Twenty-two members of Girlguiding Nottinghamshire from Mansfield and Rainworth have been selected to represent Girlguiding UK at the Royal Commonwealth Society’s annual Commonwealth Day Act of Observance.

Taking place in Westminster Abbey on Monday, 9th March, the event will be attended by The Queen. The congregation of some 2,000 people will include High Commissioners and dignitaries from around the Commonwealth, and the Mansfield Brownies and Guides have been invited to join a contingent of 1,000 young people from across the UK.

According to the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Day Act of Observance is the UK’s largest multi-faith service and it traditionally features a vibrant mixture of testimonies, performances and readings from different parts of the Commonwealth. Last year’s keynote address was delivered by Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.

For 2015 the theme is ‘A Young Commonwealth’, underlining the fact that people aged 25 or under account for the majority of the Commonwealth’s population and will play a vital role in its future development.

Cerys Gardiner, a Ranger and a Young Leader with 3rd Rainworth Rainbows, will renew her promise as a member of Girlguiding’s Senior Section while the Notts group is in London, and many of the girls in the party are working on the organisation’s ‘Commonwealth Award’. Their trip will also take in some of London’s sights on the way, including 10 Downing Street and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, before they take their seats in Westminster Abbey.

Girlguiding Nottinghamshire is working to boost its number of adult volunteers across the county in order to ensure more girls and young women can benefit from opportunities such as this. Anyone keen to find out about volunteering in their own area is invited to call county headquarters on 0115 987 7220 or visit www.girlguidingnottinghamshire.org.uk