara exclaims “Badges!” and the others beam and nod. All the girls love working towards new badges, which they display proudly on their Brownie hoodies.
The biggest plus for all of them, however, is the opportunity to make new friends and meet outside of school, something which Tilly finds particularly important.
“I’m home schooled, so Brownies is where I meet my friends,” she explains.
Helping with the group tonight is sixteen-year-old Ameila White, christened ‘Robin’ by the girls. She started here as a Brownie and is now a Young Leader.
“It’s great experience for me as I’d like to become a primary school teacher. I was really nervous when I first started, but the girls were so sweet,” Ameila says.
The only other adult helping Nicola tonight is Toni Sharp, aka Dragonfly. She’s been involved in Girl Guiding since she was four and enjoys the sessions as a break from working life.
“What isn’t great about it? Every week is different. We have taken some of the girls camping and some of them had never done anything outdoors like that. It’s lovely seeing the girls’ faces when they do something new,” Toni says.
The evening continues with a riotous game of shark attack led by Robin. The girls run around and, when “Shark attack!” is called, compete for the ever decreasing number of safe spots on the floor. There’s much zooming about, friendly competition and loud laughter.
Robin supervises a game of shark attack
In an area where there are so few groups for young people, and an increasing rise in anti-social behaviour it would be tragic if such a positive and well used group should close. Brown Owl (Nicola) says she will be “gutted” if that happens.
She adds: “If suitable volunteers are not found to support succession planning, there will be no choice but to close the unit. Having no Brownies in the area means all the fun, laughter and life skills will be lost for those girls who need a safe space to express themselves.”
All photos: Mary Milton
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