Brownies celebrate West Bromwich pack's 70th birthday

Yet girls from the 1st West Bromwich Brownies group were whisked back in time as they met with members over the ages to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the group.

Memories and photographs are being collected by the group's current leaders to tell the story of the generations of children who have helped to make it a success.

The 1st West Bromwich group meet each week at the Wesley Church, in West Bromwich High Street, where they were formed by Dorothy Wallett in 1943.

Two founding members are among those who can still remember back to learning to sew and how to tie a neckerchief in the midst of the Second World War.

Friends Brenda Moore and Jean Spencer joined the pack when they were aged around seven led by Miss Wallett who was also their teacher at Spon Lane School, in West Bromwich.

Mrs Moore, now aged 77, and who originally lived in West Bromwich but now lives in Great Barr, said: "It is lovely to think it has lasted this many years and is still going strong. I can't believe that 70 years have passed since we first joined."

Around 20 young girls were part of the group in those days with Miss Wallett as the group's leader, known as Brown Owl.

Subs in those days were a penny a week and uniforms were brown dresses with a necker tie which they had to learn to fold.

Mrs Spencer, who has two children and one grand-daughter, said: "We used to have to walk over and I think the meetings were still on the evenings and we used to meet in the guild room in the old church but we did use the same room that they use today too."

Both spent four years with the Brownies before moving up to the Girl Guides. Mrs Moore eventually became one of the group's leaders as it stayed after the church was re-built in the 1970s.

"We still have our links and keep in the loop with everything," added Mrs Moore, who went on to to run her own Brownie group at Grove Vale Primary School, in Great Barr. Mrs Spencer's daughter Sue also ran a group at Charlemont Methodist Church. The two friends are now part of the Trefoil guiding guild which meets each month at the church in Charlemont and will reach its 60th anniversary next year.

Both say they are full of pride as the group is still flourishing under the group's current Brown Owl Stacey Hampson who lives in the Lapel area of Halesowen.

She helped organise a gathering of some past members recently. Youngsters now wear bright jumpers and caps, go on regular trips to camps at Beaudesert and have recently learned the new modern Brownie promise. The 31-year-old, who works in an accounting department for a firm in Cannock, hopes her new-born daughter Freya will maybe one day don the uniform too."

Anyone who wants to find out more about the group or former members can call 07929 839900.