A Day at the Palace!

Having been nominated by our county to be one of the Anglia region stewards for the Buckingham Palace Garden party on 7^th May, I travelled up to London to meet the other stewards from across our region as well as twelve from North West region at Girlguiding HQ.

Being a steward enabled us to see behinds the scene preparations for the party, the caterers, the bands & the beautiful garden. We had lunch & were allocated roles for the afternoon, assisting the 8000 guests into the grounds as efficiently as possible & answering any questions as guests came through.

After most guests had arrived we were free to enjoy our afternoon tea & spot the members of the royal family attending.

The guests had the most gorgeous outfits on & all seemed to have a wonderful afternoon. I spoke to guests who are leaders from Derbyshire, Essex North & Sussex, past members from Hutton, St. Albans, the Cotswolds & many more places across the country as well as Trefoil guild members who were all pleased to see Girlguiding represented at the palace.

Then it was time for us to take up our posts again to usher the guests back out into central London via the Garden Gate.

Another wonderful opportunity that belonging to Girlguiding has enabled me to experience!

Sally Baskett Southend East Division Commissioner