Julie MacDonald

My name is Julie MacDonald and I am the Archivist for Girlguiding Sheffield. I am also the Lead Volunteer for Girlguiding’s National Archive Project, a project to not only re-catalogue Girlguiding’s national archive collection but also to make it more accessible to the membership. I am an archivist by profession and spent many years working at the Cutlers’ Hall. I have been a Leader for a very long time – 70th Sheffield St William’s Guides for about 5 years, then 211th St Wilfrid’s Brownies (which I opened) for about 16 years and finally, 70th Sheffield Rainbows where I was the Leader for 22 years. I was also Division Commissioner for South West Division 2004-2009 and County Commissioner 2009-2014. I have been the County’s archivist since 2015. There are so many interesting things in our archive collection, from badges and uniforms to log books and photographs. Did you know that ·      

• The first Guide Company in Sheffield, 1st Holy Trinity (Wicker), was started by the sisters of a Boy Scout in 1907. The eldest sister appointed herself Captain and they followed the rules laid down in Aids to Scouting. They originally met in the back yard of their house in Crookesmoor before eventually moving to Holy Trinity Church on the Wicker
• In 1925, 2,000 Sheffield Guides attended a rally at Doncaster Racecourse having travelled there in 3 special trains.
• In 1934, Sheffield Guides and Rangers formed a Guard of Honour when the Duke and Duchess of York (later to become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) officially opened High Storrs school.
• The first Sheffield Guide House was opened on Bailey Street in July 1951 by the Chief Guide, Lady Baden-Powell. Our current Guide House was opened by the Chief Guide, Liz Burnley, in September 2010.
  
• The first official Sheffield Guide Camp was held in Holmesfield in 1917 and the first Brownie Pack Holiday took place in Scarborough in 1931. Whiteley Wood Hall and grounds were bought in 1935. The Hall was demolished in 1959
• Having previously been part of West Riding South, Sheffield became a Guide County in its own right in 1967. Our first County Commissioner was Mrs (later Lady) Renwick.