Reuniting in Pembrokeshire: Caroline Gardner’s Rotterdam reunion report
On the first weekend of November, amid rather unpredictable weather, we gathered many of the participants of Girlguiding Cymru Rotterdam 2025 together for a Reunion and Debriefing session.
It was so great to see so many of the group back together, with loads of smiles and hugs, and memories of the fun we had in Rotterdam in August.
We kicked off with some Escape Room challenges at Heatherton, and we all managed to escape in the given time - one team slightly faster than the other. Then lunch and the sun came out, so we moved on to Adventure golf. Unfortunately the sun did not stay out for long, with rain then a thunderstorm stopping play (the North Wales contingent were very definite that the changeable weather is not what they are used to!).
We retreated to our cozy accommodation where we lit the fire and gathered around to recall memories of our summer trip. We debriefed fully, with lively discussions on best days, travel arrangements, and shared our highs and lows, whilst creating some art to add to Delyth’s diary. Then on to some Delft inspired Christmas craft - far more affordable than the Christmas baubles we saw on sale in the official Delft pottery shop.
No weekend is complete without a campfire, so, despite the return of the rain, we braved the weather and soon warmed up around s’mores, stories and some campfire favourites. After the PJs went on, we were treated to a slideshow of photos of our trip, prepared by Elin, who compered the show with laughs along the way (just how many ways are there to cross a log? And who did take that photograph of the shop in Amsterdam??!!).
On the Sunday we started with one of Victoria’s slap up breakfasts, had a visit from Chief Commissioner Kathy, a few more friends joined us on Zoom, made some videos with hints and tips for future Internationals, then made our way to Carew Castle for a picnic and a wander round the spooky Mill.
All too soon the weekend was over, with hugs and tears and thank yous, and promises to meet again soon.
I’d personally just love to add a huge thank you to the leadership team of Victoria, Elin and Nush, and to this wonderful group of young ladies who I will never forget. 18 months of getting to know them, traveling together, seeing bonds form and confidence grow. What a great experience.
