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On a cold wet day in September 1909 11,000 Scouts met at a rally at the Crystal Palace. At this rally were a group of feisty young women who had invited themselves to Robert Baden-Powell's Scout Rally, they introduced themselves to him as "Girl Scouts". He told them that Scouting was only for boys and but they pleaded for "something for the girls" and Baden-Powell agreed to think about it. While he was thinking some 6000 girls were "girl scouting" . In 1910 Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to set up an entirely separate organisation, the Girl Guide Association. Some years after he was asked who started the Guides and he said" they started themselves".

100 years on Girlguiding UK has 580,000 members in 28,000 units with 80,000 adult volunteers. It is the largest organisation for girls and young women in the UK and globally has 10 million members in 140 countries. Something to celebrate. It is a girl led, vibrant exciting organisation giving girls and young women the opportunity to develop their potential, share new experiences, learn new skills, meet friends and have fun. This year has been a year of celebration and the finale to this exciting year will be on 20th October 2010 when each unit or district will hold a final celebration of our past and look towards our vision for the future of the Guiding movement. At 2010hrs on that day every member of the organisation and our supporters past and present will join across the UK in the remaking of our Promise.

In Lostwithiel and Fowey district we have chosen to hold our final event at Lanhydrock House together with the support ofthe National Trust. The Robartes family have a long and strong connection to Guiding in the area. There was initially a Scout company at Lanhydrock, (name of unit) and later the Hon Everilda Robartes was the Vice President of the Lostwithiel and Fowey Guide Association an organisation which continued to support Guiding activity in the district until very recently.

The event will start at 7pm attended by the Mayors of both Lostwithiel and Fowey, and the Rev Philip Conway. Their will be a short entertainment by rainbows and Brownies, a history roundup by Lostwithiel Guides and rededication of the Guide flag. Lostwithiel Guides celebrate their 90th birthday this year. Then at 2010hrs the event will finish with the remaking of the Guide promise.

We hope that many of you who have been Brownies, Guides, Rangers, members of the Trefoil Guild or supporters of the Guiding movement over the years will join us to say thank you to those girls who started Guiding and to look forward to another 100 years.