Latest news with #GenerationCashBack
Daily Record
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Funding support for Ayrshire girl guide group after 'devastating' blaze
An Ayrshire Guide unit is being supported by a Scottish Government-funded programme after their meeting venue suffered a fire. Hurlford Church, where 1st Hulford Guides met weekly, caught fire on Friday, April 4. Four Scottish Fire and Rescue units were sent to tackle the fire affecting the roof of the venue. Scottish Fire and Rescue confirmed that there were no reported casualties. It was considered a "safe space" for the girls to meet, learn new skills and be themselves. The unit now meet at a different church, however it's much more expensive. Since the fire, the unit has been receiving support from Generation CashBack, a Scottish Government-funded scheme which aims to offer opportunities for disadvantaged young people. CashBack is delivered in partnership with Girlguiding Scotland, Boys' Brigade Scotland, Scouts Scotland and Youth Scotland. Unit leader Louise Crichton said: "Our venue has recently caught fire and we're unable to use it. We've been unable to go in and get our resources and we've not been able to meet in our meeting place. "The hall no longer has a roof, electricity or water, and we won't have the option of returning until at least next year. "Hurlford and Kilmarnock have a pretty severe antisocial behaviour problem. There have been situations with buses and the police are involved regularly, including maintaining a presence in Hurlford in the evening. "We can't meet outdoors due to antisocial behaviour, and during outdoor guiding we had to call the police to the park. Last year we went down to the local river and got rocks thrown at us. "The girls have grown up in the area so have grown to expect it. "[Guiding] is a safe place where they can be themselves and not have to deal with the antisocial kids. We have a few girls from different secondary schools so they're meeting friends outside of their immediate area. "They're also making friends of different ages which is making it easier for them to move up to high school." The unit has also made strides to become more girl-led, with Guides able to deliver their own meetings and choose the activities they do. Louise added: "This is an outcome from the last time we did Generation CashBack. "In the evaluation there was a question about 'would you like to improve your leadership skills' and almost all the girls ticked yes." Girlguiding Scotland's CashBack development officer Anna commented: "The CashBack project at Girlguiding Scotland aims to give girls safe spaces where they can do new things and have fun with friends. "The loss of their safe space will have been really scary for some of the girls in the unit, and we're pleased to be helping the unit to replace their lost belongings and keep a sense of consistency for the girls. It's amazing how quickly the volunteers have found a new meeting place and kept guiding going!" If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with Girlguiding Scotland, visit here.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Hamilton Guides enjoy special adventures thanks to Generation Cashback funding
The 17th Hamilton members tackled a climbing wall, took to the water and visited New Lanark, Garrion Bridges and Girlguiding South Lanarkshire's residential site. Guides from Hamilton enjoyed a host of new adventures thanks to a funding boost – allowing them to try out new opportunities ranging from taking to the water to scaling a climbing wall. Members of the 17th Hamilton unit had a busy programme of activities arranged by their volunteer leaders thanks to the support of the Generation Cashback project, a Scottish Government-funded programme aiming to increase opportunities for young people living in areas of deprivation. The 'lifechanging' experiences for the Guides, aged 10 to 14, included hitting the heights as they reached the top of a climbing wall plus boarding a boat for the first time – as well as enjoying a camping weekend at Gowanpark, Girlguiding South Lanarkshire's residential activity centre near Crossford. During their residential, they visited New Lanark World Heritage Centre and enjoyed afternoon tea at Garrion Bridges – another first which none of the Guides had ever done before, and with the funding helping to ensure all members had the chance to participate. Unit leader Margaret Mitchell said: 'We're proud of giving girls different experiences that they can't get at home. We take them on adventures that they would never get to go on and we get so much out of seeing them do new things. 'Anything we get we use to enhance the girls' experience of Girlguiding and life. We want them to have memories for life.' The Hamilton unit was supported to undertake their adventure through the Generation CashBack project delivered by partners Girlguiding Scotland, Boys' Brigade Scotland, Scouts Scotland and Youth Scotland. Girlguiding Scotland Cashback development officer Anna Hannen Thomas said: 'The volunteers in this unit have shown how much they value the young people by creating a brilliant programme of activities for their weekend away. 'We're proud that Cashback was able to support this to happen and continues to support this unit to be a safe space for young people to push themselves and do amazing new things.' Visit for more details on volunteering with Girlguiding's units across Lanarkshire. And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
Glasgow Times
02-06-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Guides mentor young girls to grow in confidence
The 282nd Glasgow Guides are encouraging Rainbows and Brownies from their local community to move up to Guides by sharing their own experiences and helping them see that the next step in their guiding journey is fun. The unit is supported by Generation CashBack, a Scottish Government-funded scheme. The initiative seeks to ensure young people from deprived areas can benefit from youth work opportunities. Carly, a Guide member with the unit in Glasgow, is one such volunteer who helps out with the Brownies and assists with games, writing, and drawing. She said: "I wanted to start helping because I felt like it was really interesting, because then I get to know about them and what they do. 'The hardest part is when we're setting up a game and none of them can decide who's going to be it. "The best part is helping them set up games, learning all of their names and seeing them run about and have fun.' Anna, CashBack development officer for Girlguiding Scotland, said: "Almost all the Guides in the unit help at Rainbows or Brownies, with some helping at more than one unit. 'This started when one girl was nervous about leaving Brownies (she is autistic and struggles with change), so leaders suggested she helped with Brownies to make the move smoother. "It meant that she could still see her Brownie leaders and have the familiarity whilst dipping her toe into being a Guide. "Three years later, she's still at Guides. "The other girls became interested in this, so also started helping. 'We've seen the girls grow in confidence since they've started volunteering and it helps foster a good sense of community.' Like Carly, Mia, who helps out with both Rainbows and Brownies, said: "I really like working with kids. "I enjoy watching Rainbows learn new things and make friends and watching Brownies have fun. "I'd like to be a leader in the future."
