CALDICOT’S Guides, Brownies and Rainbows came together last weekend to complete a badge honouring the suffragettes and 100 years since women were given the vote.

A commemorative challenge badge was created for the occasion which saw the girls making hairpieces, button badges and decorations all while learning about what happened and the importance of the vote.

To complete their badge Caldicot Guides, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Caldicot Brownies and 1st and 2nd Caldicot Rainbows held a fundraising tea party at Dewstow Primary School on Sunday 11th February to raise money for Care International.

This charity was chosen as one of its ambassadors is Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, prominent suffragettes.

Also in attendance were some local women who provide inspiration to the girls including members of the Trefoil Guild, a group of former girl guides, MP Jessica Morden, the Girlguiding Gwent County Commissioner Andrea Rodley and local councillors.

Speaking at the tea party Andrea Rodley said: “Since doing this badge we’ve just become so aware of how amazing these women were because it was a very scary thing for them to do, to oppose the society at the time, it was quite brave.

“It was the women coming together, being very strong and working together to achieve great things. I think that links strongly with girl guiding, to get a group of women together to organise something is an amazing thing to see.”

After speaking the commissioner performed a promise ceremony with one of the Guides who was dressed the way a Guide’s uniform would have looked in 1918 and she performed the same Guide’s promise from that period.

Finishing of the event was Caldicot mayor councillor Philip Steven, he presented the mayor’s cup, a new initiative by the council to recognise the work of young people in the town. This was awarded to Harriet Till, a leader of the Caldicot Brownies and part of the Senior Section.