Glasgow Guides mentor young girls to grow in confidence
The unit is supported by Generation CashBack, a Scottish Government-funded scheme.
The initiative seeks to ensure young people from deprived areas can benefit from youth work opportunities.
Carly, a Guide member with the unit in Glasgow, is one such volunteer who helps out with the Brownies and assists with games, writing, and drawing.
She said: "I wanted to start helping because I felt like it was really interesting, because then I get to know about them and what they do.
'The hardest part is when we're setting up a game and none of them can decide who's going to be it.
"The best part is helping them set up games, learning all of their names and seeing them run about and have fun.'
Anna, CashBack development officer for Girlguiding Scotland, said: "Almost all the Guides in the unit help at Rainbows or Brownies, with some helping at more than one unit.
'This started when one girl was nervous about leaving Brownies (she is autistic and struggles with change), so leaders suggested she helped with Brownies to make the move smoother.
"It meant that she could still see her Brownie leaders and have the familiarity whilst dipping her toe into being a Guide.
"Three years later, she's still at Guides.
"The other girls became interested in this, so also started helping.
'We've seen the girls grow in confidence since they've started volunteering and it helps foster a good sense of community.'
Like Carly, Mia, who helps out with both Rainbows and Brownies, said: "I really like working with kids.
"I enjoy watching Rainbows learn new things and make friends and watching Brownies have fun.
"I'd like to be a leader in the future."
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David Lintott, of Restore Nature, which lodged a successful petition calling for a judicial review of a forestry plantation at Todrig in the Scottish Borders | Katharine Hay 'That's really poor when your dealing with such a huge area and something that is going to cause transformative change.' The planned Todrig forest would link to another proposed 700-hectare predominantly Sitka forest at Whitslaid. It means the area will see some 11 square kilometres of conifer plantations across the moorland habitat, campaigners said. The proposed schemes, which, together, would be larger than Selkirk and Hawick combined, fall into a pilot map created by Scottish Forestry for the Upper Ale area. It shows an area the agency deems suitable for planting either large scale or medium scale spruce plantations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A pilot study carried out by Scottish Forestry for a land capacity map. 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Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Community groups have been set up in response to the proposed forestry schemes, including the Upper Ale Water Conservation Group who met with Scottish Conservatives MP John Lamont and MSP Rachael Hamilton to discuss their concerns. MSP Racheal Hamilton meeting with members of Upper Ale Water Conservation Group | Upper Ale Water Conservation Group Speaking during a visit on Wednesday, Ms Hamilton said: 'The local community are rightly concerned by these forestry applications and the lack of scrutiny around the consultation process. 'There needs to be more accountability of Scottish Forestry to ensure that swathes of forestry are not forced upon communities against their interest. 'That's why I brought forward an amendment to the Land Reform Bill for the Scottish Government to implement an Ethical Framework for Natural Capital Investment that ensures local community have a voice, but it was shamefully voted down at stage two.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Green Party candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Dominic Ashmole backed the Save Todrig petition saying it was 'a fine public service.' Scottish Green Party candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Dominic Ashmole Mr Ashmole, who was recently selected by the Greens as a South Scotland regional candidate for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election, said: 'If successful, the case could set a precedent ensuring routine and substantive EIA of proposed forestry schemes, which could steer us to a place where we have locally-led, nature-friendly, continuous cover forestry that provides a whole host of co-benefits. 'At the moment, it seems that a scary big climate target is being wielded very much as a blunt instrument, perhaps with pressured civil servants reaching for 'big corporate' solutions rather than funding communities and smaller players to create a future closer to what locals and the wider public actually want.' Gresham House insisted it adheres to regulatory standards and industry best practice across all its projects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A spokesperson for the company said: "Community engagement is really important. 'For the Todrig proposal, we've undertaken a formal public consultation and invited feedback from statutory bodies including SEPA, NatureScot, and RSPB Scotland. "In response to early input, the current design includes a commitment to retain approximately 40 per cent of the site as open ground, primarily to support biodiversity and habitat creation. Once operational, all planting, felling, and management plans will be made publicly available - and as with any forestry project, we actively look for ways to deliver wider community benefits through improved public access, educational opportunities, and support for local initiatives.'
