12th February 2015
We had a great adventure and we much appreciated everyone’s support . It has been such a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate community spirit to the Brownies. CCF Chairman James Carr and Main Grants Committee Chair Jane Humphries’ visits to the Brownies were great to spur the Brownies on. CCF also provided us with fantastic backup delivering sponsor forms and leaflets and feedback from the TV coverage at the drop of a hat.
We hope to raise between £800 and £900 including the current donation of £250 from The Wetheral Crown Hotel. They also kindly supported the us by bringing delicious chocolate Brownies to eat on Saturday night!
The 2 incidents which will remain with me are:
Firstly the visit from the Firemen. As I stood in the dark with my clip board collecting in forms and ushering the Brownies up the stairs with their kit, a fire engine appeared out of the gloom and two burly firemen arrived with the news that their boss was worried about us sleeping in the Gatehouse with only one exit and potentially naked
flames (LED Battery candles –aghhhh!). I thought for one nasty moment we were going to be told we could not sleep out! But fortunately they had arrived to install smoke detectors for our benefit. We even got the Firemen to ‘like’ the fundraising page on the Crown Hotel’s facebook!
Secondly, the scariest bit was being visited by a pair of real owls…we covered the windows and bars over with dust sheets on our floor but there are lots of high up window spaces without even bars and the owls obviously roost in the Gatehouse…they were not best pleased to find us in residence and set up an awful din….Mr Tawny Owl (our token male security guard!) woke up and spotted one owl doing a war dance silhouetted against a window space and the row disturbed a small Brownie with a fright causing her to set up a wail like a stuck pig! Luckily a nearby leader pounced on her and calmed her down before we had mass hysteria!
It was -4 degrees in the morning and we were a tad chilly but after bacon rolls, hot chocolate and a few brisk games we were all raring to go again!
Janice Brown
Tawny Owl Wetheral Brownies
