My family and I were very pleased to attend the open day at St. Giles' to help the 1st Newcastle Brownies Pack celebrate their 100th anniversary. They are the oldest continuously-existing Pack in the area and one of the oldest in the country.
I pay tribute to everyone who has helped to run the Pack over the last century: speaking as a former Cub & Scout myself I know how much we owe to all the volunteers who help our young people enjoy activities like this: learning about themselves through play, craft and service and making many lifelong friendships along the way.
The Pack received an official telegram from Her Majesty the Queen to mark the occasion, and also baked a splendid cake and commissioned a limited edition of 100 badges - one of which the Brown Owl (Trudy) was kind enough to present to me. It will be going up on the wall of our shop!
And I wish all the local Brownie Packs in Newcastle-under-Lyme the very best for the next 100 years - starting with their special District Pack Holiday at Beaudesert in May.