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Thirty years ago a new Rainbows group was launched in Guernsey, and some of the old members and leaders, recently joined the current Rainbows for a party.
The 3rd St Sampson Rainbows runs out of the Church Room on Potters Corner.
The first Leader to run the group, in the 1990s, was Raindrop AKA Jane Symes. She was assisted by the late-Ruth Mahy; known as Puddle, and two helpers called Sun and Shine.
Mrs Symes said the original Rainbows chose their weather-based names, a trend which has continued for three decades. She said a lot of other aspects of Guiding and Rainbows has changed though.
Pictured: The 3rd St Sampson Rainbows has been running for 30 years.
"It was hard work, as you had to plan everything. The syllabus has changed since I started - it was a lot simpler then, but of course things move on and everything goes digital. Everything was done by hand when I did it. It was good fun and it's nice to think that some of the Rainbows I had then, I still see now and they are bringing their children to Rainbows.
"It's a family, and its one of those things - you feel like you being to something."
Mrs Symes ran the 3rd St Sampson Rainbows for almost twenty years and still helps out occasionally as a 'buddy' for outings. She is very proud of the impact Rainbows and Guiding has had in Guernsey.
"My husband used to be a bank manager and he would say that if he saw on a CV that they were in Guiding or something, then he would know they could stick to something, and they have focus," she said.
The current leader of the 3rd St Sampson Rainbows is Jennifer Merrett. Known as Sunshine she has been involved for 15 years, since moving to the parish the year before that.
"It's very much about empowering our young people to try things differently, or new things, in a safe environment, and a progressive atmosphere", she said.
Pictured: The Rainbows celebrated their 30th anniversary with a party.
"The programme has changed significantly in the 15 years and now it really is measurable the difference that we see in the young people.
"We do lots of different things, we do arts and crafts and build tents, and trails and tracking. It's very inclusive.
"We raise our hands to ask them to listen or to speak or to stay still. They don't have to raise their hands to speak to us - they can speak whenever they want, so it's completely different to other environments where they're expected to raise their hands to speak.
"It's a really nice opportunity then for them to develop themselves and their character and their personality."
The 3rd St Sampson Rainbows held their 30th birthday party on Wednesday 7 September, a day before the Queen died. That brought about a second change to the Guiding promise which all members make.
While previously the Promise included a pledge to honour God, it now says to 'develop my beliefs', recognising that there are multiple faiths. The Guide promise also saw individuals pledge to serve the Queen, who was Patron of Girlguiding for her entire 70 year reign. Now Guides will pledge to serve the King.
Rainbows learn a shorter Promise which incorporates the same ethos as the Guide and Brownie version.
Anyone interested in helping at any Guiding Group in Guernsey is encouraged to make contact through the main Girl Guiding website.
Sunshine says you won't regret it!
"We have a waiting list so if we had more qualified leaders we would have larger units. We always need leaders, to have that progression through. I always try to have young leaders to qualify and a unit helper who will help it to go forward, and if they wish to have their own unit one day.
"It's lots of fun, especially when you see someone in their 30s and they say 'Hi Sunshine, how are you?' and it's really nice to recognise faces around the parish. I've known some young people since they were five and now they're in their 20s so that's really nice."
Pictured top (l-r) : Raindrop (Jane Symes), former Rainbow Laura Le Page, Sunshine (Jennifer Merrett) and Ava Cooper (6), Molly Masterman (5), and Emily Masterman (6).
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