For the last few years as part of their unit Christmas community action, 2nd Tonbridge Brownies have chosen to visit a local sheltered accommodation to entertain and meet the residents. Each year the girls decide on their entertainment and their favourite Brownie songs that they’re going to sing. This year plan a) was a ‘Brownies Got Talent’…but with audition-week thin-on-the-ground they rapidly switched to plan b) – a dramatized reading of the Christmas Story with added carols. Fitting 29 Brownies into a small space with 16 residents is always a challenge but being close to their audience helped the girls make sure they were heard and encouraged audience participation in the carols! A few favourite Brownie songs (with resident accompaniment for Zena and Eidelweiss) and the girls were ready for a drink and a chat. Having worked out that the few men in the room wouldn’t have been Brownies (!) the girls did discover several ex-Guiding members (and a couple of ex-Scouts). Izzy (8) chatted to an ex-Brownie and they agreed the uniform was far more practical these days than the brown dress she had worn and several residents commented that the girls had a chance to do lots more exciting things than some of them had. The residents thoroughly enjoyed the girls’ visit, especially having a chance to chat and catch up with girls who they’d met in previous years. From the ‘buzz’ among the girls as they walked back up the high street (singing various bits of songs as they went) they also had a great time and loved finding out about Brownies ‘from quite a lot of years ago’. The best bit according to Rachel (9) was ‘the singing and going round with my friend talking to them [the residents], Cleo (7) reported that ‘all of the people there were very smiley and kind’, she also liked singing the songs ‘as it was fun and some of them joined in’. They will be more than welcome and very willing to return next Christmas!
Clare Norman
Leader – 2nd Tonbridge Brownies
