THIS was the scene in St Giles in 1974 when Guides, Brownies and Rangers went on the march in Oxford.

They were on their way to their annual church parade, led by the 1st Horspath Scout band.

From St Giles, the 500 girls marched through Cornmarket Street and down St Aldate’s to St Aldate’s Church, where they were welcomed by the Rector, Canon Keith de Berry.

They came from the north, west and south districts of Oxford City Division 2.

During the service, the girls renewed their promises, Major David Chislett, of the Salvation Army, gave an address, and the lesson was read by a Guide.

The dignitaries present included the county commissioner, Mrs H R Vickers, and the division commissioner, Lady Crowther-Hunt.

A collection taken at the service went to the Woodlarks Cripple Camp Site, where the disabled could enjoy camping holidays.

This year, the Guide movement is celebrating its centenary.

Robert Baden-Powell, who had launched the Scouts in 1907, organised a Scouts’ rally at Crystal Palace in London two years later and was surprised when a number of girls arrived, proclaiming they were girl Scouts.

He decided that if they wanted to join in, they should have their own name and movement, and a programme suited to their needs.

He chose the name Girl Guides after the famous Corps of Guides, a regiment in the British Empire’s Indian Army, who were “distinguished for their general handiness and resourcefulness under difficulties, and their keenness and cour-age…”

Lord Baden-Powell felt that the movement for girls should be run by women, so in 1910 he asked his elder sister Agnes to adapt his book, Scouting for Boys, for use by girls. That year, the Guide movement was formally founded, with the establishment of the Girl Guides Association (United Kingdom).

Guides in Oxfordshire are celebrating the anniversary with a series of events.

For more information, see the Oxfordshire guides website.