Abi and Isla Sleepout
Congratulations to Abi (8C1) and Isla (7E2), who as part of 3rd Thatcham Guides, took part in the Great Tommy Sleepout in March this year. This is an annual, national event to raise money for the Royal British Legion Industries, designed to support veterans who are experiencing homelessness in the UK right now.
Their leader, Sharon Polding, tells us more. “Many other participants of the Sleepout chose to sleep out in tents but our girls used cardboard and tarpaulins to build their own shelters and had only one night booked to do it in. Some of them constructed bivouacs whilst others sandwiched themselves between two groundsheets.
It did rain during the evening but they were undeterred and continued to race around the Thirtover site finding out about why veterans are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, as we tried to dispel some of the myths around this issue.
All of the Guides remained sleeping outside all night (some slept more than others!) which we were all really impressed by. The leaders also slept out in their own bivouac. We all commented what an absolute pleasure it was to take part in this event with these girls, who all demonstrated team work, determination, resilience and courageous advocacy. They even managed to stay dry!
In total, the group raised a huge amount of money and have been given an award as a result. We hope that they will continue to prove that girls can do anything whilst they are members of Guiding and into the future.”
