Petition launched to save West Sussex Girlguiding activity centre Blackland Farm

Girlguiding UK, the leading organisation for girls and young women in the United Kingdom, has announced plans to close all five of its national activity centres, including Blackland Farm near East Grinstead.

The decision to close the centres at Blackland Farm, Foxlease (New Forest), Waddow Hall (Lancashire), Glenbrook (Peak District), and Ynysgain (Eyrie National Park) at the end of 2023 follows a separate decision to close British Girlguiding Overseas (BGO) in September this year. The changes have left Girlguiding leaders and members deeply concerned about the future of Girlguiding and disappointed in the lack of transparency and consideration of the trustees for their members.

British Girlguiding Overseas has played a vital role in providing opportunities for British girls and young women living abroad, fostering cultural understanding and global citizenship. Its proposed closure comes as a blow to BGO members who have benefited immensely from the international experiences and connections they made through the organisation. BGO has been a home away from home, providing a sense of belonging and support to more that 3,000 British girls and young women living outside of the UK. The BGO groups are commonly used by daughters of military personnel living abroad.

The decision to close all five of the national Training and Activity Centres has also struck a chord of sadness within the Girlguiding community. The historic sites have been part of Girlguiding for more than a century. Foxlease was donated to Girlguiding UK as part of a wedding present to Princess Mary, the aunt of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and hosted the first World Camp in 1924.

Blackland Farm opened in 1938 and was donated to Girlguiding. It is home to a number of small outdoor adventure businesses that could be impacted by the closure, and the site is used by other groups such as schools and those completing the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

The activity centres are treasured places where countless girls and young women have created lasting memories, developed leadership skills, and formed lifelong friendships. The closures will result in the loss of accessible and affordable spaces for outdoor adventures, impacting the diverse range of activities and experiences offered by Girlguiding UK - which campaigners say is a particular blow for girls who missed out on activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The centres also host festivals for girl guides, like "Wellies & Wristbands", which give young girls and young women their first experience of a music festival in a safe environment. Blackland Farm is due to hold the quadrennial Olave International camp in 2024.

Girlguiding members posting on social media have expressed concern and disappointment that these decisions were taken without consultation of the Girlguiding community. Many feel that the lack of member involvement in these significant changes undermines the values of inclusivity and collaboration that Girlguiding UK teaches. Additionally, they are concerned that alternatives to closing the five activity centres, such as only selling one of the sites or exploring options like selling the recently refurbished London HQ, which had an £11 million investment, do not appear to have been considered.

Concerned members of the Girlguiding community have launched petitions urging Girlguiding UK to reconsider and explore alternative solutions. The petitions emphasise the significance of the activity centre closures to the wider Girlguiding experience and the value of BGO in providing unique international opportunities for British girls and young women.

Jill Booker, a leader at 6th East Grinstead Brownies, has been involved in Girlguiding for 50 years. She recalls the "many happy hours with the numerous number of girls who have passed through on their Guiding journey", including evenings and weekends spent with girls grass sledging, wall climbing, zip wiring, and bungee trampolining at Blackland Farm. She challenged Girlguiding UK's claim that the centre is underused, saying that "booking an activity is more difficult" now that other organisations use the site. Jill described the centre as "good fun, and what Guiding is all about" before asking "where will we go now?"

Ellie Shorthouse, an outdoor instructor at Blackland Farm, said "these centres are not just bricks and mortar, or fields and forests. These centres change lives on a daily basis. They offer young people the opportunity to challenge themselves, to learn life skills, to build friendships." She said that the activity centres "let kids develop a love of nature and a lust for adventure" and are "the home of millions of happy memories".

On Twitter, local MP Mimms Davies said that "many local leaders and parents are very concerned" about the proposed closure of Blackland Farm. She added that she has requested a meeting to discuss the issue.

In a statement released via its website, Girlguiding UK said: "We know most of our members are choosing to have adventures within their units, near their home, and in other locations and facilities. There has been historic underinvestment in the activity centres, and they have been running at an overall loss for some years, despite successful efforts to generate more business from different markets. The centres would need significant funding of over £20m in the coming years to be fit for future use. We cannot afford this level of investment."

The petition calling upon Girlguiding UK to reconsider the decision to sell the activity centres can be found here: change.org/p/girlguiding-uk-to-review-and-reconsider-the-decision-to-sell-the-five-activity-centres

The petition to save British Girlguiding Overseas can be found here: change.org/p/uk-girlguiding-to-re-examine-their-decision-to-cease-all-guiding-overseas