CARLA TALBOT
Landmarks to be lit up in celebration of World Thinking Day
Landmarks across Renfrewshire are set to be lit up blue on Monday night as thousands of the area’s Girl Guides mark a worldwide celebration.
Barsail Bridge, in Renfrew, and Johnstone bandstand will be turned blue to mark World Thinking Day, which is celebrated by millions of Rangers, Girl Guides, Brownies and Rainbows all over the globe.
Renfrewshire Council stepped in to help the Renfrewshire units mark the occasion due to the covid pandemic halting traditional celebrations, which normally sees thousands of Renfrewshire Girl Guides enjoy group celebrations.
The alternative celebrations in Renfrewshire have inspired other Girl Guide units in Scotland to join in, with many other landmarks across the country agreeing to be lit up for the event.
World Thinking Day is held every year on February 22 – the annual celebration of the birthday of the first Chief Guide, Lady Olave BadenPowell, who was born in 1889.
Assistant division commissioner for Paisley Girl Guides, Elaine Wotherspoon, is delighted that Guides throughout Renfrewshire have still been able to mark the important calendar event despite not being able to get together.
She said: “We are so glad we are still able to mark this special occasion and we are really grateful to Renfrewshire Council for agreeing to light up Barsail Bridge and Johnstone bandstand.
“We would normally organise a number of events and activities, but we obviously aren’t able to do that this year.
“This day has been celebrated every year since 1926, with over ten million girls in Girl Guide and Girl Scout groups around the world taking part.
“In Paisley alone, there are 500 girls involved and more than 100 volunteers who give up their time, so we are so glad we are still able to celebrate together, even if it is virtually.
“Other areas heard about our plans to light up the bridge and decided to ask their councils to do it too. So we started a bit of a trend, which is great.”
The theme for this year’s World Thinking Day is Stand Strong, Stand up and Stand Together for peacebuilding.
Guides across Scotland will be joining other Guides across the globe to take part in activities to celebrate Guiding and the contributions Guiding makes to communities.
Youngsters in Renfrewshire are also being encouraged to put a candle in their window for the event from 7.10pm until 8.21pm in honour of years of Girlguiding from 1910 to 2021.
They will also be joining a virtual event on Sunday with others from across Scotland and will have the opportunity to renew their promise and join in fun activities.
Elaine added: “The aim of this is for the girls to be aware of other people all over the world and think about other people and their lives.
“It’s an important day and it means a lot to the units when we celebrate every year.”
As well as World Thinking Day, Paisley Guides and other units throughout the area have been working hard to stay connected with one another throughout the pandemic.
Meetings are now being held on Zoom and Rainbows, Brownies and Guides are regularly given challenges and activities to do while at home until they are able to meet again.
Volunteers are also staying in touch regularly, which Elaine said is an important part of the work they do.
She added: “Some of our volunteers have been with us for 20, 30 and even 50 years.
“It is really important to us that we all stay in touch and stay connected.
“For some people, volunteering is a big part of their life which has been stopped just now.
“Our adult volunteers are just as important as our girls and we want to make sure people are not feeling isolated.”
Renfrewshire Council is delighted to be able to Girlguiding celebrate World Thinking Day.
Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron said: “World Thinking Day is a day of international friendship and celebration for the Girlguiding community and offers an opportunity to think about the issues affecting girls across the world today.
“This year they are unable to come together as they normally would and I am glad we were able to light up some of our prominent Renfrewshire landmarks to mark the occasion.”