Turriff Brownies and Guides help African sisters

Local youngsters have taken on the challenge of helping to make 2021 special for people they've never met.

Next year Girlguiding in Kenya will turn 100, and while members will celebrate the special occasion it was likely that most would be left with nothing more than memories to commemorate the landmark.

After hearing this, members in the Girlguiding county of Staffordshire (England) set about rallying Girlguiding members across the UK to ensure everyone who celebrated the centenary in Kenya could receive a badge.

With restrictions on social gatherings in place, Brownies and Guides in Turriff have been meeting virtually and have used the time to work on a variety of badges, so when they heard about their sister Guides in Kenya who rarely got a badge they knew that this was a project that they wanted to be involved in.

Explaining, the Brownies told the Advertiser: "They [Kenya Guides] are going to be 100 next year which is really special, but they don't get a lot of badges.

"We do lots of badges at Brownies, and if we do this then the girls in Africa can have a special badge too."

The Brownies, aged 7-10, are each setting their own personal challenges to raise some money, including so far challenges in hillwalking, walking, scooting.

The Guides, aged 10-14, chose a fundraiser as a unit and each member has pledged to try and walk, run or cycle at least 30 miles in the month of October.

Collectively the Turriff girls have set a target of £300, which will fund around 200 badges for the girls in Kenya.

If Girlguiding Staffordshire surpass their fundraising target for badges, the extra money will be used to improve facilities - especially toilets - at the national Shanzu Girlguiding Campsite in Kenya.

Initially the Staffordshire members - who are hoping to travel to Kenya next year to work on community projects - plan to upgrade the existing facilities and if they raise enough money they intend to build a brand new toilet block.

Guide Kirsty Walker said: "We earn lots of badges, which is something we really enjoy doing, but the Guides in Kenya don't have that opportunity.

"Of course we all like to help other people when we can, so this was something that we really wanted to do and it's nice to know that we can help make their centenary special."

If you would like to support the groups in their fundraising, you can donate online at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/3rdturrifbrownieskenya .

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