A GIRLGUIDING volunteer has been recognised as one of the group's most inspirational role models.

Louise Cope, of Tottington Rangers, was recently named among 64 ‘Guiding Idols’ in Girlguiding North West England – a campaign led by the charity to recognise its volunteers for their efforts.

She attended a special celebration afternoon at the Girlguiding regional headquarters in Preston on June 12, where a plaque was unveiled bearing the names of the recipients and she received a badge of thanks.

Louise said: "Girlguiding has been in my blood since joining Brownies.

"Once I joined our local Ranger unit at 14 years old I knew that this was the age group I wanted to work with.

"I have been with that same Ranger group as a Ranger, Assistant Leader and Leader since that day. The number of girls I have seen flourish as independent, confident individuals in that time has been humbling.

"Senior Section is a challenging age group, supporting girls, not just through their Guiding, but through their GCSE's, their A-Levels, their driving tests, their relationships and other key moments in their lives.

"I feel so proud when I see or hear of their successes in graduation, travelling abroad, securing careers, getting married and starting families.

"To have been nominated for a Guiding Idol award was an amazing surprise but seeing all those girls succeed in life and hoping that I have played a key part in that success is what Girlguiding is all about, our sense of achievement as leaders and that is the greater reward."

This year's celebration was extra special as it coincides with the centenary of Girlguiding’s Senior Section, open to girls aged 14 to 25.

Julie Bell, Region Chief Commissioner, said: “Once again, we’ve had a fantastic response to the Guiding Idols campaign and we’re looking forward to doing it all over again next year.

"We wanted to thank our volunteers for all the hard work and effort they put into Girlguiding and with the support of our young members, we’ve been able to celebrate our amazing volunteers in a really memorable way.”