Mandy Randle recognised for 20 years of Girlguiding volunteering at First Watlington and Runcton Holme group

A long-serving Girlguiding volunteer has been recognised for two decades of hard work making Thursday evenings memorable for dozens of girls.

Mandy Randle, known to many as Brown Owl, was first asked to help out at the First Watlington and Runcton Holme unit 20 years ago when her daughter Jordan started as a Brownie.

The unit celebrated Mandy’s achievement when she was presented with a special 20-year badge by Claire de Boehmler, unit leader of Watlington’s sister pack, the First Cheveley Brownies - based near Newmarket - last Thursday.

Past and present Brownies and Guides came to mark the occasion and handed Mandy balloons, gifts and an owl cake handmade by one of the leaders.

Claire, a unit leader for almost 40 years who was a Brownie with Mandy in St Germans as a young girl, said: “I was very proud to give her the badge, it is very special to me and very special for her.”

Before starting as Brown Owl, Mandy occasionally helped out as a volunteer at Claire’s unit.

Together, Mandy and Claire’s units have taken Brownies on a total of 15 pack holidays over the years.

The group meets each Thursday at the Scout and Guiding hut in Runcton Holme where girls take part in various activities and crafts, completing badges and going on trips.

Mandy said: “I can blame Claire and Jordan for getting me here.

“I joined because the Brown Owl here was retiring, they were crying out for new leaders.”

Mandy told the Lynn News about lots of happy Guiding memories over the years, including many Brownie pack holidays and Guide camps.

She was enrolled as a leader on the same day that Jordan was enrolled as a Brownie.

“That was a highlight for me, to get involved with Jordan,” she said.

Mandy said that many previous Brownies and Guides who have grown up have become Girlguiding leaders themselves - or come back to the unit to run sessions.

She also spoke highly of Pat Pinnington, another long-serving Girlguiding volunteer who was recently awarded a British Empire Medal for her work.

“She has been my mentor since day one and got me through all of my training,” Mandy said.

The First Watlington and Runcton Holme unit takes on girls for Brownies, aged between seven and 10 years old, and Guides, who are aged 10 to 14 years old.

Other unit leaders described Mandy as “magic” and said that she does “anything for anyone”.

Fellow leader Chloe Perry-Bartlett said: “She has been magic Mandy. She can pull things out of nowhere.”

Mandy’s daughter Jordan, who is also a leader at the unit, added: “She does anything for anyone. She’s dedicated so much time over the years to camps and pack holidays. The girls adore her.”

Mandy said: “It’s such a team effort here, we all bring something different to the table. Some are techy, some are organised. We all gel as a great team.

“We all love seeing the girls, we love this unit.

“We get so many donations from parents, we get a lot of support.”