Two Girlguiding volunteers from Aberdare have been nominated to attend a red carpet event in recognition of the difference they have made to girls’ lives in their area.
Caitlyn Kochalski, 21, and Gwenllian Rees-Williams, 30, will join hundreds of fellow nominees and award recipients at the upcoming Girlguiding Celebrates event in London’s West End.
The exciting event taking place on 29 September will honour Girlguiding’s most recent award-winning volunteers along with other members who have been nominated for their amazing achievements.
The unforgettable afternoon event will see attendees walk the red carpet like true VIPs before enjoying a fun packed event with performances in a special variety show.
Caitlyn has been a member of Girlguiding for fifteen years, having joined the organisation as a Brownie aged seven to build her confidence. She is now a leader in training at 12th Aberdare Hirwaun Brownie unit.
“I enjoy helping people and seeing the girls develop their skills and confidence through guiding. I’m a positive role model for the girls and encourage them to be community focused.” Caitlyn said. “I was really shocked to find out about the nomination and pleasantly surprised. I was pleased that other people think I have a positive impact on the girls.”
Caitlyn says she’s excited to attend Girlguiding Celebrates, which will be a new experience for her: “I’ll be visiting London with other leaders from my unit. It will be an experience I’ll treasure forever and I’m looking forward to making lots of new memories and meeting new guiding friends.”
Gwenllian Rees-Williams volunteers alongside Caitlyn at 12th Aberdare Hirwaun Brownies, and runs Rainbow, Guide and Ranger meetings all on the same evening.
“It can be a long night,” Gwenllian said, “but seeing all the smiling faces of nearly 80 girls each week makes it worthwhile.”
Gwenllian is currently working towards her Queen’s Guide award – the highest award you can work towards in guiding. As part of this, Gwenllian has supported a nursery school in Gambia.
“It all started in 2018 after my mother, Sharon, visited Gambia for the first time. On one of her tours, she was taken to a local school. My mother came back and taught the Guides about the school, the floor was all mud, the roof falling down. She started raising money to help get these issues fixed and every year since we have continued to fundraise. They’ve managed to tile the floor, fix the desks and chalkboards, and paint the walls using the donations,” Gwenllian said.
“I was lucky to be able to join my mother on her later visits to Gambia and to take other leaders with us to show them how life is there,” Gwenllian continued. “On our recent visit in February, we took suitcases full of school resources for the children and teachers along with a donation raised from sales of a challenge badge I created for Girlguiding units.”
“Unfortunately, my mother passed away suddenly in May. Donations from the funeral were sent out to the school over the summer holidays in her memory. She was a big part of our unit and started our fundraising for the nursery school. Even though we are thousands of miles away from them, they shut the school after hearing of her death for two days of mourning, and on the day of the funeral. This was the impact my mother had on them,” Gwenllian said.
Girlguiding has had played a significant role in both Caitlyn and Gwenllian’s lives.
“Girlguiding is a massive part of my life and has been since I was a shy Brownie,” Caitlyn said. “I never thought I could be confident enough to train as a leader. I’ve met so many people through Girlguiding and have made lifelong friends. I’ve had the opportunity to travel abroad to Switzerland, walk mountains on my Duke of Edinburgh, and go on canal boat trips, as well as camps and jamborees. I have learnt so much and have had a lot of fun.”
“Girlguiding has allowed me to experience things I would not have experienced outside of the organisation. It’s helped me to get to where I am today with all the skills I’ve gained and achieved over the years. I get to give back to the community using these skills and hopefully guide the next future leaders for our unit,” said Gwenllian.
Elli Bufton, who volunteers alongside Caitlyn and Gwenllian, said: “Caitlyn is a great asset to have as part of our team – she will go above and beyond to support the girls to ensure they have the best possible outcomes.”
“Gwenllian will see the best in every girl and support each and every one of them on their guiding journey. With her team, she runs and organises amazing unit holidays and camps.”
“I will be forever grateful to the wonderful memories we’ve shared together, here’s to many more.”
The Girlguiding Celebrates event will be held on Sunday 29 September at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square.
