Prestigious award for local Girlguiding volunteer

Shirley Eve, Safe Practice Liaison Volunteer for the Girlguiding South West England Region and Leadership Qualification Mentor for the County of Wiltshire South was awarded the second highest discretionary honour in the organisation for her inspirational efforts.

The Laurel Award is given to someone who has shown outstanding commitment to Guiding, is a role model, is a team player and shows brilliant Leadership skills.

As a military/Veteran wife to her husband Nigel, Shirley would always continue her Guiding activities no matter where they moved.

She has held various roles at District, Division, County and Region levels, putting 100% into everything she does and always putting others first.

During the pandemic, despite working for the NHS herself, Shirley worked hard to keep her units running, introducing Guides and Leaders to the world of Zoom.

As a previous joint County Commissioner for Wiltshire South, Shirley worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone could share memorable opportunities involving fun and friendships.

Amongst many, one notable event included the opportunity for all sections and their Leaders to celebrate a Royal visit from Sophie the Countess of Wessex at Berwick St James, the County Activity Centre.

When the Girlguiding South West England Region was asked to set up a Safeguarding team, Shirley was instrumental in setting it up, working as part of a team and bringing a breadth of knowledge and expertise to establish the format of how this would look.

Following this, she worked with the Girlguiding National Safeguarding team to review the Health, Safety and Welfare policy and helped identify gaps in Girlguiding’s policies and procedures.

At a more local level, Shirley has delivered many training sessions for County/Island Safeguarding leads, covering domestic abuse, mental health, and self-harm topics.

Laura Cottey, Chief Commissioner for Girlguiding South West England, said, “I am delighted that Shirley has been awarded the Girlguiding Laurel award. This award is given in recognition of exceptional service, and Shirley has definitely given that.

"As a previous County Commissioner for Wiltshire South, Shirley has always kept girls and young women at the heart of all she does, and I know that her Guides will agree as she provides amazing weekly meetings for them.

"Shirley has also made a big contribution to Girlguiding across South West England, supporting and ensuring that we care for all our members as a Safeguarding Volunteer”.

Girlguiding welcomes volunteers of all backgrounds, ages, cultures, faiths, and abilities. 

For more information about volunteering with Girlguiding, visit https://www.girlguidingsouthwest.org.uk/join-us.