From Guiding’s earliest days it was clear that Guider training would be needed to spread the idea of Guiding and help the volunteers who were coming forward to learn each of the key skills to a level where they could seek to teach them. ‘Pamphlet A’, ‘Pamphlet B’, the speeches made by Agnes as she travelled the country, the articles in “Home Notes” magazine, and then the publication of the first Handbook in 1912 – all of these only went so far. There were a couple of main issues with this limited written information. The first issue was one of interpretation – people would take the written advice or guidelines and interpret them as they thought best. Sometimes that would be a question of misunderstandings of what was meant by the written word – as can be seen in snippets in the magazines’ ‘advice to correspondents’ column, such as the one advising that neckers should not be worn threaded through the epaulettes, but should sit under the collar, for instance. The second issue was of practical skills – the handbook and guidance advised that Guiders were to teach such subjects as knots, semaphore, camping, nature lore, and carrying out of correct Company drill – but most prospective Leaders did not have the full range of these skills at their fingertips, and certainly not all at a level to start teaching them. There also was the question of spreading ‘Guiding ethos’ – teaching Leaders and thus the girls in the units not just the basics of how to do things, but why they should do them, why do them in that way, and how to put them across. So training centres were required. Various ones opened over the years, some survived and are still in existence, others, sadly, have closed. I’ll try to give an outline here of the story of each one.
The Written Word – Pamphlets A and B, and their legacy.
In Guiding’s early days, it was the written word which came first. From ‘Scouting for Boys’ in part-work and then book form, then from ‘The Scout’ magazine, then from Scouting’s reference books, then from the articles in ‘Home Notes’ and ‘Golden Rule’ magazines. The ‘Home Notes’ articles would contain a letter from Miss Baden-Powell, together with notes on unit activities, information on badges or uniforms, and some photographs or sketches of units. In addition, the headquarters office dealt with large quantities of correspondence from across the UK and beyond.
In addition to this, as her brother had done, Miss Baden-Powell also travelled the UK speaking at public meetings, in order to recruit more Guiders to lead Guide Companies.
After this came the first Handbook in 1912, and the first edition of POR in 1916. At a time when photography was young and photographs in books were few, it was most often the written word which first spread information about Guiding across the UK and beyond, accompanied by some sketched diagrams. In several countries, Scouting and Guiding arrived by means of locals translating Scouting for Boys into the local language, and then sharing the activities.
Local Trainings – the first Training Schools
Soon training classes were being set up in cities around the UK, to train Guiders in the skills they would need. These tended to run for a set number of weeks’ classes each term – but they only catered for those within range of those cities, in an era when cars were still new and women rarely drove.
The first ‘Officers Training Camp’ was held at Boxmoor in Hertfordshire in August 1915. By October of that year a regular Training School had been set up by Mrs Agatha Blyth, charging £9 for 3 months of live-in training, consisting of six weeks in London and six weeks in the country. (Yes, in those days there clearly were young women who could be spared from home for 12 weeks, which gives an idea of the lifestyle of the class from which most of the early Guiders were drawn). By April 1916 a branch school had opened up in the east end of London, and by the time of the first annual report of the Training School, it had 142 members in 15 Patrols – the origin of the Patrol training system which so many of the Training Centres used thereafter.
Things seem to have become suddenly turbulent for the Training Schools in late 1918, as evidenced by a flurry of announcements in Guiding’s official magazine, the Girl Guide Gazette. In July 1918 it was announced that officers who gained Diplomas from the Officers Training School would be granted the privilege of wearing a red ribbon round their hats with a brown OTS badge – which suggested that HQ was ready to recognise the quality of training which was being provided and its’ results. But only three months later, in October 1918,the magazine announced that Mrs Blyth had resigned as OTS Commandant – and in a separate article in the same issue, that the GOTS was closed down immediately. The same issue also then announced that a new Guiders Training School had been set up under Miss Maynard, formerly of the Officers Training School. Three separate items on the topic in one issue does suggest that the closure and new opening were abrupt measures, rather than long-term planning, especially the immediate re-opening of an establishment on seemingly the exact same lines as the closed venue!
Then in January 1919 there was a further announcement – that the existing Diploma would become the ‘Distinction Diploma’ – meantime a new award called the ‘Chief’s Diploma’ was to be instituted, and this Chief’s Diploma would be strictly in the personal gift of the Chief Guide herself, to be awarded to those Distinction Diploma holders whom she considered had done special work for the movement. It suggests that the Chief Guide wanted to have a direct role in selecting the most senior trainers who would work within the organisation, and thus a direct influence on all of the training which would be delivered around the UK and beyond (for by this time, countries abroad were requesting that UK trainers visit them for extended tours in order to train Guiders and potential Trainers there, or seeking to send their best volunteers for training in the UK).
From the training school came a steady flow of Guiders who had successfully completed the course, and were given the status of Diploma’d trainers – commonly known as Dips. They started work around the UK setting up training schools in Counties, often using premises which were loaned or hired.
But suitable training venues which allowed residential courses and catered for both indoor and outdoor training activities were hard to come by – and in some cases courses had to take the form of evening classes in urban drill halls rather than residential trainings in rural areas, which impacted on the scope for practical training in outdoor skills. It was also clear that these local schools couldn’t cope with the demand for training, nor did headquarters have control of them. So there was a desire to find a venue for a national centre of excellence.
The Residential Training Centres
Foxlease, near Lyndhurst opened in 1922, as the national Guider Training Centre – although it was essentially the international Guider Training centre too – partly aided by it’s location near Southampton, the port for so many of the great liners which crossed the globe providing international travel in an era where passenger air travel was still limited. The house and grounds were gifted by Mrs Ann Archbold Saunderson, and the purchase of the house was made possible by generous financial help from Princess Mary, who gave £10,000 towards refurbishment and adaptation, hence it’s official name was Princess Mary House, Foxlease. Training there took the form of week-long residential courses run by resident trainers, where the Guiders were appointed to ongoing Patrols, and carried out duties and training exercises alike as members of these Patrols.
Patrol Logbooks were established, with each batch of recruits writing up their week’s experiences into the bound books – some of the logbook pages are beautifully decorated, and remain in the Foxlease archives. Two years after opening, it played host to the first World Camp, in 1924, which ran alongside the World Conference held in the house, and allowed youth members from a number of countries to camp together. Indeed, until the opening of the World Centre in Switzerland in 1932, Foxlease effectively was the World Centre.
Foxlease was very popular, with high demand for training places, so it was decided to establish a training centre in the north of England. Four towns were being considered as possible venues, when a large house and estate near one of them came on the rental market at a suitable price. Negotiations were concluded, the lease signed, and Waddow Hall near Clitheroe in Lancashire, was opened as Guiding’s second UK training centre, on 1st October 1927. It soon became clear from the demand for places that the need for a northern training centre had been proved, and with the necessary funds being raised, the purchase deeds were sealed on 16 October 1928. The first Guider-in-Charge was Miss Alice Behrens, who had moved from Foxlease, and gave Waddow the same inspiration and enthusiasm as she had had in her previous role.
As it’s booklet said “From the first it was felt that Waddow was different from Foxlease. It could never hope to be a second Foxlease – Foxlease, breathing of peace, vision, power, a dream place in its beautiful setting. But Waddow, equally needed by the Movement, had to work hand in hand with Foxlease and yet bring its own contributions to the world of Guiding. What was that contribution to be? Pendle Hill and the great moorland fells around gave the answer. The Waddow words must be Faith, Courage, Joy.”
It was in 1945 that the first training centre in Scotland opened, fulfilling a wish long held by Scottish Guiders, with the first training, for Diploma’d trainers, on 7th and 8th April 1945. It was possible thanks to the generosity of Major Thomson, who first leased Netherurd to the Guides for a peppercorn rent of 2/6 a year, and in March 1952 he was kind enough to sell the house and estate to Scottish Guiding for the same extremely modest fee. The grounds were converted into campsites, and the walled garden was used as the setting for a Brownie House – this was remodelled in the 1990s to become the ‘Garden House’ suitable for a wide range of uses and with full access for members with disabilities. The locations was some 7 miles from Biggar, 25 miles from Edinburgh and 42 miles from Glasgow.
Within the house, each room was adopted by the County, after which it was thus named – that County paid for the furnishing and care of their room. The bathrooms were each named after rivers.
It continued in use as the Scottish Guider Training Centre until March 2020, when it was closed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 – and in August 2020 steps were taken to sell it. The main house is now a private home, and the ‘Garden House’ in the grounds is a childrens’ holiday centre.
Following their marriage in 1912, Robert and Olave Baden-Powell lived in a few different houses before finding their favoured spot at a house they named ‘Pax Hill’, in Bentley. They stayed in the house until 1938, when they moved (they thought, temporarily) to Kenya, as it was felt the warm climate there would be better for Robert’s health. During World War 2 their empty house was taken over for military use. This meant that when Olave returned to the UK in 1942 it was not available to her, and she was fortunate enough to be granted a ‘grace and favour apartment’ at Hampton Court Palace, where she lived until 1976. After it’s war use finished, Pax Hill reverted to Olave’s ownership, and as she had no use for the house, she offered it to Guiding to serve as a Homecraft training school. It offered 4-month residential courses in housekeeping to older Rangers and young adults, run on Guiding lines. The adaptation of the house for this use, and the setting up of the training scheme, was part-funded by the B-P Memorial Fund which had been set up by Guiding after Lord Baden-Powell’s death.
Within a few years, however, it became clear that the venture was not going to prove a success, and the house was returned to Olave’s ownership, and sold.
Ulster Guides, too, felt the need of a Training School on their patch, so their first centre was established at Knocktarna. The Ulster Guides Training Centre was opened at Knocktarna, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, on 28 February 1944, however it doesn’t seem to have lasted long, as it was replaced in 1947.
In 1947 it was Wales’s turn. Thanks to the generosity of Lady Davies, their training centre, Broneirion, was opened in Llandinam. Initially rented, eventually a fundraising campaign was held which allowed Guides Cymru to purchase the house and grounds. As well as the main house, there was a holiday house for Brownies, a Ranger Loft, and fields which were available for camping.
However it was announced in September 2022 that the training centre was to be closed, and the centre sold, due to rising running costs.
1947 also saw the opening of Ulster Guiding’s new training centre, at Lorne House in Craigavad, which took over from Knocktarna. Much work went into renovating the house – and campsites, a Brownie House and a Ranger Cottage were soon added.
The various land-based training centres did a grand job of catering for the needs of Brownie, Guide and Land Ranger Leaders – but Sea Ranger Skippers and Lieutenants had very specific training needs around naval traditions as well as practical boat maintenance and sailing, so over the number of years a number of Sea Training Ships were obtained to use in teaching Sea Ranger Skippers; these included the Foudroyant, the Implaccable, and MTB 630.
From the 1950s onwards, the ‘Training Van’ scheme was established, in order to take the trainers and training around the country to the Guiders, especially to those in more remote areas who could otherwise find it difficult to access the permanent training centres. A succession of vans and drivers were used into the 1990s to enable training to be spread far and wide.
It was in 1984 that the newest of the training centres opened, to cater for Anglia’s Guiders. Hautbois, near Coltishall, was the very generous legacy left to local Guiding by the Patteson sisters, and following a great deal of hard work and fundraising, the centre and it’s campsites were opened. It continues to offer a range of trainings to leaders in Anglia and beyond.
In 2023, Girlguiding UK announced that it planned to close all 5 of the national Training Centres – Foxlease, Waddow Hall, Ynysgain, Blackland Farm and Glenbrook – although all but one had made a profit in the previous year. It was not made clear what would replace any or all of them in terms of either training options for Leaders, or adventure options for Guiding members. Campaigns were started at several of them with the aim of saving them. On 17th October details of the plans for selling of four of the centres were announced – Ynysgain was not mentioned in the information released, as HQ had discovered it actually wasn’t legal to put it up for sale for another 12 months. On 17th December 2023, the formal ceremonies to lower the flags, and thus to close Foxlease and Waddow Hall, were held.
Training Options in the 2020s
With the closure of the training centres in 2023, the future of training is a mixed picture. Of the training centres, both Lorne and Hautbois remain, each owned by their Country/Region respectively, and both have said their futures are safe. Broneirion remains up for sale. Blackland Farm recently announced that the training providers there have been successful in buying it out. Campaigning groups at Foxlease and at Waddow have each put in bids to purchase the sites.
Besides those, the options are local trainings (although these are far rarer than in the past as many Counties no longer have headquarters in which to hold them), or online trainings by videoconference, which can only realistically cover theoretical topics, not practical ones.
Leslie's Guiding History 