back to life

Last month I renewed my guide promise at a Thinking Day celebration day hosted by the Trefoil guild unit I had recently joined. What is the Trefoil guild I hear you ask?

Well, before I explain I thought I would fill you in on how I came to joining this part of the guiding association. As did many a young girl in the UK I became a brownie 50 years ago at the age of 7, guide at 10 and a ranger at 14. I didn’t last long in the rangers and left to join the venture scouts, but that is a different story. As a guide I helped out at my mum’s brownie guide unit and continued as a young leader while I batted for the other side as a venture scout. It’s a well known fact that daughters of guiders usually get drawn into leading units and I was no exception. I became a unit leader at 18, completed my adult leadership qualification and became Tawny owl, mum’s second in command in the 47th Bristol brownie unit. The guide association decided to create another section for 5 to 7 year olds, Rainbows. So in 1991 I set up the first rainbow unit in my area and became the guider in charge, while continuing to help at the brownie unit. Eventually I took over the reins of Brown owl from my mum and she took over the rainbows, a smaller and more manageable group.

Unfortunately, like many groups, our units didn’t survive the covid pandemic. Due to varying reasons, once restrictions were lifted, my merry band of guiders and helpers were unable to continue support me with running the units and my mum was in her 80’s and not able to commit to attending every week. Also I had started a masters in advanced nursing and couldn’t find enough spare time. So with great sadness the units folded.

Being part of guiding is like being in the mafia, you can’t leave, you know too much. So what happens to a guider who hangs up her neckerchief? This is where the Trefoil guild comes into it, or the old biddy guiders as I used to lovingly call them when my mum first joined. Of course now I’m a member I don’t call them that anymore.

As early as 1920 ex guides formed unofficial groups to maintain contact with their old guide companies and in 1935 the “old guides” organisation was formed, so my “old Biddy” name wasn’t far off the mark! The name Trefoil guild was adopted and became a self governing and self financing body from 1952 as a group for former guiders in the UK and overseas territories.

So what does the Trefoil guild do? far from being for old biddy guiders the organisation is open for anyone over the age of 18, for women and men. The 4 main aims of the guild are find friendship, give support, get involved and get active. Groups tend to meet once a month and get involved in various activities at these meetings. Members can be called upon to support units at meetings or days out to help with activities and keeping the girls safe. Mostly it’s an organisation where members can enjoy personal and social opportunities based on guiding and scouting principles without the added stress and commitment of running units.

As I’m still working full time I haven’t been to many meetings, so far my Trefoil experiences include eating! a cream tea, a post Christmas lunch out and a ploughman’s lunch at the afore mentioned Thinking day celebration. This day on 22nd February is celebrated by the guiding sisterhood throughout the world. The guiding family renews their promise on this day and this year by renewing my promise I became an official member of my Trefoil group. Although I did actually fluff up the promise by saying that I would serve the Queen instead of the King, you can hardly blame me, it’s what I’ve been saying for nearly 50 years!