GIRL Guides from Freeland are celebrating after a group of teenagers received the highest award possible within the guiding group.

Ellie Holtom, 14, Hannah Calvert, 15, Esther McCulloch, 14, Natasha Firmin, 15, Hannah Kirkham, 14, Lauren Fox, 14, and Nell Davies-Small, 14, have all been granted the Baden Powell award.

To earn the accolade, which is the highest a Girl Guide can receive, the girls have been busy organising and running evening events for their Freeland guide unit as well as for the Rainbows, which accepts girls aged five to seven.

Freeland Guides leader Clare Kirkham said it was a proud moment for the girls.

She said: "To win this award they have also slept out in a bivouac shelter, furthered their hobbies of ice-skating. piano and cello playing and public speaking, as well as attending an adventure weekend with other guides from the county."

The Girl Guides movement is similar to the Boy Scouts and was set up exclusively for women in the early 1900s. Girls take part in outdoor activities and also help their community, learn new skills, and make new friends

The group received the award on July 14.