Girlguiding in the news
Catch up on some of the latest big mentions of Girlguiding in the press
Originally published 14 February 2025.
We're spreading the word about the issues girls face, and how we're working to help all girls know they can do anything.
Check out some of our recent press coverage below.
27 May: Girlguiding Celebrates Volunteers' Week
We love to shout out about our brilliant volunteers all year round, but a particularly good time for it is National Volunteers' Week in June. This year our annual event dedicated to showcasing volunteers, Girlguiding Celebrates, takes place at the end of the week, so we've been sharing stories with the press about some of the wonderful volunteers who will be attending.
Among those at Girlguiding Celebrates are recipients of the Queen's Guide Award, Laurel Award, Silver Fish Award, Guiding Star Awards, Peer educators who have a gold pin, and volunteers nominated to attend.
Press coverage will be coming in steadily over the weeks around the event and we have already started to secure some, including in the Northern Echo, Southern Daily Echo, and another piece in the Southern Daily Echo.
21 May: A Million Acts of Hope
For the past 10 years, Burley Brownies have been hard at work fundraising with their annual celebrity bookmark campaign. At the beginning of the year the girls of 1st Burley Brownies and their leaders write letters to their favourite authors, illustrators and celebrities asking them to doodle a bookmark.
In May each year the bookmarks are gathered and auctioned online to raise as much money as possible for Katiyo Primary School in Zimbabwe.
They also drum up lots of regional coverage of their own, like this piece in the Ilkley Gazette.
This year we also submitted their story to First News as part of the Million Acts of Hope campaign, which is spotlighting activities to remind Britain that hope can be louder than hate. The story was featured in the First News app which reaches 2million+ readers.
2 April: More on the proposed social media ban
Last month we released research which revealed a snapshot of young people's views on the proposed social media ban, which is currently under consultation by the government.
We want to make sure girls' voices are being heard in this important debate, and we invited Sky News down to Girlguiding HQ where they spoke to advocates Freya, Imogen, and Kashuf.
Watch the interview on the Sky News website.
We also secured an op-ed feature in the Big Issue magazine, written by advocate Ellen, 17.
Read what Ellen had to say on the Big Issue website.
1 April 2026: Safety on public transport
Data from the 2025 Girls' Attitudes Survey told us that over half (56%) of girls and young women aged 11-21 don’t feel safe on public transport on their own. We have been working to drive change in this area and have secured some press coverage on the topic.
Advocate Freya spoke to Good Housekeeping for an in-depth article on the dangers faced by girls and women on public transport. You can read the piece on the Good Housekeeping website.
We have also been working closely with the rail industry and British Transport Police, who have recently launched new measures to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
You can read more about their commitment here on the Rail Delivery Group website.
2 March 2026: Social media ban for under-16's
We asked boys and girls aged 10-16 across the UK what they think about a potential social media ban. The research found young people recognise the harm social media content can cause, but they don't all agree that a blanket ban for under 16s is the answer.
Girlguiding is urging decision makers to listen to young people’s views during the consultation. The new research was reported on in 75 media outlets including Daily Express, The i Newspaper, LBC News, and GB News.
Daily Express
'Law won't make us feel safe'
Fewer than one in six young people said a social media ban would make them feel safer online, a survey found.
But almost three quarters (72%) of children aged 10 to 16 believe social media companies need to do more to protect users in a poll for Girlguiding.
Nearly a quarter (24%) of the 2,000 young people polled did not feel in control of what appeared on their feed and two in five (40%) had seen violent or upsetting videos. Despite this, only 15% believed that a ban would actually make them feel safer.
The i Paper
Scepticism over social media ban
By Jasmine Norden
Fewer than one in six young people say a social media ban would make them feel safer online, a survey has found.
More than seven in 10 children aged 10 to 16 said social media companies need to do more to protect young people in a poll for Girlguiding, but only 15 per cent said a ban, currently being consulted on by the Government, would actually make them feel safer online.
Imogen, 15, a Girlguiding advocate, said: "Should a ban come in, 16-year-olds would end up entering the digital world without any guidance to navigate it safely, which could be more dangerous and harmful.
"Platforms need to be made safer and young people be provided with the right online safety education."
Just over half of those surveyed said a ban would be ineffective, as under-16s would find a way to get into social media platforms anyway.
15 February 2026: Warrington Guide Poppy campaigns for inclusive park equipment
Thirteen-year-old Poppy from 2nd Prescot Guides in Merseyside has been calling on government to make parks more accessible for wheelchair users like herself, as part of her 'Campaigning' badge.
Poppy says current play equipment prevents her from enjoying time at the park with her three younger sisters. She is now calling on the government to increase funding for local authorities to install inclusive play equipment, such as wheelchair swings, wheelchair roundabouts, in-ground trampolines, and lower basketball hoops.
You can listen here to Poppy speaking about her campaign on BBC Radio Manchester until 17 March 2026
You can also read about Poppy's campaign in the Warrington Guardian
29 December 2025: King's New Year honours
Many of our wonderful volunteers have been recognised in the King's New Year honours for their incredible work, providing exceptional experiences for girls and young women in guiding.
Among those honoured was our chief guide Tracy Foster! Chief Guide Tracy Foster OBE has been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours for her services to Girlguiding as a volunteer supporting girls and young women over the past 40 years. Tracy was interviewed on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, speaking her many years in guiding.
You can read more about Tracy's honour on BBC online and in the Peterborough Telegraph
27 November 2025: Big Gig first lineup reveal
This week we saw the first reveal of one of the acts set to perform at Big Gig in 2025!
The Wanted 2.0 will be playing, and to announce it, the band's very own Max George visited units in Manchester where he was quizzed about life as a popstar and helped the Guides and Rangers earn their Music and Fandoms badges.
You can read more about his visit in the Daily Star, Daily Mirror, Manchester Evening News, GB News, Ireland Live, or the Stroud News & Journal:
17 November 2025: Interview with Girlguiding CEO
Our new CEO Felicity Oswald had her first media interview on behalf of Girlguiding earlier this month. She spoke to the Press Association about online safety, and called on social media firms to do more to keep girls and young women safe amid rising levels of misogyny and sexism.
Her interview was picked up widely by the press, with over 200 total pieces of coverage. This includes articles in The Times, The i, Daily Mail, Independent, Daily Express, and multiple mentions on LBC Radio. It was also picked up by 186 regional titles.
20 October 2025: Black History Month
To celebrate Black History Month, we spoke to the designer of this year's stunning badge. Artist Cherelle Brown told us all about the inspiration behind the imagery and press were keen to hear what she had to say.
We secured some lovely coverage which you can see here in Charity Today and The Week Junior.
23 September 2025: Girls’ Attitudes Survey
We recently launched this year’s Girls’ Attitudes Survey. The survey revealed how the persistent threat of sexism, misogyny and harassment is impacting girls’ everyday lives and affecting their confidence, mental health and wellbeing. We found that in the past year, a staggering 68% of girls aged 11-21 have changed their everyday behaviour to avoid sexual harassment – when they’re out, at school and online.
The research also revealed:
- 1 in 10 (10%) girls aged 11-16 have missed school to avoid sexual harassment and nearly a quarter (24%) have stopped or reduced how much they speak up in class in fear of abuse
- 86% of girls aged 11-21 have avoided going out when dark to keep themselves safe
- Over half (56%) of girls and young women aged 11-21 say they don’t feel safe on public transport on their own
- 70% of girls and young women aged 11-21 say they have stood up for other girls experiencing sexism or misogyny
Our ambassador, Ashley James, was interviewed on ITV This Morning, while other outlets such as The Guardian, The Independent, Stylist and London Evening Standard also covered the news.
27 August 2025: ODEON partnership panel event
As part of Girlguiding's partnership with ODEON, we teamed up to explore the impact that positive and accurate depictions of mental health in films can have on girls. Together we commissioned research which found that while two thirds (68%) of girls aged 11-18 in the UK say they would feel more comfortable talking about mental health after seeing characters on screen with mental health conditions, only only 49% of girls believed mental health is often presented on screen in a way that feels real and respectful.
Advocates Katie and Staci chaired a panel of experts from ODEON, Mind, Young Minds, and the British Board of Film Classification to discuss the important topic in front of an audience of young members at ODEON Luxe West End.
We invited the Independent along to the discussion and you can read all about it here:
Read the Independent article about Girlguiding and ODEON's mental health panel
In one of our most exciting campaigns this year, we've launched 72 new interest badges. So far we've secured over 400 pieces of media coverage and counting, with highlights including CBBC Newsround, BBC Breakfast, Sky News, ITV News, Daily Mirror, The Times, Daily Express, and Daily Star.
Helping us launch the badges was our brand new ambassador, Angellica Bell. She joined forces with Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers at Topstones Girlguiding activity centre in Leicestershire. With the help of local volunteers, we hosted a day of badge activities where Newsround and the Press Association captured footage to share with national press.
82nd Doncaster Rangers and their leaders have been working hard to help us tease the new gardening badge ahead of launch. Available to Rangers, this badge was developed with expert partners the Royal Horticultural Society.
To show this badge in action, the Rangers designed and planted a ‘community cube’ feature for the debut RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse.
At the show they spoke to press and the public, letting everyone know how much fun they’ve had working on this project. Their feature, called ‘Girlguiding Grows’ was based on the Girlguiding programme theme and was featured on BBC Gardeners’ World, BBC Radio Sheffield, Yorkshire Post, Rotherham Advertiser, and Pro Landscaper magazine.
Check out the garden on the Royal Horticultural Society’s Instagram feed
Today is the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and teams across Girlguiding have been busy working on marking the moment this week in the press:
Girlguiding researched and secured a fantastic case study feature in the Daily Express. The piece details the work completed by the Girlguiding International Service (GIS) after VE Day in 1945, offering aid and relief in Europe once peace was announced.
Here's a preview of the article, read the full piece here.
Guide and Ranger, Elodie and Gabby, took part in the Parade and Procession on Monday and were interviewed live on BBC Radio 5Live, please listen here from 2:48:00.
Guides Thea, Ruby and Isobel, who also took part in the procession, were also featured on Tuesday morning’s CBBC Newsround. All guides participating in the parade were featured on BBC One during the procession.
Guides Naru and Chloe, who attended the Westminster Service of thanksgiving, were interviewed live on this morning’s CBBC Newsround: Watch Newsround - BBC Newsround.
To tease the upcoming launch of 3 of the 72 new interest badges, we invited the one and only Dame Jacqueline Wilson to learn all about the Book Reviewer badge that will be coming out for Brownies.
She made a surprise visit to 2nd Cliftonville Brownies in Margate to show them her brand new book, the Seaside Sleepover, and to find out what activities Brownies will need to do to complete the badge when it launches.
We secured interest from BBC Breakfast, who sent a crew down to capture footage of the visit, and then invited Deputy Chief Guide Sally Kettle and Advocate Hannah onto the sofa to talk even more about the new badges, and to highlight how Girlguiding has evolved over the years to continue to meet girls' needs.
The Children’s Commissioner is calling on the government to introduce a total ban on apps that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images of children.
Her report cites research Girlguiding commissioned in line with Safer Internet Day earlier this year.
The commissioner's calls have been widely covered by press, and the Guardian included data from our research, which you can see below.
For Earth Day this year, we announced 2 exciting pieces of news. First, that environmental scientist Laura Young, known as Less Waste Laura, has come on board as our first ever Environment ambassador. Laura was named Scottish Influencer of the Year by Scottish Influencer Awards in 2024, following her successful campaign to ban disposable vapes in September 2022.
Laura recently met with Guides and Rangers in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire to help launch our second exiting news, our brand new Eco awards!
We worked with National Geographic Kids on some wonderful content which went out on their social media channels and their website.
Check out the full National Geographic Kids article.
Laura was also interviewed by the Daily Mirror, where she spoke about the Eco Awards.
Check out the full Daily Mirror article.
13 April 2026: About the Girls
BBC Radio 4 has created a new season of programming dedicated to exploring the pressures, hopes and profound challenges shaping the lives of teenage girls today. Members of Girlguiding's advocate panel helped to shape the 5-part radio series About the Girls - sharing their insights and experiences about what it means to be a teenage girl in 2026.
You can read an in-depth article about the series, or listen to the full episodes on the BBC website.
Keen listeners may have heard clips on Monday's BBC Radio 5Live breakfast show or on Woman's Hour.
