Kenilworth guide leader wins top award

Zoe McNamara, a leader at the 8th Kenilworth Guides which meet at the United Reformed Church in Abbey End, received the Queen’s Guide Award after three years of hard work.

She was presented with the award at the party, which was organised by the guides themselves, by Warwickshire county commissioner Jane Bennett.

After handing the award to Zoe, Jane told the guides: “If Zoe can do it, you can too.”

To win the award, guide leaders have to complete challenges in five different areas: service in guiding, an outdoor challenge, personal skill development, community action and residential.

Over the course of three years, Zoe completed all five aspects of the award.

To complete the residential part of the award, Zoe gained her Guide Camp Licence and took the guides away camping.

She trained as a peer educator and then ran sessions on body confidence and self-esteem with several Brownie and Guide units in Kenilworth and Coventry for the community action section.

She also became a spokeperson for girlguiding following public relations training.

For the personal development section, she increased her skill in arts and crafts and helped organise Arts Zone at Arden 2014.

Zoe volunteered at the popular girlguiding national festival camp ‘Wellies and Wristbands’ for the outdoor challenge section.

Her long stint in the guides enabled her to complete the service in guiding section.

She is now helping other guide leaders achieve the award by offering help in her new role as county coordinator for Queen’s Guides.