Tens of thousands of people have signed petitions urging Girlguiding to reverse recently announced plans to cut services and facilities.
In recent weeks, the girls and young women’s charity announced plans to sell five of its activity centres and to end its more than 100-year-old British Girlguiding Overseas (BGO) operations.
Two petitions on Change.org are calling for the charity to rethink its plans, with each receiving more than 15,000 signatures.
Meanwhile, BGO’s executive said in a statement: “We will never fully understand the decision that has been made and it is not of our making.”
British Girlguiding Overseas
BGO is guiding for girls who live overseas, and there are around 2,600 members in BGO, and it takes place in 36 countries and territories.
Girlguiding has direct responsibility for BGO, which is not registered as a charity in its own right, and said it had been “a very difficult decision” to close its operations.
In a joint statement, chief executive Angela Salt, chair Catherine Irwin, and chief guide Tracy Foster said: “Over the past year Girlguiding’s board of trustees has been examining BGO, including our offer for girls who live in British Overseas Territories.
“They looked at how best to manage risk, and our future ability to run an overseas operation in 36 countries and territories across the world, each with separate laws and regulations.
“The board of trustees has decided to change how Girlguiding UK operates overseas and end organised guiding run by Girlguiding UK (units, volunteer structure, trips and online meetings) in these countries and territories from 1 September 2023.
“Further discussions are now taking place about how girls overseas might be involved in guiding in the future.”
Girlguiding has emailed BGO volunteers overseas, and suggested those in Caribbean and Atlantic islands that are British Overseas Territories could look to become independent organisations.
BGO’s executive expressed disappointment at the charity’s decision in its own statement.
“The closure of the BGO region will have a negative impact on both our Guiding members in the ex-British territories as well as many British families living outside of mainland UK,” it said.
“Those who are already Girlguiding members will have to leave guiding and the valuable English-speaking, girl-only space, which has continuously provided a lifeline to our members when they move overseas, will disappear.
“We have worked hard to suggest solutions to the board of trustees in order to provide an alternative delivery method so that we may continue as a region. We are disappointed that we have not come to a solution at this time.
“Whilst we will never fully understand the decision that has been made and it is not of our making, we will work with our membership to make sure that we continue to care for every individual girl and member; and we hope that an alternative offer can be swiftly made to them in one form or another.”
Meanwhile, the petition reads: “BGO leaders and young members have done nothing wrong, and have not been consulted regarding this decision.”
“We call for UK Girlguiding senior leadership and trustees to re-examine their decision to cease all guiding overseas, consulting fully and transparently with those affected.
“We believe that senior leadership and trustees should work with volunteers delivering guiding overseas to support them to continue to do so, rather than to forcibly close all overseas units.”
Girlguiding to sell five activity centres
Girlguiding announced last week its decision to sell five activity centres “because of the investment needed, and the reduced number of members using them in the past decade”.
Trustees have recommended the charity sells centres at Blackland Farm, Foxlease, Glenbrook, Waddow Hall and Ynysgain. The plan is that they close at the end of the year, with all 2023 bookings and events going ahead as planned.
The charity said there had been historic underinvestment in the activity centres, and they have been running at an overall loss for some years, despite efforts to generate more business from different markets.
Girlguiding adds the centres would need significant funding of over £20m in the coming years to be fit for future use, and “we cannot afford this level of investment”.
The charity will now enter a statutory process with affected staff and with its employee representative group.
It will make a further announcement in August about the outcome of this process and the sale of the activity centres.
The petition regarding the decision to sell five activity centres states: “The decision to sell the centres will affect not only a large number of members of staff, many of whom are Girlguiding volunteers in their own time, but also a huge number of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers, leaders, volunteers and Trefoil Guild members.”
Girlguiding’s income for the 2021 calendar year was £24.7m, while its expenditure was £25.1m.
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