10th Hitchin (Christchurch) Guide Company

Welcome to the 10th Hitchin Guides webpage!

In our unit, we have 4 patrols. They are called Roses, Shamrocks, Daffodils and Daisies. They each have a Patrol Leader and a Patrol Second, and if we are doing a challenge or a team activity then we often work in patrols. In our unit, there are currently two leaders and a young leader. Between them we have an outdoor camp licence and are about to try to obtain an indoor licence. This means our leaders can take our guides (and another unit) on camps away :)

Our unit still taking part in the Great Patrol Hunt and at the end of 03-04 we were second!!! The last round was “Patrolympics”. Our unit are pleased with the result after several years of not particularly good results - although as long as we beat the church scout unit we can't really complain! If any Christchurch Scouts are reading this, get a team together! We need competition!

We are linked with two other units in our district - 19th and 15th Hitchin guides. We tend to camp with them and join on some activities, such as our Intercompany Challenges. We hold rounds roughly three times a year, and have a winning company at the end of the year. We have had rounds such as fashion shows, themed craft evenings and quizzes.

Whilst on camp we often join with the other two units and sleep in tents of 4-6. Tents are either Icelandic type tents or “pop-up” tents (lightweight tents). Icelandics feel more like you are camping and are bigger, but many people opt for easier, lighter tents. Each patrol, which is generally the same people as in your tent, has a duty which is rotated every few meals. These involve health, water, cooks etc. Each guide also takes her turn in washing her own (and her Guider's) plates. We do activities which may include a hunt, rock climbing, canoeing etc. We also have a rest hour (or as long as the leaders require) each day as there's not too much sleeping going on at night...however the leaders only let us get away with so much talking... However a camp cannot be a camp with out a campfire. Everyone gathers around a fire and sings very silly songs, possibly wearing all their badges (collected from tuck shops at previous camps) on a blanket. It is all finished off with toasting marshmallows on the hot embers from the fire – particularly good sandwiched between two chocolate digestives, chocolate side in. Yum! Guides tend to go home very cold and tired, but happy and eagerly awaiting next year.

Each year, each girl receives a Challenge Badge - a different colour every year (the new Trefoil badges for anyone familiar with the old programme). This is providing you have taken part in the correct activities which will all be included in your programme for the year – you generally just need to turn up regularly.

Each member of each patrol also has a patrol emblem to show which one they belong to.

Every girl has the option to take an interest badge for any number of the interests they have. There is a vast number of options for these – artist, musician, swimmer etc. The guide (providing she has passed) is then presented with a colourful cloth badge. The down side is that the girl's parents often expect her to sew her own badges onto her uniform.

We do not have a church affiliated Ranger unit, but we do have a local unit which girls can move on to once they are too old for Guides. They are not particularly popular, but this is largely down to lack of information provided to girls...they occasionally go scuba diving etc. so if you are over 14 come and join us!

Uniform for guides is really fairly lenient – all we are asked to wear is a uniform top (unless attending a special occasion).

One of our favourite games at guides involves 2 lines of chairs, two rolled up newspapers and a ball. Each girl takes a chair and makes two equal rows facing each other. They sit on their chair and are given a number which will be the same as the number of the player diagonal from them on the other team. When their number is called, they will pick up their team's newspaper roll and try and score in their goal, which will be located at one end of the rows. They then sit back down and a new number is called. The winners are the most goal scoring team at the end. If a round goes on too long, the leader may shout out a new number and the old players will swap with the new.

The Guide Promise is:

I promise that I will do my best

to love my God

to serve my Queen and my country

to help other people

and to keep the Guide law.

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