Girlguiding London and South East England is one of the nine Regions and Countries of

Girlguiding Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a cha ...

. Region HQ is in

Wandsworth Common Wandsworth Common is a public common in Wandsworth, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London. It is and is maintained and regulated by Wandsworth Council. It is also a Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth. The population of the ward ...

, London. The Chief Commissioner is currently Sally Christmas.

Counties

Girlguiding London and South East England is subdivided into 19 Girlguiding Counties. These do not correspond to the counties defined by the British government.

Surrey West

Surrey East

Sussex West

Sussex Central

Girlguiding Sussex Central was formed in 1979, when the county of West Sussex was re-organised due to the expansion of Girlguiding. It was created on 1 April 1979 with Mrs. Sylvia Smith as the County Commissioner, later to become County President. The County, which broadly covers the Mid Sussex area of South East England, consists of 8 Divisions: Burgess Hill, Crawley, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Parkminster, South Down, and Worth, and is part of Girlguiding London and South East England Region (LaSER). The membership in Sussex Central is about 4,000; providing fun, challenges and leadership for girls and young women. It is supported by a wealth of volunteers who run weekly meetings and also others who give freely of their time to maintain the smooth running of the programme. Many of these are members of our busy Trefoil Guild. Our County Ambassadors, whose role it is to actively promote guiding, are The Lord Dholakia of Waltham Brooks OBE DL, Mrs. Loder of Leonardslee, Horsham, Chris Connors (Director CoCos Hair Salons/Trustee CoCos Foundation), Henry Smith MP (Crawley), Richard Spurgeon (Manager at South Lodge). In addition, Division Ambassadors are recruited locally. Each year there are special events around the County, such as our Rainbows 25th Birthday celebrations at Blackland Farm. Whilst every four years our Guides join together with West Sussex Scouts and Sussex West Guides for our international camp "WS". {

Sussex East

Sussex East Guide County is subdivided into 11 Divisions: *Bexhill *Brighton East *Brighton West *Eastbourne *Hastings and St Leonards *Hove *Lewes *Rother *Rye *Seahaven *Weald The County President is The Countess De La Warr wife of

Earl De La Warr Earl De La Warr ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1761 for John West, 7th Baron De La Warr. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles of Viscount Cantelupe (1761) in the Peerage of Great Britain, Baron De La Warr ( ...

The Sussex East silk shows six gold martlets (little birds) and two gold lines on a red diamond. The six martlets represent the six "rapes" or divisions of land in Sussex which are Hastings, Pevensey, Lewes, Bramber, Chichester and Arundal. The two gold lines represent the rivers Rother and Ouse which mark the East and West boundaries.

Kent West

Kent Weald

Kent East

Middlesex East

Middlesex North West

Middlesex South West

London North West

London North East

London Over The Border

This county broadly covers the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham and Newham.

London South East

Greater London Kent

London South West

Greater London West

Croydon

Properties

Chigwell Row Guide Campsite

Chigwell Row Guide Campsite is set in of grassland near to

Hainault Forest Country Park Hainault Forest Country Park is a Country Park located in Greater London, with portions in: Hainault in the London Borough of Redbridge; the London Borough of Havering; and in the Lambourne parish of the Epping Forest District in Essex. Geograp ...

. There are large areas dedicated to camping. There are also three indoor accommodation buildings: Oaklands Lodge, Jubilee House, and The Bungalow.

The Shaws Guide Camp Site

The Shaws Guide Camp Site in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

has facilities for both camping and indoor accommodation.

Paxmead Riverside Base

Paxmead Riverside Base is the Region's boating centre. It is located on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

at Shepperton, Middlesex.

Canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other act ...

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

ing,

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

and

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

equipment is available to youth organisations, but the centre is not open to the general public. Both indoor and camping accommodation is available.

Jordan Heights

Jordan Heights is a secluded campsite near

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

. It was once a hillside garden for a member of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, it was used as an army pigeon loft. In November 2011 the Local Scout Association District of Reigate have taken over the site.

1st Buckingham Palace Company

The 1st Buckingham Palace Company was formed to allow the then Princess Elizabeth to be a Girl Guide. It met for the first time on 9 June 1937. At this meeting, Princess Elizabeth was elected second of the

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

Patrol with Patricia Mountbatten as her Patrol Leader. There were twenty Guides, who were children of members of the Royal Household and Palace employees. They met at a summerhouse in the garden. During

, the group went into abeyance for a short time, but was re-opened at

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

in 1942. The Captain of the Company was

Violet Synge Violet Montressor Synge (b.16th May 1896, d. April 1971, Surrey) served as the Girl Guide Chief Commissioner for England. She was a recipient of the Silver Fish Award, the highest adult award in Girlguiding, awarded for outstanding service to Gi ...

. A Brownie Pack was also opened at the same time for

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

. It had 14 members. The 1st Buckingham Palace Company was reformed in 1959 for

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

. It was active until 1963.

Early Guiding in Sussex

Mrs A. Martley established a Guide company in

Crawley Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of ...

in 1911. She also established Guiding in Seaford, with two companies opening in December 1918. These were the 1st Seaford and the 1st Blatchington companies. 1st Seaford was initially led by Martley herself, but by 1920 the Captain was Miss Croft. The first Brownie pack in Seaford was established in 1919.

Enfield District Scout & Guide Band

Enfield Scout District runs a traditional marching band which is open to members of the local

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, secti ...

and Guide organisations. The band was formed in 1976, and is a corps of

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

s and drums. The band is a member of the Traditional Youth Marching Band Association, and competes regularly in competitions run by the Association across the UK. Since its formation, the band has continued to lead the District as it marches through

Enfield Town Enfield is a large town in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 156,858 in 2018. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, Crews Hill, Enfield High ...

for the

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in ...

and

St George's Day Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia. Sai ...

parades which are a traditional part of Enfield the Scouting & Guiding calendar. The band is also available to play at fetes, carnivals and other parades. In recent years the band took part in the 2002, 2007 and 2008 Lord Mayor's Shows, a Royal Visit to Enfield by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

in 2003. In 2007's Centenary of Scouting, the band took part in the London

New Year's Day Parade The London New Year's Day Parade (LNYDP) is an annual parade through the streets of the West End of London on 1 January. The parade first took place in 1987, as the Lord Mayor of Westminster's Big Parade. The parade was renamed in 1994, and for ...

, and played at the

21st World Scout Jamboree The 21st World Scout Jamboree was held in July and August 2007, and formed a part of the Scouting 2007 Centenary celebrations of the world Scout Movement. The event was hosted by the United Kingdom, as 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of the foun ...

. In November the band formed part of the Promise Centenary Scout Band at the Lord Mayor's Show, and also played at the Scouting's Live '07 show at

The O2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely withi ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

, London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Girlguiding London And South East England Girlguiding Youth organisations based in London