A GUIDING group that nurtures friendships and new-found confidence has marked its 30th birthday.

The 7th Abingdon Rainbows, which was on the brink of extinction just two years ago, celebrated its third decade with a reunion party.

It bounced back after a lull in volunteers and marked its latest milestone with tea and cake at its Abingdon Baptist Church base.

Tania Nurton, who runs the group, said the party earlier this month was 'lovely' and brought Rainbows past and present together.

The Abingdon resident said: "Rainbows is an opportunity for the girls to socialise with girls who don't go to their school. We normally have bring and share, where the girls tell us about something, and we'll do craft activities and play games."

The teaching assistant, who works at Thameside Primary School, joined the group as a 'young leader' as a teenager.

She joined to add volunteering to her CV, but worked her way to the top within a few years.

Miss Nurton, 31, said: "I just love it, the girls are so funny. That's why I do it; the appreciation you get when one of the girls achieves something she never thought she would."

The group meets for an hour on Monday evenings and currently has 19 girls registered, aged between five and seven years old.

A lack of leaders led Miss Nurton to send out a letter of closure to parents two years ago, which sparked several of them to come forward to save the group.

But she warned other guiding units - which encompass Rainbows, Brownies and Guides - remain 'on the brink of closure' due to the same problem.

She said: "We've got enough leaders to keep us ticking over, but other units can't take any more girls because they just can't recruit enough leaders."

Miss Nurton suggested the problem was finances and pressure to work, but noted many employers are supportive of people who take on voluntary roles.

Mum-of-two Eleanor Britton, who is a leader at the group, said supervising the girls was 'an absolute pleasure'.

The Abingdon resident, a part-time accountant, said: "They are all really keen to learn and try new things as well as have fun.

"One of the nicest things is seeing the girls confidence grow."

The 47-year-old said contributing to that transformation was 'incredibly rewarding'.

Fellow helper Christine Price added: "I was a Girl Guide and fondly remember the camaraderie.

"The Rainbow motto is 'look, learn, laugh and love' and these themes are encompassed by the activities.

"I enjoy seeing the girls' personalities develop from shy and quiet, to chatty and having the confidence to welcome new members."

Anyone interested in becoming a leader can visit girlguiding.org.uk