About Girlguiding Stewartry

Girlguiding Stewartry is part of the wider Girlguiding UK. We provide a unique, girl only environment for children and young women from ages 5 to 18.

  • Rainbows - aged 5 - 7
  • Brownies - aged 8 - 9
  • Guides - aged 10 - 14
  • Senior Section - aged 14 - 18

Units usually meet each week during term time and the girls have an opportunity to do a variety of activites. The girls are directly involved in the decision making process and lead the program of events that their unit follows.

The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is a fantastic rural area with many opportunities for outdoor activites. We run County Camps for Guides during the summer where they spend 4 days under canvas, cooking in the open air. Guides are also given opportunites to camp internationally.

Where We Are

The Stewarty of Kirkcudbright covers a large area and is sparsely populated so our units are widely spaced. Girls sometimes travel long distance to meetings and County events. However we have beautiful countryside and coastline all around to enjoy.

We have a bird hide area at Threave Gardens, which is managed by the National Trust, where we can have overnight camps. Magnus Magnusson kindly came along to open it for us when we planted trees and buried our time capsules for the Millennium. The Rangers at Threave are extremely supportive and very willing to help out when the girls go to visit.

We have Units in Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, Haugh of Urr, Dalry, Cargenbridge and New Abbey. If there is enough interest we will consider starting new units in other towns and villages in our area. Alternatively girls can be part of the large Lones section. We have just enrolled our first Lone Rainbow. Annabelle is 5 years old and there is no Rainbow Unit in her village. Girlguiding caters well for girls like Annabelle and makes sure that she can take part in the Girlguiding program.

Adult Volunteers

Girlguiding Stewartry is a registered charity and is organised and run entirely by volunteers. Our adult members come from all walks of life and bring a variety of skills to the organisation.

Volunteers who work directly with girls in their units are aged between 18 - 65 and have gone through Disclosure Scotland vetting. Some units have occasional helpers, usually parents, and can be male or female. We also have members who work 'behind the scenes' and they can be male or female.

Volunteers are paid expenses and receive training to help them carry out their duties. They give freely of their time, from a few hours per month to a few hours per week and have the opportunity to develop their skills.

If you are interested in volunteering with Girlguiding Stewartry, or if you are the parent or carer of a girl who is interested in joining please contact us.