SEVEN schoolgirls have become the first in their area to be given the highest award available to Brownies.

Wylam Brownies Olivia Coady, Maddy Bacon, Sam Bellas, Bella O’Neill, Niamh Currie, Imogen Bryden and Zoe McKenzie-Green, all 10, were the first Brownies from Girlguiding Tynedale East Division to be awarded the Brownie Gold Award.

The award was launched with the new Girlguiding programme in July 2018 and is the highest achievement available.To achieve the award, the girls, who had attended Wylam Brownies for three years, had to complete a variety of tasks including running a meeting themselves and running a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and survival meetings for the other Brownies.

Between them they also earned more than 20 of the new programme interest badges including zero waste, grown your own, jobs, languages and mindfulness.