After 18 months of meetings online, the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers of Girlguiding Cumbria South and their leaders celebrated with an area-wide party.
Picnics were held simultaneously in Barrow, Kirkby in Furness, Ulverston, Kendal and at Brockhole on Windermere, culminating with everyone renewing their Guiding promise at the same time.
As well as tucking into picnics there were lots of activities for everyone including orienteering, treasure hunts, parachute games and singing.
Barrow mayor Helen Wall attended the event, and Windermere deputy mayor Kate Tripp joined the fun at Brockhole, where activities included scavenger hunts and making kites as well as enjoying the adventure playground.
In Ulverston, the girls were entertained by storyteller Mark Borthwick, and after the picnic the Guides walked up to the Sir John Barrow monument.
Samba drumming group Drum Nation got the party in Kendal off to a lively start, and mayor Doug Rathbone and his partner enjoyed themselves so much that they stayed for the entire event.
Girlguiding Cumbria South County Commissioner Sarah Beale said: “It was great to see so many of our members having fun and games together after so many months apart and as things hopefully improve we will continue to provide many more exciting and enjoyable experiences for our young members.”
Even the weather largely played along: After a damp start it picked up in most places, apart from in Kendal, where leader Samm Parker said: “Sometimes we can forget how resilient and waterproof our girls are, but they sang, screamed, made animal noises and ran around like absolute champs and made us and themselves very proud.
“And, of course, as we said to the girls: you can’t have Rainbows without the rain.”
