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Explore the latest news and find out what's on this month
Explore our learning offer for schools, families and community groups
Uncover the rich history of Elmbridge with our latest online exhibitions
Want to discover more about your local area?
Girlguiding Mission
A brownie scarf in yellow cotton, c.1970. Made up on a band to button at the back of the neck. It carries a brownie badge in white metal showing a small figure super-imposed on the Girl Guides trefoil shape. Donated by the 1st Thames Ditton Brownie pack. When the Brownie uniform changed in 1950, the tie changed from brown to yellow.
Knitted woollen Brownie hat, c.1970. Donated by the 1st Thames Ditton Brownie pack. The woolly hat was brought into the Brownie uniform in 1950, replacing the brown beret.
Brown Brownie belt with Association stamp, purchased in 1964.
Brownie's brown woolen beret, dating back to c.1960s. The Brownie uniform changed in 1950, which is when the woolly hat was brought in to replace the beret. In reality, girls wore a mixture of the old and new uniform in the 1950s after the change had been made.
Buttoned brown shirt and yellow cotton triangular scarf, part of the brownie uniform (c.1960s).
Girl Guides Ranger's uniform consisting of a long-sleeved blue dress with badges, and a lanyard. Originally from the 1st Cobham Rangers c.1930s.
A girl guide uniform from 1957. The tunic has blue flashes, 1st. Walton-on-Thames (St. Mary's) tabs, and a Surrey Lion badge on the left shoulder. There are wings and a cornflower patrol badge above the left pocket. There are also Laundry and Fire Lighting badged on the sleeve.
From the 1950s until 1972, Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts shared what was known as 'The Hut' on Lynwood Road, Thames Ditton. This was a much-loved ex-army hut, reputed to have started its life during the First World War on Salisbury Plain.
The Hut was demolished in 1972 and 'Lynwood', the present Joint Headquarters, was opened on the same site in 1974. This is a photograph of the opening ceremony.
The top of this page from the 3rd Hinchley Wood Brownies' Log Book for 1975 records girls collecting money over Easter to buy bottles of fruit juice and a few small eggs to give to the old people at St Chads. Each Six also made an Easter card for them.
Further down the page there is a record of an "Xmas Good Turn: Made box of crackers containing sweets and novelties for children from a local children's home."
Brownie Revels are occasions when Brownies get together with girls from other Packs for games, activities and fun. This photograph marks Brownie Revels in 1979 at the Lynwood Road recreation ground, Thames Ditton.
This 1991 Thinking Day order of service is from the Dittons District. The service was held on a Sunday, 2 days after Thinking Day, for the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers at St. Christopher's Church in Hinchley Wood.
Today, with 10 million members from 146 countries, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is the largest voluntary movement for girls and young women in the world. On World Thinking Day, girls are encouraged to think of themselves as 'one in ten million' and to reflect on the potential for change that a movement of these numbers can inspire.
Brownies develop self-confidence and self-esteem by having new experiences and learning new skills. They build friendships and learn to share and cooperate with others by working together in small groups called 'Sixes'. Girlguiding seeks to promote six areas of girls' development: spiritual, social, emotional, physical, moral and intellectual. Brownies can extend their knowledge and abilities by working towards Brownie interest badges. Subjects cover anything from Science investigator to Circus skills.
This page from the 1995 Brownie Guide handbook shows how the organisation moved with the times. Girls learn how drugs, solvents, alcohol and cigarettes damage their body. The information on this page is very factual and informative. It doesn’t shy away from telling girls that people do get some short-term benefits from using certain substances (they ‘feel happy’) as well as damaging their health.