Brownies Visit Former Girlguiding Members at Royal British Legion’s Galanos House

Ahead of Remembrance Day, 3^rd Southam Brownies visited residents of The Royal British Legion care home, Galanos House in Southam, Warwickshire, to hear about their time in the British Armed Forces and memories of Brownies and Guides.

During the special visit the Brownies, aged between seven and ten years, met residents, Georgina 97, Margaret 91, Barbara 93 and Margaret 86. The Brownies enjoyed listening to stories about the former Girlguiding members’ own experiences and memories of their time in Girlguiding. They compared their different badges and favourite activities.

They also heard about what it was like to serve in the Armed Forces and took part in a co-created activity developed by Girlguiding and the Royal British Legion, called Stones of Remembrance where they decorated stones with images and messages to commemorate the upcoming Remembrance Day. 

Angela Dunkley, unit leader of 3rd Southam Brownies said: “The girls loved visiting Galanos House today, as did I! The women we met had such interesting stories about their time in guiding and loved hearing about how guiding has changed over the years.”

After the session, all the girls and the residents were given the 2023 Girlguiding Remembrance Badge. This year, Girlguiding have introduced two new badges which tell the fascinating story of the contributions made by the guides to the First World War efforts, represented through the MI5 agent, Olive.

Olive represents all the brave and dedicated Guides that worked diligently at MI5 during the First World War.  Each badge comes with a card telling the full story.

The Royal British Legion and Girlguiding equally split all profits from the annual badge. This 4-year partnership has raised more than £180,000 for RBL since 2019.

The money raised helps RBL to support over 22,000 veterans and their families every year, from providing expert advice and financial assistance to aiding recovery and rehabilitation from injury.

For Girlguiding, funds help the organisation to provide more girls with fun, friendship, challenge and adventure. Girlguiding empowers girls to find their voice, inspiring them to discover the best in themselves and to make a positive difference in their community. 

Girlguiding and The Royal British Legion are proud to be working together to support the Armed Forces community and help girls explore the importance of Remembrance. Girlguiding Remembrance Day badges can be found here: Remembrance Poppy woven badge and info card 2023 | Official Girlguiding shop

To find out more about Remembrance visit www.rbl.org.uk/teachingremembrance