Promise Renewal (digital and dirty)

The climatic end of a huge Midlands Guiding Challenge was a mass digital promise renewal.  This coincided with our Midlands Commissioner finishing her 5 year tenure so it was a very big moment in guiding.  She has been a great commissioner at many levels and I'm sure she could be the Chief Commissioner if she wanted to embrace that challenge.

 Leading up to this event I'd been watching the news (and local forums) talking about hundreds of people gathering at a local private reservoir.  Drinking, swimming, drugs and everything else that goes with large groups of young adults and sunshine.

I spend a lot of time round this way, it is my main long run route.  But as lockdown has progressed I stopped going, the numbers of people went from rarely seeing anyone to tens of people and now 400 at a time.  Knowing there were so many people there was no way I was going close but the photos of litter coming up were annoying, there is rarely any litter there at all.

There's only 2 things you can do if something is really annoying you

1) moan about it on Facebook
2) do something about it

 A huge number of people already had number one covered off so I opted for number 2.

The weather was wet, blowy and turning chiller so there was unlikely to be a beach party happening,. So I shoved some bags, gloves, and a pokey stick in the boot and set off.

 When I got there it looked like someone had already cleared it.  But they had done the first pass.

 I went over it and picked a heavy bag of gas canisters, balloons, bottle tops, sweet wrappers etc

I felt pleased with myself but also a bit unfulfilled

So I took a wander further along the water and the different pull ins.

 People never fail to disappointed do they!

 4 large bags later and I was feeling like I'd done a jolly good job.

I bumped into a guy down there that is working close by and is clearing up this much and more regularly and the Canal and Rivers Trust are also sending people down to clear up.

I'll probably go again.

So back to the promise.

I had renewed my promise the best way I know how, I went and did something positive.

 “I promise that I will do my best,

 to be true to myself and develop my beliefs, 

to serve the Queen and my community, 

to help other people and to keep the Guide Law”