‘This is not textiles, this is a cheeseboard’

Well friends, this blog was supposed to document our epic fundraising efforts in the run-up to the India trip.  Unfortunately, due to the fundraising consuming every waking moment, we have spent the time actually making money rather than writing about making money.

Thank you to everyone who has joined in with delivering the biggest project we have ever done.  We have fundraised in every way you can think of and probably ways you can’t – anything not actually nailed to the floor has been sold on eBay.  Everyone we know is buying everything online through easyfundraising – if you’re not, then go easyfundraising.org.uk and search ‘Girlguiding LaSER – 1^st Chislehurst Guide Unit’, then create an account.  Then you just have to remember to use it.  ‘But it only generates a few pennies’, I hear you cry – yes indeed, that ‘you have made £0.008 with your purchase’ can seem a tiny bit demoralising (yes, I did mean to put that many noughts), but if everyone generates small amounts, big amounts evolve, eventually.  Plus they often have competitions where you can win £500 for your cause, so it is worth doing.

What else have we done? Recycling of just about everything – mobile phones, stamps, textiles.  The textile one has been a bit of a game – I have variously bounced between Phil the Bag (who pays 35p / kilo, collects without us having to be there, but takes a long time to pay, plus is often booked up) and Bob’s Cash 4 Clothes (who pays 50p / kilo, but you have to wait in all day for him, and last time, despite a phone conversation in the morning where I was assured the driver was on his way, it turned out that they aren’t collecting textiles at the moment – at all).  So I ended up with a roomful of unwanted textiles.  Yay.  I called multiple companies, all of whom are extremely specific about what they do and don’t take, and nobody was able to collect straight away.  I ended up bundling what I could into my tiny blue Clio and making three trips to those lovely people and the tiny yapping dog who inhabit the ‘Teddy’s Cash 4 Clothes’ container in Keston.  It was here that the guy went through the first load of bags, then, with a curious look, handed me a cheeseboard, accompanied by the enlightening line, ‘this is not textiles, this is a cheeseboard’.  I was glad that he had confirmed this, although I am aware of the difference.   The cheeseboard was even shaped like a piece of cheese and had the word ‘cheese’ etched into it, just in case there was any doubt as to what it was for.  Said cheeseboard can now be found on eBay, at a starting price of just 99p (at least it will be, once we’re back).  I’m still trying to fathom how ‘unwanted textiles’ includes cheeseboards.

Thanks to everyone who has engaged with our various events.  A particular favourite was our Community Fundraising Day in Chislehurst on Saturday 23^rd December.  We were bag-packing in Sainsbury’s on what was apparently the busiest day ever (I’m not sure as I avoid shopping at all costs, but various sources confirm that it was indeed very busy) – we had great fun chatting away with the customers, packing their goods into bags-for-life and other canvas bags (honestly, I could build a small house out of canvas bags – no Guiding event is complete without one these days!) and telling them all about our adventure – plenty of Rainbows and Brownies joined the Guides and Rangers and we had a lot of fun fundraising as well as raising awareness of local Guiding. 

We then headed to the Co-op on Belmont Lane where we are one of three local chosen causes.  This is extremely exciting and yet another way for you to be involved – if you live within 15 miles of the Co-op on Belmont Lane, you can choose 1^st Chislehurst Guides as you chosen charity! What an opportunity! You obviously need to have a Co-op card to do this, it won’t happen by magic.  Then each time you purchase own-brand goods (not other stuff), we receive a % of your donation, at no cost to you.  It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. 

We gathered round at the Co-op and sung glorious Christmas carols to the good people frequenting the Belmont Lane Co-op.  Christmas carols are most effective when sung at Christmas. 

We have also sung Christmas carols at Chislehurst Station, run a fabulous Silent Disco, had a Christmas Craft Fair, an Easter Extravaganza, plus all sorts of other events.

We have sought grant-funding from all sorts of grant-giving bodies and are extremely grateful for their support and for other suggestions.   We are also grateful to the various individuals whose generous donations have helped towards our ambitious total.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the leadership team who embraced the idea of a World Centre trip – we’re actually doing this people – we are in the air!!

Friends, stay with us on our epic adventure to India! You’ll be pleased to hear that the blog will now be written by the Guides and Rangers who are going on the trip, so it will be their unique perspective rather than mine.  I write to you from the sky, Mumbai-bound, in fact we are just about over Hungary and about to enjoy our in-flight meal.  There’s a mixture of excitement and anticipation as we embark on our epic adventure, which is the furthest most of the group have been and definitely the furthest the group has been since we started going abroad – Luxembourg & Germany was our first trip in 2013, in 2014 we went to Iceland, in 2017 we went to Slovenia and in 2018 we went to Estonia. 

We are attending the Mangoes and Mermaids programme at Sangam, but enjoying a day of sightseeing first.  We cannot wait for our immersive Guiding experience at Sangam, where we will meet Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from around the world and learn all about Indian culture, food, festivals, customs and more.  Stay with us and enjoy the adventure!