Lifelong friends celebrate 50 years of Girlguiding

Two lifelong friends who met as seven-year-old Brownies said they would "never stop" volunteering for the organisation after more than 50 years of service.

Ann Johnson and Sarah Goode went on to lead the Wootton and Hardingstone Girlguiding district in Northamptonshire, having first met in Hardingstone's village hall in 1975.

For the past 40 years the pair have been adult Girlguiding volunteers and believed the movement has provided a "safe space" for empowerment throughout their lives.

Johnson explained: "Girlguiding to me was a safe space, a girl-only space, I wasn't trying to impress the boys that I perhaps was at school at 15 - I remember my guide days as being good fun."

"I always reflect back and think about the guiding team now when we look around the district.. The amount of ladies that are now running their own units... they were one of my guides or they were one of my Brownies," Goode added.

The pair estimated they had worked with more than a 1,000 young girls through their local programme.

Over the decades their friendship grew, with the two travelling to Australia together and taking regular holidays with their families.

Last year Johnson celebrated 40 years as an adult volunteer, with Goode marking her own milestone in February.

Highlighting the importance of giving back, Goode insisted they were "just two of thousands" of women who volunteered weekly to bring "fun and happiness" to the organisation.

She continued: "We're no more special than lots of other ladies whether they've been doing it for one year, two years, 30 years, 40 years - everybody has something to give."

Despite reaching the volunteering milestone, the duo have no plans to retire, with Johnson adding: "I don't think we'll ever stop doing something with guiding."

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