Not the one in Plumstead High Street

It was January 2014.  We were spending the Guide meeting coming up with programme ideas for the year, in true 'girl-led Guiding' fashion, the critical component which makes Girlguiding what it is - that which the girls want to do.

'Think broadly - think about what you would really like to do', came the instruction.

'I'd love to see the Northern Lights', suggested a little voice.  

It was these few words which led to 1st Chislehurst Guides deciding to go to... Iceland (and I don't mean the one in Plumstead High Street).  I mean the island in the North Sea; yes, the one with that troublesome volcano they call Eyjafjallajokull that wreaked havoc in 2010, and yes, that major financial crisis in 2008 - 2011, but let's not worry about these things.  This is why we have travel insurance.  This is why the first thing one does, once a trip is approved, is to purchase travel insurance, from those lovely people at Unity (Girlguiding's recommended insurer).  Yes indeed.

So what have we been doing to prepare for this trip? All sorts! We have incorporated the fundraising into our Guide programme, by doing constant fundraising, alongside the weekly meetings.  What does that mean in practice?

The Guides were encouraged to:
- fill up tubes of Smarties with 20p pieces; this raised £256.60
- bring in unwanted CDs, DVDs, books; I sold these online through Music Magpie, Ziffit and We Buy Books; the money is still coming in, but this has raised £660.17 (you'd be amazed at how many people want to get rid of their CD collections)
- bring in unwanted stuff which we could sell on eBay.  I hadn't used eBay before and was wary of the time it takes; but once you understand the basics, items can be uploaded quite quickly.  We are still actively selling stuff here so have a look! So far, we have raised £573
- bring in used postage stamps.  This has raised £21.50
- bring in unwanted foreign currency, which has raised £45.70
- bring in unwanted clothes, soft toys, bric-a-brac, which has raised £131.46
- bring in unwanted mobile phones; this has raised £9.41 (every little helps)

We have also applied to and received grants from:
- Region Chief's Discretionary Fund
- Pat Tiley Memorial Fund
- Leslie Sell Charitable Trust
- Centenary Dream Fund
for which we are truly grateful.

We've also had stalls at local events, been bag-packing - having a local presence at events is great as it raises awareness of local Guiding and promotes 'Growing Guiding' too.  We've  done sponsored events, made over £200 from Easyfundraising (if you're a Leader in LaSER, every unit in the Region is set up on Easyfundraising, so have a look; effortless funds for your units).  Easysearch is good too and you don't even need to register.  Online research, consumer testing, big events, like a Variety Show; it has all contributed to us raising the £10,000 we needed for this trip.

Each participant has paid £250 and we have fundraised the rest.  Why am I telling you this? If my unit can do it, your unit can do it too! What are you waiting for?!