Girlguiding South West (England) have teamed up with Dartmoor Zoological Society to provide its members with a once in a lifetime opportunity to sleepover at Dartmoor Zoo.

Across dates in May, July and October, over 500 girls ranging from seven-year-old brownies through to duides, rangers and young leaders have been given the opportunity to sleep over at the zoo. A further 270 girls, from the youngest four-year-old rainbows, through to young leaders and their unit leaders are set to join in the fun.

The first two sleepovers were hugely successful, taking place last week from Tuesday (May 30) to Friday (June 2).

Day one of the snooze itinerary started with a tour of the zoo, followed by various workshops on close encounters, animal enrichment and animal behaviour. The girls got a chance to get up close and personal with giant African snails, stick insects and even stroke real tiger fur.

The girls then set up camp and had a group BBQ before taking part in a dusk zoo trail competition and twilight tour before settling in for bed. The next day the girls had the opportunity to complete some of the ‘night with the tigers’ resource pack activities that was created by Girlguiding South West England in conjunction with the zoo such as counting how many animals they saw from each continent or visiting a reptile house.

Laura Cottey, chief commissioner for Girlguiding South West England said: ‘It was so wonderful to be able to have such a special event at Dartmoor Zoological Park over half term. The opportunity for girls and young women from across Girlguiding South West England to come and spend not only a day at the zoo but then to sleepover was a huge adventure! We are really grateful to the amazing team who arranged a whole programme of activities for the attendees to explore and learn more about the animals and the wider world.’

Girlguiding South West England is now looking to provide even more opportunities and experiences for girls and young women across the region; with nearly 8,500 girls on the waiting list in the south west, they are looking for new volunteers to join in the fun. Being a Girlguiding volunteer, even for an hour or two each week, affords opportunities such as travelling around the world, accompanying girls on the trip of a lifetime, spending a weekday evening helping them learn a new skill or enjoying an action-packed outdoors adventure weekend as everyone involved strives to make lifelong friendships. Volunteering can also be flexible and is not required to be a weekly commitment. There are lots of different roles to choose from to fit in with all lifestyles and all the training and support requied is provided.

Volunteers of all backgrounds, ages, cultures, faiths and abilities are welcomed. For more information about volunteering with Girlguiding, visit https://www.girlguidingsouthwest.org.uk/join-us.

Girlguiding South West England is one of the nine countries and regions of Girlguiding, the UK’s leading youth organisation for girls and young women. Guiding is offered to rainbow, brownie, guide and ranger units throughout the region’s 16 guiding counties and islands.

Laura said: ‘Guiding follows a mission to help all girls know they can do anything, whether they are aged four, 18 or in between. All girls have a home at Girlguiding — whoever they are, and wherever they are. We show them a world of possibilities, big and small. We help them think big and be bold in a space where they can be themselves, get creative, explore, and have fun. We’re a powerful collective voice – with girls, led by girls – changing the world for the better.

‘We’re 45,000 rainbows, brownies, guides and rangers, who come together to laugh, learn, explore and have adventures in communities all across the UK.’