Guides celebrate half a century with special event

A group of Guides put on a day of celebrations to mark an important birthday.The 9th King’s Lynn Guides, which meets at the Beulah Street Scout Hut in Gaywood, celebrated its 50th birthday, with awards handed out and activities for current and ex-members to get involved with.Pat Pinnington, 76, from Lynn, set up the Guides unit in town in 1970 and still plays a big part in the club, which currently has 20 girls aged between 10 and 14. The celebration was delayed from 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.

At the weekend, many ex-Guides went along to the celebration to share memories of their time there – including 14 trips to the likes of Switzerland, Barcelona, Disneyland Paris that they participated in.Awards were given out, including five years of service to Wendy Fisher, while Mel Carter received a 40 years of service award and Chi Chi Mandizvidza-Mason was presented with her Bronze Award.Pat said it was such a lovely event for people to come together and remember all the fun things they have done.

She said: “I never imagined that I would still be involved within the same unit all these years later.“It is fun seeing the girls achieve and take part in a lot of opportunities that they would not normally be part of.”Many of the Guides went along to the event and helped serve teas, coffee, and cakes.

Activities also tested members on whether they could remember how to tie a knot, while there were lots of photographs to have a look at.Pat has seen quite a lot of change over the years – including there being a lot more girls going along.

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