• Following the stream from Pipers Wait to Bramshaw Woods. The Brownies had to sail their little boat as often as possible down the stream and found some very deep parts of the stream bed and blockages caused by fallen trees. This activity was rated A1.
• An adventure session at Foxlease with climbing, kayaking, fencing, and the Leap of Faith. The Brownies stepped up to challenge of trying activities which they were very apprehensive of doing. All the girls succeed in their own particular challenge and some even surprised themselves!
• Tracking in Bramshaw Wood. The Sixers went off with Brown Owl to lay the signs and then groups followed using the signs to follow them. I have to say my group were brilliant and found the sixers with Brown Owl and Molly the dog and then kept extremely quiet waiting for the others to find us!
• A wide game at Eyeworth in the forest which consisted of the Brownies creeping up on Little Owl without being seen. This proved very challenging for some Brownies who found it hard to keep hidden and kept popping up! More practice there I think!
• A session in Guider Penny Fry's garden. A St George's Day activity in which the Brownies searched for the scales of a Dragon to make a collage. This was followed by a camp fire with songs and toasted Marsh Mallows.
• One of the attractions at the Whiteparish Fete was a Scarecrow Competition. The Brownies entered two Scarecrows which of course were Brownies! One in a canoe (thanks to Michael Foster) and one doing the Leap of Faith from a telegraph pole. WONDERFUL!
• Swimming in Jane Lax's pool. How lucky are we to have such kind people in the village. A big THANK YOU to Jane.
• A Plant Pot Barbecue on Landford Recreation Ground, where the Brownies, with a little help from the Owls (safety first), cooked up cheese dreams and jam doughnuts!
• In Addition to all this we have had lots of active games in Whiteparish and Landford Recreation grounds.

Little Owl here again with the goings on of the 1st Landford Brownie Pack.

The past year has been the Big Brownie Birthday year with lots of exciting happenings and events as well as all our usual activities.

PROMISES

You may not know that we have a new promise which the girls are getting used to.

I promise that I will do my best,
to be true to myself and develop my beliefs,
To serve the Queen and my community,
To help other people and
Keep the Brownie Guide law.

Eight new Brownies have made their promises and we have said goodbye to five, some of whom have gone on to Guides.

BADGES

The Brownies have worked hard and had fun working towards the Big Brownie Challenge Badge. The challenges were based on You, The Community and The World. Activities included learning to finger knit, giving out candles for those who have been or are connected with Guiding to light in their windows on Thinking Day and learning about Brownies in other countries.

Snowy Owl told us all about the guide Centre in Switzerland which is called Our Chalet. For their Hostess Badge girls were involved with the Harvest Service and Lunch at All Saints Church. Invitations were written and given out to family and friends, sunflower table decorations were made and small cakes to be served with tea and coffee. The Brownies took part in the Service and helped with clearing tables at lunch. A record number of people attended and everyone congratulated the girls on their efforts.

Currently we are all working towards the Friend to Animals Badge and the Wildlife Explorer Badge.
Individual Brownies have worked towards badges of their own choice, including Swimmer and Cook.

EVENTS

The main events have been:
The Launch Party which had a Valentine theme.
The Division Big Brownie Birthday Event at Knook Camp. Lots of fun and activities with a sleep over.
Zoom at Wincanton Race Course with street theatre, an activity tent, bouncy castles and slides and much more.
District Day at Fernycroft, a Scout adventure centre near Beaulieu in the New Forest, with Guides Brownies and Rainbows from the Downton district.
Pack Holiday at the PGL Centre on the Isle of Wight, where there were Brownies from all over the country to get to know, and fun things to do.
Celebration of Guiding at Salisbury Cathedral. Five of our Brownies took part in acting out the story of Guiding up to the present day, illustrated with old photos.
The Division Big Brownie Birthday Party at the Guildhall.

All these things happened as well as our usual outdoor activities including a visit to Foxlease to do an adventurous activity, tree climbing or the crate challenge,tracking in Bramshaw Woods, walking to Nomansland playing field through the woods and playing games with our friends from the Nomansland pack, making pictures with materials found in the forest, and much more.

CHRISTMAS

For Christmas this year we made little Christmas cakes in baked bean tins, put on marzipan and then iced and decorated them with a Christmas theme. They looked delicious! We have lots of budding cooks and cake decorators.

Finally for our Christmas treat we went ice skating at Wilton Shopping village, joined by Mums and siblings. Everyone could skate, even Brown Owl ! and although there were a few tumbles, lots of fun was had by all. All the skating gave the Brownies good appetites and we had a very grown up meal with crackers thrown in, to end a super evening. I think all the Mums and Dads who came with us had fun too and enjoyed their meal.

A fitting end to a year which has been A GREAT SUCCESS!

In doing all these tasks and activities, we encourage the girls to be adventurous, help each other overcome personal challenges and have fun with other Brownies, to be involved with their local community, to be part of Guiding in this country and be aware and learn about Guiding in the wider world.

Little Owl

This has been an extremely busy year for the Brownies. We started by finishing off our Seasons Badge.

We made some beautiful leaf pictures using pressed Autumn leaves and made castle sponges with blackberries collected and stored in the freezer. Something always tastes better if you make it yourself and the Brownies certainly liked them.

Christmas card design. - All the Brownies designed a Christmas card for a competition which they hoped they might win but no luck this time.

Speakers Badge – for this badge the girls had to- (1) Present a two minute speech on subjects such as hobbies, events. Activities, pets etc (2)Take part in a discussion or Pow wow. The subject was- ‘Should boys be allowed to join the Brownies?’ There were very good points both for and against. (3) Read a poem chosen from a selection of books, out loud to the pack.

Thinking Day – is when Guides and Brownies think of Lord and Lady Baden Powell Founders of the movement and all the other Brownies in different parts of the world. This year a group went to Bristol to join other Guides and Brownies for a full day of activities including Learning conjuring tricks, circus skills, Bollywood dancing, singing, and bouncy castles.

Osmington Bay – In April Brown Owl took several Brownies to the PGL camp and a good time was had by all.

We had our Spring walk in Mean Wood and spotted many different kinds of plants and flowers, and looked for signs of wildlife. We climbed the hill where it is said there used to be a windmill.

JUBILEE ACTIVITIES

It was decided to have a Jubilee Party and we were very lucky to have the use of Jane Lax’s swimming pool.

We made bunting from triangular pieces of fabric and added suitable designs using fabric pens and hung them around the pool. After great fun in the pool there was a super tea party with food provided by kind Mums. Unfortunately the rain came but the girls were not deterred and found a space on Jane’s kitchen floor to finish off their picnic! However, I think the favourite thing was the hot tub and it was very difficult to get the girls out!! They made a string of bunting especially for Jane to say a BIG, BIG THANK YOU.

Jubilee Party for Sixers and Seconders (older Brownies) – this was held at the Salisbury Academy with Brownies from the division and was a typical tea Party from the 1950s with sandwiches, jelly and ice-cream. There were also activities and crafts relating to the Jubilee.

OLYMPIC ACTIVITIES

Greek Pots – Once again we were lucky to have Roger Harris to teach us how to make a clay pot in the form of a trophy. A design of Olympic rings was painted on the pots before they were fired and they were all very impressive.

Division Olympics – were held in Amesbury where there was an opening ceremony with a parade of flags to represent countries taking part in the Olympics.

Graffiti wall – all the girls were able to add their name and comment about how the Olympics made them feel.

Different races followed such as sprint, obstacle and some fun races also which involved a lot of water!!

OTHER ACTIVITIES have been

A visit from Canine Partners to tell us all about how dogs are trained to help people when life is difficult for them. A labrador puppy which is going to be trained stole the show!!!!

A visit to Bramshaw Woods to do tracking, which is one of the girls’ favourites.

A water sports day at Blashford Lakes with other Brownies. There was dinghy sailing, canoeing, and rowing and the inevitable jump into the water to finish.

Tile painting – the Wiltshire South Guide Centre a t Berwick St James is having a new toilet block and each Brownie had her own tile to decorate with nail varnish! They were then to be used in the new building, helping to give a sense of ownership.

On Your Marks Badge – this badge was inspired by the Olympics. It included:
Making up a group sports game which we did on the Landford Rec.
As a pack, making up a ball game which would involve sending the ball over a high net, only being allowed to sit on the floor and making up the rules of the game. This was to give the girls some idea of what it must be like for disabled athletes.
Trying out a new sport. - The girls chose Synchronised Swimming which they did in the Godolphin School pool. We were lucky to have Penny Fry to teach them some basic moves and in groups they made up their own routines.

PACK HOLIDAY

T his year our Pack Holiday was at Foxlease the Hampshire Guide Centre near Lyndhurst and we were very pleased to be joined by our friends from the Nomansland Brownies. The three days were packed with fun things to do. There was tree climbing using a rope ladder and two of the girls conquered their fears and reached the half way platform , while others went right to top like little monkeys!! These girls liked the climbing wall and when you are up, you have to come down - abseiling. Others prefererd canoeing on the lake and had great fun changing canoes in the middle without falling in. The Zip Wire was also popular.

On the first evening we had a Marathon through the woods but even that was not enough to tire some of them out! There were a few tired Brownies next morning though!

We designed Olympic Stamps in postcard size and posted them to parents and made our own pizzas for lunch. Friendship bracelets were always on the go as were diaries which would help to achieve a Pack Holiday Badge.

We had two birthdays and two birthday cakes with candles and the birthday girls had a ready-made party! The holiday ended with a candle lit procession to a medal ceremony and a sing song in the large Teepee There was much packing and cleaning done the next morning before parents arrived to take us home.

A good time was had by all and new friends were made. I think the holiday will be remembered for a long time.

CHRISTMAS

Lantern Making and Lantern Parade. This Christmas there was a Lantern Parade through Salisbury to the Christmas Market. All the Owls, some Mums and the Brownies made tissue paper lanterns and joined all the other lanterns in the Parade. It was really super to be a part of. Our lanterns were Christmas trees, presents a star and a lantern. The base was made of withies and the covering was tissue paper.

Christmas Crafts This year we made little Christmas trees from felt with a pencil for the stem and bells hung on the branches. We had our usual festive party and looked back at the fun packed year of 2012

Little Owl

There's a new mini-gallery of photos on the website, showing the 1st Landford Brownies who hung their delicately painted Easter eggs on a tree. They each painted an egg with colourful nail polishes, and Russell Sach came along to photograph them all. To see the photos, click here.

Little Owl here with an update on the activities of the first Landford Brownies

Way back at the end of July we said goodbye to Bethan, Emma, Neve and Charlotte. We hope they have a good time with the guides.

In fact Bethan and Emma, came with us when Brown Owl, Little Owl, Florence, Esme and Kirsten went to Foxlease to join many Brownie and Guides from Wiltshire South for two days of Wild West Fun. There were lots of activities to take part in: trails to follow, swimming, line dancing, learning songs from the wild west. We had campfire songs, stories in the Tee Pee, made Dream Catchers and much more.

We shared our house with another pack and the girls made new friends. Our meals were cooked for us by one of the guiders. Very good they were too! We also had another guider to see that we got to where we were supposed to be. She helped us make Indian Headdresses and papooses in which to put our Teddy bears. We had an Indian dress made for us and we were all set for the big party at the end.

We have welcomed several new Brownies and had promise ceremonies for them. One of them took place in Penny Fry’s woodland garden with a real wood, lake and camp fire. We toasted marshmallows on the fire and sang campfire songs by the light of the fire.

Other activities have been working for a special Royal Wedding Badge, which included making a card for William and Kate for which we received a thank you letter from the Palace! Inside were photos of the brownies wearing the wedding hats that they designed

A very successful activity was a watersports session at the Spinnaker Sailing Club at Blashford Lakes near Ringwood which ended with all the Brownies in the water! All the girls were very keen to give everything a go and I think a few fears were overcome.

Remembrance Sunday We learnt about the significance of poppies and made our own from felt and pipe cleaners. We were very pleased that we could present our posy of poppies at the service held at Whiteparish All Saints Church, which made it even more meaningful for the girls to be part of the wider community.

We have started our Autumn Seasons badge and once again we have been lucky to have Mike Bryant to lead us on a Star gazing evening at Pipers Wait. We learnt how find the North Star and other constellations. At home the Brownies have worked on posters and leaflets about animals that hibernate, as part of the badge. We will finish the badge when we make pressed autumn leaf pictures.

Christmas saw us making Chocolate Truffles and we were very lucky to have Roger Harris to come and help us make pottery angels which were painted and fired in his kiln. Each one had its own character and this was a popular activity much appreciated by Mums who were the recipients of the angels.

We ended term with a Christmas Tree Fancy dress party with lots of super goodies to eat donated by kind Mums (many thanks) accompanied by lots of boisterous games. We are looking forward to a new year.

Little Owl

Here I am again to bring you up to date with the happenings of our Centenary Year. Following One World One Beat at the college in Salisbury the girls did part of the One Hundred Challenge by collecting 100 signatures and collecting 20-pence pieces to make into the shape of 100. The money was given to the funds for Haiti and the Sudan.

The next Centenary event was at Berwick St James the Guide Headquarters for Wiltshire South. There were lots of fun games, such as water games, bead bracelet making and other challenges. The main activity was for the Brownies to all take part in making tesserae with the artist Joanna Dewfall, which when put together formed Gruff the Golden Dragon, which, after being finished and varnished, is now displayed on the front wall of the building, to hopefully be there for another hundred years of guiding.

On the most beautiful day in summer, I went with six of the Brownies to a Garden Party in the grounds of the home of Lord and Lady Benson, who has long been involved in the guiding movement. Brown Owl supervised the swimming pool which was the best place on that very hot day. We took part in pole fighting, parachute games, bouncy castle, crystal maze games and best of all water games.

In August was the Big Brownie Take Over of the PGL centre at Osmington Bay. We joined with Nomansland Brownies and all went by coach to Osmington where there were other Brownie packs from other parts of the country. The camp used to be Pontins and we were housed in the chalets. There was great excitement choosing who to be with and unpacking cases. Each pack had a helper and ours was Becky from Nottingham. The girls loved her and they were to be seen following Becky to meals and activities, singing and chanting in the American style. There was great friendly rivalry between the groups. The food was plentiful and good and gave the girls lots of energy to do the activities which included abseiling, trampolining, go-karting, zip wire and other team games. Some of these really tested the confidence of some brownies, but with the encouragement of the instructors and their friends, there was a great feeling of achievement when a task was completed. On the Saturday night there was a grand firework display and the set piece was the Guide Trefoil. The sky over the sea was lit up by the display and it was a wonderful experience.

In September some of us went to Longleat to see the Safari Park and other attractions. In one of our sessions we had made drums out of waste materials and we joined in a special drumming session led by a professional group. It sounded wonderful but very loud! Lord Bath was presented with a waist coat designed and made by guides. Lots of fun was also had getting lost in the maze, and climbing on the fort and some brownies were really challenged when they held a tarantula spider in Pets Corner. I was challenged going through a dark mine which had fruit bats flying and hanging from the ceiling!!!

Our last event was the Renewing of the promise (in my case belatedly making the promise!) at Hamptworth Lodge, with other guides and Brownies from the Downton district. On arriving the girls lit a candle in a jar. They were placed in a circle at the front of the house and looked magical. The senior section guides laid a trail through the woods with 100 numbers and animal pictures. Beads were to be found at some points and the brownies collected them to make a bracelet. On finishing the trail sweets were to be had on bursting a balloon. This led on to the camp fire and a goodie bag, camp fire songs and the renewal of the promise. We were grateful to Hamptworth for allowing us to have such a wonderful setting in which to end a fantastic year. There is no doubt that mixing and meeting with Brownie and Guide packs from all over the county and country, makes you realise what a wonderful organization the Guide Movement is and that the girls are very lucky to be able to belong to it. I’m sure they will remember the centenary year for the rest of their lives. I will.

Following this very busy year the guiders of the Downton District felt they needed to recharge their batteries, so a weekend away at a Guide Centre in mid Wales, Broneirion, was the answer. It is a beautiful Victorian house in beautiful countryside and we all enjoyed walking and taking in the scenery. We also had training sessions with Ruth, with ideas to take back and use in our brownie packs. Mostly they resulted in much laughter as we tried out the activities for ourselves. We did get to know each other much better.

Throughout the summer most of our sessions were outdoors, doing things such as tracking in the forest and playing games in the recreation ground at Landford.

To celebrate St George’s Day we joined with the Scouts and a service in Salisbury was followed by a Fair in Victoria Park, One World One Family, with activities from many countries in the world

We were invited to join in Landford’s Autumn Fair by making a Scarecrow. In fact we made two Brownies, one standing on her head, both in front of a large 100 year sign, to signify the Centenary.

The term ended with a Christmas themed fancy dress party chosen by the girls. They took home the little wooden chest of drawers which they had decorated, the drawers full of sweeties, and the many memories of the great things they had done and the friends they had made in the guide Centenary Year.

Last summer the Brownies and their leaders went on Pack Holiday in Coombe Bissett. The theme chosen was HARRY POTTER and the girls enjoyed fun activities based around this. The highlight was a day out, which began with a morning of outdoor activities at the Avon Tyrrell centre, followed by fun on the beach at Bournemouth, finishing off with fish and chips at Harry Ramsdens!

In the Autumn term there was a trip to the Rapids in Romsey where we all had lots of fun being swept around the rapids and playing swimming games. The Brownies are all ‘Water Babies’

Girl Guiding UK Centenary: 1910—2010

It began with the Launch Party which the Downton District held at Trafalgar school. There were lots of exciting activities including dancing, water games and crafts, which were followed by a party tea the centre piece of which was two cakes decorated with the Guide Trefoil and the Centenary Logo and a hundred gold candles. The tea was enjoyed by all and the party ended with songs around the camp fire lead by Snowy Owl and the ‘piece de resistance’ a grand Firework Display courtesy of Pains Fireworks, where we were joined by friends and family.

Another party was organised by the Division ( Salisbury Area ). It was at the City Hall and several Brownies, Snowy Owl and Brown Owl, enjoyed the Disco with a live band and entertainment from Jonathan the Jester.

Just before Christmas the pack went to the Library in Salisbury to see an exhibition of Crib Scenes from around the world organised by Wiltshire South Division. The scenes had been lent by Libby Purvis, the author and broadcaster and were truly wonderful. After tea at Pizza Hut the girls enjoyed exploring the exhibition looking for the different features from different countries. Also displayed were the winners of a competition for Guides and Brownies to make their own cribs. Some Downton Guides were among the winners.

COMING UP

On 14th February we will have Church Parade at the Methodist Chapel in Landford, where we have our Brownie meetings. Everyone is welcome to come along. This year we will celebrate Thinking Day as One World One Beat, meeting at the college in Salisbury with other Brownies and Guides from around the region.

That is not the end! There are many more things coming up during the year, which we will let you know about. We hope this gives you an idea of how exciting being a Rainbow, Brownie and Guide is. It offers girls many great opportunities but above all ------- it is FUN!

Little Owl

Trip to London.

A group of excited Brownies met at Southampton Airport station for the train journey to Waterloo. Oh,, we did reserve seats! Sorry madam, but we can put you in first class. So despite the awful weather we travelled to London in style. Our first stop was the Houses of Parliament where we had a guided tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The girls were extremely interested in all the history and interesting facts our guide, who herself had been a Brownie, had to tell us. We learnt how the two houses work and saw, the throne where the Queen sits to open Parliament, the woolsack, and portraits of all our past Kings and Queens. We ended the tour in Westminster Hall and left to see the hands of one face of Big Ben whirring round and round! Eventually all faces showed the same time. This was followed by lunch on the Victoria Embankment (the rain had stopped) and a trip down the river to visit The Tower of London. We were lucky enough to see the bridge open to let an old Thames Sailing Barge go through. This was followed by a brief train ride and a visit to Pizza Express. A good time was had by all and the girls were a pleasure to be with.

Radio Day

As part of our Communicator Badge some of the Brownies went to Chandlers Ford where, with the help of a Guider and Itchen Valley Radio Club, we joined in a Jamboree of the Air and were able to talk to people near Birmingham, who were in an old windmill, and even to someone in New York State, although this was very faint. The girls learnt how to spell their name in the Phonetic Alphabet and made a bead bracelet to represent the name in Morse code. We have also been texting our Brownie friends in Nomansland.

Other Activities

We took part in the Village Service in Landford Church on 14th October and showed how we begin our meetings with a Brownie Ring around the toadstool, singing the Brownie song.

Autumn leaves inspired the girls to make leaf pictures of an animal or person which would have graced any gallery.

Star Gazer Badge . Unfortunately the weather prevented our visit to the Southampton Observatory but Mike Bryant came to explain the workings of the solar system with help of lamps, a polystyrene ball and the Brownies!

Halloween Activities included making a stained glass pumpkin and bobbing for apples.

Christmas s aw us making presents, sparkly Christmas tree shaped boxes with chocolates inside and Christmas tree cards using felt and more sparkle!

Our party took the form of a Teddy Bear’s Night, which I was sorry to miss.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Our newest Brownies will make their promise.
• Valentine’s Day cards. SHhhh!
• There will be a Thinking Day Service
• We’ll be making Mother’s Day items. SHhhh!
• Easter activities

Little Owl

The 2006 autumn term started with the Brownies of the First Landford Pack completing work to achieve their Brownie Pack Holiday Badges. This year, twenty four Brownies had a fun-packed weekend at the Wiltshire Guide Headquarters, in the old school at Berwick St James. Eight of the older Brownies braved the inclement weather (thunder, lightning, rain!!) in a tent in the grounds accompanied by two guiders. Activities centred on the theme 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and included a physical activity course, a scavenger hunt in the local countryside, cooking, and clay work to produce a name plaque. All great fun, but totally exhausting!!! Brownies have lots of energy.

Also this term, six new Brownies will take their Promise and we will be doing some star gazing as part of the Seasons Badge. The Brownies have already made beautiful Autumn leaf collages.

We were very pleased to be invited to take part in the Christmas Tree Festival at Landford Church from December 8th to 10th, and our tree will be decorated on the theme of 'Away in a manger' Do come along to see ours, and all the other trees.

Happy Christmas to everyone from the First Landford Brownie Pack!

RAINBOWS is for girls from 5 years, and we meet on Wednesday evenings. Contact Penny Grayer on 390 484.

BROWNIES is for girls from 7 years, and we meet on Tuesday evenings. Contact Chris Ellis on 884868.

GUIDES is for girls from 10 years, and we meet on Thursday evenings. Contact Pat Nash on 390489.

Although there are plenty of young girls keen to join Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, the number of adult leaders has dwindled over the last few years, so much so that units have had to combine or close.

Our District, which covers Downton, Redlynch, Nomansland, Landford and Whiteparish, is in need of more leaders. It can only be a few hours each week helping to teach young girls a wide spectrum of activities, from road safety to camping, and how to work as a team. You don’t need specialist skills, and you don’t need to have been a Guide yourself, but liking children is an advantage! If you are interested in helping, please get in touch with our District Commissioner Chris Ellis on 01794 884868 (chrisllis@hotmail.co); she would be delighted to hear from you. You can also contact your local Rainbow/Brownie/Guide Unit.