'It's really changed my life': Biggleswade Brownie leaders honoured with lifetime service awards

'Brown Owl' Babs Gurney and 'Tawny Owl' Jackie Neville were both honoured with a special certificate, badge and flowers during a ceremony at St Andrews Church.

The pair were recognised for serving 40 and 30 years respectively – and both agreed that it was nice for the girls to see that leaders can earn sought after badges, too.

Talking about the joys of leadership, Babs said: "I think it's the enthusiasm from the girls, their smiling faces, and just their imagination.

"It's really changed my life for the better and I've experienced things that I would have never have done."

Describing the qualities of a leader, Jackie added: "You need to be open-minded and be able to have fun. To give the girls a safe space and to be able to enjoy what you're doing.

"The girls are different to when I was a child, they are much more grown up and you have to work with that.

"They learn to be independent and that they can have a go at anything."

Both Babs and Jackie have been involved in Girl Guiding from a young age, with Jackie hailing from Essex and moving to Biggleswade in 1985.

"It was always something I grew up with; I thought what great fun it was and I wanted to pass that on," she explained.

Both Babs and Jackie are members of the 1st Biggleswade St Andrews Brownie Pack, which Babs joined when she was little.

Remembering who inspired her, Babs added: "One of my leaders was so lovely and she stayed a life long friend of mine. You meet some fantastic people who want to give their time and energy."

The ladies described their highlights throughout the years, both praising their time spent as district commissioners during which they made some "brilliant friends" and celebrated the centenary of Girl Guiding (2010).

Meanwhile, Jackie particularly enjoys holidays and activity days, with challenges such as outdoor cooking and tie-dye t-shirts.

She also looks forward to the annual World Thinking Day (February 22), which encourages Girl Guides and Girl Scouts celebrate their 'sisters' around the world and was established in 1926.

Describing how the movement has developed since then, Babs said: "The emphasis was on cooking and sewing and that sort of thing, but now there's badges about aeroplanes and computers, emphasising that girls can do anything. It's evolved with a changing world."

And it's not just the badges that evolve, but the girls, too – with Babs and Jackie taking great pleasure from watching the girls arrive "shy and nervous" on their first day and growing into confident young leaders.

The pair would like to say thank you Biggleswade district commissioner Jo McMurray, East Bedfordshire divisional commissioner, Zoe Swinburn, and Bedfordshire County Commissioner, Amanda Barker, who attended their ceremony – as well as all the leaders and girls past and present who have made their time so special.

They have got their families involved in Girl Guiding, too, with both Jackie's granddaughters joining when they were little, while one of Babs's daughters is a leader. Babs even met her husband, Nick, through the Scouting and Guiding movement when they were youngsters.

Click here to find out more about Girl Guiding.