10th Ipswich Guides requests funding for trip to Pax Lodge in London
A group of Guides is asking for just over £2,760 from the council to ensure every member can take part in a trip to learn and meet Guides from all over the world.
The 10th Ipswich Guides group has asked Ipswich Borough Council’s south west area committee for £2,761.50, to fund the weekend trip to Pax Lodge in London, a world centre dedicated to Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Some of the group’s girls are from struggling families – including many using foodbanks, some with very little English language, and one that was recently been moved into one hotel room after their house was seriously damaged.
Tricia Hale, leader of 10th Ipswich Guides, said: “We have a mixed bag of girls. Not all of them are deprived, but none of them are well off.
“We do offer camping trips already but we try to keep them really, really cheap – but still, some of the girls just can’t afford to come.
“Things are getting more difficult. My mum was a single mum and she struggled, but I don’t think we struggled as much as families are now.
“This trip would give the girls the opportunity to learn for themselves and make their own decisions.
“We plan to ask them to work out directions when we get to the tube station, for example, and to offer a range of activities for them to pick from.
“It would also mean children will have opportunities they might not have had before – like going to a nice restaurant or on a train.”
The decision on whether to grant the funding will be made at a council committee meeting next Thursday.
Pax Lodge in northwest London is one of just four world centres for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts internationally.
Depending on funding, the Guide leaders would also like to take the children to a West End performance during the weekend trip.
This is the first time the 10th Ipswich Guides group has asked for funding from the south west area committee, which is run by Ipswich Borough Council members.
The Guides will also ask each family to contribute £20 for the trip, but could help out from their own funds for those without the money.
The area committee will also consider a request of £2,500 for a family fun day in the region next Thursday. Five of these days are traditionally run throughout Ipswich each year, and delivered by Ipswich Borough Council.
Meanwhile, next Wednesday, the south east area committee will consider granting £10,083 for Ipswich Community Playbus – to support weekly play sessions in Ravenswood; £900 to help Happy Tots preschool, at Landseer Road Methodist Church, provide cooking and gardening sessions for families; £1,900 for children’s storytelling sessions run by Chapter 82 – and £2,500 for their family fun day.
