Ellen Tasker is a volunteer at the 156th City of Edinburgh Guide unit. After offering her support to the unit during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, she has since taken on a leadership role alongside her 16-year-old daughter May Gatward. The pair support the young members to be more confident, be bold and build lasting friendships. 

The bond between Ellen and May has also grown stronger since embarking on their volunteering journey alongside each other, with Ellen explaining that she has found the experience of watching May take on a leadership position as “rewarding”. 

She said: “For me, it’s really nice to be able to spend time with May with her being a bit independent as well. I think I expect a lot more of her than I do the other young leaders to the point that it’s probably a little unfair – but she never disappoints! I have found it really rewarding and interesting seeing how good she’s been at taking on responsibility but also particularly when we were so short of leaders. She’s able to read me very well so that can be really helpful. She can see when I’m getting stressed out about something or when I’m happy or sad about something as well. [Being involved as a leader] does help for me to know more about the opportunities than if I was just being a parent. I know I can trust May to be leading a group of girls and I really like seeing May getting on with other leaders and being able to make positive relationships with older women as well. It’s really lovely to be involved – it keeps me young!” 

Speaking about being a young leader, May said: “You’re helping people, you’re organising things and you’re learning how to lead a group which are skills that can be applied in most places. When I became a young leader, because I’d been part of this Guide unit, it was really quite interesting but it helped. From being at school, I feel there’s a lot of people that I know that could have benefitted through going to Guides and gaining that confidence you get through having to be able to lead people but in a safer environment. 

Ellen has also gained confidence from volunteering with Girlguiding. She explained: “I do get an awful lot out of [volunteering] and I like making the kids get outside and push themselves – I want them to have the advantages I had growing up in a different generation. I’ve met some really lovely people. It’s given me confidence. I tripped upon it by accident and it’s actually become something really important to me. It’s a really lovely thing to share with May. 

May added: “I go to the same school as a lot of the Guides once they start high school and for me, going to school and seeing some people who I know would never have met through school who are now in these really lovely friend groups and have met their people though Girlguiding – I think that’s one of my favourite things. It’s interesting sharing [this experience] with my mum because there’s something interesting about having a shared activity that’s not through the family which makes it quite special.”