Janet Newbury from Girlguiding Gwent was presented with the Girlguiding Cymru Silver Dragon award by Sarah-Jane Burns at the Girlguiding Gwent awards evening.
At the recent Girlguiding Gwent Awards evening, Janet Newbury was presented with the Girlguiding Cymru Silver Dragon award by Deputy Chief Commissioner Sarah Jane Burns. This award recognises Janet's exceptional dedication and service to Girlguiding over an impressive 32 years.
Janet's journey in Guiding has been remarkable. She has served as a leader for Rainbows, Brownies, and Guides, sharing her skills and passion with girls of all ages. Beyond unit leadership, she has also taken on vital roles as a mentor, County and Cymru Rainbow Advisor, District and Division Commissioner, and has contributed significantly to administrative tasks. She is a valued member of the County Executive committee and has previously served on the Cymru Council committee.
Throughout her extensive career, Janet has consistently provided support and compassion, not only for young members but also for fellow volunteers and the wider community. She is highly respected at local, regional, and international levels for her willingness to assist those in need. Janet is also known for her exceptional Quartermaster skills, which have been invaluable on numerous local, regional, national, and international trips. Notably, she was part of the Welsh contingent that assisted in the reopening of the World Centre, Nuestra Cabana in Mexico, after its closure during the pandemic.
Janet's leadership is characterized by professionalism, thoughtfulness, kindness, and a genuine desire to support others. She excels at finding solutions to challenges faced by leaders, both within and outside of Guiding. Her exemplary soft skills, including positive creativity, adaptability, and cooperation, inspire others to embrace the same values. She is an essential team member, leading by example to improve relationships and communication between individuals and units. Above all, Janet has made countless people feel valued and included within the Girlguiding community.
Below are a few quotes from the letters received in support of the Silver Dragon award for Janet.
“In 2008 Janet and her team delivered a very successful Girlguiding Cymru challenge to celebrate 21 years of Rainbows. She had previously been involved in the Girlguiding Cymru & ‘Rainbows are 18’ challenge. Always mindful of the needs of our young members she supported the publication of ‘Ready for Rainbows’ in Welsh thereby helping girls whose first language was welsh. She herself was not a Welsh speaker.”
“As the needs of her district have changed, Janet took over the leadership of the Brownie unit - although she regularly helps out at the local Rainbow and Guide units as the needs for more leaders is evident and continues.”
“Janet is a division commissioner, a position she has held for some time as the leaders across the division unanimously asked her to stay for a second term - proof she is held in such high regard by her team and peers.”
“Janet’s ‘speciality’ is catering - so whenever there is a residential or county event, Janet always offers her help. Over the years Janet has catered on many Cymru and county international selection weekends. She is dependable, efficient and never ceased to amaze as she lifts the spirits of those around her. She always has ideas to ‘tease’ the girls into eating international foods that they didn’t want to cook or try”
“Janet spent 2 weeks in Mexico helping with the re-opening of Our Cabana after the pandemic. Janet spent many hours in hot rooms, cleaning, sorting and inventorying equipment, but her skills did not end there! - as she was tasked to find homes for over 300 lost keys!”