Young mums get switched on
The Young Mums group in Colne is a marvellous example of SWITCH bringing guiding experiences to people outside the movement.Lovely decorations
The mums started off with a wary attitude towards each other but they have quickly become more relaxed and friendly as time has passed. This was especially evident during a recent silk painting activity.
The girls were asked to decorate the family room of the community centre where they meet. As well as learning a new skill, the young mums found that they needed to pull together as a team in order for this project to be a success. Staff and visitors to the community centre were impressed with the lovely decorations they produced and the way in which the girls worked together. As well as artwork for the family room, each girl created an individual piece of silk art to take home with her.
Daredevils
The group recently took part in a daredevil caving trip at Ribble Head in the Yorkshire Dales. After leaving their children in the capable hands of Colne Children's Centre, the brave group set off to the caves with a company called Outdoor Resources Ltd. The company provided the girls with all the equipment they would need for a day caving including wellies, boiler suits, lamps and caving helmets.
The mums were supervised by two experienced instructors, Ali and Jess. Ali was a Guide for many years in Barnoldswick- in fact she claims to be the oldest Guide ever as she would not leave the unit!
The caves at Ribble Head vary in length, size and how difficult they are to explore. The group started off with one of the easiest caves, although they were not impressed on first sight and described it as a mere hole in ground! The group eventually progressed on to harder sections and their confidence increased. On their return to the bus, wet and exhausted, they were heard to be saying things like, 'Can we go next week?', 'I can't believe I've done this!' and 'I totally loved it!'.
The Young Mums group meet up on a regular basis in Colne. For more information on the group please contact switch@girlguiding.org.uk .
