GIRLS from the 1st Dunfermline Guides were presented with top awards recently.

Caroline Gourley, the Fife Girl Guiding county commissioner, awarded two of the highest honours in the Guide’s section to the five youngsters at a youth parade in St Leonard’s Church.

Emma Lowe, 15, studying at Woodmill High School; Maya Brown, 14, and Jasmine Mooney, 15, both pupils at Queen Anne High School; and Olivia Drylie, 14, from Dunfermline High School, were all presented with Gold awards, while Eilidh Baxter, 14, who also studies at Dunfermline High School, was handed a Silver award.

To get these awards, the girls had to undertake tasks and challenges that reflect the six themes of the Girl Guides: Take Action, Skills for my Future, Express Myself, Be Well, Have Adventures and Know Myself.

The four girls who went on to win a Gold award also took on a personal challenge; these included taking on the Elie chain walk, completing the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition, canyoning and gorge-walking, and organising a pirate-themed treasure hunt.

All five girls have now moved on to the 1st Dunfermline Rangers where they will continue to develop their skills and gain leadership experience with the Brownies and Rainbows.

Sharon Barr, the unit guider for the 1st Dunfermline Guides and Rangers, said: “We’d really like to say well done to the girls. They have shown that with commitment and perseverance, it is possible to achieve those things you have set your sights on and these girls have managed this despite the huge adversity that we experienced with COVID.”