I took my Brownie unit away on pack holiday in November 2023 after receiving a UK units in need grant. Without this grant we would have had to charge significantly more which would have prevented many of our girls from attending.

We were planning our unit’s first pack holiday post-Covid as it was something our Brownies had been asking for and I wanted to complete my Going Away With qualification. When we calculated the cost of the venue, food and materials for the whole weekend we worked out that the pack holiday would be over £80 per girl. Our unit is in a deprived part of Edinburgh, and we knew that the cost would be a barrier to a lot of the girls within our unit. We really wanted to make sure that every girl had the opportunity to take part, so we tried to reduce the financial burden where possible.

I had heard about Girlguiding’s UK Units in Need grant and decided to apply for help towards the cost of food, materials and resources. It was a straightforward form. We just needed to fill in what we needed funding for, and have our commissioner sign it. We applied for £230 to cover our supermarket shop and the materials we needed for crafts. We were thrilled when we found out our application had been successful!

This funding meant that we could reduce our pack holiday fee by almost £20 per girl, making it much more accessible. They all had an amazing weekend, and for many of them it was their first overnight stay away from home. We know that without the funding, the majority of our unit wouldn’t have been able to attend the weekend. We’re so glad those girls didn’t have to miss out on this experience.

If you have success applying to a fund and would like to share your story please let us know at funding@girlguiding-scot.org.uk.