Questions surrounding the closure of 1st Andover Girls’ Brigade after 99 years have prompted responses from both former volunteers and Girls’ Brigade England and Wales, following the announcement of plans to establish a new group in the town.
The former volunteers say they had spent months trying to secure the future of 1st Andover before its final meeting on 17 July, and have questioned why the additional support and recruitment activity now available could not have been provided before the longstanding group closed.
Girls’ Brigade England and Wales has responded to the concerns, saying efforts were made through its local networks to find a suitable replacement Group Leader, but that no appointment could be made which would allow the group to continue while meeting the organisation’s required policies, procedures and training.
The charity has also explained that additional resources have recently become available to support the development of groups in the area, enabling the recruitment activity now taking place.
99 years in Andover
The concerns follow the closure of 1st Andover Girls’ Brigade, which had served generations of young people in the town since 1927.
The company was originally established at Andover Congregational Church in East Street and, in more recent years, operated from Bridge Street Methodist Church.
Its final meeting took place on 17 July following the retirement of Group Leader Marian Brewer, who had spent 23 years in the role.
Marian told Love Andover she had given a year’s notice of her intention to retire and said the remaining leaders had been willing to continue if a new Group Leader could be found.
She said: “I had given a year’s notice of my retirement as Group Leader. I was told that I had given plenty of notice so the right person could be sought to take on the leadership of 1st Andover.
“We were given no press releases to help us seek a new leader so sadly, a group that has given so much to the community over many years had to close.”
Marian said the former volunteers were particularly upset to discover the latest plans through publicity surrounding the proposed new group rather than being informed beforehand.
She added: “We, as the leaders, were very upset at the way the GB Support Centre can suddenly release the article without even having the courtesy to let us know.
“I do not want to cause any trouble but, as I am sure you can imagine, it has caused great sadness to the former leaders of 1st Andover Girls’ Brigade, especially as the other leaders in the group were prepared to continue with a new Group Leader.”
‘We didn’t simply give up’
Another former member of the team, Nikita, who had been involved with 1st Andover for 18 years, said her concerns were not about Girls’ Brigade continuing in the town or about anyone who might become involved with a new group.
Instead, she said the frustration centred on the support the former team felt it received before the closure compared with the recruitment effort now taking place.
Nikita said: “For over a year before we closed, we were desperately trying to find a way to keep the group going.
“When our leader was stepping down, we needed support in finding someone who could take over and allow the group to continue. We asked for help and wanted to explore ways of keeping 1st Andover alive, but we did not receive the level of support we needed from Girls’ Brigade HQ.”
She said the eventual closure had been heartbreaking for those who had invested years in the organisation and its young members.
Nikita added: “What has made this situation particularly difficult is the feeling that we were made to look as though we had simply given up, or that we had walked away and left somebody else to come in and do the hard work.
“That could not be further from the truth. We fought to keep the group going and asked for support for months. Closing was not something we wanted to do.”
She said seeing plans for a new group emerge so soon after 1st Andover’s closure had left former volunteers questioning whether more could have been done.
“To now see a hopeful reopening being announced barely a month later, seemingly with the encouragement and support that we had been asking for, is extremely hurtful,” she said.
“It leaves us questioning why this level of help could not have been offered while we were still there, before a longstanding group was allowed to close in the first place.”
Nikita stressed that she supported the principle of Girls’ Brigade continuing in Andover.
She said: “I do not begrudge the new leaders or the girls the opportunity to have Girls’ Brigade in Andover. My concern is with how the situation has been handled and with the stark difference between the support we were asking for before closure and the support that now appears to be available for its potential reopening.”
Girls’ Brigade responds
Love Andover put the concerns of the former volunteers to Girls’ Brigade England and Wales and offered the organisation an opportunity to respond.
A spokesperson acknowledged the disappointment surrounding the closure and paid tribute to those who had supported 1st Andover over many years.
The spokesperson said: “We have seen some of the comments from former volunteers following the announcement of our plans to develop a new Girls’ Brigade group in Andover, and we completely understand that the closure of 1st Andover after so many years was disappointing for those who had invested so much time and care into the group.
“The former Group Leader did give us significant notice of her intention to step down, and we are grateful for the commitment she and the wider volunteer team gave to 1st Andover.”
Girls’ Brigade said that despite attempts to find a successor, it had not been possible to appoint somebody able to take responsibility for the group under the organisation’s requirements.
The spokesperson continued: “Unfortunately, despite efforts through our local networks, we were unable to identify and appoint a suitable new Group Leader who could take responsibility for the group and ensure all of Girls’ Brigade’s required policies, procedures and training were being followed.”
The organisation said safeguarding, leadership training and adherence to its policies and procedures are requirements which cannot be compromised.
It added: “At the point the group closed, we were not in a position where all of the requirements necessary for the group to continue operating safely and compliantly could be met.”
Girls’ Brigade’s statement did not say there had been a safeguarding incident involving 1st Andover or its former volunteers.
Why is recruitment happening now?
Girls’ Brigade has also addressed one of the central questions raised by the former volunteers: why resources appear to be available to establish a group now when 1st Andover closed only recently.
The charity said its capacity has changed.
The spokesperson said: “Girls’ Brigade England and Wales is a small national charity with limited staff capacity, and we have recently been able to dedicate additional resource to developing and supporting groups in this area.
“That additional capacity is what has enabled the recruitment activity people are now seeing.”
The organisation rejected any suggestion that the new initiative was intended to disregard the contribution made by the previous company.
“Our intention is not to dismiss or replace the work of 1st Andover or those who served it for many years,” the spokesperson said.
“We are thankful for everything its volunteers contributed to generations of girls and young women.
“Our focus now is on building on that legacy by establishing a sustainable, well-supported and fully compliant Girls’ Brigade group for girls and young women in Andover.”
A difficult end – and potentially a new beginning
While the two sides differ over whether sufficient support was available before the closure, both have expressed a desire for girls and young women in Andover to continue having access to Girls’ Brigade.
The proposed new group is intended for girls aged four to 17 and would provide opportunities to make friends, try activities and develop confidence and resilience.
For the volunteers who spent many years keeping 1st Andover running, however, the timing of the announcement has reopened the disappointment surrounding the loss of a company which had been part of the town for almost a century.
The former volunteers maintain that they wanted the company to survive and would have continued supporting it if a suitable new Group Leader had been secured.
Girls’ Brigade England and Wales, meanwhile, maintains that despite efforts through its local networks, it could not make the appointment required for the existing group to continue under its policies and procedures, and says additional resources have only recently become available.
What both sides agree on is the importance of recognising the contribution made by 1st Andover and ensuring opportunities remain available for the next generation of girls and young women in the town.
I don’t see why they can’t recruit the 1st Andover volunteers so that they may continue their work if that’s what they wish to do.