AS GIRLGUIDING UK celebrates its centenary year, a Weymouth Brownie leader is taking the celebrations cross-Channel.

Elaine O’Connell is taking seven 17-year-old Ranger Guides and Senior Section members round Europe as part of the Centenary Stampede.

They will travel to Paris then on to Geneva, Venice, Jesolo, Budapest and Brussels before returning to Blackwell near Birmingham for a massive national celebration and sleepover.

While they are away, Elaine and her girls will have to take part in a number of different challenges in keeping with the spirit of the Stampede.

These include helping the community, improving the local environment and spreading the Girlguiding UK word.

There are also a number of more light-hearted tasks to complete over the fortnight they are away and the girls will have the chance to visit Our Chalet, Girlguiding’s traditional home in Switzerland.

Elaine, who helps run the First Radipole Brownies, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to take part in the celebrations. I think it will definitely open the girls’ eyes to the wider world and hopefully they will learn a lot from the trip.”

Elaine has had to raise her own funds for the trip and needs a further £600 before they set off on Tuesday, July 27.

So far she has held car boot sales, coffee mornings and pamper evenings to bring in the money and she desperately needs to raise the final amount.

If you can help Elaine, please call her on 07792 996549.