Girl Guides join White Ribbon campaign

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Girl Guides from East Yorkshire will be presented with White Ribbon badges for the first time on Saturday as their organisation becomes the latest to join the campaign to end violence against women and girls.

Over the past few months, Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers have been completing age-appropriate challenges to earn their badge.

They will be presented with the badges in a ceremony at Cottingham High School on November 23 – the date chosen to coincide with the launch of 16 days of national action by White Ribbon UK.

The East Yorkshire Girlguiding initiative follows the lead of Humberside Scouts, who in 2022 became the first Scouts organisation in the world to award White Ribbon badges. The youth organisation joined the campaign during Jacky Bowes’s tenure as High Sheriff of the East Riding. Jacky had pledged to campaign on the issue and has also been instrumental in the Guides becoming part of it.

White Ribbon UK aims to tackle violence and abuse against women and girls. The guiding badge has been developed to help Guides of all ages learn how to be kind to each other, find support and talk about things that may be worrying them.

Presentations will be made by HM Lord-Lieutenant Jim Dick OBE CStJ and Judi Heaton, temporary Chief Constable of Humberside Police.

Also attending will be Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison; the Lord Mayor of Hull, Councillor Mark Collinson; the chairman of the East Riding Council, Councillor Linda Bayram; officers from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, a trustee from White Ribbon UK; and other mayors and councillors from across the East Riding.