Girlguiding Award for Lily Hemsley

Tunbridge Wells Girlguiding Leader Lily Hemsley has been awarded the Queen's Guide Award

Lily Hemsley a Tunbridge Wells Girlguiding leader has been invited to celebrate achieving a top Girlguiding award at an exclusive red carpet event.   

Lily aged 19 has earned a prestigious Queen’s Guide Award and has been invited to join hundreds of fellow outstanding Girlguiding volunteers at the upcoming Girlguiding Celebrates event in London’s West End.       

The fabulous annual party – now in its fourth year – recognises and thanks volunteers who have recently achieved a guiding award or have been nominated by other Girlguiding members and parents and carers for making incredible contributions.  

The unforgettable afternoon on June 6 will see attendees walk the red carpet like true VIPs, before enjoying delicious treats, refreshments and spectacular entertainment. 

Lily is delighted to have been invited to attend the annual celebration. 

“I’m really looking forward to attending Girlguiding Celebrates,” said Lily. “It will be great to meet other Queen’s Guide recipients from across the country. I’m going with my best friend who will also be celebrating achieving their Queen’s Guide award so it will be really special.”

A Brownie and Ranger growing up in Tunbridge Wells; Lily was a leader at 4th Southborough Rainbows and Brownies – known as ‘Flamingo’ - for five years. While she has left the town to study medicine at the University of Southampton, she keeps in contact with her Tunbridge Wells Girlguiding friends.

“Girlguiding has become such a big part of my life. It’s so rewarding and the girls are so joyful and have such a positive outlook on life,” said Lily.

“I love seeing the impact my volunteering can have on young people. My favourite part is watching the shiest Rainbows and Brownies join and, within just a few weeks, they have developed into outgoing, friendly, and enthusiastic young members.”

As well as supporting the girls, Lily says she gets a lot out of volunteering on a personal level too. 

“The rewards of Girlguiding are not just for the young members - I have made so many new friends, learnt new skills, and increased in confidence since I joined,” she said.

Aimed at young women aged 16-30, 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.  

Lily says she decided to complete her Queen’s Guide award because it was a great way to show her dedication to Girlguiding.

“I am very proud that I achieved my Queen’s Guide award as it is a recognition of all my hard work,” she said. “I only joined Girlguiding as a volunteer in 2021, but since then I have dedicated countless hours to volunteering.”

As part of her Queen’s Guide award, Lily, who has a visual impairment, created resources and ran workshops for Rainbows and Guides to raise awareness about her condition. She also led residential trips; learned how to sew and passed on her skills to her Rangers unit; ran 30 county-wide peer education sessions and raised over £2,300 for the Brain Tumour Charity through various sponsored challenges.

The Girlguiding Celebrates event will be held on June 6 at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square.  

It will be taking place during Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), an annual celebration to recognise the contributions of volunteers across the UK. 

Girlguiding is powered by over 80,000 inspiring volunteers who give their time and talents to create the best experience for girls. Girls thrive in Girlguiding. They’re on average 28% more confident than other girls in the UK, and 15% happier.¹ 

Girlguiding volunteers make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of girls, however much time they can spare. They also get to have lots of incredible experiences, develop new skills, and meet other like-minded people along the way. 

To find out more about the flexible volunteering opportunities at Girlguiding, please visit https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/