Newbigging Outdoor Centre open day
On Saturday 26th September we had an open day at Newbigging Outdoor Centre where members of the public could visit the centre to see the facilities we provide. The centre is designed for all ages groups, providing a comfortable and well-equipped centre for outdoor camps, indoor holidays or training events for Girlguiding members, Scouts or charity organisations. Newbigging is located in the heart of Scotland in a rural area only seven miles south of Blairgowrie.
On arrival to Newbigging Outdoor Centre we were able to get a full tour of the outdoor and indoor areas. The outdoor area looked warm and welcoming with a sunny day making it look so inviting for camping and campfires. The outdoor area is a three-acre flat campsite with toilets and a wet weather shelter as well as three wigwams that can sleep up to 5 people. There is also the opportunity for Archery and Tomahawk lessons available on-site.
The holiday house and gardens can sleep up to twenty-four children and six leaders or up to thirty adults. It hosts toilets and shower facilities, a large porch area for outdoor clothing and shoes in addition to a kitchen area joined onto a large hall. We were even able to see the huge number of apples that were on the trees in the orchard of the holiday house.
Lunch was provided with a range of sandwiches, sausage rolls, crisps and traybakes being offered. We had a range of visitors from other Girlguiding counties and neighbours from the local area. Including two individuals that used to go to school at the building back in the 1960s when the building was used as a local school. It was great to hear their memories and show them how the building is now being used.
In the hall there were badges and crafts available to buy. There was also a display of previous Newbigging badges as well as photographs from previous years. The lovely Alison Collins kindly updated her beautiful cross-stitch display to include our new Girlguiding uniform; to hang above the kitchen hatch at Newbigging, we really appreciate the kind donation.
There was a display of information for this year’s theme and information regarding the dates for county camp this year. The 2027 Rangers and Guides county camp has been named The Oracles Quest and will be from 11th to 13th June. The girls will be sorted into ‘cabins’ which will be named after Greek Olympus, similar to the Percy Jackson book series however some myths and legends have been amended as they include mature themes. The girls will be able to participate in a variety of activities including archery with Artemis, Capture the Flag with Athena and a Scavenger hunt with Persephone. The aim of the weekend is for members of Girlguiding to meet new people, participate in a range of fun activities and develop a range of new skills.
To find out more information, visit the Newbigging page on our website: https://www.girlguidingdundee.org.uk/newbigging. Thank you so much to everyone that made this day possible and to Tayside Contracts Community Fund who provided the juice, crisps and traybakes for this event.
