AN inspirational Girlguiding leader from Gourock will be attending an exclusive celebration later this month.

Gillian Dick, of 4th Gourock Guides and Rangers, will join hundreds of fellow Girlguiding volunteers at the upcoming 'Girlguiding Celebrates' event in London’s west end on September 29.

The exciting event will honour Girlguiding members who have been nominated for going the extra mile to help Guides and Rangers across the movement.

And Gillian, who was nominated by one of her leaders-in-training, Ella Miller, says that the nomination came as a total surprise.

She said: “I was shocked and delighted to be nominated. It was wonderful to read such lovely things about myself.” 

Ella first met Gillian when she joined Guides at the age of ten. She later progressed to Rangers and is now a leader-in-training. 

She admits that the support given to her by the kind-hearted leader has been invaluable for her everyday life.

“What Gillian has done for me and hundreds of girls over her time in guiding is incredible,” she said. “I genuinely believe if she hadn't supported me and put me forward for things over the years, I’d be too anxious and scared to do things now. 

“I have never met anyone so dedicated to changing the lives of other people. The work I've witnessed her do for our unit has inspired me to be the young adult I am today and I'm proud to be a leader in her unit.

“Growing up, Guides was my safe space and I wouldn’t miss a week.

“Gillian’s selfless dedication ensured 4th Gourock was there to create memories and change lives for so many of us.” 

Over the years Gillian has supported Ella, and other members of her unit, to pursue numerous Girlguiding opportunities including public speaking events and international guiding adventures.

Humble Gillian says she hadn't realised just how much of an impact her time and effort had had on kids in and around Inverclyde.

She added: “I hadn’t realised I had made such an impact on Ella. She made the nomination completely independently which is amazing.”

When Gillian moved to Gourock at the age of 12, she became a Guide. At the age of 22, she decided to help at a local Guides unit when she moved to Banff for a new job.

She ended up helping at the unit for 16 years before moving back to her hometown of Gourock, where Gillian started volunteering with 4th Gourock Guides and Rangers, and has now been there for nearly 20 years. 

“Girlguiding has given me some incredible opportunities over the years, and I’ve met people from around the world because I do a lot of international events,” said Gillian.  

“Girlguiding is the one space where girls have a chance to be themselves, whatever that means. It gives them the opportunity to fail in a safe environment, challenge themselves, and not worry about being judged on what they wear. It’s about giving them something back and giving them space to have fun, try new things and think about things in a different way.”