A Cracking Idea

In October, 1st Stretford Guides spent the weekend at Ashley Lodge where they completed the North West Region Inventor’s Challenge 2012. Ruth Bruckshaw tells us just exactly what everyone got up to there: The weather was glorious; lots of Autumnal Hues (Hugh Grant’s more seasonal brother!), misty mornings and incandescent sunsets. We took full advantage with parachute games, a walk following a map supplied by Ashley, and a late night trail to discover what the WereRabbit really took from Wallace… Some of our Guides also took their promise with a “Sparkler Ceremony” at our campfire circle and enjoyed thoroughly charcoaled marshmallows and a spirited rendition of “Cecil”.
 
To complete their challenge the Guides made lilies, rabbit masks, and created a garden full of gnomes. They also discovered that cheese doesn’t only come in Wensleydale variety, and that a bit of mould really won’t do you much harm! One of the surprise highlights of the weekend was the finger knitting; a strangely addictive pastime where we created metres of handcrafted scarves. Another surprise was finding that there were a number of expert safe-crackers in our midst…. The Guides were adept at defusing the safe and releasing the diamonds from inside demonstrating great teamwork, communication and perseverance.

Ashley Lodge was cosy and welcoming. We enjoyed making individual pizzas and camping, relaxing on the veranda with coffee, and watching the sky turn golden. It is a weekend that none of us will forget in a hurry. If you’re looking for ideas for your unit, why not visit the North West Region website at www.girlguidingnwe.org.uk and look in the ‘Resources’ section under ‘Region Resources and Badges’. Information about the Inventor’s Challenge and how to obtain badges, which feature Wallace and Gromit, can be found there too. http://www.girlguidingnwe.org.uk/region_resources/inventors-challenge-2012