Awards

Girlguiding South West Region Chief Commissioner's Award

This is awarded at the discretion of the chief commissioner to a member of Girlguiding South West England of any age, from Rainbows upwards. The awards sub-committee may also recommend a nomination. Nominations can be made by any member of Girlguiding or the Trefoil Guild.

The Chief Commissioner award is for members of Girlguiding South West England who deserve recognition for something special. This may be for an outstanding contribution within Girlguiding South West England, for service in the face of adversity, or displaying exceptional courage or initiative. They should display enthusiasm, dedication, abilities or qualities that make them stand out as a role model for Girlguiding. This could be work towards a specific event, the impact on a unit, district, division or county, or the impact on a specific girl.

In exceptional circumstances, the chief commissioner may nominate a volunteer for the Girlguiding South West England Chief Commissioner award.

Application forms must be accompanied by a least one supporting letter or recommendation which may come from both within and outside of guiding. It may be appropriate for a letter/recommendation to contain comments from more than one person.

Whilst it is possible for volunteers to nominate family members for this award, we encourage them to ensure the nomination is made by another volunteer from the unit or district/division. Where this is not possible, please consult your county/island commissioner.

Please download and complete the application form and return it to Lucy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The South West England Compass award can be gained by any adult member, including unit helpers in recognition of their contributions and commitment to Guiding at unit level and for promoting Guiding in their local area/community.

Criteria

The Compass award will be given to recognise the dedication of our members, including unit helpers, at local level who give freely of their time on a regular basis to provide good quality guiding to the girls in their unit(s) and/or helps support volunteers to do so, to the benefit of their local area/community. This could be maintaining or supporting a successful unit(s) or involvement in a Girlguiding activity or project that shows the unique quality that the member or unit helper brings to local guiding and the area/community.
The award may be made to any adult over the age of eighteen years and involved in Guiding.
The nominee for this award does not have to hold a county/island, region, or national appointment.
The award is not linked to the nominee’s length of service.
The award should not be considered as a ‘retirement gift’.

How to Apply

You are asked to send a minimum of 3 statements in support of the application, one of which must be from the nominator.

The statements of support can be submitted using the supporting statement form, a letter, or an email, but please make sure that the information is clear. The application must inform the region awards sub-committee of the following:

Details about the member or unit helper you are nominating and why you think she/he is worthy of a Compass award.
Information about what she/he does for Guiding at local unit level – tell us about her/his involvement and planning in unit meetings, special projects, activities, and events.
Information about her/his regular commitment – is it weekly monthly and it could also include special Girlguiding projects, activities, or events.
Information about what she/he has done to promote Guiding in the local area/community – what have the girls and the leader been involved in locally which has raised awareness of Guiding?

Additional information to support the nomination

Please remember that it is highly unlikely that anyone on the awards sub-committee will know the member or unit helper being nominated so a range of statements are needed which can provide the information and demonstrate the member or unit helper’s commitment, involvement in the unit, the local area/community or with a special project.
It is strongly recommended when writing statements of support that careful consideration is given to the guidance set out in ‘criteria’ and ‘how to apply’.
The supporting statements can be from leaders, commissioners, parents or girls in the unit.

Comments from the girls and/or parents and photos add real strength to an award application.

Next Steps

1. The application form can be downloaded here, or can be requested from Lucy at the region office.

2. Applications must be made without the knowledge of the Nominee.

3. Completed applications should be returned to Lucy Asher, together with supporting statements, to arrive by 20 December or 20 April for consideration at the January or May awards sub-committee meetings.

4. Please mark applications which are sent by post ‘Confidential’. Applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Award applications with supporting statements may also be sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

5. A minimum of 3 statements are required, one of which must be from the nominator.

6. The nomination must be endorsed by a commissioner (county/island, division, district or section commissioner). The commissioner is asked to confirm/acknowledge the worthiness of the award being applied for.

7. The region office will confirm by email the safe arrival of all award applications.

Download these guidelines for writing letters.

Please note – county/island commissioners are informed of all Compass award nominations before they are considered by the awards sub-committee.

What happens after the awards Sub-committee?

1. The sub-committee’s decision will be final. However:

On the advice of the sub-committee an application may be resubmitted. This could be because the sub-committee feel that additional statements of support will strengthen the application.
If the application is unsuccessful, a new application may be submitted for the nominee after a period of two years.

2. A Compass award presentation event is arranged in September for award recipients and a guest. The Compass awards will be presented by the region chief commissioner or her deputy. If the date is inconvenient, arrangements will be made for the award to be presented in county/island.

3. Successful recipients of the Compass award will be notified in writing and invited to the presentation event. The nominator and the county/island commissioner will also be notified by email.

4. Successful Compass award recipients will be notified in February and June.

Do you know someone in your district, division or county/island who is special and who you feel deserves recognition for what they do for Guiding? Have you thought about nominating them for a Guiding award?

The Girlguiding South West England Young Adult Leaders Award can be gained by any Leader aged 18 to 30 years who has done something special, something remarkable. The something special or remarkable is wide ranging and will depend on the individual’s circumstances.

How to Apply

You are asked to send a minimum 3 letters or statements in support of the application. The application needs to tell the region awards Sub-committee some of the following:

Information about the member you are nominating
Information about what she does in Guiding
Information about the something special or something remarkable – please tell us what your nominee has been doing

Please remember that it is highly unlikely that anyone on the award sub-committee will know the member being nominated so a range of letters/statements are needed which can provide the information and demonstrate the member’s commitment and involvement.

Letters or supporting statement can be made by letter or email. They can from leaders, advisers or girls in the unit. One of the letters of support must be from a commissioner. Please see these guidelines for writing letters.

Next Steps

1. The application form can be downloaded here or can be requested from Lucy at the region office.

2. Applications must be made without the knowledge of the nominee.

3. Completed applications should be returned to Lucy Asher, together with supporting letters/statements, to arrive no later than one month before the meeting of the awards sub-committee at which it will be considered. As a guide, completed award applications must be submitted by 20 December or 20 April for consideration at the mid-January or mid-May awards sub-committee meetings.

4. Please mark applications which are sent by post ‘Confidential’. Applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Award applications with supporting letters/statements may also be sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

5. A minimum of 3 supporting statements required. The supporting information may be by letter or email statement.

6. Applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

7. The Region office will confirm by email the safe arrival of all award applications.

What happens after the Awards Sub-committee?

The sub-committee’s decision will be final. However:

On the advice of the Sub-committee an application may be resubmitted. This could be because the sub-committee feel that additional letters of support will strengthen the application
If the application is unsuccessful a brand new application may be submitted for the nominee after a period of two years

The county/island commissioner, county/island awards committee chairman and the nominator will be informed of the decision of the sub-committee.
The award will be presented at a suitable occasion within the recipient’s county or island.

The region's 1yr, 3yr, 15yr, 25yr and 35yr Service award badges are sent out automatically to our members in recognition of the time they have given to Girlguiding in the region.

For those members who have reached 15, 25 or 35 years of service from January 2024, you will automatically receive one of these beautiful badges in the post.

They are available from our shop for those who have completed 15, 25 or 35 years prior to January 2024 at no cost.

The Silver Oak Leaf will be awarded to recognise and acknowledge the outstanding contribution and commitment that any adult over the age of 18 years has made to the promotion or advancement of Guiding within South West England.

Criteria

The Silver Oak Leaf award will be given to recognise adult members and non-members who have given freely of their time to promote and advance Guiding within the region. The nominee will be involved in Guiding at a local and/or county/island level and have made a significant contribution to the events, activities and/or business of the region.
The award may be made to any adult, member or non-member, over the age of eighteen years and involved in Guiding.
A nominee who already holds an award (or awards), whether at county/island or national Girlguiding level, is NOT exempt from being considered for the Silver Oak Leaf.
Unsuccessful applications for the Girlguiding Laurel award will not automatically be considered for a Silver Oak Leaf.
Nominations can be made by any member of Girlguiding, Trefoil Guild and associated organisations, but they must be supported by the appropriate county/island commissioner and/or county/island awards committee chair.

The award can be worn in or out of Guide wear.
The award should not be considered as a ‘retirement gift’.

Applications for an award should ideally be made while the nominee’s role in Guiding is current. Applications will not be considered more than six months after completion of the service undertaken in Guiding.
The chief commissioner (or her deputy) may in exceptional circumstances approve a nomination for a Silver Oak Leaf award outside of the sub-committee following consultation with the chair of the sub-committee.

How to Apply

You are asked to send a minimum of 8 letters or statements in support of the application. The application needs to tell the region awards sub-committee all of the following:

Information about the nominee and why you think the nominee is worthy of a Silver Oak Leaf award
Information about what she/he does for Guiding at local, county/island and region level
Give examples of the contributions that the nominee has made to the events, activities and/or business of the region

Please remember that it is unlikely that the awards sub-committee will know the person being nominated for the award so a wide range of letters/statements are needed which can provide information about the nominee and demonstrate their contribution and commitment to the promotion or advancement of Guiding.

The letters or supporting statements can be made by letter or email. See these guidelines for writing letters.

The letters, emails or supporting statements should come from as wide a range of people as possible eg Guiding members, contacts from Scouting or the church, employers, friends or other clubs and organisations as appropriate. The letters or supporting statements should include the referee’s name and appointment or status eg commissioner or employer.

Requests for supporting information from non-guiding people eg employers should ask for information about the nominee in the capacity they know them eg, as an employee and not about the nominee’s guiding background.

Next Steps

1. The application form can be downloaded here, or can be requested from Lucy at the region office.

2. Applications must be made without the knowledge of the nominee.

3. Completed applications should be returned to Lucy Asher, together with supporting letters/emails/statements must be submitted by 20 December or 20 April for consideration at the January or May awards sub-committee meetings.

4. Please mark applications which are sent by post ‘Confidential’. Applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Award applications and supporting letters/emails/statements may also be sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

5. Completed applications must receive the support of the county/island commissioner.

6. The region office will confirm by email the safe arrival of all award applications.

What happens after the awards sub-committee?

1. The Sub-committee’s decision will be final. However:

On the advice of the Sub-committee an application may be resubmitted. This could be because the sub-committee feel that additional letters of support will strengthen the application.
If the application is unsuccessful, a new application may be submitted for the Nominee after a period of two years.

2. The county/island commissioner and/or the county/island awards committee chairman and/or the nominator will be informed of the decision of the sub-committee.

3. The award should be presented in line with the presentation of national and region awards process.

The Girlguiding Hero award enables members to show their appreciation for fellow members or non-members of Girlguiding who have done something wonderful, or gone above and beyond what would be expected of them, and which has in some way helped others. Any member can make a nomination, and the recipient can be any age.

Click here to go to the Girlguiding Website where you will find full information and a nomination form. When you have completed the form, send this to your county/island commissioner for them to sign and forward to the region office.

If you have any questions, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.