TAVY Division Girlguiding celebrated the success of a number of members recently at an awards presentation at Tavistock Town Hall.

Tavistock Mayor Mandy Ewings presented two guides with Baden-Powell awards and two senior section members with gold and silver Duke of Edinburgh awards.

The Baden-Powell award is the highest Girlguiding UK accolade a guide can achieve and is the ultimate challenge for guides. They choose to stretch themselves as individuals to achieve and it is not about achieving a set standard or being academically able.

A spokesperson for the Tavy Division said: ‘Cllr Ewings encouraged the awardees, Polly McLoughlin and Jenny Adkins, to talk about the many activities and events they had organised to attain this notable award.

‘As is often typical of girl guides, food figured prominently in their list of achievements and the girls also talked about their residential challenge weekend at the Pinkery Centre on Exmoor where they completed a variety of outdoor activities designed to challenge their abilities and build new skills, as well as meeting like-minded guides, making new friends from all over the county.’

The mayor also awarded two senior section girls with the gold D of E badge and brooch. Kate Pilkington and Hannah Greep also spoke about their experiences while completing these awards. Apart from their expedition in the Lake District, Kate learned a number of new skills and sports, including learning to drive, volunteering at stables and teaching a girl to ride.

She also undertook a residential in the Lake District where she worked and lived at a heavy horse riding yard.

Hannah’s new skills ranged from also learning to drive, to completing her Grade 6 RAD ballet exam to merit standard as well as volunteering as a waitress at a Buddhist café.

Hannah’s fun residential involved volunteering at the Boardmasters music and sports festival in Cornwall for a week.