Coming soon to a camp blanket near you...

I am SO excited about this! Very pleased to announce that I can FINALLY reveal to you the GOLD Team Malawi 2015 Badge.

The logo will be on all of our uniform for project and we will be selling the badge as part of a challenge pack very shortly - or the badge collectors among you can just get one for your blanket!

And here it is:

I hope you like it! Check back soon to find out more about the challenge pack that goes along with it.

GOLD love,

Alice and Team Malawi x

Introducing.... Andreah

Hi, I’m Andreah Cole and I’m 25 years old. I am originally from Wigan in North West England. I joined Brownies aged 7, carried on to be a Guide and then never left! I became a young leader at 7^th Shevington Guides. I studied Architecture at Leeds Met, where I met my future husband Andy Cole (not the famous footballer). We enjoyed being part of the University ballroom dancing team. In my spare time I also helped at Rainbows, Brownies and Guides in Alwoodley. After finishing University, Andy and I travelled to America, New Zealand, Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.On our return to the UK, I worked for CfBT inspection services in Skelmersdale and helped at 7^th Shevington Guides and Brownies.

I was selected to represent North West Guiding as a volunteer at the Queens Summer Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Andy proposed at the gates of the palace! We got married on 7th June 2014 and went on honeymoon to South Korea and the Philippines. We moved to Aldershot, where Andy works as a Logistics Officer in the British Army. I work for Avnet Technology Services and help at 4^th Cove Guides. I am currently working towards my Queen’s Guide Award. 

I will be the Photo and Video coordinator for our GOLD trip to Malawi and am thoroughly looking forward to learning more about the people, culture and food in Africa as well as Girlguiding. 

Random fact: I was on 6 o’clock news in Japan, eating soup!
If I were an animal, I would be: an Elephant. 
One food I can’t live without: Chocolate cake!

Hello.. can you all hear me? Yes? Good!

We had our first team phone conference at the weekend - after a few hitches with the connection at the start, we soon managed to get deep into discussion about second briefing and the next stages in our planning.

Each member of the team updated the rest of us on their progress so far with fundraising and GOLD preparations. Everyone is doing so well! Ruth has been giving talks to groups about Malawi and her trip last year with Team Malawi 2014, Alice has been selling note cards and setting up the social media for the team, Andreah has been bag packing with her Guides, Emily has been arranging some local fundraising events and preparing an article about GOLD to go in her local newspapers, M has been networking and making plans for a craft day fundraiser and Louise has been gathering donations far and wide for herself as well as preparing some group applications for the team. So much progress since first briefing - well done everyone!

After the first draft of our badge design being sent back to us from Trading (the people in Girlguiding who check our design to make sure it fits with Girlguiding regulations and then produce the badge) we have discussed a few alterations which have been confirmed so we are VERY close to releasing the badge design to you! (I did badger Ruth a few times to let me release it but we have to make sure it is right first!)

We have also been discussing our team kit, which will be our uniform whilst training on project. After much hilarity over the sizes at first briefing (finding a top that is long enough to fit Alice, Louise and Emily that doesn't look like a dress on Andreah, M and Ruth is apparently more challenging than we thought) we now need to come to a decision over what brands and sizes we want so we can get things ordered.

Preparing our evening entertainment for the other teams at second briefing was the next topic of discussion, but more on that later!

After an update on how people feel about doing onward travel after project, we sent Ruth away so we could discuss our interactive session for second briefing - a session for all the other teams that we have to plan without the help of Ruth, but again all will be revealed in due course...

GOLD love,

Alice and Team Malawi x

P.S. Don't forget you can subscribe to our blog by email using the link on the sidebar, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GOLDMalawi2015 and follow us on Twitter @GOLDMalawi2015

First Briefing at Tolmers Activity Centre, Cuffley

Our first briefing was on 27th February - 1st March at Tolmers Activity Centre in Cuffley, Hertfordshire. It was the first time we have had time together as a team since we all found out that we had been selected for GOLD so it was a very exciting weekend. We started the weekend with a few ice breakers and skittles questions.

After quite a social and relaxed evening on the Friday, Saturday morning was the start to a much busier day! An unexpected fire alarm during breakfast saw an early start to the morning's energisers and we kept up the pace from then on.

Nothing like a bit of 'Get Loose Get Funky' to wake you up in the morning!

We started the day's sessions with discussing how to look after our wonderful leader Ruth, as well as how to support everyone in the team. We later had sessions on PR, fundraising, the GOLD journey and talked through situations we may come across on project.

Discussing our GOLD journey 'washing line'

We had some team time on Saturday afternoon to start to discuss some of the many things we need to start planning - from our challenge badge to phone conference dates, kit to onward travel. There was so much to discuss we could have stayed another week getting things sorted! We confirmed our team badge design (finished design to be revealed very soon!) and decided on our team roles.

Saturday evening's entertainment involved much hilarity - we were sent back to our team room to dress up in green, while the team leaders were setting up the main hall. When we were finally allowed back in, the theme for the evening was finally revealed: 'I'm a celebrity..' complete with Ant and Dec, celebrities and a snake, rat and crocodile! Ruth was a rather convincing Peter Andre...

The team challenges began and we were up against the other countries to win. After a rather tame newspaper tower challenge, we had to send two team members for the custard challenge - Louise had to be blindfolded and try to feed Alice a cup of custard whilst racing the other teams to finish. Andreah stepped up to represent Team Malawi in the bushtucker trial, eating a wide variety of strange things! The final challenge saw M racing to collect stars and coins from a pool of slime - a rather messy affair!

Presenting our newspaper tower - while it was still standing!

Louise and Alice (far right) getting covered in custard whilst trying to eat some of it

Andreah braving a 'spider' in the bushtucker trial

M (back, left) searching for stars in the pool of slime

After a rather busy day and an energetic evening, Team Malawi may have been one of the last teams to wake up and join everyone for breakfast on Sunday morning! After a few more energisers to get us going for the morning, we had more team time to finish off discussing kit. All too soon, it was time to pack up and depart. We had such a brilliant weekend but it won't be long until we are all back together again at second briefing!

Ruth and the team leaders teaching us another energiser

(Back, L-R) Emily, Louise, M and Alice with Ruth!

Investigating just some of our team presents from Ruth

We would like to thank Anna, Carly and Rachel, all of the team leaders, and our wonderful cooks for organising such a wonderful first briefing - we had so much fun and can't wait for the next one!

GOLD love,

Alice and Team Malawi x

Introducing Team Malawi 2015

I would like to introduce to you all: GOLD Team Malawi 2015!

We are (from left to right): Ruth, Andreah, Emily, M, Louise and Alice.

We are a team of six young women from around the UK, representing Girlguiding internationally by taking part in the final year of the GOLD (Guiding Overseas Linked with Development) Malawi project.

GOLD projects work in partnership with other Guide Associations around the world and have been making a difference for over 20 years. GOLD delivers sustainable community-based development projects ranging from environmental issues to teaching leadership skills. Since 1991 GOLD has visited more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Over 500 members have taken part.

Our project will work closely with the Malawi Girl Guide Association (MAGGA) to deliver leadership & advocacy training to young leaders and PR & marketing and recruitment & retention training with senior volunteers. We will spend the next few months fundraising and planning for our trip through a combination of briefing weekends, phone conferences and a flurry of emails! Our trip will take place for three weeks in the summer, but all of our activities leading up to and throughout the trip will be updated on our blog and on social media.

Coming soon: introducing the team members.

GOLD love,

Alice and Team Malawi x

P.S. Subscribe to our blog by email so you’ll never miss an update!

Hello from GOLD Team Malawi 2015!

Hello everyone,

We are the sixth and final year of Girlguiding's GOLD project in Malawi and we are SO excited to be doing it! Throughout the year, we will keep you all informed of our preparations and activities before and during project. Please subscribe to our blog so you can keep up to date with all that we are doing.

There is more information to follow very shortly about what our project is and what we have been up to so far - until then, keep in contact by liking our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GOLDMalawi2015 and following us on Twitter: @GOLDMalawi2015

GOLD love,

Alice and Team Malawi x