Meet the delegation - Della

Introducing Della Salway!

 I'm a Ranger leader and assistant Guide leader in Portishead, Somerset North county, a trainer and a Girlguiding Trustee.My Guiding name “Pumbaa”…friends can explain the many similarities…plus I’m a Disney freak

Previously  I was Treasurer and member of the World Board of WAGGGS, and UK International Commissioner.

I'll be looking after money at the conference – both from a WAGGGS policy perspective…and as keeper of the spreadsheet for delegation expenses.  “I have been known at previous conferences for my money bags and notebook, but this time we are going digital with an app!”

We will also be coordinating the gathering of Commonwealth Chief Commissioners, which aims to share good practice, and help each other find solutions to challenges.

I'm looking forward to sharing some of the many things that are happening at the moment: Being our Best – our plan for 2020, especially how we are trying to measure our success,  our Think Resilient peer education resource and our local planner for membership growth and retention.

I'm also looking forward to hearing how other member organisations are approaching challenges with membership growth – both recruitment and retention  and discuss how we may could add to our own action plans.

My favourite badges on my camp blanket ❤

Finland ribbon: My first international guiding friends were Liisa and Anna-Kaisa, two leaders from Finland, who stayed with me as home hospitality.  The most memorable part of their visit for me was when they asked me to check their translation of some Finnish customs, including the sauna – not a thing that I had experienced at the time.  I thought that they had made a mistake when they said that you hit yourself with birch twigs…and was very surprised to learn that that was exactly what you do when having a sauna in Finland.  I keep in touch with them still, and was delighted to meet up with them (and their sons) at the World Scout Jamboree in 2007.

Westcountry jamboree:  This was my first experience of an international event in this country, and I attended as a leader with Exeter North East Rangers.  I have very happy memories of the event – awful weather to begin, then sun and fun, and international guests from around the world – but also of my first Ranger unit.  This was a large unit of 21 Rangers, aged from 14 – 18, brilliantly led by Fitz and Vealey, where the activities were all planned by the Unit Executive team of Rangers.  Some incriminating pictures of my shaggy perm still remain.