Sue Copsey – Epping Forest North

I joined 1st Upshire Brownies just before I was 7. I was so desperate to be a  Brownie and there were no Rainbows then! I was hooked on gaining badges and enjoy the fun and friendship on offer. I carried on through Guides , gaining my Baden Powell Badge (the highest award available in Guides) and into Rangers until exams started to get in the way. Whilst at university and doing my teaching degree, I became friendly with somebody who worked in one of the local pubs and helped to run a local Brownie unit in Winchester. I began helping, was soon working on gaining my warrant and was lucky to remake my promise as an adult at Foxlease. I even ended up living in another local Brown Owl’s house during my final year following a chance meeting at a Spring Training event. A friendship which remains today.
Once back home, I was asked to help back at 1st Upshire and by the end of the year and aged only 22 found myself as Brown Owl! Since then I’ve gone on to marry, have three children (two boys and a girl) and remained in Girlguiding. I am still at 1st Upshire Brownies and also helped to set up a District Ranger unit for the older girls 12 years ago. I’ve had loads of adventures from Pack Holidays to Disneyland trips and even took some Brownies to Denmark with Anglia Region. I’ve made many friends, provided opportunities, adventures and facilitated friendships for hundreds of girls and am extremely proud of the organisation I belong to.

Epping Forest North Division

EFN division is made up of nearly 400 girls and adult leaders divided into 3 districts and 28 units. We are right on the edge of our county, close to Hertfordshire and some London Boroughs. Our girls come from a mixture of settings from the beautiful Epping Forest and open countryside to busier towns. We meet in a variety of venues and aim to offer the fun of Guiding to all girls of 5 to 18 with the support of our adult leaders, volunteers and Trefoil Guild.