Girls from Cranleigh braved the freezing temperatures to sleep under canvas at Girlguiding’s extreme winter camp. The Cranleigh Guides joined hundreds of other girls at Sparkle and Ice, a weekend event held at Girlguiding’s activity centre Blackland Farm near East Grinstead on 2-3 February.
After pitching their tents, the group kept warm by making the most of the activities on offer from going climbing, roller skiing, ice tubing and abseiling, to testing their survival skills by making shelters and building fires. And at night, they had the chance to ditch their welly boots for dancing shoes to enjoy the onsite disco. The group then layered up to endure plunging temperatures to take on the challenge of winter camping.
Lucy said: “We survived the cold by wearing loads of layers and putting hot water bottles in our sleeping bags. Girlguiding is all about trying new things and this is the first time I’ve camped out in winter. It’s been an amazing experience; I can’t wait to do it again.”
Jess said: “I loved all the activities but particularly abseiling and climbing because they were so much fun. It was great to be here with my friends because we all wanted to challenge ourselves by sleeping in a tent in winter. It was cold but brilliant; I’d definitely do it again.”
This is the third time Sparkle and Ice has been held and hundreds of girls and young women joined the three camps which happened simultaneously across Girlguiding’s activity centres in Lancashire, Hampshire and Sussex. The event was funded by Postcode Children Trust, a grant-giving charity supported entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Girlguiding gives girls opportunities to have fun and adventure, gain life skills and make friends. Sparkle and Ice is the first of several weekend events to be held at Girlguiding’s activity centres during 2019 for girls and young women from across the country, with Magic and Mayhem and Wellies and Wristbands coming up in the summer.
For more information about how to get involved with Girlguiding, the leading charity for girls and young women in the UK, visit www.girlguiding.org.uk
