Guides from Berwick, Coldstream and Duns exchange scrolls of friendship and enjoy some activities

Berwick Guides on the English side of the bridge.

Berwick Guides met Coldstream and Duns Guides and leaders – together with Rangers, Young Leaders and invited guests – on the ‘Border Line’ in the middle of the bridge.

They exchanged scrolls of friendship and re-enacted an event held in 1950. The scrolls, made by the Guides, included pictures and scenes from the towns.

The evening also included the launch of a new Girlguiding Badge, created in collaboration with the Union Chain Bridge Project, Girlguiding Northumberland and Scottish Borders. The UCB project has been working with local Guiding groups for several years.

At the bridge, those in attendance learned about its history as well as its recent repairs and re-opening.

They then moved to the nearby Chain Bridge Honey Farm for fun STEM construction and bridge-building activities. Guides enjoyed working in teams to build towers, beam and suspension bridges, and built a giant tetrahedron.

They finished with a campfire, including singing a special song written for the event, and enjoyed cake and new friendships.

Pauline Molloy, Berwick Girlguiding Division Commissioner, said the evening was “true Girlguiding – fun, friendship, food and a fire”.

Building a UCB out of K'nex and the giant tetrahedron.

Guide Evie, who exchanged one of the scrolls, said that it was good to meet Guides from across the border and being one of the first across the bridge made it special.

Leader Gillian Ridley said: “Many thanks go to to the Robson family from the Chain Bridge Honey Farm for hosting the event and members of the Union Chain Bridge Project for their support.

“We look forward to more events with Scottish Borders Guiding in the future.”

Girlguiding were re-enacting the relay of scrolls of friendship made for the 1950 Girlguiding World Conference, held in Oxford.

The scroll for France started in Inverness and when it arrived in the Borders was taken by Coldstream Guides to Twizel Bridge then it was handed over to Berwick Sea Rangers on the Union Chain Bridge. They then took the greetings scroll by bicycle, foot and boat into Berwick Quay, aboard the ‘Border Pride'.

Duns Guides handed over the scroll for New Zealand to Berwick Guides at Starch House, Mornington.

Scrolls were collected by Wooler Guides in Berwick and eventually made their way south to Oxford.