Guides Countdown 100 Blog
Countdown 100 is here! This is the first of Girlguiding Anglia's Centenary Celebrations, read the blog below to hear about all the exciting activities and excursions they have been upto!
SUNDAY 23RD AUGUST
The Anglia Region's Countdown 100! Camp has finally started, after months of preparation. Girls started arriving on site at 11am on Sunday and soon settled in, pitching tents and setting up camp, only stopping for refreshments provided by their sub camp teams. After an afternoon of games, quizzes and fun, everyone made their way to the Limepits Campfire Circle, armed with torches, campfire blankets and already a few new friends. 
Mary Putt, the Camp Lead, welcomed everyone to the Camp before various Leaders, from all over the Region, led campfire songs. All the girls joined in enthusiastically and listened to all the exciting things that lay in store for them. As the embers died down, everyone returned to their campsites for a mug of hot chocolate (and a bedtime story!) before bed.
MONDAY 24TH AUGUST
Monday saw everyone up bright and early, ready to start lots of activities in preparation for Friday, Carnival Day! The girls split into groups and took part in activities such as learning to samba dance, drumming workshops and creating colourful carnival costumes, to wear on Friday night.
The evening saw two different activities for the sub-camps. Dragonflies held a Cheese and Wine/Lemonade evening and all the girls dressed up with feather boas and posh hairdos, rea
dy to party the night away. Over on Butterflies, there was a more competitive atmosphere at their Quiz Night. After the quiz, many of the girls returned to the marquee, ready to hear chapter two of their bedtime story.
So far the weather has been bright and sunny and the camp atmosphere has been equally as good. Everyone has been having a great time, and there are many more amazing things yet to come! 
TUESDAY 25TH AUGUST
Tuesday saw the first day of off-site activities, with girls going to Banham Zoo, Pleasurewood Hills, seal watching and the beach and canoeing on the river. At Banham Zoo the girls watched an" amazing animal" show, which included a meerkat named Stitch and a macaw named Peanuts. These animals were trained to perform natural behaviours seen in the wild. In the afternoon the girls had a discovery session which included handling a royal python and a Madagascan hissing cockroach. This session was enjoyed by all with plenty of laughter 
and ohhhh's!
Over on the seal watching trip they saw exactly one hundred seals. Later on the beach there was a competition to build the best shingle sculpture, which included some interesting creations, a few buried bodies and a beautiful crab and dragonfly mosaic which turned out to be the winner.
Canoeing went well with many of the girls learning a new skill! After learning the basics they headed up river to explore, after which they stopped for lunch, then they started to head back towards camp. This is where they played some water games, which was followed by a warm shower.
After dinner the whole camp came together for a wide game based on the Decades challenge. The girls formed groups in which they worked around different activities from the 1900's to the present day, - from renewing their promise using the original words to making a dance routine to ‘Rock Around the Clock' to having a race on Space Hoppers. It was then time for hot drinks and bed.
WEDNESDAY 26TH AUGUST
Today was another fun-packed day with everyone up bright and early, ready to leave camp at 9am. After a short walk to Coltishall halt, the girls all boarded the 10am steam train on the Bure Valley Railway. Several of the girls hadn't been on a steam train before so they were really excited. The journey from Coltishall to Wroxham only took about 10 minutes but everyone enjoyed the ride.
When they arrived at Wroxham, the girls were allowed to go off in groups for a spot of retail therapy and even a McDonalds! They all met up again at lunchtime, ready to board the coaches for their next exciting activity.
BeWilderwood was the first stop for Butterflies, who literally went wild in the woods! There were zip-wires, slides, 3-man swings and giant climbing frames, to name but a few of the fun things on offer. Everyone took part in the "boot trail", hunting for coloured boots hidden all over the park. Those who managed to find all the boots were given a BeWilderwood badge. The girls loved BeWilderwood, and the Leaders did too!
Meanwhile, Dragonflies were off to Horning for a ride on a Mississippi Paddle Steamer. The trip lasted for 1 ½ hours and passed through Malthouse and Ranworth Broads. The crew were very friendly and knowledgeable, giving a commentary of the area around the Broads and pointing out some interesting birds including a heron and the rare Marsh Harrier. The trip was really interesting but everyone's favourite bit was when the girls had the opportunity to steer the boat.
After a short coach trip the sub camps swapped activities before returning to Hautbois fora BBQ and an evening of activities on the zip-wire, assault course and abseiling tower and climbing boulder. As a special treat some Guides were given a guided tour of Hautbois House and learned a bit about its fascinating history.
THURSDAY 27TH AUGUST
Thursday was another day of off-site activities, with many girls enjoying kayaking, seal watching, cycling and a trip to Pleasurewood Hills.
Pleasurewood Hills was a great day out for both Guides and the leaders! They all sang "Thunderation", whilst swinging on a pirate ship and several Guiders went on the log flume and discovered that even their waterproofs didn't stop them get
ting wet!
Cycling took place in Thetford Forest and everyone had a good time, with only a couple of people falling off!
The evening saw a group of girls doing their BP Award, join the house staff for a meal and a quiz about Hautbois House. They also learnt that Friday would be a special day for them, as they are going to be escorting VIP's round the camp. They also discussed their 10 challenges that they have completed for the Award.
On Dragonflies subcamp, there was a pampering evening, with girls enjoying manicures and faces. Meanwhile, the Butterflies had organised a Wacky Sports Day event, which several girls took pa
rt in.
FRIDAY 28TH AUGUST
Today was the last full day of the camp and, despite the rain and hail, everyone threw themselves into their activities.
The drumming group had great fun learning to play different samba rhythms on a wide variety of percussion instruments. They also learnt to march in time to the beat, ready for the Carnival. Dancers also learnt lots of new steps, ready to join the parade and the girls finished 
off their carnival costumes.
At lunchtime several VIP's arrived at the camp, including Liz Burnley, the Chief Guide. They were given a guided tour of the site by girls doing their BP Award.
The Carnival Parade started at 8pm and everyone gathered on Curlew with a sense of excitement in the air. As all the girls drummed and danced together for the first time, everyone was proud of what they'd achieved. The costumes looked amazing and even all the VIP's joined in, waving streamers and glow sticks. After the parade everyone went into the 
marquee to countdown to 100 years of Guiding and celebrated the launch of the centenary with streamers, party poppers and a disco! It was a brilliant end to the camp.
SATURDAY 29TH AUGUST
Everyone was up early on Saturday, taking down tents and packing everything away, ready to leave at lunchtime. Some girls were up earlier than others, having breakfast at 6.30am! The sites were soon cleared in the sunshine, and everyone took their tents home dry. As the coaches drove off, the girls waved goodbye to the new friends they've made from all over Anglia, and all were thinking of the exciting things to come during the centenary year, starting with launch parties next weekend.
Blog closing
So we came to Hautbois and we partied hard and we counted down to 100 years of Girlguiding and we finished with a real bang (or should that be shower of poppers)!
I hope there was something for everyone during our week filled with fun, friendship and laughter. When looking through the CDs, it was your photographs that for me told a story because even though the camp leaders were asked to accompany trips with Guides from other units and I know some were hesitant, they all rose to the challenge and the pictorial evidence would suggest that they themselves were able to share a joke and some down time. And the girls, well there is no doubt of the fun and enjoyment that was captured.
We have shared together a truly unique event where fun and friendship was clearly at the fore, when speaking to a group of girls one evening I was acutely aware that the two sub camps scarves (purple and green) were totally intermingled and that new friendships had clearly been forged.
My challenge to you all as you go through the Centenary year and beyond is to build on those friendships and who knows in 20 years time, some of you from across the Region may be running an event with a slightly new twist!
I thank you all for being part of Countdown 100 whether as a participant, a leader or part of the staff team. Thank you also for the picture and scrap book, which I shall treasure and I wish you a fun filled year ahead, wherever it takes you
Mary