A South Ayrshire Ranger unit were able to embark on a “Highland adventure” of a lifetime and join up with 4 Guide units. 

Girls from 1st Crosshill Rangers partnered up with 1st Crosshill Guides, 1st Girvan Guides, 16th Ayr Guides and 2nd Ayr Guides and headed up north to PGL Dalguise in Perthshire last October. In true guiding fashion, the girls and leaders were split into mixed groups and were able to enjoy climbing challenges and they also had the opportunity to form new and lasting friendships.

The excursion was made possible by the Good Guiding Fund, which awarded the Ranger unit £450 to help reduce the costs for both young members and leaders. The money also enabled young members from the Ranger unit to continue to benefit from guiding despite the cost-of-living crisis. Girls from 1st Crosshill Guides also attended the trip, also having received support from the Good Guiding Fund. 

Speaking about the trip Claire Bryan, unit leader at 1st Crosshill Rangers, said: “We ran a trip to PGL Dalguise in Highland Perthshire – in response to years of requests from the girls asking to go there! The cost was a big concern for us, which is partly why we chose to go ‘off season’ in October. We fundraised to cover the cost of the coach to get us there from South Ayrshire, but the cost for all of us was still a concern. Thanks to the Good Guiding Fund we were able to reduce the costs for our young members, and for 2 leaders who were worried about the costs as well. We had decided that the trip leaders would pay the same as the girls in order to keep the costs down, but 1 of our leaders is a student and another had recently had to leave her job – so this funding was a real lifeline which allowed these amazing volunteers to be part of the trip.” 

Jackie Bryan, unit leader at 1st Crosshill Guides and who led the trip to PGL Dalguise, commented: “The girls have wanted to go to PGL Dalguise for such a long time. The cost of transport to and from PGL was just too much for us to take on ourselves. However, joining up with our friends at 1st Girvan Guides, 16th Ayr Guides and 2nd Ayr and sharing travel costs made our ‘Highland Adventure’ possible. We always ask our girls ‘what do you want to do?’ They told us they wanted ‘adventurous activities’. PGL certainly provided us with lots of exciting activities. Ayrshire South covers a very large geographical area and this trip gave rural units a chance to mix with town units. (We all operate slightly differently, and that’s okay). The girls and leaders were split into mixed groups for activities, thus giving girls and leaders a chance to get to know one another. Having the opportunity to form new friendships while taking part in activities, I feel, is what Girlguiding is all about. Camps and residentials can be very stressful for leaders, all that organising and cooking! It was so nice to have all that taken care of and not have to worry about timetabling and food requirements. PGL were so organised, taking care of allergies, diabetics and food intolerances. We have worked with Girvan and Ayr Units before to deliver trips and activities together that we may not have been able to do as a unit on our own. We are lucky to have such lovely and likeminded leaders elsewhere in the county that are happy to collaborate with us on projects like this, which in turn provides opportunities that the girls may not otherwise have.” 

The Good Guiding Fund is available to units, districts and divisions across Scotland and supports good quality local guiding. This can mean providing funding for rent and subscriptions to uniform and resources or trips in Scotland or beyond. The fund will open twice per year over the next 3 years, supported by The Gannochy Trust. 

Since the Good Guiding Fund was created in 2021, more than £361,000 of funding has been awarded to units, districts, divisions and counties. To find out more about how your unit can benefit from the Good Guiding Fund, visit the grants, funding and projects page of the Girlguiding Scotland website. 

You can read about the Good Guiding Fund and find out about the next set of application dates here.