Your passion projects
Meet some Girlguiding archivists
Illustrations by Stella Isaac
Our brilliant volunteers have so many interesting hobbies. We want to hear all about them, so each issue we’re meeting Girlguiding members with special talents or interests.
Girlguiding memories can be found in all sorts of places. Sometimes it’s in boxes in unit meeting places, or in purpose-built archive facilities, or living in the games that we play and songs that we sing. But what’s it like to look after special Girlguiding artefacts? We chatted with some volunteer archivists to hear all about what they do, why they love it and some of the special things they look after.
Ellie, region archivist for North West England
Hi Ellie! Can you start off by telling us a bit about you and your experience in guiding?
'I used to be a Brownie and a Guide, and when I was 22 I became a Guide leader after deciding I wanted to do something that would help girls. I became the heritage adviser for North West England region in March 2021. I work in museums as an archaeologist, so when I saw a volunteer role that combined my love of heritage and guiding, I thought it was perfect.'
What was it like when you first started in the role?
'When I first started, the archives had just been moved out of the region HQ into a storage facility, so my first task was to create a catalogue so we knew what was where. Once the Covid-19 restrictions had eased, we held open days so that anyone in the region could come and explore the collection and help with cataloguing.'
Ellie, region archivist, North West England
What have you enjoyed most about the role?
'I love working with the region’s county archivists, they love Girlguiding and its memories and feel the archives are incredibly important. I also love exploring the archives, you can learn a lot even from just reading a diary.'
Do you have a favourite item in the archive?
'I always enjoy finding the small, seemingly random things. I found a crocheted pink elephant made by a Brownie that found its way into the archives in amongst uniforms and paperwork, and I think that’s lovely.'
Are you still adding to the archives?
'Yes! We have guidelines on what we’d like to collect and already have a lot of uniform and badges. We really like personal stories, scrapbooks and things units have made together. You have to preserve what’s happening now for the archives of the future.'
What would you say to volunteers who are interested in getting involved with the archives?
'Definitely give it a go, and don’t think you’re too old or too young or don’t have enough experience – there’s room for everyone. Archivists love their work and want more people to be interested in what they’re doing. The more people who get involved, the better.'
Caroline, county archivist for Girlguiding Buckinghamshire
Hi Caroline! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your own guiding history?
'I made my first promise as a Brownie on 24 May 1960. I’ve still got the certificate, typical of an archivist! I went on to be a Guide, and have been a leader for all of the sections, sometimes leading 2 different sections at once. I’ve also been a commissioner, mentor, trainer, assistant county archivist and now county archivist.'
What’s one of your favourite things in the archives?
'I love all the small personal items that come into the archives. I once found a Guide International Service (GIS) wristband with a trefoil on it. The GIS was chaired by Rosa Ward who was the chief commissioner for Cymru, and the leaders who joined it were trained and sent out to help refugees just after the Second World War.'
Caroline, country archivist, Girlguiding Buckinghamshire
Do you have any advice for people who might like to volunteer in the county archives?
'It’s vital to shadow the current archivist, and to make sure you know how to store and look after the archives. I think it’s important that the collection is accessible, so members can always see what the girls before them did. And keep collecting - we’ve got a log-book of members’ experiences of the pandemic. Then girls of the future will know what life was really like during that time, which is what archives are all about.'
Eirlys and Mair, Girlguiding Cymru national archive team
Hi Eirlys and Mair, thank you for chatting with us on behalf of the Cymru archive team! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and your backgrounds in guiding?
Mair: 'I started as a Brownie and went on to be a Guide, a Ranger and then a Brownie and Guide leader. I’ve held various county roles and now job share the role of archivist with Eirlys.'
Eirlys: 'I also progressed through the units and eventually became a Brownie and then Guide leader, roles that Mair and I have both held for over 40 years. I’ve also been PR adviser for my county and for Cymru.'
Eirlys, Girlguiding Cymru national archive team
Mair, Girlguiding Cymru national archive team
Mair, Girlguiding Cymru national archive team
Mair, you have experience as a county archivist too, how different is looking after the national archive to looking after a county collection?
Mair: 'There’s a lot more of it, and it’s very well organised thanks to the previous archivist, Helena Thomas. But the role is similar whether it’s a smaller or a larger collection.
'One difference is that we’re currently working on digitising the national collection and hoping to make it more accessible to the membership and general public, through The People’s Collection Wales. Lisa Edwards at Girlguiding Cymru is great at sharing these digitised items on our social platforms.'
Have you done any outreach events with Girlguiding Cymru members?
Eirlys: 'In partnership with the National Library of Wales we developed a project that helped members learn more about digitising collections and gain an accredited qualification. This led to an exhibition in the National Library in 2016. County archivists sent us additional artefacts to exhibit and people came to see it from across the country. Brownies enjoyed a special sleepover at the venue too.'
Mair: 'The partnership continued when Viv Craig, another member of the Girlguiding Cymru archive team, led a Young Roots project. Grants are given by the Heritage Lottery Fund for Young Roots projects to help young people access opportunities to explore their heritage. Our project involved peer educators working with their units on a Girlguiding archives project of their own choice, exploring the artefacts and with the help of specialist technology.
'One unit looked at uniforms over the years. They dressed in them and created a fundraising calendar. They impressed us all when they presented what they’d learned and created at a conference at Broneirion, which was attended by lead managers from the National Library and a member of the Senedd.'
Eirlys, Girlguiding Cymru national archive team
Mair, you have experience as a county archivist too, how different is looking after the national archive to looking after a county collection?
Mair: 'There’s a lot more of it, and it’s very well organised thanks to the previous archivist, Helena Thomas. But the role is similar whether it’s a smaller or a larger collection.
'One difference is that we’re currently working on digitising the national collection and hoping to make it more accessible to the membership and general public, through The People’s Collection Wales. Lisa Edwards at Girlguiding Cymru is great at sharing these digitised items on our social platforms.'
Have you done any outreach events with Girlguiding Cymru members?
Eirlys: 'In partnership with the National Library of Wales we developed a project that helped members learn more about digitising collections and gain an accredited qualification. This led to an exhibition in the National Library in 2016. County archivists sent us additional artefacts to exhibit and people came to see it from across the country. Brownies enjoyed a special sleepover at the venue too.'
Mair: 'The partnership continued when Viv Craig, another member of the Girlguiding Cymru archive team, led a Young Roots project. Grants are given by the Heritage Lottery Fund for Young Roots projects to help young people access opportunities to explore their heritage. Our project involved peer educators working with their units on a Girlguiding archives project of their own choice, exploring the artefacts and with the help of specialist technology.
'One unit looked at uniforms over the years. They dressed in them and created a fundraising calendar. They impressed us all when they presented what they’d learned and created at a conference at Broneirion, which was attended by lead managers from the National Library and a member of the Senedd.'
What are your favourite things about working in the archives?
Mair: 'I like the surprises that come up, and the fact that people trust us to look after these special things. They’re precious because they show us snapshots of experiences of groups, girls and leaders throughout Girlguiding Cymru.'
Eirlys: 'My favourite aspect is the people that you meet and work with, as well as the events we’ve put on for the girls. They show that archives aren’t just about old things, but about memories.'
The Paint pot express
Do you both have favourite things in the archives?
Eirlys: 'I like the photos we have of the ‘Paint pot express’. In 1950, Girlguiding asked for donations of paint to redecorate the walls of the London Headquarters. Happy to help, 366 Guides, Rangers and leaders travelled by train from Cymru to Headquarters with 350 pots of paint! These were displayed in the windows of the building before being used to decorate the walls.'
Mair: 'We have a beautiful Canadian bed quilt that was made by the 2nd Niagara Guides in 1941 and later given to Broneirion. The girls have embroidered their names, interest badges, patrol names, the words of Taps and the Guide Laws. There is so much detail and effort in that one item and a huge amount of teamwork.'
Mair shows us a Canadian bed quilt from 2nd Niagara Guides
The 'paint pot express'
Do you both have favourite things in the archives?
Eirlys: 'I like the photos we have of the ‘Paint pot express’. In 1950, Girlguiding asked for donations of paint to redecorate the walls of the London Headquarters. Happy to help, 366 Guides, Rangers and leaders travelled by train from Cymru to Headquarters with 350 pots of paint! These were displayed in the windows of the building before being used to decorate the walls.'
Mair: 'We have a beautiful Canadian bed quilt that was made by the 2nd Niagara Guides in 1941 and later given to Broneirion. The girls have embroidered their names, interest badges, patrol names, the words of Taps and the Guide Laws. There is so much detail and effort in that one item and a huge amount of teamwork.'
Mair shows us a Canadian bed quilt from 2nd Niagara Guides
Girlguiding are currently working on a project to catalogue our national archive collection. We chatted with Hannah, Girlguiding HQ’s archivist, and Dr Julie, lead volunteer for the project, to hear a bit more
Hannah: 'I started my role in February to thoroughly review the collection which had been in storage for 10 years. We’re currently in the first phase of the project, which is about understanding what we have in the collection and creating a digital catalogue.
'We have the business archive including Board and committee papers and annual reports, as well as photographs, uniforms, handbooks, magazines, badges and so much more. I’ve had help from Julie who has done a lot to get the project to where it is today.'
Julie: 'I’m a county archivist in Sheffield as well as lead volunteer for the national archives project. I’m a professional archivist and have been a Girlguiding member since I was Brownie so have the benefit of knowing both things well. It means Hannah can come to me with any questions about the collection and be someone she can bounce ideas off of.'
Hannah, archivist, Girlguiding
Julie, lead volunteer, Girlguiding
Do you have a favourite thing in the archives?
Hannah: 'There are so many ordinary items that have hugely inspiring stories attached to them. This includes 1930s Extension Guide handbooks which show how the programme was made available to girls being treated in children’s hospitals, for example. We have some extraordinary items too though, like the Brownie, Guide and Sea Ranger uniforms that were worn by Princess Margaret.'
Julie: 'The log-books the girls compiled, showing how girls discovered new adventures through guiding. They tell us about the first camps in the 1920s, or camps abroad in the post-War years. I think archives are so important because they not only show us how we got to where we are today but also tell us a lot about the lives of girls in the past.'
Hannah, what's it like working with volunteer archivists across the country?
Hannah: 'It’s definitely an exciting part of my role. Volunteer archivists are so passionate and dedicated to what they do and they often have a long connection with Girlguiding. I’m enjoying collaborating with them, and while I can support in areas such as collection skills development, I have a lot I can learn from them too.'
Hannah, archivist, Girlguiding
Hannah: 'I started my role in February to thoroughly review the collection which had been in storage for 10 years. We’re currently in the first phase of the project, which is about understanding what we have in the collection and creating a digital catalogue.
'We have the business archive including Board and committee papers and annual reports, as well as photographs, uniforms, handbooks, magazines, badges and so much more. I’ve had help from Julie who has done a lot to get the project to where it is today.'
Julie: 'I’m a county archivist in Sheffield as well as lead volunteer for the national archives project. I’m a professional archivist and have been a Girlguiding member since I was Brownie so have the benefit of knowing both things well. It means Hannah can come to me with any questions about the collection and be someone she can bounce ideas off of.'
Do you have a favourite thing in the archives?
Hannah: 'There are so many ordinary items that have hugely inspiring stories attached to them. This includes 1930s Extension Guide handbooks which show how the programme was made available to girls being treated in children’s hospitals, for example. We have some extraordinary items too though, like the Brownie, Guide and Sea Ranger uniforms that were worn by Princess Margaret.'
Julie: 'The log-books the girls compiled, showing how girls discovered new adventures through guiding. They tell us about the first camps in the 1920s, or camps abroad in the post-War years. I think archives are so important because they not only show us how we got to where we are today but also tell us a lot about the lives of girls in the past.'
Hannah, what's it like working with volunteer archivists across the country?
Hannah: 'It’s definitely an exciting part of my role. Volunteer archivists are so passionate and dedicated to what they do and they often have a long connection with Girlguiding. I’m enjoying collaborating with them, and while I can support in areas such as collection skills development, I have a lot I can learn from them too.'
Julie, lead volunteer, Girlguiding
Julie, what would you say to people thinking about volunteering as an archivist?
Julie: 'In these roles I’ve learned a lot about how guiding grew over the years, and met people I never would have met otherwise. Don’t be put off by not having any formal qualifications or experience in archives. Learning about what happened to people like you in your area is fascinating.'
If you’re interested in volunteering as an archivist in your area, why not get in touch with your local commissioner to find out more about opportunities near you? You can find out more about volunteering as a Girlguiding archivist, and read the role description, on our website.
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