Cawston Greenway Coronation Bench: Blog

New to the world of blogging, we weren’t sure where to begin with this… so let’s start with introductions.

Hello, we’re from 1st Cawston Guides and we’ve been active in Cawston since 2005 – perhaps you know a former member of Cawston Rainbows, Brownies or Guides and already know of us, or maybe Girlguiding is new to you.

As part of The Big Help Out for the Coronation, we contacted Paul at Cawston Greenway to volunteer our time to do something for the community.

What is Girlguiding?

Girlguiding (www.girlguiding.org.uk) is the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls. Whether they’re 4 or 18 or somewhere in between, we help girls know they can do anything.

They go to their first ever sleepover, canoe on rivers, learn about body confidence, and lead their own camp. Or sometimes they simply have fun and try new things with friends.

Girls take what they do in Girlguiding with them as they grow up. Everything from working in a team, to taking the lead, to speaking out on issues they care about. It helps them develop the skills and confidence to become the young women they want to be. And to make a difference to the world around them.

Girlguiding’s links with the Royal Family

From near its beginning in 1910 there’s been a member of the Royal family connected with the Girl Guide movement. First, the Princess Royal, Princess Mary became the President of The Girl Guide Association in 1920. Then Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II’s sister, until 2003. Now, we’re honoured to have Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, as our President; she takes a great interest in Girlguiding and has been an active leader in her local unit, as well as attending Girlguiding events in her role as President.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II also had a long association with Girlguiding throughout her life. She first joined Guides in 1937 at the age of 11, alongside her sister Princess Margaret, who joined Brownies. In 1953, the year after she succeeded to the throne, Her Majesty the Queen became Girlguiding’s Patron.

With this long history, it was only natural that we wanted to take part in The Big Help Out.

So, what did we do for the community?

On Thursday 18 May we gathered to meet Paul (your usual blog host) who we’d been in touch with about doing something community minded in Cawston.

We’d been talking about King Charles III’s Coronation and wanted to do something a little different to our usual community activities as part of The Big Help Out – something that would last for years to come and stand as a reminder of what we can achieve together.

Paul shared an idea of installing a bench next to the wildflower bank – an idea we loved. Now, if like us you’re not sure where this is, join the bridle path on Trussell Way between Stanford Way and Carroll Close, walk past the Cawston Rise play area on your left and onto the bridge over the greenway. Immediately after crossing the bridge, turn sharp right and head down onto the greenway. Then turn right and pass under the bridge. You’ll see the bench on the left and the wildflower bank opposite. It took us a little while to figure out where it was too!

With Paul’s excellent guidance, we carried the bench, kindly provided by Co-Op Helping Hearts in Bilton, tools, cement mix and a huge tub of water to the greenway (with some of us getting a little wet!), chose a site for the bench and dug the post holes. As you can imagine, not many of the girls had used a pickaxe before so that was an exciting new experience, and they were all keen to give it a try. They really worked up a sweat digging and getting the two post holes to the right depth.

As it turned out, digging, although the most physical, wasn’t the most difficult part, it was getting the bench level. Every time we thought we’d got it right, the spirit level showed that we were still out. We got there eventually, and Paul helped the Guides fill the post holes with cement and mix it with the water. The Guides enjoyed finding sticks to mix the water and cement powder and finding stones to mix in to make the cement even stronger.

With the cement only taking an hour to dry, we’re assured by Paul that the bench will stand the test of time and allow people to rest at that point on the greenway to enjoy the butterflies on the wildflower bank opposite. We’re told Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies will all thrive on the wildflowers so there should be plenty of colour, from the flowers and the butterflies, come summer.

Once the bench was finished, we used the rest of our time to go on a nature hike along the greenway, collecting rubbish along the way, before enjoying a break in the play park and meeting back with parents.

Huge thanks to Paul for making this possible and for supporting us in installing the bench – it’s certainly something we’ll always remember, and I know a few of the Guides have proudly taken their families to see the results of their labour.

And finally, we’re looking for volunteers…

Girlguiding relies on volunteers to run local units in communities, specifically we need more volunteers in Cawston and Rugby.

Girlguiding volunteers help girls build their confidence, have adventures, learn new skills, give back to their communities and have loads of fun in the process – with volunteers experiencing the same benefits. Volunteering isn’t just about campfires and helping girls to get their next badge – although those are special moments, it’s about empowering girls and giving them new experiences. It’s being a role model and helping girls to realise their full potential.

If you’re interested in getting involved, register your interest on the website and someone will get in touch: www.girlguiding.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-volunteer/register-to-volunteer/