Louise Lightbody, 58, has reached the end of her 5-year term as county commissioner for East Renfrewshire. In that time, she has dedicated her time to helping girls develop new skills, working alongside her county team to deliver incredible events and building friendships with other commissioners.

We sat down with Louise to find out more about her experience of the role.

What have you enjoyed about being a commissioner?
I enjoy working as part of a team because it’s not just me – it’s teamwork. I also enjoy the camaraderie between all the district commissioners, we’ve got a good rapport and I think we always have done. I’m now at the end of my role and I can see future members coming through which is fantastic. I enjoy the friendship of being a county commissioner and meeting other county commissioners. I organised a lot of events in my role and just seeing the take-up with our younger members is fantastic. I do it for the girls – that’s why I’m in it.

Thinking back to the beginning of your role, what inspired you to take it on and has it been what you expected?
I’m a Covid county commissioner because I took it on in June 2020. I was assistant county commissioner and have been on the executive board for a long time. I was assistant county commissioner to Christine Mailley and she was a great county commissioner – we got on very well. Obviously, you have to be voted in so I feel privileged and honoured to have been county commissioner for East Renfrewshire and I thank the people that voted for me. I feel it was a natural transition so it didn’t seem as daunting as I’d been involved in our county before that.

How did you find navigating the role of a commissioner alongside your personal life and other commitments?
Before I took it on, I didn’t say yes right away. I spoke to my husband and 3 daughters and said that I needed their support. If I didn’t have that then I probably would have thought differently about it. They were there to support me – Girlguiding is a huge part of my life and always has been since I was a Brownie over 50 years ago. I juggle the role because I work as a fitness instructor so my hours aren’t constant. When I get a chance to come home, I decide I’m going to have a day doing some guiding work. I’m lucky that I don’t work full-time so I do get the odd chance during the day to catch up. I try not beat myself up about it – I can only do it when I can.

Was it always a natural path that you’d end up volunteering with Girlguiding?
I think it was. I was a Brownie in Girvan and then I came up to Netherlee and was still a Brownie before I ended up joining the Guides. I then ended up joining the Rangers and helping out with the Guides before becoming a volunteer with the Guide unit. I was there for a long time and then I ended up moving to Eaglesham. I was expecting my first child so I took a break. I then saw a callout on the local community news grapevine looking for Guide leaders in Eaglesham. 25 years ago I took over that and I’m still there – I think it’s in my blood!

What advice do you have for prospective commissioners? Do you recommend the role?
If you are taking on a county commissioner role, make sure you’ve got some good bodies to form a team – it’s a team effort and without my team I couldn’t have done it. Having experience of the executive and how the county is run is a good thing. I do feel you have to have a bit of experience to take on the role.

What do you feel is the most important part of being a commissioner?
I like to involve everybody where I can, whether it be volunteers or our young members. If somebody wants to join us then we should make them feel welcome – I think a warm welcome to all volunteers and young members is very important because we want them to stay and have fun and we want to provide a safe space for all the girls.

What do you feel is the most challenging part of the role?
There’s always challenges – in a women’s organisation not everyone does get on with everybody. I try treat everybody the way that I would want to be treated. I don’t really like confrontation but it’s one of the jobs that you have to do. If I can’t deal with it, I know I can go to Girlguiding Scotland and get help there so I do feel I am supported.

How are you feeling about finishing the role?
I’m excited to finish but I’m also feeling a bit sad. I do know our new county commissioner will be great – she’ll take the county on and lead it. I feel I’m ready now, it’s time for somebody else to take over the reins. I’ll still continue to volunteer with my unit.