Events and Opportunities

Booking a County Event - Guidance Notes

Step 1 – Let your girls know about the event

Details of County Events are provided in the e-news and a flyer is made available for you to give your girls. This gives some details of the event, states that any payment is non-refundable and gives a return date at least 1 week before the registration closing date. As County events are large scale events, the normal photo permissions from GO do not apply and the flyer therefore asks parents to confirm whether or not photos are permitted.

The unit leader is responsible for gaining parental permission for young members to attend the event and you may choose to issue the Girlguiding Information and Consent form at this stage and confirm the final details through your usual communication channels. If so, it must state clearly, where travel is by coach, that the event time excludes travel times and that these will be confirmed nearer to the event through the unit’s usual communication channels. Alternatively, you could wait until the final information is distributed before issuing the formal consent form. Whenever you choose to issue the form, please ensure that the large-scale event box is ticked as this explains to parents that “As far as possible the event organiser will ensure that your child doesn't appear in any images, but this cannot be guaranteed”.

Step 2 – Register your unit

A unit registration form is made available on the County website to register your interest. This form pre-populates a spreadsheet so please follow the online instructions. The most common error is typing numbers as words i.e. typing six instead of 6.

We ask you to register and give an estimated number of girls and leaders so we can email you a booking form, start purchasing resources, reserve coaches and, if necessary, close bookings if the maximum number is reached. The registration date for all county events is strictly adhered to and no late registrations are accepted.

Step 3 – Complete and return the booking form.

Following registration, the named contact is sent a booking form by email. This form confirms the details of those attending. If several units wish to be kept together, or ratios are being covered by units joining together, please complete a single booking form with details of all the units and leaders involved.

Please complete the form digitally and return it by email as a word document. Do NOT send a pdf, scanned copy, photo or handwritten booking form as these formats cannot be copied into the main spreadsheet and all data must be retyped. If you need help with the document, please email the events team for assistance. The form must be returned by the closing date or your registration will be cancelled.

Once the closing date for bookings has passed, no changes can be made.

Information required for adults:

For adults we need their name, membership number, DBS certificate number and expiry date. The DBS expiry date is not on the certificate but can be found if you log into GO and select >my units >volunteer roles and click on the dropdown arrow next to the individual. Select >view full details and scroll down to view disclosures. Adults must also have in-date A Safe Space training at the level applicable to their role.

If you are meeting your ratio with help from a family member or carer of a young member it is your responsibility to ensure the Girlguiding Safeguarding requirements are met. Each helper must be provided with a copy of the Unit Safeguarding Guidelines. In addition, although not specified on the Girlguiding website, Girlguiding has advised verbally that they should also complete the Girlguiding A Safe Space training designed for non-members. This is not recorded on GO so the helper will need to send you a screenshot to show they have completed it. This training can be found by following this link:

A Safe Space 1 (girlguiding.org.uk).

Family members who help in the unit more than twice a term and carers who attend regularly should already be registered on GO and have completed the appropriate recruitment and vetting procedure.

Although we do not ask for health or dietary information for adults, please let us know of any needs that will impact the event planning, for example the need for a wheelchair space in a cinema or room for a mobility scooter on a coach.

Information required for young members:

For all young members, including Young Leaders, Brownie helpers and Rainbow helpers, we need to know their name, details of any health or dietary requirements and whether the parents have given photo permission. As County events are large scale events, the photo permissions on GO do not apply and parents need to inform you if photos CANNOT be taken. The option of “unit only photos” is not available for large scale events.

Step 4 – Make a payment

Full payment details are given on the booking form. If you can pay online, BACS payments are preferred. To assist the County Treasurer, please ensure you include your unit name and the event code on your payment. If you are paying by cheque, be aware that cheques will not be paid in until after the closing date for bookings. Payment must be received by the closing date or your registration will be cancelled.

Step 5 – Information is distributed to participating units

The nominated contact for each unit will receive an email giving final information about the event, including details of coaches where appropriate, and the risk assessment. Every effort is made to issue this as soon as possible. The travel details and any other information, such as guidance on what to wear or what to bring, should be communicated to parents either by the issue of the Girlguiding Information and Consent form or, if already issued, through your unit’s normal communication channel.

Events

Commonwealth Award Support Group

A support group has been set up for girls, young volunteers and Inspire members between the ages of 13 and 25 to offer help and support while working towards the Commonwealth Award.

Please could leaders pass the information flyer onto the girls in their units for the parents or members to register for the group. Once registered they will be invited to join a virtual meting later on this term to go through the award. To register please complete the form at: https://bit.ly/2X2B9mo

The Commonwealth Award booklet can be downloaded at: https://bit.ly/3f1cvHY

WWF Downloadable Resources

When planning your activities for your unit, the WWF have a fantastic bank of environmentally themed resources and activities, a wide range of climate change resources, species and seasonal activities to inspire your members. Many of the activities link with the Girlguiding programme too. To view the resources go to https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/youth-groups/resources

Festivals and Celebrations that can be linked with the Girlguiding Programme

Click here to view a calendar showing some festivals and celebrations throughout the year together with suggested Girlguiding programme sections they can link with.

Heartstart - CPR Training from Medical Students

Hello, we are the Southampton Heartstart Society, a group of dedicated medical students at the University of Southampton who go to local clubs and schools to teach children the basics of first aid. We believe that it is a key life skill to be comfortable with what to do when faced with an unconscious person in a pre-hospital setting and that it is never too early to learn these skills.

We cover:
• The unconscious person and CPR
• Choking
• The recovery position

All our teachers learn life support as part of their medical school training and many of us are senior students with a lot of experience: we are all CPR trained and have also had specific training in how to teach CPR to young children. All our students are also CRB checked as part of our training programme.

We understand that with coronavirus things are a bit uncertain at the moment, however, during the sessions we will take measures to ensure the safety of everyone. This includes wiping down training, dummies, use of hand sanitiser and social distancing where possible. We believe that these critical life-saving skills should be further reinforced and not neglected during a time of crisis so are eager to continue teaching.

If you are interested in arranging a session with us, we will provide our own dummies for the CPR training session and certificates of completion for the end of the sessions (lasting 45 minutes to an hour). Please contact us at heartstart.soton@googlemail.com and provide a rough estimate of numbers as we aim to split children into groups in order to teach in small groups simultaneously. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes
Heartstart Committee

Pottery Painting Activity

PaintPott is a mobile pottery painting business that delivers to areas surrounding Southampton. We would bring you a box (or two!) of pottery painting equipment, ready for the girls to paint, and then we'd collect once the session has finished, bringing them all back to you around a week later after being fired in our studio kiln. We have over 20 items of pottery to choose from which we can provide a list of for the girls to choose from - or perhaps they all do the same piece.

We offer discounted rates for groups, allowing it to be a low cost but fun activity for all.

I'd love to discuss the options we have available any time, either by email at hello@paintpott.co.uk or over the phone on 07716 431438.

In the meantime, if you'd like to see what our business is all about, please head to our website: www.paintpott.co.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Becki Lambert
PaintPott Ltd

Shooting Stars Circus Skills

We offer Rainbow, Brownie and Guide units the chance to enjoy the fun and excitement of a circus skills day/evening.

The workshop consists of a circus instructor and circus equipment (which is tailored according to age groups, space available and length of session time). Examples include juggling balls, rings and scarves, spinning plates, diabolos, flower sticks, and larger equipment such as stilts, fun wheels, pedal racers, unicycles & mini-bikes. Equipment used will be at the discretion of your instructor.

With the volume and variety of equipment available, we can take a group of up to 30 children/young people per workshop, keeping them involved and engaged at all times.

For details of rates and availability, contact:

Steve Grainger
Shooting Stars Circus Skills
6 Hopney Cottages
Bricklehampton
Pershore
Worcestershire
WR10 3JT

Office: 01386 550260
Mobile: 07970 107845
Web: www.shootingstarscircus.co.uk

New Entertainment Centre in Southampton

Our new centre has a Trampoline Court including an air bag and ninja course, a multi-level soft play area, climbing walls and a state of the art interactive room. We also have a cooking studio and arts studio!

We have several packages available that have worked for previous groups really well so can tailor packages to meet the needs of your group!

To book a session or to find out more, contact Olivia at olivia@injoycentres.com

Lepe Country Park – Activities

Have you ever thought about coming down to Lepe beach? We can help with achieving the following badges: Explore stages 1 & 2 (Rainbows), Grow Your Own and Local History (Brownies) and Backwoods Cooking, Natural Remedies, Navigator and Photographer (Guides).

To book a session or to find out more, contact Janet Adshead, Community and Events Officer, at:-

T. 023 80899108 M. 07714842481
E. Janet.Adshead@hants.gov.uk
W. www.hants.gov.uk/lepe

Solent Sky Museum

Solent Sky Museum offers evening sessions for all sections of Guiding, including an evening themed around the new Brownie Aviation badge.

Guides can learn about what it was like to travel in airliners in the 1930’s to 1950’s, the ATA ‘Spitfire Girls’ who ferried aircraft throughout the Second World War or how women such as Amy Johnson and Amelia Earheart broke through the glass ceiling in aviation.

To discuss your requirements, contact Steve Alcock at aviation@spitfireonline.co.uk / tel 023 80635830

Sea Science! Ideal for STEM and a whole range of badges

A Sea Science session involves a lot of audience participation and activities connected with the sea and ships. This includes:

* Testing and making a wind-powered ship using different sails to see how fast it can sail along the water
* Experiments connected with water pressure, including eggs-periments
* Dazzling dazzle! The design and theory of how dazzle camouflage works and why ships in WW1 and WW2 used it
* Communications at sea – semaphore flags and signal messages
* The sinister ship toilet quiz and how do you keep clean on a ship?!

£40 for a 1 hour session at your venue and can be run on the same times/dates that your group meets. For up to 35 young people, or £70 for a 1.5 extended session.

For more information please contact:-

Daniel J Ball Museum and Cultural Heritage Educator
Email: danielballbeaulieu@live.co.uk
Mob: 07415 892539

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Presentations

I am a schools and youth coordinator for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. Our education team have devised a presentation for children aged 2-11 years old called ‘Be a 999 Hero’. The presentation is specifically designed to raise awareness of the charity and to help familiarise children with the basic life-saving skill of making a 999 call. Please do have a look at our Sky Heroes website for more information:http://www.hiowaa.org/skyheroes56

Amy Compton

amy@hiowaa.org

Teddy Bear Hospital Southampton

Teddy Bear Hospital is a student led public health project, aiming to reduce childrens’ fears of doctors and other healthcare professionals. They run free interactive sessions which are particularly suitable for the Rainbow age group.

https://www.facebook.com/tbhsouthampton/

tbhsouthampton@outlook.com

Instagram: tbhsouthampton

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Booking a County Event - Guidance Notes

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