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GGEW NEWS SUMMER 2014
Assistant County Commissioner
Chris Skinner was taken by suprise
at the 2nd Corringham Scout and
Guide AGM last month. Kim
Newman, regional director of
Operation Shoebox came along to
the evening to present Chris with a
special
award to thank her for organising
shoeboxes for troops overseas for
the past four years during which
time she and the group have filled
hundreds of boxes for our soldiers
at Christmas.
As always, the group staged a
great show to entertain parents
and visitors invollving all sections in the group
New Leaders had their very own day of training and
learning at the St Peters Church Harold Wood in May.
Trainers were on
hand to help
with all aspects
of the Leader
programme and
they were able
to try their hand
at some new
skills too. These
included making
ice cream in a
plastic bag - a
very popular
base this one!
COUNTY
CONTACTS
COUNTY PRESIDENT
Avril Brampton
01279 724744
[email protected]
COUNTY COMMISSIONER
Jan Knight
07973 144260
[email protected]
Nineteen girls attended the Baden Powell weekend at
Grangewaters in March from Guide Units in Cranham Park,
Upminster, Hornchurch, Gidea Park, Romford and Ongar
ASSISTANT
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Chris Skinner
01375 671051
[email protected]
Ann Matthews
[email protected]
The picture below shows our very talented Rainbows,
Brownies and Guides taking part in Dunmow District Guidings Got
Talent.
mobile: 07778 994543
COUNTY TREASURER
David Brampton
01279 724744
[email protected]
They took part in raft building, survival skills where they
learnt how to start fires without the use of matches, and how
to collect water where there were no taps, rivers, lakes etc
They made dream catchers from wildlife and decorated
them and hung from their cabins. We had a campfire where
they made and cooked dampers
Sunday morning, they tried some decopage decorating
treasure chests
Amanda Ranson
PUBLIC RELATIONS and
NEWSLETTER
David Henderson
01375 376460
davidh@26kingedward
.freeserve.co.uk
The Mayor and Mayoress were judges along with a leader from
Scouts. They all said how hard it was to judge as the talent was so
good. The overall winners from 3rd Dunmow Brownies performed
a gymnastics routine.
Our Picture on the left shows the happy ‘campers’ of the 1st
North Stifford Brownie Pack at the end of a great weekend at
Chigwell in June. Parents were invited to join with the
Brownies for a picnic and lots of fun and games at the end of
their Pack Holiday
THE GIRLGUIDING ESSEX WEST NEWSLETTER is published three times a year
for Leaders, Advisers, Members and supporters of Girlguiding in Essex West.
Editor:- David Henderson,
e-mail: [email protected] 01375 376460
and printed in-house by Girlguiding Essex West, Suite S1, Bates Business Centre
Church Road, Harold Wood, Romford, RM3 0JF
PERIODIC NEWSLETTER FOR GIRLGUIDING ESSEX WEST
COUNTY OFFICE
ADDRESS
Girlguiding Essex West
Suite S1
Bates Business Centre
Church Road
Harold Wood
Romford, RM3 0JF
Sylvia
Monday-Friday
9am to1pm
Please note office will be
part time until 1st
September
office@
girlguidingessexwest.
org.uk
01708
373746
SUMMER 2014
Brentwood Guide’s Birmi n g h a m B o r d e r a t
Gardener’s World Live 20 1 4
ack in November last year (aged just 14), I
submitted a design for the Hampton Court
Palace Flower Show 2014. The concept
gardens this year have the theme of the seven
deadly sins; I chose “Wrath”. After selection I was
contacted by the show manager who told me that if
I had been over 16 I would have been successful.
He recommended that I submit a design for the
Beautiful Borders category at Gardener’s World
Live 2014 to be staged at
the NEC in Birmingham. A
frantic period of research
and design followed to get
the submission in by
Valentine’s Day. Two
weeks later I found that my
design was one of 18
successful entrants from a
field of over 120! We immediately began growing
plants, all with a Birmingham link, such as ‘Blue
Hobbit’, ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Shirley’. We also
persuaded my school to allow me some time off,
which luckily they did, saying it was amazing work
experience.
At last the 6th June arrived. We loaded our
rented van, everything just about fit, and set off for
Birmingham. The next morning we drove into the
NEC, wearing our high visibility jackets and steel
toe-cap boots, and were given a tour by show
manager Jenny Jenner. Finally we were shown
our three metre by three metre wooden border
filled to the brim with soil. We unloaded and set to
work excavating the soil as we needed to place the
edging for the canals (which we had pre-built in the
back garden). We excavated in four stages as the
edging was in four pieces. This was hard and dirty
work – not helped by the thunderstorms which
periodically soaked us to the skin! Eventually the
canals were all in place and the bright blue pond
liner stapled in.
Next we erected the rusty black scaffolding
poles and placed the plants in their correct
positions which corresponded to where their
names appear on the map of Birmingham. For
example, the Juncus effusus spiralis (Corkscrew
Rush) and Salix Tortuosa (Twisted Willow) to
represent Spaghetti Junction were placed to the
north east of the border and all the chocolate
B
themed plants (Chocolate Cosmos, Chocolate
Mint, Heuchera “Chocolate Ruffles”, Sunflower
“Chocolate”, Digitalis “Milk Chocolate”, etc. went to
the west where Cadbury’s are based. We
then planted the plants, laid the turf and
scattered bark to cover up the bare soil
(lesson learned!). Finally we placed the
slate in the shape of the motorway and
stood back to admire the effect. All this
had taken four full and exhausting days.
Judging day arrived. We had two
hours to adjust the border: we removed
dead leaves, cleaned out the canal (ag ain),
watered the plants and panicked about the fact
that the canal had leaked and flooded the ground
around us! We decided to leave it as the blue
pond liner showed that it was meant to be water
and left.
As instructed we returned six hours later to find
… nothing on our border! A quick look round told
us that no one else had anything either, so it was
alright. We waited … and waited … and waited!
Finally a man came around, trying in vain to find
the correct borders and placing the medals
achieved on them.
I had won an RHS Bronze Medal! At my very
first show!
An hour later we received the feedback from
the judging panel. Mine was positively constructive and very encouraging which was very helpful
as half the reason I was doing it was for the
knowledge and experience.
Over the next few days we explored the show
and explained my border to interested visitors.
Until finally on the last day we sold off some of the
plants, collected all the slate and poles, loaded the
van, got our border signed off and left. It was an
excellent experience and I really hope I get the
opportunity to do another one soon. Next stop,
Chelsea!
Penny Walker, RHS Bronze Medallist,
Brentwood Guide
Website: www.girlguidingessexwest.org.uk