Queen’s Guide award given to dedicated Northumberland Girlguiding leader
A Northumberland Girlguiding volunteer has celebrated achieving a top award at an exclusive red carpet event.
Rio Groves from Warkworth, earnt a prestigious Queen’s Guide award, joining hundreds of fellow award recipients at the Girlguiding Celebrates event in Manchester on October 11.
The exciting event honoured Girlguiding’s most recent award-winning volunteers along with other members who have been nominated for their amazing achievements.
The Queen’s Guide award is the highest award young women can work towards in Girlguiding. It provides the opportunity to develop skills, give back to guiding and support local communities.
Rio said “I'm really proud to receive my Queen’s Guide award. I listened to a Queen’s Guide presentation and thought ‘I'm going to do that’. To achieve it is absolutely amazing.”
Rio began her Girlguiding journey as a Rainbow in 2006 and has never left. She is now the assistant leader of 1st Warkworth Brownies.
As well as the Queen’s Guide Award, Rio has also been awarded the King’s Scout Award and the Duke of Edinburgh Award whilst working full-time as a special needs teacher and obtaining a degree.
Rio added: "It changes lives on a wide scale of things. On a confidence level, we really make the girls resilient through what we do right in Girlguiding. It's important because every girl needs a safe space. Girls need a time to just be with girls.
"Guiding is my second family. It's what I've done on a Monday night for the last 20 years. It's my bread and butter and what I look forward to every week.”