A Guiding Life

“Sometimes who we are on the outside matches who we are on the inside. But sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s okay.”

Except it’s not ok, apparently. According to girlguiding who have had their hand forced by the law. But have they truly, could we have collectively made a stand?
In 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that under the Equality Act 2010, the legal definition of the word "sex" refers specifically to biological sex at birth. Because Girlguiding’s governing charity documents legally restrict its membership and benefits strictly to "girls and women," the Supreme Court's decision meant that "girls and women" must legally be interpreted as those recorded female at birth
But documents could be changed, the world changes and we have been growing together learning that anyone can be who they want to be.

I’m seeing friends leaving guiding because they are prepared to take a stand for what they know to be right. I’m torn, I am aware this country is sleep walking back to a time of bigotry and hate. For many that never went away, it’s their way of life to hate those different to them, to assume trans are a risk because they don’t understand them, to feel threatened by them because it challenges how they see sexuality.

Almongst all this I know there are many girls that still need girlguiding and everything we give them. The experiences, the development, the future. From the inside I can continue to express my belief of tolerance and understanding for all…or am I just trying to self justify still belonging to an organisation that can’t be open.

We manage residentials now that include both sexes, we safeguard all, we don’t have one to one situations, exactly what is the problem with trans girls and women members?

As I say, I sit on a very uncomfortable fence.

Here’s a thing: it’s polite to call people in a manner they like to be referred as, it won’t hurt you to try to do that. Who other people choose to love doesn’t affect you, leave them to be happy, look in a mirror if them being happy upsets you. What clothes people choose to wear is up to them, you don’t need to worry about it. 🌈

I’m so unhappy to see my guiding friends hurt over this, and I’m so proud of them for taking the choices they are. I’m not sure I will ever stand so proud at Pride ever again knowing we let people down, we pushed them out. That’s not ok.

“Sometimes who we are on the outside matches who we are on the inside. But sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s okay.”

We have visited the local maze every year since it opened, we always walk every inch of path, marking it off with a highlighter pen as we go. We use the 'hard' map without extra clues.

This year the maze has been designed in the shape of a Steam Train to mark the 200th Anniversary of the modern railway.

Whilst mini-cog is walking some, they are not yet ready for our military approach to the maize maze mission. We even time it now! We might go as a whole family another day!

As always my tips for visiting a maize maze are:

Call in advance, they will tell you how muddy (or not) the paths are and if you need wellies, trainers or sandals. And then stick all 3 in the boot anyway!

Take a small backpack, with waterproofs, hats, and bottles of water.

Take cash - ours now takes card payments by preference, but occasionally the wifi is not great so I still recommend taking cash or be prepared to drive a long way to find an ATM!

Take a couple of pens - they will charge you for a pen.

If you want to make it easier, take a highlighter pen and mark off the paths as you go round.

Ours is totally wheel chair and pushchair accessible unless it is really really muddy. They have lots of viewing platforms and helpers, you won't lose your children (for long) no matter how hard you try and they have quick exits so you can get out to the loos and then go back in again without having to walk a million miles.

At ours there are lots of other games and mini mazes to do as well, picnic tables and plenty of parking. It is an easy, fun day out and I thoroughly recommend it for a family few hours of togetherness and exercise....oh yes and yelling at each other debating about which way to go!

As maze post tradition now dictates, here is my maze gallery:

2024 'Olympics' and the maze was a javelin thrower.

Crop was low, thin and breaking easy, even just before harvest.

2023 'marine life at risk' good high crop.

2022 Platinum Jubilee. A very hot day, 30C

Me and HWMBO

2021 - the Phoenix rising from the Flames after Covid, Me and HWMBO

End of season height, coats and lots of sunflowers

2020 - Not open because of Covid lockdowns.

2019 - Astronaut to mark 50 years since the first man on the moon.

HWMBO & I went

2018 - NHS Ambulance theme with Australian friends and Cog not long out of intensive care.

2017 - A hot year and a good crop

2016 was a bad year all round but points to us for still making the effort to go.

2015

This was a good crop year and a fun afternoon with friends.

2014
The weather couldn't make up it's mind, warm, sunny and wet at different points of the walk.

2013

This was the best crop they'd had in a long time.

2012
Dreadful crop year. But the sunflowers meant it was still well worth seeing.

2011

The owners said it was a bad crop year. It seemed pretty tall to me, but maybe it's about the size and number of the maize itself, not just the height of the plant.