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GGEW NEWS
SPRING 2013
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Epping Guides Switzerland 2012 Leader’s Report – Janice Woodruff At the Top of the Jungfraujoch
which my work colleagues
badges and images of Lord and Lady B-P opening the centre. It
bought, and bags that we packed
was quite a steep hike up to Our Chalet – be warned!
in Tescos. But it was all worth it.
We raised enough money to
ensure that parents paid no more
pretending to be Maria and singing the Hills are Alive with the
than we had originally estimated
Sound of Music! Well, the hills were alive with music with us
we even raised enough to do
around. Still, one Guide thought Edelweiss was a type of
more than we planned.
cheese – now she knows that it is actually a flower and has
We were very well assisted by
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Kandersteg, Switzerland this August, after two years of
planning and 18 months of hard fundraising.
We have lost track of how many cookies Julia made
seen the real thing! We went up the Jungfraujoch on Europe’s
Venture Abroad and the County
highest mountain railway, passing the north face of the Eiger
International Adviser, who were
(though we could not see it for cloud) and we rose above the
very patient with Leaders’ queries
clouds to emerge in sunshine and beautiful scenery and
when we were planning the
glaciers.
activities.
Luckily no one
Our tour representative,
st & 2nd Epping Guides finally made our way to
Sarah and I could not resist running down an incline
when we were there with the Guides running behind us,
got altitude sick-
Charlotte was amazing. She got
ness, although
us to places on trains that we
Janice was
rock to visit caves, went on a boat ride on one of thelakes and ate
woul d never have managed as
walking like she was
the most delicious ice cream. We enjoyed the dancing on the
efficiently on our own and guided
having an aerobic
train, the largest bubble blown from gum ever, one Leader’s
us over mountains and gorges
workout..
inventive gear to keep dry after I left my waterproof jacket in the
and she really connected with the Guides.
We did so many things when we were there. We stayed
Guides
went tobogganing
UK (two M&S plastic picnic blankets worked a treat!) and Sara’s
on rubber rings,
singing, which kept us going all through the week.
in our own chalet (taking a large food box with us provided by
joining together and
parents) which was over the road from KISC, the International
sliding down en
We enjoyed a proper cheese fondue on the last day and
learnt that there is no such thing as a chocolate fondue as fondue
(though likely to be around 800) or bacon butties and teas that we
Scout Centre. We were able to join in with some of their activities
masse with the tour rep, then we walked inside the glacier to see
made for young footballers’ parents on cold Sunday mornings;
means cheese. Guides and Leaders had a great time and agreed
– swimming pool games and BBQ, Swiss Cultural Evening and an
ice carvings of polar bears and kissing penguins. We ate Swiss
knitted toys that I knitted on the tube every day for two years
that we all want to have another international adventure.
International Campfire on our last evening. We went to Our Chalet
chocolate at the top of the mountain and some Guides had hot
for a tour, coming away with lots of swap and new
chocolate, as part of the County Chocolate Challenge that we did
Guides said that they would have liked to do more
tobogganing and we did that twice, so it was clearly a big hit.
when away.The next day we went
One Guide said that it was the best time of her life. That made it
summer tobogganing and then
worth-while for me as a Leader, as well as the wonderful
went up cable cars to the
memories that will stay with all of us.
Oeshinesee. It is a World Heritage
This trip would not have been possible if it was not for
Unesco site with a lovely lake,
Sara, 2nd Epping Leader and Sophie, my daughter and Young
almost surrounded by rock, where
Leader, who with myself were the team who made this happen
we had a picnic, played the
and the parents and Leaders, particularly Julia, who helped us
chocolate game and went rowing.
raise funds to make the experience a wonderful one. Neither
Jessica and Charlotte had to
would it have happened if it was not for generous donations from
row out to younger Guides who
Leaders, work colleagues and the community; Division, District
were stuck in the centre of the lake
and County funding and Girlguiding as an organisation.
whose rowing skills need some
Thank you to you all and thank you also to Epping
honing.We went to see glacier
Scouts, who let us use the Stonard’s
waterfalls inside the mountain,
Hill Scout hut free of charge for all
walked to a woodcarver where we
of our fundraising events.
bought woggles with our names on
them, climbed up the side of the
Website: www.girlguidingessexwest.org.uk