What An Achievement!

Isn’t it a fantastic feeling when you finally achieve your goal. Even more so when that goal is so big and bold.

Well this weekend, I had the great pleasure to share in that excitement with the Scouts and Guides in Menai Bridge, Anglesey at the opening of their new Scout & Guide Hall.

The original hall was given to the Scouts and Guides by the local Senogles family in 1937. Whilst it served them well for many years, the wooden structure was badly in need of repair. So eight years ago, they embarked on a massive project to raise enough money to rebuild.

As with any project of this scale, there were set-backs and disappointments, much burning-of-midnight-oil, persuasion and cajoling, but finally through a mixture of  local authority support, grants from the Welsh Assembly and other financing bodies, as well as the usual raffles, BBQs, salsa evenings and so on, they made it!

Simon Weston, President of Scouting in Wales, and I joined invited guests, members of the local community, parents and supporters as well as Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Helpers and Leaders for a BIG Celebration.

Well done everyone – what an amazing effort. You now have a fantastic facility that’ll secure the future of Scouting and Guiding in Menai Bridge for many years to come.

Thank you for inviting me. I so enjoyed my visit and look forward to meeting you all again.

Helen

Helen’s profile

Invitations are coming in thick and fast, which is great. I’m looking forward to going to different places, meeting old friends and making new ones – and, of course, helping to put Girlguiding Cymru on the map!  But who exactly is Helen Murdoch?  For those of you who want to know a little more about me, here’s a pic and my profile…

Helen Murdoch

The serious stuff

• Born in Porthcawl, educated at Porthcawl Comprehensive School.
• Graduated from Thames Polytechnic (now University of Greenwich) with an honours degree in International Marketing and completed a Masters in Marketing in 2000 at University of Glamorgan.
• Married to John (for almost 30 years!), they are both well-known and active members of the local community in sunny Porthcawl.
• As well as Guiding, Helen is an active member of Soroptimist International, a worldwide organisation for women, working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.
• Is a Chartered Marketer, a Business Leader member of the Marketing Society and is Trustee or adviser for a number of not-for-profit organisations.
• Has worked in marketing internationally and in the UK, initially for Nestle, then spent 10 years in the Beauty and Cosmetics business, moved into the public sector with the Welsh Development Agency and started her own business, a marketing and communications consultancy – H M Marketing Limited – in 1995. (www.HelenMurdochMarketing.com )
• Through her business, Helen works with a wide range of businesses including major blue-chip companies, public sector organisations and small growing businesses. She helps them with creative and innovative ideas to drive their business forward.
• Helen has a passion for marketing and says her aim is simple “I want to help people achieve better results in their business and have fun in the process”.

The Guiding stuff

• Started her Guiding as a Brownie and became sixer of the Pixies. Moved on to Guides as a member of the Swallow Patrol and later joined Central Glamorgan Ranger Unit.
• As a Guide represented Wales at an International camp in Germany; as a Ranger represented Wales on the Ranger Diamond Jubilee Committee in 1977 – and escorted the Union flag at the thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
• Is a Queen’s Guide and achieved her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. “Amazingly my Gold DofE presentation was the day after my (degree) graduation ceremony – two exceptional and unrepeatable days, one at Buckingham Palace and the other at Westminster Hall!”
• Served as PR Adviser for Wales helping to raise the profile of both Guides Cymru and Broneirion.
• Is a Unit Leader (Brown Owl) for 3^rd Newton Brownies in Porthcawl, a unit of 24 girls, 3 leaders and a Young Leader, and a too-long waiting list.
• Invited to serve as President Girlguiding Cymru from October 2009. She was surprised, thrilled and honoured to have this tremendous opportunity to give back to an organisation that has given her so much. Helen sees her role as motivating and inspiring girls and leaders throughout Wales, as well as acting as an ambassador for Girlguiding Cymru to show the wider world what a modern and progressive organisation we are.

The strange-but-true stuff

• Launched the original Pot Noodles product in Germany.
• Was once invited to assist the mole-catcher in the Grampian region of Scotland – this meant walking behind a tractor to collect a bucket full of live worms and feeding them oats laden with strychnine.
• Survived a Force 12 gale at the Welsh Scout Jamboree at Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor.
• Always carries a notepad and pencil, money for a phone and can tie a reef knot behind her head.
• Helen shares her birthday (in March) with Shaka Khan, the singer; Joe Calzaghe, the boxer; and Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes!

Helen can’t sing, doesn’t box and certainly has never run a mile, let alone in 4 minutes. However as President of Girguiding Cymru she will use her voice, stand her corner and show how Guiding can help you sprint to success.

Today is World Thinking Day 2011

A special day for everyone in Guiding when we remember Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world.

You know when one of my Brownies makes her Promise, the whole Pack salutes her and I give her the left hand of friendship to welcome her into this worldwide family of Guiding. It’s a special moment and one, I’m sure, in our various different ways that we’ve all shared – but do we realise how powerful it is to belong to such a huge family?

Our family is 10 million girls in 145 countries across the world, and here in Wales we are over 20,000 family members – WOW! that’s some family. Just being part of that family is an enormous thrill and such fun.

And just think what such a huge family can do. Guiding is on the world agenda. We are the largest voluntary movement dedicated to girls and young women. On this years’ World Thinking Day, we are focusing on the Millennium Development Goal (MDG3): gender equality and empowering women.  Have a look at the WAGGGS World Thinking Day website - http://www.worldthinkingday.org  to find out more.

And we can act locally too. We are giving opportunities to Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Senior Section girls, Adult leaders and helpers all over Wales. We are empowering them and encouraging them to rise to the challenge of today’s world.  

Are you spreading the word – to Guiding friends, as well as to family, friends, colleagues and contacts outside Guiding? Who have you told about your Guiding today?

It’s Thinking Day 2011 – let’s each take a positive step today and share a Guiding smile.

Have a great day,

In friendship, Helen

Hello world!

Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Thinking Day!

Welcome to the first post on this new blog - on Thinking Day in our Centenary. 100 years of Girlguiding – isn’t that fantastic!  I hope you are enjoying this special day and that you are sharing your Thinking Day thoughts with your Guiding friends all over the world.

Did you visit One World One Beat to start your celebrations? 

I was lucky enough to go to the 2 events in Wales – and it was brilliant. 

On Saturday I was in Pencoed with my Brownies and hundreds of Guiding friends from all over South Wales – and we had great fun.  We did lots of things including drumming, Singalonga Mamma Mia, fabulous masks, cheerleading and added our hands to that wonderful dragon.  

On Sunday, I joined the team in Wrexham.  What a surprise we had when we saw the snow when we woke up!  It did mean that some people who had booked didn’t make it – but we still had hundreds of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Senior Section and Leaders from North Wales, Cheshire, Manchester, Liverpool and the Wirral.  Another fantastic day and this time I had a chance to look at all the activities from acrobatics and Circus skills, to belly dancing, hip-hop and street dancing, playing the didgeridoo, African drums and Caribbean steel band, to making crowns and masks and…there was so much to do.  

Of course, I met lots of people. How fantastic to share our Celebrations with our visitors - thank you for your support, I hope you enjoyed your time with us.  It was great to have a quick chat with Mark Isherwood, Regional AM for North Wales. Mark is an Ambassador for Girlguiding Clwyd and was proudly wearing his Guide badge – thanks for coming Mark.

And I met lots of Guiding friends too – lots of familiar faces and lots of new friends. Thank you to Ellie and 2nd Broughton Brownies for my Thinking Day card.   

What a brilliant weekend.  Annette (Stoneham) and your team, your hard work really paid off – you gave a lot of pleasure to so many of us.  We all went home with BIG Guiding smiles!

And now I’m off to my District Thinking Night celebrations – I’ll tell you more soon.

Have a very happy Thinking Day.  Let’s keep this little Guiding Light shining for another 100 years.

 In friendship, Helen 

P.S. Come back to my blog again – I’ll be sorting out the design, will be uploading some photos and telling you more about me and my role as President…. see you soon!